The Rest of the World Podcast

Rest of the World Podcast hosted by Rudy Martinez
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The Rest of the World Podcast is the audio version of The Rest of the World Report. Every edition, in the voice of the editor. The same stories, the same sourcing, the same voice — for listeners who want the news in their ears instead of on their screens. www.restoftheworldreport.com

  1. 4h ago

    The Rest of the World Report | October 23, 2026 — Morning Edition

    Weekday morning and evening editions. Saturdays once. Good news on Sundays. All sources listed. HEBRON ATTACK, WEST BANK LOCKDOWN Two Palestinian gunmen wounded five people in a shootout at a checkpoint near Hebron on Friday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then ordered an immediate cordon on the city and told Israeli forces to prepare a full lockdown of the occupied West Bank. The Israeli military said soldiers rushed to the Judea Junction after an early-morning shooting attack. The junction is also known as the Farsh al-Hawa checkpoint. The military said its soldiers killed the two gunmen, who had arrived in a car with an M16 rifle and a handgun. Israeli media reported that the soldiers belonged to the Home Front Command’s Ari Battalion. Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency medical service, said the initial shooting wounded five people. Two were in critical condition. One account says at least five soldiers were hurt. Witnesses said the shooting lasted 20 minutes, which made it harder to get the injured out. Israeli media, citing security officials, said both gunmen were affiliated with Hamas. They were relatives from Hebron, both 27 years old. Investigators are examining whether they acted alone or were directed by an outside organization. Military chief of staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said a large quantity of ammunition was found in their car. He said it was intended for a much larger attack. Netanyahu said troops had prevented what could have been a major attack. He also called for all political meetings to be cancelled on Friday. Israeli forces then cordoned off Hebron and the nearby city of Halhul. No one could enter or leave either city. Extra checks of Palestinian vehicles were extended to the Jenin, Nablus and Jericho areas. Israel votes on Tuesday, and Netanyahu faces a tight race. Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel’s national security minister, has been rising in the polls. He said the Palestinian Authority “must be dismantled and demilitarized.” No evidence suggests the Palestinian Authority was connected to the attack. The authority is the Palestinian government in the occupied West Bank. The West Bank. The shooting came during an olive harvest in which extremist Israeli settlers have attacked Palestinian harvesters. Israeli forces arrested 36 Palestinians in raids across the West Bank on Thursday. On Wednesday, Israeli forces briefly detained Brad Lander while he was volunteering to help Palestinian farmers pick olives. Lander is a US Democratic congressional candidate. A tally based on Palestinian health ministry data says Israeli forces or settlers have killed 1,113 Palestinians in the West Bank since the Gaza war began in October 2023. Israeli figures show at least 49 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations over the same period. 🌍 Translator’s Note: The Hebron attack is being read as the first security test of Israel’s election campaign. The warning that attacks would come around the vote dates from September 30. Netanyahu then said there were “indications that, ahead of the elections, our enemies will try to attack us.” Opposition leader Yair Lapid accused him of fear-mongering. Israeli media reported that on Thursday Defense Minister Israel Katz said hostile actors planned attacks on election eve or on election day to influence the result. He added that every attack to come would be recorded in the names of opposition figures including Lapid, Naftali Bennett and Yair Golan. Gadi Eisenkot is Netanyahu’s top rival. He said blaming rivals for attacks before they happen was “an unprecedented low” for a defense minister. The military was preparing too: it raised its alert level twice in the past month and suspended leave across all units from Thursday. So the argument over who answers for an attack began before this one did. After the attack, Eisenkot said he prays for the wounded and praised the troops. That keeps the soldiers out of the dispute. Israeli police said only that the background to the attack was nationalistic. With the vote on Tuesday, every security decision between now and then will be judged as policy and as campaigning. 🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: Two Palestinian gunmen attacked Israeli forces near Hebron on Friday and were killed, and five people were wounded. Israeli media identified the gunmen as Hamas affiliates. Netanyahu ordered a cordon on Hebron and told forces to prepare a full lockdown of the West Bank. Israel votes on Tuesday in a tight race. Sources Al Jazeera | RTÉ (AFP, Reuters) | Türkiye Today | Ynet | Al Jazeera TIBET EARTHQUAKE KILLS 16 A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Tibet on Thursday night and killed at least 16 people, according to Chinese state media. Dozens were injured and hundreds of homes collapsed. The US Geological Survey said the quake hit at 10:33 p.m. local time. It placed the epicentre in a mountainous area about 190 kilometres east-northeast of the city of Nagqu and 390 kilometres northeast of the regional capital, Lhasa. State media reports differ on the number injured. One count says 54. Another count, from state television, says 65. State media also said more than 300 houses collapsed. China’s national broadcaster called it the biggest earthquake in the region in five years. President Xi Jinping said the quake caused “significant casualties” at a high altitude in cold weather. He called for all-out search and rescue efforts. Baqing County mobilised more than 1,600 people for the relief operation. By 4:30 a.m. Friday, officials had delivered 1,000 prefabricated houses and 3,239 tents. Power and telecoms services were disrupted in the county seat. Residents told local media they were sleeping in tents along roadsides or in their cars. Tibet is largely inaccessible to foreign journalists, so Chinese authorities are the only official source of information. In January 2025, an earthquake in Tibet’s Tingri county killed at least 126 people. 🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Tibet on Thursday night and killed at least 16 people. More than 300 houses collapsed, and state media gives injury counts of 54 and 65. Foreign journalists have limited access to the region, so the figures come from Chinese authorities. Xi Jinping has ordered an all-out rescue. Sources Naharnet (AP) | Dawn (AFP) ARAMCO EVACUATES HEADQUARTERS Saudi Aramco evacuated its headquarters in Dhahran after an alarm on Thursday and asked staff to work from home, according to people familiar with the situation. The reason for the alarm was not immediately known. It was not clear how long employees would work remotely. Aramco and Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Reports describe it as the company’s first evacuation since the Iran war began. The evacuation follows a run of attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, who are allied with Iran. On Wednesday, a drone strike on Aramco’s Shaybah oil field killed two people but left operations unaffected. Last week, Houthi militants attacked a tower in Aramco’s headquarters compound. The attack damaged three floors and caused a fire. The Houthis have been in conflict with Riyadh since well before the US-Iran war began in February. They stepped up attacks in October after Saudi-backed Yemeni forces launched an offensive to recapture Houthi-held areas. The escalating strikes have prompted Saudi Arabia to postpone its flagship investment summit. The Future Investment Initiative usually brings finance, energy and political leaders to Riyadh. It will now be held in 2027. The strikes also led the United Kingdom to add defensive support to the kingdom. The US State Department has ordered non-emergency personnel and their families to leave Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia’s benchmark stock index fell 2.5% on Thursday after the news. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, rose 4% on Thursday to settle at $113.17 a barrel. It was the biggest gain in roughly two weeks and the highest settlement since May 4. Brent futures rose another 1.2% early Friday, to $114.47. The benchmark is up more than 80% this year since the US-Iran war disrupted flows from the Persian Gulf. 🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: Aramco, the world’s biggest oil exporting company, evacuated its Dhahran headquarters on Thursday after an alarm. The cause is unknown. Brent crude settled at $113.17 on Thursday, its highest settlement since May 4. The State Department has ordered non-emergency US embassy staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia. Sources New Straits Times (Reuters) | Rigzone (Bloomberg) | Rigzone (Bloomberg) | Business Recorder (Reuters) SERBIA’S STUDENTS RALLY BEFORE VOTE Crowds filled Belgrade’s Slavija Square and the streets around it on Thursday for the final rally of the student-led list challenging Aleksandar Vučić in Sunday’s parliamentary election. One wire report put the crowd at tens of thousands. Another put it at hundreds of thousands. Vučić resigned the presidency in September to run for prime minister. He held his own closing rally the same day at a sports hall across town. Several thousand people attended. He said he expects to win by several hundred thousand votes. He also called the contest a “tough, uncertain struggle.” He has accused the student movement of being a foreign-funded coup attempt. Serbia lacks reliable independent polling. Political scientist Dusan Vucicevic expects the student list to win more than 40 percent of the vote, far more than any opposition list since Vučić’s party took power in 2012. Other reports describe the race as close. Analysts warn of instability if both sides claim victory after polls close. Observers say the two-way contest could push most smaller parties below the 3 percent threshold needed to win seats in the 250-member parliament. Twenty-four Serbian civil society groups warned this week that conditions

