An Aer Lingus Airbus A320 flying from Dublin to Rome was diverted to the French military airbase at Évreux on Thursday after a bomb threat. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s office said it was monitoring the situation; authorities reported no injuries in the incident.
Key Facts
The flight was traveling from Dublin to Rome when it was diverted to France.
The aircraft landed at the Évreux airbase in Normandy.
Flight-tracking data showed the plane turn near Paris and circle over Évreux after declaring an in-flight emergency.
The French prime minister’s office said it was monitoring the situation.
The diversion followed bomb threats targeting several European flights on Tuesday.
Authorities said no devices were found during Tuesday’s incidents.
The article also reports that a flight bound for Bulgaria was diverted to Hungary after a bomb threat the day before.
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An Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome diverted to the French military base at Évreux after a bomb alert, the French prime minister’s office said. The plane landed safely, and authorities moved its 151 passengers and six crew members to a safe place while a bomb squad prepared to inspect it.
Key Facts
The flight, numbered EIN40G, was operated by an Airbus A320.
The French prime minister’s office said the government was monitoring the situation.
French broadcaster BFMTV reported that Italian authorities issued the bomb alert.
Le Figaro reported that a French Rafale fighter jet escorted the plane as it approached.
The incident came two days after bomb threats led to searches or diversions of seven flights across Europe.
The earlier alerts affected flights operated by LOT Polish Airlines, SAS, Wizz Air and Ryanair.
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India’s most expensive film, “Ramayana: Rise of a Legend,” has opened worldwide ahead of Diwali. The first of two planned films retells the Hindu epic with a reported budget of $500 million and has received mixed reviews, with critics praising its scale and visuals but questioning its pacing, acting, or effects.
Key Facts
The film is directed by Nitesh Tiwari and is the first of two planned installments.
Ranbir Kapoor plays Ram, Sai Pallavi plays Sita, and Yash plays Ravana.
The film adapts the story of Ram’s 14-year exile and Sita’s kidnapping; the battle with Ravana is planned for the second film.
Producer Namit Malhotra heads visual-effects company DNEG, which has worked on films including “Dune” and “Interstellar.”
The score brings together Oscar-winning composers AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer.
The film opened days before Diwali, a Hindu festival that celebrates Ram’s return to Ayodhya.
Reviews varied: some praised the spectacle and adventure, while others criticized the pacing, acting, action, or computer-generated imagery.
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Former EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said the UK could negotiate to rejoin the EU without committing to adopt the euro. He said joining the single market would require accepting free movement and that the EU would not allow the UK to choose only some single-market rules.
Key Facts
Michel Barnier led the EU’s negotiations during the Brexit process.
Barnier said a negotiation on rejoining could begin without an obligation to join the euro area.
EU law requires new member states to join the euro area, though six current members do not use the euro and Denmark has a formal opt-out.
Barnier said joining the single market would require accepting free movement.
He said the EU would not allow the UK to choose selected parts of the single market.
The article also reported that the Bank of England was expected to announce an interest-rate increase that day.
Nigel Farage, Reform UK leader, was due to hold a press conference with Danny Kruger.
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An Italian chef was fired from a Brisbane restaurant after refusing several times to make pizza with pineapple, which he said offended his culture. Australia’s Fair Work Commission rejected his unfair-dismissal claim because he filed it too late, not because it ruled on the merits of his dismissal.
Key Facts
Davide Tamburella was fired from the now-closed La Costa restaurant in May.
Management cited complaints about Tamburella’s behavior, including foul language, communication style and frustration at work.
At a function, Tamburella refused to make ham-and-pineapple pizza, saying management instructions need not be followed if they offended his culture.
The commission noted that this was the third time in four years that Tamburella had refused to put pineapple on pizza.
Tamburella fractured bones in his right hand after striking a metal hand rail at work in April.
The restaurant ended its process to sponsor a skilled-worker visa for Tamburella after firing him.
Queensland produces all of Australia’s commercially grown pineapples, according to the article.
Tamburella’s unfair-dismissal claim was rejected because he filed it after the deadline. He now works at another Brisbane restaurant.
