Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said U.S. election results would not end Washington’s hostility toward Iran and warned that another U.S. attack would bring a broader response. Other Iranian officials welcomed the Democrats’ congressional gains, saying U.S. voters had rejected the war, while some in Tehran hoped the new Congress would limit Trump’s actions.
Key Facts
Khamenei said changes between U.S. political parties would not alter U.S. policy toward Iran.
He said Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz had challenged the image of U.S. military strength.
Khamenei warned that a renewed U.S. attack would prompt a response on a wider scale.
The article reports that Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the war with Iran may have contributed to Republican losses, citing voters’ concerns about higher gasoline costs.
Iranian parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Americans had voted against the war.
Iranian officials including Mohammad Mokhber and Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei described the Republican result as a defeat for Trump.
An Al Jazeera correspondent in Tehran said some Iranians expected a Democratic-controlled Congress to restrain Trump, while others feared the election result could prompt a stronger response.
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Ukrainians do not expect Democrats’ victory in the U.S. midterm elections to bring a major change in U.S. policy toward the war with Russia, at least in the near term. FRANCE 24 correspondent Emmanuelle Chaze reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had not yet responded to Democrats taking control of Congress.
Key Facts
Democrats won the U.S. midterm elections and took control of Congress, according to the report.
Ukrainians do not expect a drastic change in U.S. policy toward the war with Russia.
The report says any policy change is not expected to happen quickly.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had not yet reacted to the election result.
FRANCE 24 correspondent Emmanuelle Chaze reported from Kyiv.
The report was issued on November 4, 2026.
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Protests led largely by young people have spread across at least eight European countries, with demands spanning education, living costs, jobs, public services, military spending and other political concerns. Experts say the demonstrations lack a single leader or program, making them difficult for governments to address; officials have often focused on public order, while some policy measures have not stopped the protests.
Key Facts
Demonstrations have taken place in at least eight European countries and have continued in waves.
Protesters’ concerns include school conditions, fuel costs, economic insecurity and limited opportunities.
Experts describe the movements as decentralized and say they reflect broader distrust in governments’ ability to respond.
Protests in France have included school and university blockades over education conditions and the Parcoursup admissions system.
Germany has seen metal and electrical workers strike, while students have protested over fears that conscription could return.
Firefighters marched in Brussels to call for more staff and better equipment.
An Italian union said tens of thousands joined a Friday demonstration calling for lower military spending.
France’s education minister announced measures including limits on class sizes and additional places in higher technician programs, but demonstrations continued.
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Police in Belfast said an investigation into 17 improvised explosive devices and other items found in the Shankill Road area is linked to extreme-right terrorism. A 35-year-old man appeared in court on charges involving explosives and a prohibited weapon and was remanded in custody.
Key Facts
Police found 17 improvised explosive devices during searches on 30 and 31 October in the Shankill Road area of Belfast.
The haul also included two detonators and five stun guns.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland said the investigation is linked to extreme-right terrorism.
Police arrested one man in connection with the discovery.
Wesley Thomas Fletcher, 35, faced two charges of possessing explosives under suspicious circumstances and one charge of possessing a prohibited weapon, a Taser.
Fletcher did not apply for bail and was remanded in custody; his next hearing is scheduled for 30 November.
The Belfast Telegraph reported that this was the largest haul of weaponry linked to the far right ever seized in Northern Ireland.
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A Scottish sheriff concluded that the 2020 Stonehaven train derailment, which killed three people, might have been avoided if a drainage system had been built and overseen correctly. The train struck debris washed onto the track during heavy rain; the inquiry cited failures in drain construction and Network Rail’s oversight.
Key Facts
Driver Brett McCullough, conductor Donald Dinnie and passenger Christopher Stuchbury died in the crash near Carmont in August 2020.
The train derailed after hitting debris washed from a drainage system during intense rainfall.
Sheriff Lesley Johnston found that the drain was not built and installed according to its design.
The inquiry identified possible precautions, including building the drain to its design and preparing and providing Network Rail with as-built drawings.
Network Rail was fined £6.7 million in 2023 after admitting maintenance, inspection and other failures connected with the crash.
The train was travelling at about 73 mph when it hit the debris and struck a bridge parapet.
The sheriff noted that Network Rail has since increased weather monitoring and use of aerial surveys, and has placed greater focus on construction records.