  2. 16h ago

    The Rest of the World Report | October 22, 2026 — Evening Edition

    Weekday morning and evening editions. Saturdays once. Good news on Sundays. All sources listed. STRIKES PLANNED FOR AFTER MIDTERMS According to two Israeli sources, the United States and Israel have drawn up plans to renew joint strikes on Iran in the coming weeks. The sources said the strikes would almost certainly come after the US midterm elections on November 3. President Donald Trump does not want to unsettle oil markets in the final days of the campaign, they said. A US newspaper reported the planning first. One source said the plans were discussed during Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s unannounced visit to Israel earlier this week. Targets would include petrochemical facilities and nuclear sites, the sources said. They said there are no plans to strike civilian infrastructure such as power plants. One said regime change, not a negotiated deal, is the Israeli government’s top goal and that the only question is timing. Both said the decision is Trump’s alone, and one did not rule out Israel acting on its own, though it would still need US consent. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said the United States “will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the midterm elections.” Earlier this month, Trump said the US would not attack Iran before the midterms. On Thursday he told reporters outside the White House, “We’ve knocked the hell out of them,” and said the US may go further. Tehran’s answer. The Revolutionary Guard repeated its threat to extend the confrontation to US bases in the Middle East. Iran is widely known not to have a nuclear device. The late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei banned developing nuclear weapons in a religious edict in the early 2000s. Even so, Mohammad-Saleh Jokar, who heads parliament’s Internal Affairs Committee, asked authorities to permit the use of nuclear weapons as a deterrent if the US attacks again. He also said Iran should suspend its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The blockade. US Central Command said on Thursday that it has now enforced its naval blockade of Iran for 100 days. It said the blockade has kept at least $25 billion in crude oil from being exported, and that nothing has entered or left Iran by sea except humanitarian aid the US allowed. 🌍 Translator’s Note: Outside the US, Tehran’s reading of the reported strike plans is that the talks are a holding pattern. Tehran believes Trump wants to get past the midterms, not end the war, and Iranian officials say the next move is Washington’s. The Tehran Times, an Iranian English-language daily, set that out in a long piece on Wednesday. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told an Iraqi channel that Iran has been through three rounds of talks and each one ended in war. Iran has met the election timetable with a promise to hit back without limit. In the words of an Iranian source cited by state broadcaster Press TV, that includes the aggressors’ supporters in the region. Read with the Guard’s threat against US bases, that points at the states that host them. Araghchi described Iran’s readiness for war as a message to calculate before entering it again, which is Tehran’s own account of its threats as deterrence. If the Israeli sources are right, the window opens after November 3, and Tehran has said in advance that it will not hold back. 🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: According to two Israeli sources, the US and Israel have drawn up plans to strike Iran again after the November 3 midterms. The White House says the US will not attack before the election. Iran has threatened US bases, and a senior Iranian lawmaker has asked for nuclear weapons to be permitted as a deterrent, though Iran is not known to have any. The US blockade of Iran has now run for 100 days. Sources ABC News | Al Jazeera | Tehran Times TRUMP MUST SIT FOR DEPOSITION A federal judge in Miami ordered President Donald Trump to sit for a deposition by December 11 in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC, according to news reports. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett gave the order at a hearing on Thursday. Trump’s lawyers had asked for a date between January 11 and January 22. Lett also warned them that his complaint could be dismissed if he does not give the BBC’s lawyers the records relevant to the case. BBC attorney Charles Tobin told the judge that Trump had agreed to be deposed on October 16, then cancelled for a matter of national importance. Trump was campaigning in Georgia that day, Tobin said. “He was participating in party politics and prioritized that over sitting for the deposition,” Tobin told the judge. In a recent filing, the BBC’s lawyers accused Trump’s team of dragging its feet on discovery, the exchange of documents. They said Trump’s side sent back documents the BBC had already produced and gathered webpages anyone can read. The BBC said it had nothing to add. Trump sued on December 15, 2025, over a Panorama documentary aired a week before the 2024 US presidential election. The suit says the film was edited to make it appear that Trump explicitly urged his supporters to attack the US Capitol in his January 6, 2021 speech. The BBC’s chair apologised for the edit shortly before the suit was filed, and the BBC promised not to air the documentary again. It said it strongly disagrees that there is any basis for a defamation claim. 🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: A federal judge ordered Trump to sit for a deposition by December 11 in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC. His lawyers had asked for January. The judge warned that the case could be dismissed if he does not hand over relevant records. Sources CNBC UKRAINE HITS RUSSIAN DATA CENTRES Ukrainian drones have hit five of Russia’s main data centres this month, and most experts predict repairs will take months or years. Three belonged to Yandex, which Russians use for search, payments, taxis and online shopping. One belonged to Sberbank, Russia’s biggest bank, and one to the social network VKontakte. Drones hit Yandex’s centre in Sasovo, in the Ryazan region, on October 8. It houses two of the company’s three supercomputers. Sberbank’s data centre and AI hub in Balakovo, in the Saratov region, was hit on October 14. The fallout. People and businesses across Russia have reported widespread interruptions to cloud services. Banking, e-commerce, geolocation and ride-hailing suffered, as did Yandex’s Alisa virtual assistant and its AI chatbots. Arbitration courts were reported to have cancelled or postponed sessions and lost access to their databases. Yandex said it restored most key cloud services within days by moving to other Russian data centres. Satellite images indicate serious damage. Some observers say fires probably damaged high-end chips and other key equipment. The AI cost. Yandex’s three supercomputers, which it uses to develop AI models, rank among the world’s top 500. The most powerful, at Sasovo, ranked 19th. Mikhail Klimarev, who heads the Internet Protection Society, said “This effectively sets Russia far behind in the AI race.” Connor Martin of the Council on Foreign Relations said Russia will likely struggle to replace quickly the US-designed Nvidia A100 chips that power the supercomputers. Why they were exposed. Russia requires data to be stored at home, so its infrastructure is concentrated and easier to take down, said Nick Reiners of the Eurasia Group. He said Russia does not have enough air defence to cover so large a country. It was not immediately clear why defences near the sites failed. Klimarev predicted that Russian firms may now rent computing power in Europe and that authorities may ease their push toward an isolated internet. Both sides. Russia has struck Ukrainian data centres and telecommunications sites over the past month, including targets in central Kyiv. About 100,000 households lost internet access temporarily after one attack. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on October 8, “We always respond in mirror-like fashion.” Iranian drones also hit two Amazon Web Services data centres in the United Arab Emirates and one in Bahrain. Amazon Web Services said last month that it could not restore access to the resources and data hosted at two of them. 🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: Ukrainian drones hit five Russian data centres between October 8 and October 18, three of them Yandex’s. The strikes disrupted banking, shopping and ride-hailing across Russia, and experts expect repairs to take months or years. Ukraine’s attacks followed Russian strikes on Ukrainian data centres. Sources AP News | Al Jazeera (AFP, Reuters) CRITICAL FLAW HITS PHP The organization behind PHP and the FBI’s cyber division warned on Wednesday of two critical vulnerabilities in the programming language that powers about 70 percent of websites. PHP runs WordPress and Drupal, which governments commonly use, and MediaWiki, the software behind Wikipedia. The PHP Foundation said attackers could exploit the flaws to get access to sites without logging in. James Sullivan, director of cyber and tech at the Royal United Services Institute in London, said that would let attackers control a web server remotely without a password. They could then steal or alter data, or use the server to launch other attacks. Advisories told users to patch their sites or shut them down if they could not update immediately. The fallout. Several websites were taken offline. Government services and websites were disrupted, including in the United Kingdom, Finland and Japan. Some may still be down while organisations wait for patches for different software and test them. Charl van der Walt of Orange Cyberdefense called the reaction the “early tremors” of disruption in the weeks and months ahead, as attackers scan for vulnerable systems. The delay. The Foundation says the flaws have been known since at least 2024. Its s