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Hong Kong’s High Court sentenced pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong to 10 additional years in prison after finding him guilty of colluding with foreign entities under the city’s national security law. Wong pleaded guilty in September; the judge said the sentence was reduced from a 13-year starting point because of the plea and other mitigating factors.
Key Facts
Wong has been in prison since 2020 for his role in protests held the previous year.
He was expected to be released in January 2027 before the additional sentence.
Prosecutors accused Wong and others, including self-exiled activist Nathan Law, of seeking foreign sanctions, blockades, or other hostile actions against the government.
Wong pleaded guilty to the collusion charge in September.
The judge said the 10-year sentence reflected the seriousness of the offense and was reduced from a 13-year starting point.
The U.S. consulate in Hong Kong condemned the sentence and called for Wong’s release.
Taiwan and rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, also criticized the sentence.
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South Korea plans to seek a longer mandate and expanded operating area for its Cheonghae naval unit, moving patrols from the Gulf of Aden toward waters south of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz. Officials say the mission would remain noncombat and under South Korean command, while opposition lawmakers warn it could draw the country into the war on Iran.
Key Facts
The Cheonghae unit’s current mandate is due to expire at the end of 2026.
South Korea plans to ask the National Assembly to extend the mandate and expand operations near Oman’s port of Duqm.
The cabinet is expected to endorse the request next week before it goes to lawmakers.
The unit has patrolled the Gulf of Aden since 2009 to protect commercial shipping.
The expanded mission would add 75 personnel, including a bomb disposal team, and a P-8A maritime patrol aircraft.
Officials say the mission would be restricted to open waters south of Oman and would not target or monitor Iranian territory or the Strait of Hormuz’s interior.
The plan follows pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump for South Korea to support Washington’s war on Iran.
Opposition lawmakers argue that expanding the mission amounts to a troop deployment and could expose South Korean forces to Iranian retaliation.
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The Paris Agreement has helped countries adopt climate policies and expand clean energy, but global emissions remain near record highs and warming continues. The world has reduced projected warming since 2015, yet current policies still fall short of the agreement’s goals, and the chance of limiting warming to 1.5°C without an overshoot has been lost, according to the UN Environment Programme.
Key Facts
The legally binding Paris Agreement was adopted by 196 parties in 2015 and took effect on November 4, 2016.
The agreement aims to keep warming well below 2°C above preindustrial levels and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5°C.
Countries set their own emissions and adaptation targets, called nationally determined contributions, and are expected to submit stronger targets every five years.
The agreement does not require countries to meet their targets; it relies on transparency and international pressure.
The planet exceeded 1.5°C of warming over a full calendar year for the first time in 2024, and 2023–2025 were the three hottest years on record.
Climate Action Tracker estimates that warming projections for 2100 fell from about 3.6°C in 2015 to about 2.6°C, but progress has stalled since 2021.
China, the United States and India produce more than half of annual global emissions; the United States has the largest historical emissions total.
Clean-energy investment is now almost twice investment in fossil fuels, but emissions cuts have not been fast enough to keep the 1.5°C limit within reach.
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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expects U.S. President Donald Trump to keep bypassing Congress despite midterm losses. Merz said he envies Trump’s ability to use presidential powers to bypass Democrats in Congress.
Key Facts
Friedrich Merz is Germany’s chancellor.
Merz expects Donald Trump to continue bypassing Congress.
The article says this expectation holds despite midterm losses.
Merz believes Trump will use presidential powers to bypass Democrats in Congress.
Merz said he envies Trump’s ability to do so.
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U.S. officials in Japan identified the Marine who died after a training incident as Lance Cpl. Devin J. Hernandez, 25, of Maryland. Hernandez died on Tuesday, officials said.
Key Facts
Officials released Hernandez’s name on Thursday.
Hernandez was a lance corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps.
He was 25 years old.
He was from Maryland.
He died on Tuesday after a training incident in Japan.
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A four-year study projects that warming seas around the UK and the north-east Atlantic could change marine biodiversity unevenly by 2050. Fish and seabed invertebrate diversity may rise while important plankton groups decline, potentially disrupting food webs and affecting ocean health and food security.
Key Facts
The study was led by the UK government agency Cefas and published in Science Advances.