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The UK Supreme Court began a two-day hearing on an appeal against the government’s proscription of Palestine Action. Police arrested about 25 people who demonstrated outside the court, according to the Press Association; the group’s cofounder says the ban harms freedom of speech and the right to protest.
Key Facts
The hearing began Wednesday at the Supreme Court in London.
Palestine Action cofounder Huda Ammori is challenging the group’s designation as a terrorist organisation.
The UK government proscribed Palestine Action in July last year.
People convicted of belonging to or supporting Palestine Action can face up to 14 years in prison.
About 25 demonstrators were arrested outside the court, according to the Press Association.
Amnesty International and other rights organisations have called on the government to lift the ban.
The article says Swedish academic Andreas Malm was refused entry to the UK last week after the government said his presence was “not conducive to the public good.”
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Police in Germany, Austria and Hungary are investigating reports of needles and other sharp metal objects found in Halloween sweets. Two children suffered minor mouth injuries, while other children reportedly noticed the objects before swallowing the sweets.
Key Facts
A nine-year-old girl in Bremervörde, Germany, hurt her tongue while eating a chocolate bar that contained a 5-centimeter pin.
Police in Hungary opened a criminal investigation after nails, screws and wire were reportedly found in sweets given to children near Gyömrő.
A girl in Hungary noticed a nail inside a toffee before eating it.
Police in four Austrian states are investigating reports of sharp objects in sweets.
A 10-year-old girl near Amstetten, Austria, suffered a minor mouth injury after biting into a small chocolate bar.
Bavarian police said they had received reports of as many as 25 cases involving sweets with needles, screws or nails.
Police in Middle Franconia warned about possible copycat incidents after a child admitted to putting a needle in a chocolate bar.
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Passengers on a York-to-London train initially thought a stabbing victim was joking when he warned them to run, a court heard. Anthony Williams denies 10 counts of attempted murder over the train attack and four more counts relating to alleged earlier incidents; jurors must decide whether he intended to kill.
Key Facts
The train made an unscheduled stop in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, after the attack on 1 November 2025.
Prosecutors allege Williams stabbed 10 people on the train between Peterborough and Huntingdon.
Jonathan Gjoshe, the first person stabbed, said he warned other passengers to run, but some stayed seated because they thought he was joking.
Gjoshe spent four days in hospital and said he asked staff whether he would die.
Another passenger, Sachin Balakrishnan, said he heard people screaming and running before he was stabbed in the arm.
Williams, 33, denies 10 attempted-murder charges over the train attack and four charges tied to alleged incidents in Peterborough and London.
The court has heard that Williams carried out the attacks; jurors must decide whether he intended to kill.
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Israel’s Central Elections Committee confirmed the final results of the October 27 election, saying its review found no evidence of fraud or interference that affected the outcome. The results left Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition without a governing majority, while opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot is expected to seek a coalition with support from opposition parties, including Palestinian-led parties.
Key Facts
The Central Elections Committee said it found no irregularities that compromised the election or changed its results.
Committee chair Noam Sohlberg said some suspicions remain under investigation but do not justify delaying the results.
Netanyahu’s coalition lost its governing majority in the October 27 vote.
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara blocked a Shin Bet request to interrogate senior politicians from Palestinian-led parties, saying investigators had provided no evidence of wrongdoing.
President Isaac Herzog received the final results and is expected to give Eisenkot the first chance to form a government.
Jewish Israeli opposition parties have publicly backed Eisenkot, and Palestinian-led parties have said they prioritize removing Netanyahu from power.
Herzog condemned racist attacks and expressions directed at Palestinian citizens of Israel.
Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of using security services against political opponents and warned that attempts to undermine trust in the results were continuing.
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The UK Home Office is preparing to expand live facial recognition use by immigration enforcement, including at transport hubs and selected public events. Published documents describe possible watchlists for people accused of civil immigration breaches as well as criminal offenses; the Home Office says it is considering further trials.
Key Facts
The Home Office guidance and data protection assessment were published in October.
The documents say cameras could be used to find people sought for removal, people who may have re-entered the UK unlawfully, and people linked to immigration-related crimes.
Possible watchlist criteria include visa overstays and entry or stay without permission, which the documents describe as civil matters.
The programme has moved into a formal delivery phase, according to the documents.