  3. 1d ago

    The Rest of the World Report | October 22, 2026 — Morning Edition

    Weekday morning and evening editions. Saturdays once. Good news on Sundays. All sources listed. KYIV HIT AFTER WITKOFF-PUTIN TALKS Russia fired ballistic missiles at Kyiv in three waves overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. US envoy Steve Witkoff had met Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Wednesday. Zelenskyy said 21 missiles were fired at Kyiv and that 12 regions were attacked. He said the strikes hit residential buildings, energy facilities, a railway station, metro infrastructure, shopping centres and industrial enterprises. He called the attackers Russian “humanists” and said the strike came almost immediately after the latest round of negotiations. Real pressure must be put on Russia, he said. He asked for air defence, faster missile deliveries, the means to destroy ballistic missile launchers, and sanctions. The toll. City authorities said one person was killed in Kyiv and at least 24 were injured, four of them children. Zelenskyy said 34 people were wounded in Kyiv and other regions, including five children, and that two deaths were confirmed. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said six emergency vehicles were damaged at an ambulance station in the Pecherskyi district and that part of the Southern Bridge metro infrastructure was hit. Across Ukraine, Russian attacks killed at least nine people and injured 56 over the past day. Three were killed in Zaporizhzhia region, two in Donetsk region, and one each in Kharkiv, Sumy and Chernihiv regions. Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia used Iskander-M, S-400, Zircon and Onyx missiles and 210 drones, 110 of them jet-powered. It said air defences shot down 181 drones, 87 of them jet-powered. The meeting. Witkoff met Putin at the Constantine Palace, with Jared Kushner attending by video link. Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American arrested in 2022 and sentenced to more than six years, was freed at the start of the meeting. A US official said Witkoff and Kushner proposed a three-way meeting at the technical level on guaranteeing the security of Ukraine and Russia once the war ends, and that the Ukrainians accepted in Oslo on Tuesday. The Kremlin said such talks could be held in Abu Dhabi, as soon as next month. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a possible meeting of Trump, Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping was raised, because all three may attend a summit in China, but no specific proposals or agreements were discussed. Witkoff told Putin, “You are a humanitarian also, sir, and I salute that. I commend you.” Republican Senators Thom Tillis and John Cornyn objected, and Democratic Senator Mark Kelly called Putin a war criminal. Vice President JD Vance and Trump defended Witkoff. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote that Kyiv residents heard overnight what Russian “humanism” sounds like. Neither he nor Zelenskyy named Witkoff. Russia’s side. Russia’s Defence Ministry said it intercepted 808 Ukrainian drones across Russia and Russian-annexed Crimea between Wednesday night and Thursday morning. At least six civilians were injured. Injuries were reported in Belgorod and Kursk, buildings were damaged in Lipetsk, and power lines were down in Voronezh and Kaluga. An exiled Russian outlet reported a hit on a missile and artillery storage and logistics facility in Serpukhov. That has not been independently verified. 🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: Russia hit Kyiv with ballistic missiles overnight, after Witkoff met Putin on Wednesday. Putin freed an American, Stephen Hubbard, at the start of the meeting. Witkoff praised Putin as a humanitarian, and several US senators objected. A US-Ukraine-Russia meeting at the technical level could be held in Abu Dhabi as soon as next month, the Kremlin said. Sources Kyiv Post | Kyiv Independent | LIGA.net | Al Jazeera (Reuters) | The Moscow Times MILEI CALLS SÁNCHEZ A DICTATOR Argentine President Javier Milei called Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez a dictator in Madrid on Wednesday and told Spaniards to kick the socialists out. Spain votes on November 29. Milei spoke at a Nueva Economía Fórum event. He called Sánchez a “criminal and thief” and said he would not meet him. He suggested the socialists were encouraging an “invasion” of migrants in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta because every immigrant is a vote. More than 70,000 people crossed into Ceuta in July. The vast majority returned within 48 hours, and about 7,000 remain. It was Milei’s third trip to Spain this year and his seventh since taking office. Isabel Díaz Ayuso hosted him and promised that Madrid would always be his home. Vox leader Santiago Abascal joined by video link. Popular Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo did not meet him and did not mention him. The Popular Party leads the polls but is not predicted to win a majority, and Vox may decide the outcome. Spain’s