Researchers examined marine ecosystems in UK waters and the wider north-east Atlantic, including waters near Ireland and France.
Under a scenario of 3°C of global warming by 2100, the study projects fish and seabed invertebrate diversity could increase by about 12% by mid-century.
The study projects phytoplankton diversity could fall by about 3% and zooplankton diversity by about 7% by 2050.
The researchers say declines in plankton alongside gains in some higher-level groups could disrupt predator-prey relationships and marine food webs.
The study identifies seas around the British Isles, particularly the southern North Sea, as marine climate hotspots that have warmed rapidly over the past 50 years.
The research has been submitted to the UK government's review of marine protected areas, which is considering fishery management measures.
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A new geological study has ruled out the Orcadian Basin in northeast Scotland as the source of Stonehenge’s six-tonne Altar Stone. Researchers have not identified where the stone came from, but say the latest analysis narrows the search.
Key Facts
The Altar Stone is a 4.9-metre sandstone slab within Stonehenge’s stone circle.
Earlier research had suggested the stone came from northeast Scotland, after an earlier theory linked it to Wales.
Researchers found no location in the Orcadian Basin with characteristics matching the Altar Stone.
The latest study examined the stone’s structure, minerals and chemical composition, including fragments held in museum collections.
The research was published in the Journal of the Geological Society.
Stonehenge was built in several phases between about 3000 and 1600 BC.
Some of Stonehenge’s smaller bluestones came from west Wales, about 225 kilometres away.
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New Zealand’s November 7 election is expected to be close, with polls showing the governing National Party and opposition Labour Party nearly tied. Under the country’s proportional voting system, smaller parties may determine which bloc can form a government.
Key Facts
New Zealand holds general elections every three years and uses a mixed-member proportional system.
Voters cast one ballot for a local electorate candidate and another for a political party.
A party needs at least 5 percent of the party vote or one electorate win to gain seats.
A majority in the 120-seat Parliament usually requires 61 seats.
National leader and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is seeking a second term and governs in a coalition with New Zealand First and ACT.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins, who served as prime minister in 2023, is seeking a return to office.
National has campaigned on returning the budget to surplus, while Labour has focused on living costs and investment in public services, jobs, housing and infrastructure.
New Zealand First has proposed breaking up major electricity companies and splitting a large supermarket operator.
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Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to march in French cities on Thursday, while public workers are expected to strike. The protests are a new test for President Emmanuel Macron after weeks of unrest, five months before a presidential election.
Key Facts
Protests are expected in cities across France on Thursday.
Organizers expect hundreds of thousands of protesters.
Public workers are expected to strike.
The protests come after weeks of unrest in France.
The unrest has put pressure on Macron's government and dominated the political agenda.
A presidential election is five months away.
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A prison interview with Muslim scholar Sharjeel Imam has revived debate in India about Muslims’ political rights and the treatment of activists under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Imam, arrested after protests against a citizenship law, and other defendants remain jailed without trial over the 2020 Delhi riots, while rights groups criticize their continued detention.
Key Facts
India’s Muslim population is about 200 million, or roughly 14 percent of the country’s population, according to the article.
Imam gave an interview to the Indian news website The Quint from prison on September 29.
He criticized India’s constitutional structure and secularism, and argued that Muslims have little political representation.
India passed the Citizenship Amendment Act in 2019, offering an expedited route to citizenship for non-Muslim refugees from neighboring countries.
The law prompted nationwide protests, including a long-running sit-in near Shaheen Bagh in New Delhi.
Imam helped organize the Shaheen Bagh protest and was arrested in January 2020 over speeches made during the protests.
Imam and other Muslim activists were charged in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots, despite Imam being in custody when the violence occurred.
The article says Imam, Umar Khalid, and other defendants remain jailed without trial and have repeatedly been denied bail.
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Henry Nowak’s family criticized Vickrum Digwa’s appeal against his life sentence and the planned early release of Digwa’s mother, Kiran Kaur. Digwa was convicted of murdering Nowak, while Kaur was jailed for hiding the murder weapon; she is due to be released in December under an early-release scheme.
Key Facts
Vickrum Digwa, 23, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years after being found guilty of murdering 18-year-old Henry Nowak.
