Pakistan has strengthened ties with the Trump administration after years of strained relations, including through cooperation on security and a role in US-Iran diplomacy. The article says Pakistan would prefer Republicans to retain control of Congress in the November 3 midterm elections, as they are expected to lose seats in both chambers.
Key Facts
Trump thanked Pakistan in March 2025 for helping arrest a suspect in the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing at Kabul airport.
India and Pakistan fought a four-day war in May after an attack killed 26 tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Trump said he helped secure the May 10 ceasefire; India says the fighting ended through bilateral talks.
Pakistan’s leaders have visited the White House, and the United States has cut tariffs on Pakistani exports.
Pakistan has mediated between Washington and Tehran during their ongoing war.
Trump hosted Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, for lunch at the White House and called him his “favourite field marshal.”
Pakistan nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The article says Republicans are expected to lose critical seats in the House and Senate in the November 3 midterm elections.
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Israelis are voting in a closely contested election, with polls placing incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu near neck and neck with Gadi Eisenkot. Neither political bloc is projected to win the 61 seats needed for a majority, so forming a government may require extended coalition talks.
Key Facts
Eisenkot leads the newly formed Yashar Party and is the main figure in the bloc seeking to remove Netanyahu from power.
Netanyahu is seeking to return to office through an alliance with far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties in his current coalition.
The opposition has criticized Netanyahu over the security failure before the Hamas-led attacks on 7 October, which killed nearly 1,200 people and saw 251 people taken to Gaza as hostages.
Opposition leaders have called for an independent inquiry into the attacks; Netanyahu has opposed that proposal, saying the inquiry would be biased against him.
Netanyahu faces a corruption trial, whose charges he denies, and is pursuing proposed judicial reforms that previously prompted mass protests.
About 70,000 Israelis reportedly returned from abroad to vote, and about half a million people are voting for the first time.
Israel has two Arab party blocs; most leading Jewish parties have ruled out working with them.
Israeli broadcasters are scheduled to publish exit polls at 22:00 local time on Tuesday, though the article notes that exit polls can vary from final results.
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A 16-year-old boy was found guilty of attempted murder after stabbing a 15-year-old pupil at Thorpe St Andrew School near Norwich on 11 March. His father said he believes extreme online material influenced his son, while acknowledging he had not known about the boy’s searches or plans before the attack.
Key Facts
The boy wore black clothing and a face mask and used a kitchen knife in the attack.
The victim spent one night in hospital and was not seriously injured.
Police found the boy had searched online for information about mass shootings and serial killers, including the night before the attack.
Police also found notes at the family home that described plans for a wider attack.
The boy’s father said parental controls on his devices mainly limited screen time.
The father apologized to the victim and her family and called for tighter controls on online material.
The government cited its Prevent scheme and the Online Safety Act in response to concerns about online radicalisation.
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Student-led protests in France have expanded from complaints about overcrowded, poorly maintained schools and teacher shortages into wider opposition to public spending cuts and rising living costs. The government has deployed police and imposed curfews, while a meeting between President Emmanuel Macron and student representatives did not ease tensions, according to the article.
Key Facts
France’s Interior Ministry reported 410,000 protesters nationwide on Saturday, including 110,000 in Paris.
The protests began in mid-September after students blockaded schools over crowded classrooms, absent teachers and deteriorating buildings.
Teachers joined the protests over low pay; the article cites average annual gross salaries of 41,968 euros in France and 69,453 euros in Germany.
Trade unions and civil servants joined as protests grew into opposition to a proposed 54-billion-euro package of cost cuts and tax measures for the 2027 budget.
The proposed budget measures include freezes on civil servant salaries.
The government imposed curfews and deployed police to respond to the protests.
Macron blamed ultra-left groups for seeking to destabilize the Republic and said people involved in violence would face consequences.
A Friday meeting between Macron and student movement representatives did not defuse tensions.
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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised a swift government response to threats against MPs and their staff. The government is considering options including duress alarms, stronger security at electorate offices, and safety measures at polling places; it has not announced specific changes.
Key Facts
Albanese told Labor MPs that politicians and their staff had faced threats for too long and that the government needed to do more.
