Ukraine accused Russia of using a localized ceasefire in the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky to strengthen its military positions. The truce, brokered by first lady Melania Trump, was intended to allow critical aid deliveries and ran from Tuesday until late Sunday.
Key Facts
Ukraine accused Russia of using the ceasefire to shore up military positions around Oleshky.
The ceasefire applied to the town of Oleshky in southern Ukraine.
Russia occupies Oleshky, according to the article.
First lady Melania Trump brokered the localized ceasefire agreement.
The truce began on Tuesday and ended late Sunday.
The agreement was intended to allow critical aid to reach the town.
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Connor Sanderson-Doyle told a court he believed Joanne Young had agreed to sex when he responded to an advert placed by her husband. He denies sexual assault by penetration and sexual touching, while the trial continues at Winchester Crown Court.
Key Facts
Sanderson-Doyle, 32, is from Swindon and denies the charges relating to an encounter in June 2016.
He told the court he had no indication that Joanne Young was drugged or acting against her will.
He said he understood the advert to have been placed by a couple who both wanted other men to take part in their fantasy.
Sanderson-Doyle said he kept a balaclava on after noticing that Young was filming with a camcorder.
Philip Young, a former Tory councillor, has pleaded guilty to 56 charges of drugging and sexually abusing his wife over 13 years.
Three other men on trial have pleaded not guilty to charges including rape, sexual touching and assault by penetration.
A sixth defendant, Dean Hamilton, has admitted charges including rape, sexual assault and assault by penetration.
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Israeli forces ended a 10-day lockdown of Hebron in the occupied West Bank. The article says Israeli forces continued to attack a school in al-Mughayyir.
Key Facts
Israeli forces ended the lockdown of Hebron.
The lockdown lasted 10 days.
Hebron is in the occupied West Bank.
Israeli forces continued to attack a school in al-Mughayyir.
Al Jazeera’s Mohammad Saleh reported on the developments.
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Dan Harrison has resigned as leader of Leicestershire County Council after leaked remarks about council staff prompted criticism. He apologized, said staffing decisions were not based on gender, and will remain a councillor; deputy leader Kevin Crook is acting leader.
Key Facts
Harrison had led the council since May 2025.
A recording from a Reform party meeting captured Harrison saying 76 council solicitors would be made redundant and calling them incompetent.
In the recording, Harrison also said he wanted to look at women in the context of staffing changes.
Harrison said he decided to step down after speaking with senior Reform colleagues.
He apologized to council staff and officers for any hurt, distress, or offence caused by the remarks.
Harrison said he had not instructed officers on staffing changes and rejected the suggestion that decisions were based on gender.
Conservative councillors had called for an emergency vote to remove Harrison as leader.
Reform remains the council's largest party and runs it as a minority administration.
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A petition to take French TV channel CNews off the air passed 500,000 signatures on the National Assembly website. Signatures rose after a 39-year-old man was charged in an October 23 racist attack near Paris that killed a Black French man of Congolese origin and wounded seven people; the suspect reportedly watched CNews, which denies promoting far-right views.
Key Facts
The petition was launched in June and passed 500,000 signatures on Monday, November 2, 2026.
The signature total means the issue could be debated in France’s lower house, though a debate is not automatic.
The October 23 attack in Trappes and La Verrière killed one person and wounded seven, including a child.
A prosecutor said the 39-year-old suspect told investigators he targeted people who appeared Muslim, African, or North African.
The suspect has been charged with murder and attempted murder.
CNews is owned by billionaire Vincent Bolloré and has faced accusations of promoting far-right, anti-immigrant views.
CNews said it would not comment on the petition and has previously said it supports freedom of expression.
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British adventurer Karl Bushby reunited with his mother and family on Monday after completing a 28-year trek from South America. The journey covered about 50,000 kilometres on foot and crossed four continents.
Key Facts
Karl Bushby is a British adventurer.
Bushby arrived at his mother's home on Monday.
His trek lasted 28 years.
The journey began in South America.
Bushby covered about 50,000 kilometres on foot.
The trek crossed four continents.
Bushby was reunited with his mother and family.