Digwa stabbed Nowak five times with an eight-inch blade in Southampton on 3 December.
Digwa is appealing his sentence, arguing that it is too severe.
The Attorney General has referred Digwa’s sentence for review, arguing that it was too lenient.
Kiran Kaur was sentenced to three years in prison in July for assisting an offender after hiding the knife used in the killing.
Kaur is due to be released in December after serving about one year, including time spent on remand.
The article says the Sentencing Act 2026 allows most prisoners serving fixed terms of up to two and a half years to be released on licence after serving one-third of their sentence.
Kaur is appealing her sentence and would serve the remainder in the community on licence, with the possibility of recall to prison if she breaches its conditions.
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Historic England added 197 places to its heritage at risk register, including Hastings Castle, Charles Dickens’ writing chalet in Rochester and fire-damaged Fylingdales Moor. The agency cited repair needs, coastal erosion and extreme weather among the risks, while 85 sites, including Newlyn harbour, were removed from the register after work to protect them.
Key Facts
Hastings Castle, a fortification commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman invasion of 1066, was added to the register.
Dickens’ wooden writing chalet in Rochester was added because it is fragile and needs repairs.
A 2025 wildfire damaged about 25 square kilometres of Fylingdales Moor and forest.
Historic England said extreme weather and coastal erosion threaten some historic sites, with water ingress and subsidence becoming more common concerns.
Hall’s Croft, the 17th-century home of Shakespeare’s daughter in Stratford-upon-Avon, was added; its exterior needs funding for repairs, including damage caused by a vehicle.
Bidston windmill in Merseyside was added because it needs urgent repairs.
Historic England said 85 sites were removed from the register, including Newlyn harbour, after restoration work.
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Textile artist Kate Jenkins has transformed Air Contemporary gallery in Soho into an Italian restaurant and deli filled with knitted, embroidered and crocheted food. Her exhibition, “Kate’s Knitalian,” opened on 30 October and runs until 5 December 2026.
Key Facts
The exhibition features yarn versions of foods such as pasta, salami, focaccia, pizza, fish, fruit and vegetables.
Visitors can choose woollen toppings at a pizza station.
Jenkins said her research involved eating Italian food over the past year.
The gallery is in Ham Yard, Soho.
Entry is free, and visitors do not need to book.
The exhibition is open Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 to 18:00 GMT and Saturdays from 10:00 to 17:00 GMT.
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Trade unions and student groups called nationwide strikes and demonstrations in France over rising living costs, public services and education. Authorities deployed about 70,000 police as they prepared for large crowds, following weeks of unrest and riots on October 17.
Key Facts
The demonstrations and strikes were planned for Thursday, November 5, 2026.
Trade unions, including the CGT, called for government support for households facing rising living costs.
Student groups backed the mobilization.
Authorities deployed around 70,000 police across France.
The domestic intelligence service expected 500,000 to 700,000 people to demonstrate outside Paris.
Riots and looting on October 17 damaged shops and public buildings, according to the report.
President Emmanuel Macron held a defence and security meeting on Wednesday before the protests.
The article said the unrest had expanded from student concerns about school conditions and youth opportunities to broader challenges for the government.
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Israeli opposition leaders blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for weakening U.S. support for Israel after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress. They said a future government led by the opposition would seek to rebuild bipartisan ties with Washington.
Key Facts
Democrats won majorities in the U.S. Senate and House, according to the article.
Yair Lapid said Netanyahu’s continued leadership threatened Israel’s security, democracy and international standing.
Lapid called for Israel to work with both U.S. political parties and cited Netanyahu’s 2015 speech to Congress opposing President Barack Obama’s Iran nuclear negotiations.
Gadi Eisenkot pledged to restore and deepen bipartisan ties with Washington if he leads Israel.
Yair Golan warned that Netanyahu’s government could lead to international sanctions, isolation and a confrontation with the United States.
Netanyahu’s coalition lost its parliamentary majority in Israel’s election but denied rival Gadi Eisenkot a clear path to replacing him.
The article says Donald Trump had endorsed Netanyahu and pledged to halt $4 billion in annual funding to Israel.
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