Several MPs have raised the possibility of providing duress alarms, also called panic buttons, to alert authorities during a safety incident.
Government sources said officials were considering stronger security at electoral offices, better communication with federal police, and security measures for MPs’ homes.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the government was also examining safety at polling booths around election time.
Labor plans to expedite a review of Commonwealth workplaces, with recommendations on safety and security expected soon.
Opposition leader Angus Taylor told Coalition MPs that he had ongoing discussions with the government about personal safety.
Independent senator Fatima Payman criticized the allocation of staff to her office and said she had no advisers, according to an internal document tabled at a hearing.
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Macklemore opened his three-city “Free Palestine” tour before a sold-out crowd in Dublin. He said tour proceeds would support organizations helping Palestinians; the tour follows his exclusion from Ed Sheeran’s concerts after pro-Palestinian remarks.
Key Facts
Macklemore is an American rapper.
He opened the tour in Dublin.
The Dublin concert sold out.
The tour has three cities.
Macklemore announced that all tour proceeds would support organizations helping Palestinians.
He was excluded from Ed Sheeran’s concerts after making pro-Palestinian remarks.
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Labor criticized One Nation leader Pauline Hanson over cartoons that depict Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong being killed, saying they promote division and violence. Hanson defended the videos and said they would remain online, while One Nation figures described them as political satire and acknowledged they may be in poor taste.
Key Facts
A 2022 episode of Hanson’s Please Explain series depicts Wong being killed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Hanson’s February film, Super Progressive Movie, shows Wong being beheaded in a scene involving Albanese and Hanson.
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett urged politicians to use respectful, cautious language amid concerns about threats against politicians.
Wong said One Nation was willing to keep depicting violence and accused it of promoting division and personal attacks.
Hanson said the cartoons had nothing to do with the alleged attack on MP Helen Haines and would not be removed.
Cartoon creator Mark Nicholson refused to apologize for an episode mocking Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie’s health conditions.
One Nation Victorian leader Warren Pickering defended the cartoons as free speech and political comedy, while agreeing that political discourse should cool down.
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Israel opened polls for its first parliamentary election since the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023. Polls cited in the article suggest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition may lose its majority, while opposition parties may also fall short of the 61 seats needed to form a government.
Key Facts
The Knesset has 120 seats, and a bloc needs at least 61 seats to form a government.
The election is the first in Israel since the Hamas-led attacks on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed, most of them civilians, according to the article.
Netanyahu is 76 and faces ongoing corruption trials in three cases.
Gadi Eisenkot, a former Israeli army chief of staff, leads the opposition party Yashar and is described as Netanyahu’s main challenger.
The article reports that Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 75,000 people.
The article says the election follows years of regional conflict, including a war with Iran that began this year.
Netanyahu’s coalition has faced criticism over settlement expansion and violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
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Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkiye and Pakistan agreed to continue talks on regional peace and security at a meeting in Tehran. The discussions took place as Saudi Arabia reported intercepting missiles and drones launched by the Houthis, while fighting in Yemen and tensions between Washington and Tehran continued.
Key Facts
The four countries said they would continue dialogue to strengthen regional cooperation on peace and security.
Saudi Arabia said it sent Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman to the Tehran talks; Pakistan and Turkiye sent senior military and intelligence officials.
A Pakistani security official said the talks covered a proposed regional non-aggression network, US-Iran negotiations, Houthi attacks, the Strait of Hormuz and a US blockade of Iranian ports.
A Pakistani official said Field Marshal Asim Munir presented Iran with a proposal intended to offer benefits to both Washington and Tehran, but did not disclose its details.
Saudi coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said Saudi air defences intercepted three ballistic missiles aimed at the Eastern Province and four drones headed toward the south, with no casualties reported.
The coalition also said it shot down three more drones over Riyadh and southern Saudi Arabia on Monday evening; the Houthis did not immediately comment.
The article reports that the Houthis seized strategic areas on Yemen’s Red Sea coast last month and have also attacked Saudi airports, ports and oil facilities.
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Saudi Arabia’s coalition said it intercepted three Houthi ballistic missiles and four drones headed toward the kingdom, with no casualties reported. The attacks came amid renewed fighting in Yemen and regional talks involving Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan and Iran aimed at preventing further escalation.