response. Spain’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning the insults. It said Spain is a sovereign nation that does not accept outside interference. It also said it was unworthy for the head of a sister nation to visit only to foment polarisation and violence. Government spokeswoman Elma Saiz asked for respect. Sánchez wrote online that he is a proud leftie, and told a rally in Burgos that the chainsaw and the cuts build nothing and destroy. Sánchez’s Socialist Party hung a banner at its headquarters welcoming Milei. Spanish sources described his comments as completely out of place and said they may play into Sánchez’s hands. Argentina told the royal household that Milei wanted to meet King Felipe VI. The palace replied that a meeting with the king must be paired with one with the prime minister. In 2024, Milei called Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez, corrupt. Spain recalled its ambassador. 🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: Argentina’s president attacked Spain’s prime minister in Madrid and urged Spaniards to vote the socialists out ahead of the November 29 election. Spain’s Foreign Ministry condemned the remarks. Milei did not meet Sánchez. Sources Euronews | Al Arabiya (AFP) | El Debate | Infobae | Diario de Pontevedra (Agencias) PARIS BANS PROTESTS AT LANDMARKS Police banned protests in parts of Paris on Thursday from 8am to 8pm. The ban covers the area around the Élysée Palace, both houses of parliament and the Louvre. It also covers the Champs-Élysées, the Bastille and République squares, and the Châtelet-Les Halles shopping district. Student rallies were also banned in Paris and Lyon. Cost-of-living demonstrations are planned for Saturday. Macron. Speaking in Doha on Wednesday, President Emmanuel Macron criticised “unacceptable and even stupid comments by many, including foreign leaders.” He said some leaders are campaigning at France’s expense, “whether here in the region or on the other side of the Atlantic.” He named no one, but the remarks appeared aimed at Trump and possibly Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is also in an election campaign. Marine Le Pen, who leads the polls for the 2027 presidential election, called the remarks conspiratorial. She said in a post on X that the images from last Saturday were not generated by artificial intelligence. Arrests. Justice Minister Darmanin said on Wednesday that of 2,500 people taken into custody during and after the protests, 174 had been jailed and 917 formally prosecuted. What comes next. Sophie Binet, who leads the CGT union, called for a new phase of protests, with strikes early next month, after meeting Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu. The Yellow Vest movement plans a march from the Bastille on Saturday and nationwide demonstrations on November 5. France’s 10-year bond yield passed 5 percent on Wednesday, and Moody’s is expected to lower France’s credit rating on Friday. 🌍 Translator’s Note: Macron’s remark in Doha is read as an answer to what Trump and Netanyahu said about France earlier in the week. Trump said on Monday that France was “under siege, looted and set ablaze by migrants, jihadists and communists,” and told Macron to close his borders. Netanyahu said on Tuesday that France faced an invasion of extremist Islam. Macron said there was no visible foreign interference in the events themselves, but that foreign leaders’ comments and AI-generated images amounted to manipulation of information. Neither Trump nor Netanyahu provided evidence for the claims. 🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: Paris banned protests near its main landmarks on Thursday after the worst street unrest in years. Macron implied that Trump, and possibly Netanyahu, were exploiting the unrest for political gain. Moody’s is expected to cut France’s credit rating on Friday. Sources The Local (AFP) | Al Jazeera | Arab News Pakistan (AFP) | The Tribune SUDAN DRONES KILL OVER 300 A monitoring group and Abyei’s information minister put the toll from two days of drone strikes in West Kordofan and Abyei at more than 300. Sudan’s army is accused of carrying them out. The Sudan War Observatory said 150 people were killed in two areas of West Kordofan on Sunday evening. ROTWR reported on Tuesday that a strike in West Kordofan on Sunday evening killed 80. The group said a truck carrying about 200 mourners was hit as it arrived in Al-Dabab, killing 145 people. A tent where mourners had gathered was also hit, killing five. About 150 people were injured. A market in Al-Mujlad was also bombed, with the toll not yet known. The drones were likely launched from the army-held city of Kadugli. In Abyei, Information Minister Yohana Akol Ngor put the toll from Monday’s strike on Amiet Market at 153 and said it was likely to climb. A military source said the army carried out the attack. Satellite images show burnt buildings in the north-east corner of the market. Médecins Sans Frontières said it received more than 20 wounded at the hospital in Abyei town. A drone strike near Khartoum’s airport on Monda

