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Iran-backed Houthi rebels encircled Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city, as their conflict with the Saudi-led coalition escalates. Residents now face severe shortages of food and medicine. "It is risky to flee now because we would have to cross active front lines," said Shehab, a local driver trapped by the fighting.
Israeli raids and arrests in southern Syria have pushed the local population to the brink. Survivors like Ahmed describe brutal beatings and torture during their long detention in Israel. Al Jazeera confirmed at least 51 Syrians remain held. Many families now live in constant fear as artillery fire continues nearby.
President Trump is reviving 2020 election conspiracies with help from the federal government. Voting rights advocates fear the administration may use federal power to cast doubt on elections or discourage participation. New guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services has sparked concerns about how staff assist elderly voters.
Iran-backed Houthis fired missiles at the presidential palace in Aden on Thursday, killing five people and wounding 16. On Friday, two more missiles landed near Aden International Airport as a plane prepared to take off. These attacks show the war in Yemen has reignited, threatening the government’s seat of power.
Albanian protesters clashed with police in Tirana as protests entered day four on October 17. Young lawmaker Marjana Koceku joined the crowds demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama step down. Koceku said, "The wrong policies that have been implemented by this political elite are completely against what the Albanian citizens have been asking."
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio is arriving in Samarkand on Saturday for the C5+1 summit. This meeting marks a new, transactional approach to Central Asia, moving away from past lectures on human rights. Regional expert Galiya Ibragimova said, "When the West began moralising, they immediately turned towards China."
United States President Donald Trump put on hold a package of sanctions on Russia that he signed into law last month. Trump said the pause is in the national interest. Kirill Dmitriev, special envoy for Vladimir Putin, said, “The US-Russia economic dialogue and peacemaking efforts will continue,” after the move.
Volodymyr Zelensky faces a tough week as Donald Trump uses American arms to stop Ukraine from attacking Russian refineries. While Russia ignores the energy ceasefire, Ukraine resumed hitting refineries despite risks. Many Ukrainian drones now face issues with Starlink. Zelensky must keep a cool head to manage these difficult American ties.
Martin Wolf discusses the future of American democracy with scholar Robert Kagan ahead of the midterms on November the 3rd. Kagan warned, "we're heading in the direction of dictatorship." Many people struggle to imagine this happening in America, but Wolf worries that the nation is already slipping into an autocracy.
Residents in Russian-occupied Oleshky face a harsh winter with no food, water, or electricity. The population fell to fewer than 2,000 people as infrastructure collapsed. One woman who fled said, "There is nothing left in Oleshky." Ukraine and Russia blame each other while civilians remain trapped in the city.
Five leading Israeli opposition members signed a non-aggression pact on September 26 to oust Benjamin Netanyahu in the October 27 election. The group includes Yair Lapid, Naftali Bennett, Gadi Eisenkot, Yair Golan, and Avigdor Liberman. They said, "Despite ideological differences among us, the formation of a Zionist, statesmanlike government is our goal."
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made a final appeal to voters in Alberta on Friday regarding a path toward independence. Carney warned that the referendum is a dangerous gamble. "This is not a game. This is not poker," he said. Monday’s vote will decide if Alberta begins the separation process.