Key Facts
Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said the missiles were aimed at Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province and the drones were headed toward southern regions.
Saudi civil defense issued emergency alerts in the Eastern Province and Al Kharj Governorate, then lifted them and advised residents to take precautions.
The coalition said it had also intercepted three drones near Riyadh and in southern Saudi Arabia on Monday evening.
Senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan met Iranian officials in Tehran; the four countries said they would continue dialogue on regional peace and security.
The article reports that Houthi forces seized areas along Yemen’s Red Sea coast last month, prompting a counteroffensive and intensified Saudi strikes.
The coalition said it retaliated by destroying five tunnels used to store ballistic missiles, four launchers and a missile depot.
Egypt’s Parliament authorized the military to help defend Saudi Arabia, according to the article.
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An offshore drilling platform sank off Gabon’s southern coast on Saturday. Search and rescue operations are continuing for five missing people; 110 of the 115 people aboard are safe.
Key Facts
The platform sank off Gabon’s southern coast.
The incident happened on Saturday.
There were 115 people on the platform.
Authorities have confirmed that 110 people are safe.
Five people remain missing.
Search and rescue operations are continuing.
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Israelis are voting in a closely contested election as Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to remain prime minister. The campaign has focused on security failures, ultra-Orthodox military service and the role of Arab-led parties, while the main opposition has also embraced right-wing positions.
Key Facts
The election is the first since the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023, and the war in Gaza that followed.
Netanyahu is seeking another term after leading a coalition that included far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties.
Netanyahu faces an ongoing corruption trial and is wanted by the International Criminal Court on war-crimes charges related to Gaza.
The campaign addressed accountability for alleged security failures and disputes over whether ultra-Orthodox Jews should serve in the military.
The article says Israeli politics has shifted right over several decades, with that shift accelerating under Netanyahu’s latest government.
The 2018 Nation-State Law formally defined Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people.
The article reports that deadly attacks in Gaza and Israeli army raids and settler violence in the occupied West Bank continued during the campaign.
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Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, will join Poh Ling Yeow as a special guest co-host on the 2027 season of Junior MasterChef Australia, Channel 10 confirmed. Meghan said she enjoys cooking with her children and looks forward to seeing what the young contestants make.
Key Facts
Meghan appeared as a guest judge on MasterChef Australia last year.
Paramount ANZ said Meghan’s guest-judge appearance drew the show’s largest Sunday audience since 2023.
Network 10 did not tell the BBC whether Meghan will be paid for co-hosting Junior MasterChef Australia.
Meghan and Prince Harry visited Australia for four days in April.
Meghan’s Netflix lifestyle and cookery show, With Love, Meghan, ran for two series and a Christmas special.
Meghan launched the lifestyle brand As Ever, which ended its partnership with Netflix in March.
Thomas Markle denies allegations of child sexual abuse.
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Israelis are voting in the country’s first election since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack. The closely contested race pits Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against centrist challenger Gadi Eisenkot, with security, accountability and Israel’s political direction central to the campaign.
Key Facts
The election is taking place after three years of regional wars that followed the October 7 attack.
The latest published polls showed Netanyahu and Eisenkot running neck and neck.
About 7.3 million people are eligible to vote, including more than half a million first-time young voters.
Netanyahu has served as prime minister for more than 19 years across multiple terms.
Netanyahu campaigned on his security record and his relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Netanyahu’s coalition includes far-right nationalist parties whose influence has grown.
Opposition parties criticize Netanyahu’s support for exemptions from military service for ultra-Orthodox religious students, as the military faces personnel shortages.
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Police in Criciúma, southern Brazil, shot a man who had assaulted and threatened his partner with a fake gun. Video shows him striking her and trying to use her as a human shield as officers arrived; both were taken to hospital for treatment.
Key Facts
The incident occurred in Criciúma, southern Brazil.
Police shot the man.
The man had assaulted and threatened his partner.
The gun was fake.
Video shows the man striking his partner.
Video shows him attempting to use her as a human shield as officers arrived.
Both the man and his partner were taken to hospital for treatment.