  4. 1d ago

    The Rest of the World Report | October 21, 2026 — Evening Edition

    Weekday morning and evening editions. Saturdays once. Good news on Sundays. All sources listed. MECCA PACT REACHES TURKISH PARLIAMENT Türkiye has asked its parliament to ratify the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, which bars Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan from leaving it for 10 years. The government submitted the pact on Tuesday. The three countries signed it in Mecca on August 7. It commits each to treat an armed attack on one as an attack on all three. Little was known about its contents until now. The 16-article text, published by Türkiye’s state broadcaster, says the countries will defend each other against external aggression, in line with the right of self-defence in the UN Charter. It also provides for joint training and exercises, personnel exchanges, joint weapons production, technology transfers and intelligence sharing. After 10 years, a member that wants out must give three months’ notice. The three have already set up a Strategic Political and Defence Committee of foreign ministers, defence ministers and chiefs of staff. It is due to meet twice a year. The secretariat will sit in Saudi Arabia, and a retired Pakistani general, Nauman Mahmood, will be its first secretary-general for a three-year term. A parliamentary committee is due to review the pact in the coming days, and the full assembly then votes. As of Tuesday, no debate date had been set. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling alliance holds a majority in the assembly. Sending Turkish forces would take a separate vote. Türkiye’s Defence Ministry said on October 15 that the pact must be approved and the procedures for deploying the armed forces abroad completed. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said Türkiye and Pakistan are assessing air defence, electronic warfare and technical help for Saudi Arabia. He has said Türkiye will not send troops into another country to carry out an attack. Turkish officials say any deployment is likely to be limited to training, advisory services and equipment support. Pakistan has not sought parliamentary endorsement. Officials say Islamabad would give Saudi Arabia whatever military help it needs to defend the kingdom and Islam’s holiest sites. Pakistan has not disclosed deployment details, citing operational confidentiality. Its Information Ministry called reports of 30,000 to 40,000 troops already in Saudi Arabia speculative. An unspecified number of Pakistani troops have been stationed in the kingdom since the early 1980s to train and advise Saudi forces. The pact comes as Iran-backed Houthi rebels from Yemen attack Saudi Arabia. On October 10, a Houthi strike on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport killed 12 or 13 people, depending on the report, and wounded more than 300. After an emergency meeting in Riyadh on October 5, the three countries said they would put their collective defence commitments into effect immediately. That includes arrangements for rapid deployment of forces to the kingdom. They gave no details. Turkish and Pakistani officials say the pact is not aimed at Iran or any other country. They have not said how they would respond if Iran attacked. Pakistan’s foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, has said the agreement does not replace existing ones and is open to other countries willing to uphold its principles. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a separate mutual defence agreement in September 2025. 🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: Türkiye has asked its parliament to ratify a pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The pact treats an attack on one as an attack on all three and bars any member from leaving for 10 years. Türkiye says it will not send troops into another country to carry out an attack, and any deployment needs a separate vote. Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia are the backdrop. Sources CTV News (AP) | Al-Monitor | Daily Sabah RWANDAN CRITIC BEHEADED IN UGANDA Robert Kabera, a 50-year-old former Rwandan army sergeant major who fled to Uganda and criticised President Paul Kagame, was found beheaded near Kampala on Saturday, October 17. His head has not been found. Police Superintendent Lydia Tumushabe said Monday that the body was found in a bush in Kamengo, in Mpigi district outside the capital. Residents and his brother identified it, she said, and detectives do not yet have firm clues to a motive. His family says Kabera had travelled to inspect a construction site about 45 kilometres (30 miles) outside Kampala before his death. Kabera served in the Rwandan army and fled in 2020. He sought asylum in Uganda, citing political persecution. In November 2020 the Rwandan military said it was investigating allegations that he had unlawful sexual contact with a family member. He denied an accusation of sexual assault and said he had escaped Rwanda to avoid persecution. In exile he became an outspoken critic of Kagame, who has led Rwanda since the 1994 genocide ended. His YouTube channel had more than 140,000 followers and more than 800 videos, many criticising Kagame’s government. His widow, Jeanne d’Arc Rwigema Uwizeye, said in a written message that she fears for her family’s safety. “It is scary. I feel crazy, the children and I don’t have security,” she said. The opposition Rwanda National Congress called for a thorough investigation and for those responsible to be brought to justice. It said Rwandans in exile are confronting the question of where they can be safe. The killing has also raised concern among Rwandan refugees in Uganda. The Rwandan government has not publicly commented on the killing. It denies targeting its opponents. In 2014, Patrick Karegeya, a former Rwandan intelligence chief who helped found the Rwanda National Congress, was found dead in a hotel room in Johannesburg. After his death, Kagame said anyone plotting against Rwanda would pay the price. In 2019, South African authorities issued arrest warrants for two Rwandans accused of murdering Karegeya. 🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: A former Rwandan soldier who criticised President Paul Kagame from exile was found beheaded near Kampala, Uganda, on Saturday. Police have not named a motive. Rwanda’s government has not commented on the killing and denies targeting its opponents. His widow says she fears for her family, and an opposition group is calling for an investigation. Sources CP24 (AP) | Graphic Online (BBC) | Daily Monitor CHINA ON SUMMITS, TRADE, TECH China’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday that it has no information to offer on a possible meeting between the leaders of China, Russia and the United States. The summit. ROTWR reported on Tuesday that Trump said he is ready to meet Putin and Xi next month. A person familiar with the matter says the White House has been discussing for weeks a meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in China on November 18 and 19, focused on nuclear arms control. A newspaper report on Sunday, citing people familiar with the discussions, said Putin proposed using such a meeting to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, during an October 9 phone call with Trump. The three leaders have met separately but have never held formal talks together. Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that Ukraine must be included in any meeting about the war. Asked about that, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said China’s position on Ukraine is consistent and that it will keep promoting peace talks. Trade with Europe. The European Union and China announced on October 9 an agreement to restrict imports of Chinese hybrid cars into the bloc. Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said the deal would cut exports from China over four years by several million cars. The joint statement gave no details. Media reports say the EU plans quotas of 350,000 vehicles in the first year, rising 6 percent a year. China’s commerce ministry said only that the agreement would ensure stable growth in Chinese exports against a 2025 baseline. The EU imported about 300,000 Chinese hybrid cars in 2025, and the figure is expected to reach about 800,000 this year. EU leaders were due to review the deal at the European Council on October 15 and 16. Technology. The US Department of Homeland Security has ordered civilian agencies to remove DeepSeek, the Chinese AI model, and services built on it from their IT systems, according to a notice published Monday. It also bars agencies from buying DeepSeek products. The department said the models pose “multiple threat vectors” and could send sensitive data to China if used by US government employees or vendors. A July memo, made public Monday, told agencies to monitor traffic in and out of government websites. The Commerce Department and the Navy had already banned DeepSeek on government devices, and New York, Tennessee and Virginia had taken similar steps. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately comment on Monday. The Federal Communications Commission votes October 29 on barring all Chinese labs from testing electronic devices such as smartphones, cameras and computers for use in the US. Last year, 82 percent of US electronics were tested in China. Japan. Asked about a report that Japan is months away from running out of the rare earth yttrium, and has asked the United States for help in getting China to ease export controls, Mao Ning said China imposes export controls on Japan in accordance with its laws and regulations. The aim, she said, is to thwart Japan’s remilitarisation and its attempt to possess nuclear weapons. 🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: China’s foreign ministry says it has no information to offer on a three-way meeting between Xi, Putin and Trump. The EU and China agreed on October 9 to limit Chinese hybrid-car exports, but the joint statement gave no details. The US has ordered civilian agencies to remove DeepSeek, and the Federal Communications Commission votes October 29 on barring Chinese testing labs. China says its export contr