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President Donald Trump said at a campaign rally in Iowa that the U.S. may carry out further strikes on Iran, saying it might have to “give them the hammer.” Broadcaster Tucker Carlson alleged on X that Trump could launch a nuclear strike against an Iranian underground site, but the article reports that Carlson provided no evidence for that claim.
Key Facts
Trump said he had held back from further attacks to avoid casualties and claimed U.S. strikes had destroyed Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
Trump told reporters the U.S. still had to “take care of” one or two targets and mentioned Pickaxe Mountain, an underground site in Iran.
The article says hostilities have ceased, but no deal to end the war appears imminent.
Carlson claimed that conventional U.S. weapons could not destroy tunnels at Pickaxe Mountain and alleged that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was pressing for a nuclear strike.
Carlson’s post had received more than 48 million views as of Monday, according to the article.
The article says the claims about highly enriched uranium at Pickaxe Mountain are unproven.
Iran has warned it would retaliate if attacked.
The National Iranian American Council’s president said reports that U.S. officials might consider nuclear weapons use against Iran were alarming and called for lawmakers to seek answers.
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Danielle Brown, from North Shields, said Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary sent her home after her unborn daughter, Maisie, died at about 29 weeks and told her to book a time to give birth. Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust admitted breaching its duty of care and said Maisie would have survived if Brown had not been discharged during an earlier hospital visit; it later paid an undisclosed settlement and apologized.
Key Facts
Brown was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, a potentially life-threatening pregnancy complication, in February 2023.
A consultant advised that Brown remain in hospital until she gave birth, but a different consultant discharged her on 14 February.
The next day, Brown returned to hospital after staff advised by phone that her symptoms were probably a stomach bug.
A scan showed that Maisie had died at about 29 weeks of pregnancy.
Brown said staff gave her a bereaved-parents booklet and told her to book a time to give birth on another day.
The trust admitted a breach of duty and said Maisie would have survived if Brown had not been sent home during her first admission.
The trust said it reviewed the case in 2023 and improved urgent assessments for women with unexpected symptoms or suspected complications.
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The UK Equality and Human Rights Commission wrote to Reform UK after an ITV documentary showed party councillors and candidates making racist and misogynistic remarks. The commission asked the party for information about steps it is taking to comply with the Equality Act 2010 and said it would assess complaints and act where appropriate.
Key Facts
ITV broadcast Undercover: A Year in Reform in October.
The EHRC said it received complaints alleging unlawful activity under the Equality Act 2010, including concerns about racial and sexual remarks.
The documentary showed Reform councillor and Solihull deputy mayor Alan Feeney making racist and Islamophobic comments.
The programme also recorded other candidates making violent, racist, and misogynistic comments.
Reform MP Sarah Pochin described the party as chauvinistic and complained about what she called “alpha male” culture.
The EHRC asked Reform to explain what action it is taking to meet its legal obligations.
Reform said it was confident it had complied with the Equality Act and that there was no room for racism in the party.
Reform said it reported ITV and the journalists involved to police and threatened separate civil legal action against the broadcaster.
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At least seven migrants died after a storm struck a boat carrying 139 people toward the Canary Islands. Rescuers reached the boat early Monday, about 150 kilometers from Arrecife; five people were missing overboard and two bodies had been recovered.
Key Facts
The boat was carrying 139 people.
The boat was headed for the Canary Islands.
A storm hit the boat.
At least seven migrants died.
Rescuers reached the boat early Monday.
The boat was about 150 kilometers from Arrecife.
Two bodies were recovered.
Five people were missing overboard.
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France 24’s arts24 program features two European punk acts: Iceage singer Elias Bender Rønnenfelt and South London band Fat Dog. Rønnenfelt is touring Europe and plans a solo appearance at Paris’s Pitchfork festival, while Fat Dog is touring France and Europe after releasing its second album.
Key Facts
Elias Bender Rønnenfelt sings for Copenhagen post-punk band Iceage.
Rønnenfelt is touring Europe.
Rønnenfelt is scheduled to perform solo at the Pitchfork festival in Paris.