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Some UK retailers reported sharp increases in sales of emergency supplies after Defence Secretary Wes Streeting urged people to keep basic goods at home. The government advice cited items such as water, tinned food, torches and phone chargers to prepare for disruptions including cyber attacks and extreme weather.
Key Facts
Iceland said sales of tinned products rose 40% over the weekend and reported strong bottled-water sales.
Robert Dyas reported a 160% increase in radio sales compared with the previous week.
Maplin said radio sales rose 92%, torch sales rose 284% and power-bank sales rose 106% after the government announcement, compared with the same period in the previous month.
Streeting’s October 22 advice included three litres of water per person per day, tinned goods, baby food, battery-powered torches and mobile-phone charging packs.
Independent online retailer Sgt Prepper’s said its sales increased tenfold after the government’s Be Ready campaign began.
Preppers Shop UK’s founder reported a 650% increase in sales after the announcement.
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A ceasefire has begun in Russian-occupied Oleshky, Ukraine, to allow aid deliveries and civilian evacuations. Ukrainian and Russian officials confirmed steps toward the truce, which the White House said Melania Trump helped secure.
Key Facts
The truce is intended to enable aid deliveries and the evacuation of civilians from Oleshky.
Russia’s defence ministry said it stopped firing toward Kherson at 04:00 Moscow time to prepare for the humanitarian operation.
Ukrainian human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets said Ukraine was honouring its commitments under the ceasefire.
Russia seized Oleshky in the first days of its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Ukraine estimates that about 6,000 people remain in Oleshky and nearby areas, including 200 children.
The city had about 24,000 residents before the war.
The White House said Melania Trump secured the ceasefire and that civilian leaders from both countries would assess residents’ needs.
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The U.S. military has banned all BYD vehicles from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, citing security risks to personnel and operations. Officials have not identified a specific threat, but the decision reflects broader concerns that vehicle cameras, sensors and GPS systems could expose sensitive information.
Key Facts
The ban took effect this week at Kadena Air Base, a major U.S. Air Force base on Okinawa.
The restriction covers privately owned BYD cars as well as taxis and delivery vehicles, according to reports.
Security staff at the base’s gates have been told to turn away BYD vehicles.
Kadena hosts fighter aircraft, refuelling and surveillance aircraft, and the Typhon missile system.
The Pentagon added BYD to a list of 188 Chinese companies it believes have ties to China’s military.
The U.S. banned sales and use of Huawei and ZTE smartphones at military bases worldwide in 2018, citing security concerns.
China restricted Tesla vehicles from some government compounds in 2021 over concerns about their cameras, then removed the restriction in 2024.
BYD became the world’s largest seller of battery-electric vehicles in 2025 and has been expanding in Japan.
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Jordan said it carried out airstrikes in Syria against what it called terrorist groups after a shooting at a Greek Orthodox church funeral in Jordan killed nine people. Syrian officials reported five deaths in the strike, while Syria said it had not been notified and closed its only passenger and commercial crossing with Jordan.
Key Facts
The funeral shooting in Karak on Friday killed nine people and injured 34.
Jordan said its fighter jets killed and wounded several people it described as terrorists.
Syrian health officials said five people, including women, children and an elderly man, died in the strike on a village in Daraa province.
Jordan said it coordinated the strike with the Syrian government; Syria said it had not been notified.
Syria suspended passenger and commercial traffic at the Nassib crossing, the only such crossing between the two countries.
Syrian authorities said they opened direct communication with Jordan and began an investigation into the strike.
Jordanian security forces arrested two brothers and their brother-in-law in connection with the church attack, according to Jordanian officials.
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Moroccan police intercepted a migrant swimming toward Ceuta, Spain’s North African enclave, and took him back to Morocco. The incident occurred amid a crackdown on migrant encampments following the crossing of at least 70,000 people into Ceuta in July.
Key Facts
Moroccan police intercepted a migrant who was swimming toward Ceuta.
Police took the migrant back to Morocco.
Ceuta is a Spanish enclave in North Africa.
Moroccan authorities are cracking down on migrant encampments.
At least 70,000 people crossed into Ceuta in July.
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