  5. 2d ago

    The Rest of the World Report | October 21, 2026 — Morning Edition

    Weekday morning and evening editions. Saturdays once. Good news on Sundays. All sources listed. I will never put the news behind a paywall. If you want to support keeping it free for everyone else, there’s a paid option. That’s all it is. WITKOFF ARRIVES Russian state media reported Wednesday that President Vladimir Putin has ordered the release of Stephen Hubbard, an American jailed in Russia. Hubbard is 74 and a native of Michigan. He was taken from his home in Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion. Russia accused him of serving as a mercenary for Ukraine’s armed forces, and he was sentenced to six years in prison. Washington says he was wrongfully detained. State media quoted Putin as saying Hubbard was already preparing to board a flight to the United States. Trump said Tuesday that he had asked Putin to release him. US special envoy Steve Witkoff landed in St. Petersburg on Wednesday morning and was met by Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s investment envoy. He is due to meet Putin there. Jared Kushner stayed home with the flu and may join by video link. Witkoff arrives from Oslo, where he met Zelenskyy on Tuesday. A US official who asked not to be named said the talks made “meaningful progress” toward a coordinated approach to Russia. The official said Witkoff would try to open a path to direct three-way negotiations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the talks positive. Trump said Tuesday that Ukraine has to want to settle the war, and that Russia has taken a very large piece of land. The fighting has not paused. Ukraine’s Emergency Service said two people were killed in a Russian attack on a high-rise in Kyiv’s Sviatoshynskyi district. The governor of Russia’s Bryansk region, Yegor Kovalchuk, said one person was killed and two wounded in a Ukrainian drone attack. The Starshield slowdown that Zelenskyy blamed on Washington has a new account. A report on Tuesday, citing US officials and people familiar with the matter, said Elon Musk ordered it. Rubio says Trump had nothing to do with decisions made by Starlink and Starshield. Musk disputes the report and says only the US military and the president can make such decisions. 🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: Putin has ordered the release of Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American, as Witkoff arrived in St. Petersburg to meet him. Witkoff comes from Oslo with Ukraine’s proposals. Russia and Ukraine kept striking each other on Wednesday. Sources Al Jazeera | The Moscow Times SOMALIA’S DISPUTED US STRIKE The US military says the evidence does not show its strikes killed civilians in Jamaame, Somalia, in November 2025. Other counts of the dead run from 12 to 28. The finding surfaced Tuesday, when US Africa Command, or AFRICOM, described its review to a news organisation reporting on survivors’ accounts of the strikes. AFRICOM acknowledges air strikes in the area on November 14 and 15. It reviewed reports that US operations killed 10 to 12 civilians and destroyed homes and businesses. The information did not meet its “more likely than not” threshold for saying US strikes caused the harm, the command concluded. AFRICOM did not say whether investigators spoke to survivors, relatives, hospital staff or local authorities. The review could be reopened if new information emerges. Other counts are higher. A monitoring network led by the UN refugee agency documented 12 civilian deaths in fighting and air strikes around Jamaame between November 16 and 18. The mix of air strikes and ground fighting makes it hard to say which forces were responsible, the network says. A British newspaper investigation published in June found that at least 12 civilians, including eight children, died. A civilian-harm monitoring group counts at least 28 people reported killed and nine injured, and says sources disagree on who was responsible. Some point to US air strikes, others to ground operations by US-trained Danab forces or to clan militias. Survivors describe the day. Maryam Haji Abdi Guled says a munition struck near her door and three of her six children were wounded. Her seven-year-old son still has shrapnel near his hip, and doctors have told her that removing it could leave him paralysed. She believes US drones carried out the attack. A farmer says his wife, nine months pregnant, was killed when debris from an air strike hit her neck. Authorities in Jubaland state said Somali and regional forces killed at least 56 al-Shabab fighters in the operation. That has not been independently verified. AFRICOM lists 84 strikes in Somalia through September. A Washington think tank that tracks the strikes independently counts 88. The pace has not been steady. By the think tank’s count, AFRICOM declared 26 strikes in January and seven in March. The administration’s 2026 counterterrorism strategy says approval authority was returned to military commanders shortly after Trump took office. AFRICOM stopped routinely reporting fighters killed in its strike announcements in early 2025. It has also revised civilian-harm findings in Somalia before, acknowledging deaths after first reporting none. 🌍 Translator’s Note: Outside the US, Jamaame is reported as an accountability gap more than as a single disputed strike. The Guardian pieced together the day from survivors, X-rays of shrapnel wounds and video, and Al Jazeera interviewed survivors. Both set the families’ accounts against AFRICOM’s finding. The reason is the standard of proof. AFRICOM said the evidence did not show its strikes were more likely than not to have caused the harm. Al Jazeera notes that this does not establish the strikes caused none. The Guardian reported that every witness it interviewed said al-Shabab was not in the town. That is the witnesses’ account. Airwars says sources disagree on who caused the deaths. 🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: AFRICOM says its review could not show that US strikes killed civilians in Jamaame in November 2025. Other counts put the dead at 12 to 28, and sources disagree on whether air strikes or ground forces caused the deaths. AFRICOM lists 84 US strikes in Somalia through September. It says it can reopen the Jamaame review if new information emerges. Sources Al Jazeera | The Guardian | Airwars | New America | New America AID CUTS DEEPEN GAZA’S HUNGER The World Food Programme has cut food assistance in Gaza by about a third. This month it is supporting 1.1 million people, down from 1.6 million in September. ROTWR reported the cuts on Tuesday. The programme has now given the detail. Families receive one food parcel instead of two, and a smaller bag of wheat flour. Daily hot meals fall from 250,000 to 150,000. Cash assistance to 75,000 families has been reduced. The programme says its funding for Palestinian operations is less than half of what it received in earlier years. It needs $450 million to keep working in Gaza and the West Bank through March. Its acting director, Carl Skau, said the cuts come “only because we have less funding.” About 1.4 million people, 67 percent of Gaza’s population, face acute food insecurity at crisis levels or worse. That is down from 77 percent at the end of 2025. About 200,000 are in emergency conditions. The UN humanitarian office says more than 2,800 children were admitted for malnutrition treatment in September. More than 360 of them had severe acute malnutrition. A WFP employee in Gaza said aid trucks had fallen from more than 25 a day to eight or ten on the best days. That has been the case for about six weeks. Israeli strikes killed at least seven people across Gaza on Tuesday, according to civil defence and hospitals. Among them were Akram Yassin and his wife, Dina Abu Baker, in a Gaza City apartment. The Israeli military said Yassin was a senior official in Hamas’s general security apparatus. Gaza’s health authorities count 1,522 Palestinians killed and 5,421 wounded since the ceasefire of October 2025. About 950,000 displaced people are living in sites at medium to high risk of flooding as winter approaches, OCHA says. 🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: The World Food Programme has cut food assistance in Gaza from 1.6 million people to 1.1 million and halved family rations. About two-thirds of Gaza’s population faces acute food insecurity. Israeli strikes continue despite the October 2025 ceasefire. Sources UN News | The National | Al Jazeera | Al Jazeera | Malay Mail (AFP) | UN News NORTH KOREA SAYS UNITS READY North Korea says it has moved new firepower units into “firing positions” on its border with South Korea. Kim Yo Jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said so Wednesday in a statement carried by state media. Kim Jong Un ordered the border fortified so that it can never be breached, she said. State media said Marshal Pak Jong Chon inspected border positions and told troops it was time to build firepower strong enough to terrify the enemy. Border forces must take overwhelming action if enemy troops provoke them, he said. On September 21 an explosion inside the Demilitarised Zone injured three South Korean soldiers. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said on September 28 that North Korean landmines were highly likely to have caused it. The UN Command, which oversees the border area, said the blast violated the Armistice Agreement that ended the Korean War. North Korea denies it laid the mines and says its soldiers have never crossed the border. On Monday, North Korea called the border situation grave and said it was considering deploying more strike means there. South Korea made nearly 1,000 provocative loudspeaker broadcasts and fired many warning shots between October 1 and 17, it said. Seoul says it used loudspeakers and warning shots to stop North Korean troops crossing the Military Demarcation Line and to drive back those who did, and gave no numbers. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs chairman, Jin Yong-sung, ordered the military to resp