Immigration enforcement ran three facial recognition trials at Holyhead port between November and February, focused on people arriving from Ireland who were subject to deportation orders or warrants for immigration-related crimes.
The guidance says people under 18 will not be placed on watchlists.
The Home Office said it is considering further trials and exploring the technology’s potential benefits and implications.
Campaigners criticized the plans, citing concerns about surveillance and the risk of facial recognition misidentifying people of colour.
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Iranian officials said Republican losses in the U.S. midterm elections reflected public opposition to the war with Iran. They blamed President Donald Trump for the conflict, while Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf said Americans had rejected war and warned against ignoring that message.
Key Facts
Hamidreza Moghaddamfar, an adviser to the commander-in-chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said the Republican losses followed a U.S. defeat in what he called “warmongering” against Iran.
Moghaddamfar described the election as a referendum on the war’s outcome.
The article says Democrats won majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Iranian parliament Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf posted that Americans had said no to war, citing conscience and the cost of living.
Ghalibaf warned that the U.S. government would face consequences if it ignored public opposition to the war.
The article says Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, in response to joint U.S.-Israeli strikes, raised global fuel prices.
The article says higher U.S. gas prices were a major concern for many voters.
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Ukraine and Russia exchanged hundreds of drone attacks overnight Tuesday, according to the article. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian strikes damaged power-generation facilities and substations in nine regions of Ukraine, while Russia said Ukrainian strikes hit a logistics center and a data center in Russia.
Key Facts
Russia said its strikes hit power substations in the Kyiv and Zhytomyr regions.
Russia said its forces struck a cargo ship carrying supplies for the Ukrainian military in the Black Sea.
Zelenskyy said Russian attacks damaged power-generation facilities and substations in nine Ukrainian regions.
The regions Zelenskyy listed were Odesa, Cherkasy, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Chernivtsi, Chernihiv and Rivne.
Ukraine's strikes hit a large logistics center and a data center in Russia, according to the article.
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More than 1,400 people from over 250 academic institutions have signed a letter urging the UK government to reverse its decision to prevent climate scholar Andreas Malm from entering the country. The Home Office said it cancelled his electronic travel authorisation for a reason that could include public-safety or extremism concerns, and said he could apply for a visa for further review.
Key Facts
The article reports that Malm was stopped from entering the UK last week after his electronic travel authorisation was revoked.
Malm is an associate professor at Lund University in Sweden and wrote How to Blow Up a Pipeline.
He had planned to attend an academic conference, appear on the BBC and join a public discussion with Huda Ammori, a co-founder of the proscribed group Palestine Action.
The open letter says excluding scholars over their political views or subject matter threatens academic freedom and public debate.
More than 1,400 individuals from over 250 academic institutions had signed the letter, according to the article.
Fabian Dablander, an assistant professor at the London School of Economics, initiated the letter.
The Home Office said people whose ETA is cancelled or refused can apply for a visa, which allows further consideration of their circumstances and suitability for entry.
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Five teenagers were stabbed at a supervised Halloween party in Chandler’s Ford, Hampshire, on Saturday night. One 17-year-old remains in hospital in a life-threatening condition, and police have arrested four boys on suspicion of attempted murder.
Key Facts
Police were called to a home on Park Road shortly after 22:30 GMT on Saturday.
Police said an unknown group entered the party over a garden fence.
The four other injured boys have been discharged from hospital.
A 16-year-old from Southampton is the latest person arrested.
Two boys, aged 16 and 17 and also from Southampton, were arrested on Monday morning.
Police received an extra 36 hours to question the two Southampton boys.
A 16-year-old from Bristol, arrested on Monday night, remains in custody.
Police searched three addresses linked to those arrested and seized several items.
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The Center for Wild Animal Welfare is urging the UK government to cap the noise of fireworks sold to the public at 90 decibels, rather than the 110-decibel limit under consultation. Campaigners say the lower limit would reduce the area disturbed by fireworks and help prevent harm to wildlife, especially birds.
Key Facts
The current maximum noise level for fireworks sold to the public is 120 decibels.
The UK government recently consulted on lowering the maximum to 110 decibels.
The Center for Wild Animal Welfare says a 90-decibel limit would make the area disturbed by each firework about 100 times smaller than under the government’s proposal.