Fat Dog formed in South London in 2020 during lockdown.
Fat Dog has released its second album, titled “Cancel Me (I'm Tired).”
Fat Dog is touring France and other parts of Europe.
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UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood revised proposed settlement rules after opposition from cabinet ministers, Labour MPs and unions. Most care workers earning above £25,000 could apply for indefinite leave to remain after five years, while other groups face longer waits, including some refugees who may have to wait at least 30 years.
Key Facts
The revised proposals replace the planned 15-year route for workers in occupations below degree level with a 10-year route, subject to strengthened requirements and possible faster routes.
An estimated 146,000 care workers and 136,000 dependants could qualify for settlement after five years.
About 100,000 skilled workers, including butchers and chefs, would face a 10-year wait.
Workers earning over £125,000 could qualify after three years; some workers earning over £50,271 and certain public-service workers could qualify after five years.
People who enter the UK in breach of immigration rules would face at least 20 years before applying for settlement.
Some refugees who enter by small boat and rely on public funds could face a minimum 30-year wait; people arriving through designated safe and legal routes are excepted.
The Home Office published its response to a consultation on the settlement proposals on Monday.
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China increased its Middle East diplomacy as Foreign Minister Wang Yi met an Iranian security official and President Xi Jinping hosted Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq. China and Oman called for safe shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and renewed US-Iran dialogue, while Beijing announced a regional visit by its Middle East envoy.
Key Facts
Wang Yi told Ali Bagheri Kani that dialogue and negotiation were the only viable path forward and reaffirmed China’s support for Iran’s sovereignty and security.
China’s Middle East special envoy, Zhai Jun, is scheduled to visit Iran, Oman and Saudi Arabia this month.
Sultan Haitham’s visit was the first by an Omani head of state to China since the countries established diplomatic relations in 1978.
China and Oman signed 14 cooperation documents on areas including artificial intelligence, green energy and supply chains.
China and Oman also signed a currency swap agreement.
Their joint statement called for safe navigation to resume through the Strait of Hormuz and urged the United States and Iran to restart dialogue.
Before the war restricted traffic, about one-fifth of global energy exports passed through the Strait of Hormuz.
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WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that renewed fighting and drone strikes in northern Ethiopia are pushing the country’s fragile health system closer to collapse. He said violence has killed civilians and disrupted access to medical care and supplies, while the WHO and other UN agencies are working to deliver additional aid.
Key Facts
Tedros said fighting between Tigrayan rebels and Ethiopia’s government has strained medical facilities.
Sources involved in a rescue operation told Reuters that at least 15 people, including several children, died in Friday’s drone strikes on the Jaari 2 displacement camp in Amhara region.
Tedros confirmed that children were among those reported killed at the camp but did not give an overall death toll or identify who carried out the attacks.
Several people were killed while seeking food in Rama, in the Tigray region, according to Tedros.
Tedros said hospitals face shortages of health workers, medicines and equipment, and that ambulance services are severely limited.
He warned that insecurity is obstructing deliveries of life-saving medical supplies and limiting access to emergency, maternal and child health care and disease treatment.
The WHO and other UN agencies are working to deliver additional supplies, Tedros said.
Renewed fighting has nearly shattered the November 2022 peace agreement between the Tigrayan rebels and the Ethiopian government.
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An Iranian delegation left Qatar on Sunday after talks aimed at ending the war, while negotiators circulate a draft proposal and discuss another meeting. Iran says it is open to diplomacy but has expanded its threats, as the United States and Israel weigh their next steps and tensions around the Strait of Hormuz continue.
Key Facts
A regional official said Iran's delegation left Qatar on Sunday after negotiations; the official spoke anonymously because of the talks' sensitivity.
A draft proposal has been sent out for feedback, and participants are discussing a follow-up meeting.
Iran has said its latest public proposal would reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping within two days if the United States meets conditions that include lifting its blockade of Iranian ports.
President Donald Trump said he had a “very good” call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday and that they discussed Iran, without giving details.
Iran's new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, called for an immediate response to threats from the United States or Israel and urged expanding the list of potential targets.