  6. 2d ago

    The Rest of the World Report | October 20, 2026 — Evening Edition

    Weekday morning and evening editions. Saturdays once. Good news on Sundays. All sources listed. Drone Strike Kills 220 in Abyei More than 220 people were killed in Monday’s drone strikes on the Amiet market in Abyei, the region’s caretaker information minister, Yohanna Akol Ngor, said on Tuesday. He said 153 were buried in one mass grave and 73 in a second. Earlier counts from local authorities were lower. The strikes hit around 11 a.m. Ngok Dinka paramount chief Bulabek Deng Kuol said there were about 12 of them. Médecins Sans Frontières said more than 20 wounded people were brought to Ameth Bek Hospital. A fire at the market was still burning on Tuesday, and more than 8,000 people have fled. Abyei officials blame the Sudanese army. That has not been independently verified, and Sudan has not publicly responded. A senior Sudanese army officer who was not named said the army hit fuel tankers bound for the Rapid Support Forces, outside the demilitarised zone. “We do not target civilians,” he said. South Sudan’s foreign ministry summoned Sudan’s ambassador, Isam Mohamed Hassan Karar, and urged diplomatic channels. Abyei civil society petitioned the UN mission there, UNISFA, to investigate and bring the matter to the Security Council, citing resolutions 1990 and 2445. UNISFA’s acting head of mission and force commander, Lt. Gen. Ganesh Kumar Shrestha, said the petition would be forwarded. Both Sudan and South Sudan claim Abyei. The strike came during a surge of drone attacks. More than 160 people have been reported killed in western Sudan since Friday. On Sunday evening, a strike in al-Dabba, in West Kordofan, killed 80. Tasis, the RSF’s self-declared administration, and the group Emergency Lawyers blame the army. On Monday, drone attacks on Khartoum killed three children. On October 12, the hunger monitor IPC warned of a deteriorating situation in Darfur and Kordofan, including areas at risk of famine. Severe drought affects more than half of Sudan. In May, nearly 19.5 million people faced high levels of acute food insecurity, 135,000 of them in the most severe category. 🌍 Translator’s Note: South Sudanese outlets and officials treated the strike as an attack on Abyei, not only as another episode in Sudan’s war. Abyei is claimed by both countries and hosts a UN mission, and the Amiet market serves Ngok Dinka, Misseriya and displaced people. Juba summoned Sudan’s ambassador, and Abyei’s civil society went to the UN mission with a petition. Abyei’s information minister described the dead as civilians from both countries, most of them traders. The army officer quoted by AP said those killed were RSF members and people involved in fuel smuggling, an account AP could not verify. Radio Tamazuj reports that multiple sources told it the RSF used the market to obtain fuel. 🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: Abyei is disputed between Sudan and South Sudan and hosts a UN force. A strike there involves both countries and the UN, not only Sudan’s two warring sides. The United States urged the Security Council on Friday to expand its arms embargo on Sudan, and China and Russia opposed widening it. The hunger monitor IPC says areas of Darfur and Kordofan are at risk of famine. Sources AP via WRAL | Eye Radio | Eye Radio | Radio Tamazuj | Eye Radio | Al Jazeera | AP via KSAT $5,000 If Republicans Win President Donald Trump has offered every American adult $5,000 if Republicans keep control of both the House and the Senate on November 3. He made the offer at the Republican convention in Dallas on September 9. The money depends on the result. The payments would cost more than $1 trillion. Trump says he does not need Congress to approve them. Paul Berman, a George Washington University law professor, says the president cannot do it alone, because only Congress can appropriate the money. Vice President JD Vance has said the money would come from tariff revenue. It is Trump’s latest cash promise. A $5,000 DOGE dividend and a $2,000 tariff dividend were also promised. Neither was paid. In December he floated $1,000 to $1,500 for Obamacare recipients instead of renewing their expiring subsidies. Enrollees got neither the payment nor the renewal. Representative Jim McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat, called the offer an attempt to bribe people for votes. Former Representative Bob Good, a Republican who chaired the House Freedom Caucus, called it a “socialist vote-buying scheme.” Fourteen days before the vote, Democrats hold the advantage in the forecasts. Nearly every major forecaster expects Democrats to win the House, some by as many as 15 seats. About 50 races decide it. Democrats’ chances in the Senate are slimmer, but they have made inroads in Texas and Kansas. On Tuesday the Cook Political Report moved South Carolina’s Senate race from Likely Republican to Lean Republican and Mississippi’s from Solid Republican to Likely Republican. It moved Minnesota’s from Likely Democratic to Lean Democratic. Polls have missed in the same direction before. In 2016 and 2020, polls underestimated support for Trump in key battleground states, and in 2020 they overestimated Biden’s. The 2024 polls were more accurate than in 2020 or 2016 but still underestimated Republican votes relative to Democrats’. In each of the last three presidential elections, the error ran toward the Republican. Polls measure opinion. The result is decided by the ballots cast. 