Wildlife impacts linked to fireworks include stress, disrupted migration, temporary displacement and collisions.
More than 1,000 birds were found dead near a trail in Bulgaria on New Year’s Day 2025, after fireworks were set off nearby.
The UK consultation also considered expanding the list of fireworks banned from general sale and reviewing rules for lower-risk products.
New Zealand introduced a 90-decibel limit on consumer fireworks in 2008, but the UK consultation noted concerns about how such a limit could be defined and enforced.
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Democrats won control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives in the November 3 midterm elections. The report examines possible effects on Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after President Donald Trump announced that the United States would halt $3.8 billion in aid to Israel.
Key Facts
Democrats captured control of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The election took place on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
The report describes the Democratic victory as an upset.
President Donald Trump announced that the United States would halt $3.8 billion in aid to Israel.
The report asks what the election and aid announcement could mean for Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
FRANCE 24 correspondent Noga Tarnopolsky reported on the issue.
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Labour MP Emily Darlington has warned that TT Rockstars and similar maths apps may encourage primary school children to spend too long on screens. The app’s founder says the company is adding school curfews and daily limits, while the UK government is preparing screen-time guidance for children aged five to 16.
Key Facts
TT Rockstars lets pupils practise times tables and compete for virtual coins, characters and outfits.
Emily Darlington raised concerns about the app at a House of Commons Science Committee hearing on screen time and children’s brain development.
TT Rockstars founder Bruno Reddy said the company recommends sessions of about three minutes, four or five times a week.
Reddy said that in September, a typical child used the app on three days for about six minutes each time.
The company plans to switch on a curfew and daily time limit for every school from 24 November, and turn off leaderboards by default.
Maths Circle says TT Rockstars and its Numbots app are used in 17,000 schools and more than 100,000 households.
Reddy said the apps have no advertising and do not use features such as streaks, random rewards, chat messages, loot boxes or notifications.
The UK government is preparing guidance for schools and parents on screen time for children aged five to 16.
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Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in the 2026 U.S. midterm elections, dealing a major setback to President Donald Trump and Republicans. Foreign leaders and officials responded by discussing possible effects on U.S. policy toward Iran, Ukraine, trade, and relations with allies, while some said they expected continuity or urged Europe to rely more on itself.
Key Facts
Democrats took control of both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections.
Trump said the U.S.-Israel war on Iran may have hurt Republicans by raising gasoline prices.
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said U.S. voters had rejected war.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said changes between U.S. political parties would not end U.S. hostility toward Iran.
Israeli opposition figures Yair Golan and Yair Lapid linked the U.S. results to criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
European Parliament Vice President Christel Schaldemose said the results could benefit support for Ukraine and called for the EU to stand on its own.
UK Health Minister James Frith said he expected the U.S.-UK relationship to remain strong despite the political shift in Washington.
French Finance Minister Roland Lescure said France would wait to see whether Trump changes his approach.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky awarded U.S. First Lady Melania Trump the Order of Princess Olga for her humanitarian support for Ukraine. She received the award’s first degree, its highest level, for work related to human rights, charitable activities and support for children and people affected by Russia’s war.
Key Facts
Zelensky issued the award in a decree on Monday.
The decree cited Melania Trump’s humanitarian support and human rights and charitable activities.
The award recognized efforts to help Ukrainian children and people affected by Russian aggression, including those illegally deported or forcibly displaced, according to the decree.
Melania Trump received the Order of Princess Olga’s first degree, the highest of its three levels.
Ukraine established the award in 1997 to honor women’s contributions to the country.
Ukrainian officials said Melania Trump played a significant role in establishing a six-day ceasefire to evacuate civilians from Russian-occupied Oleshky.
The evacuation ceasefire ended over the weekend, the article said.
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Ethiopia is expanding hydropower to increase electricity production and export power to neighboring countries. The country is building a large project on the Omo River alongside the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), as it seeks to become a leader in African clean energy and prepares to host COP32 next year.
Key Facts
Ethiopia is building a large hydropower project on the Omo River in the southwest of the country.
The Omo River project is being developed alongside the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
Ethiopia aims to increase its electricity production.
The country exports electricity to neighboring countries.
Ethiopia is seeking to position itself as an African leader in clean energy.
Ethiopia is preparing to host the COP32 climate summit in 2027.
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