Iran's security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, warned of a forceful response to an attack and said Iran had not decided to change its nuclear doctrine.
The United States wants to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and include the issue in new talks; Iran wants to discuss it later.
Reports of attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz increased in October, which the article describes as the busiest month for reported assaults since March.
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Israeli President Isaac Herzog is beginning coalition government negotiations this week after an election produced no clear winner. A possible centrist opposition coalition with Arab parties could replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but protests for and against the idea show that the public is divided.
Key Facts
Isaac Herzog is Israel’s president.
Herzog is beginning coalition negotiations this week.
The election ended without a clear winner.
One possible coalition would bring together the centrist opposition bloc and Arab parties.
Such a coalition would oust current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Protests supporting and opposing the possible coalition took place this weekend.
The protests showed that the Israeli public is divided over the idea.
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A court in Greater Manchester sentenced Simon Richardson to life in prison, with a minimum term of 25 years, for murdering cyclist Michael Mullins. The court heard Richardson struck Mullins with his car, drove more than a mile with him trapped underneath, and later drove over him again; Mullins died from his injuries.
Key Facts
Mullins, 56, was headteacher at Stretford grammar school and was cycling home on 20 April when Richardson’s Volvo hit him in Warburton, Trafford.
A jury found Richardson guilty of murder after he denied knowing Mullins was trapped under his car.
Richardson drove about 1.3 miles to a farm track in Lymm, where he tried to free Mullins.
The court heard Richardson drove from side to side and mounted a grass verge before Mullins came free, then drove over him again while reversing away.
A motorcyclist followed a trail of blood and found Mullins on a grass verge; emergency services could not save him.
Judge Mrs Justice Brunner KC said Richardson had shown a serious disregard for human life.
Mullins’s wife, Sarah, told the court that his death had left her and her family bereft.
Mullins led Stretford grammar school for 17 years.
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Israeli forces withdrew from Hebron’s al-Jalada neighbourhood after a 10-day operation that displaced hundreds of families. Residents returning home found belongings missing or homes disrupted and began cleaning and assessing the damage.
Key Facts
Israeli forces took over al-Jalada on October 24, one day after Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers nearby.
Families were given 20 minutes to leave, according to resident Nour al-Natsha.
Al-Natsha said his family found their home with its doors open and belongings missing after returning.
The family could not find their four-year-old daughter’s pet bird.
The operation imposed restrictions and evacuations in several Hebron neighbourhoods for 10 days.
Shops and institutions in the affected areas were closed during the operation.
The Hebron Governorate’s Support and Relief Committee reported that 537 families, or about 3,300 people, were displaced.
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French scientists are testing whether human bodies can be composted as an alternative to cremation and traditional burial. The report says cremation uses fossil fuels and burials require land, while composting returns the body to the earth.
Key Facts
French scientists have begun tests on human composting.
The research is examining composting as an alternative to cremation and traditional burial.
The report describes human composting as a process that returns a body to the earth.
Cremation relies heavily on fossil fuels, according to the report.
Traditional burials take up land.
The report was published by France 24 on November 2, 2026.
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Labour said it will end cooperation with Green groups in 11 English councils where they have not condemned a Green Party policy equating Zionism with racism and calling for Israel to be replaced by a single Palestinian state. Labour will keep agreements with six Green groups that rejected the motion, while the Greens said the move could harm residents.
Key Facts
Labour named Arun, Derbyshire Dales, Havant, Lewes, Sheffield, Stafford, Warwick, Wealden, West Devon and West Suffolk as councils where cooperation will end.
Labour said cooperation had already stopped in Runnymede over the motion.
Labour said agreements would continue in Broadland, Monmouthshire, North Somerset, Rother, West Oxfordshire and West Sussex after those Green groups condemned the motion.
Labour also said its power-sharing arrangement with the Green deputy mayor in the West of England would continue.
Labour chair Bridget Phillipson said Labour would not work with parties that support the policy at any level of government.
The Green Party and its Local Government Association group said they were disappointed and argued that ending the partnerships could worsen outcomes for residents.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has asked the Green Party for information about the motion and its practical implications.
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