🌍 Translator’s Note: Germany’s public broadcaster ZDF read the $5,000 promise less as a budget proposal than as a campaign device. Its Dallas report said the promise serves Trump’s aim of turning the midterms into a vote on himself. It ended by observing that he has everyone talking about him in an election where he is not a candidate. ZDF priced the promise at $1.35 trillion and set it beside Germany’s own federal budget, more than twice the size of what Germany spends in a year. It also noted that the party of the sitting president almost always loses seats in midterms, and that Trump’s approval has fallen with the Iran war and tariff-driven living costs. The report treats whether the money would ever arrive as an open question. 🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: Trump has promised every adult $5,000 only if Republicans keep both chambers on November 3. Three earlier cash promises, a $5,000 DOGE dividend, a $2,000 tariff dividend and Obamacare payments, were never paid. Forecasters give Democrats the edge in the House. Polls have underestimated Republicans in each of the last three presidential elections, and only the votes cast decide the result. Sources ZDF | The Hill | The Hill | The Hill | Al Jazeera | AAPOR | CNN Oslo Talks, Then Witkoff to Russia Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met US envoy Steve Witkoff, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb in Oslo on Tuesday. Jared Kushner joined remotely. Zelenskyy said US early warning of Russian ballistic missiles is working again, after a call with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He called for a meeting of Trump, Putin and himself “to address the issues that only the leaders can do.” Witkoff goes to Russia on Wednesday. Støre said he will fly to St. Petersburg to meet Russian leaders. The Morning Edition said Moscow. “Let’s see what Putin has to say,” Zelenskyy said. Ukraine says it supports a US proposal for an energy ceasefire and will stop striking Russian energy sites if Russia stops striking Ukraine’s. Putin has rejected it. Stubb said “today was a good day for peace.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow will listen to new US proposals but expects no “miracle.” Trump said he wants Zelenskyy to make a deal. Rubio, in India, denied any change in US policy on intelligence or weapons for Ukraine. Witkoff’s talks with Putin are also expected to cover the release of Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American held by Russia since 2022. Russian missile and drone strikes on civilian areas of Ukraine killed at least nine people. 🌍 Translator’s Note: Euronews and Ukrainian outlet United24 Media describe Oslo as a meeting Kyiv and its European partners shaped, with the US envoys as guests. Norway’s prime minister said Kyiv had specifically asked for the two American envoys to attend. He said Norway and Finland were hosting to put diplomacy on “a more constructive path.” The UK, France, Germany and Poland, the EU and NATO were also expected. Ukrainian reporting describes the energy ceasefire and a leaders’ summit as the proposals Witkoff will carry to Putin, and Zelenskyy’s closing line left the next move to Moscow. 🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: The Oslo talks come as Ukraine and the Trump administration are at odds over strikes on Russian oil. They also differ over delivery of air defense missiles. Zelenskyy said US early-warning intelligence is working again after restrictions. Witkoff is now carrying Ukraine’s proposals to Putin in person. Sources Euronews | AP via CP24 | United24 Media Ebola Reaches Nigeria Nigeria confirmed an Ebola case on Tuesday in Abuja, a woman who arrived from Uganda. Her symptoms began October 7 and she was admitted to a private hospital on October 11. Authorities are tracing 44 contacts. Nigeria recorded 20 cases in the 2014 to 2016 West Africa outbreak. Kenya confirmed its first case on October 6 and now has nine. The first was a man who traveled from Congo through Uganda to Nairobi. He tested positive and died on October 5. Four of the others are his relatives and four are health workers. Of 135 contacts, 134 are in quarantine, and the first group completes its 21 days on October 25. The outbreak has infected more than 9,500 people and killed more than 4,600. Dr. Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa CDC, called it the most geographically extensive Ebola outbreak in history. 🇺🇸 What American re

  7. 3d ago

    The Rest of the World Report | October 20, 2026 — Morning Edition

    Weekday morning and evening editions. Saturdays once. Good news on Sundays. All sources listed. ZELENSKYY ASKS CONGRESS FOR ANSWERS President Donald Trump said on Monday that Russia “has been fine on Ukraine,” on the same day a Russian drone strike near Kharkiv killed six people, including children. Trump told reporters that Russia has done little in Ukraine and little to help Iran. He said it was time for someone else to negotiate on Ukraine’s behalf, and that Ukraine has given the United States nothing. He also said he is ready to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in China next month. The talks would be about denuclearisation, he said, and could cover the war in Ukraine. Asked about a newspaper report that the three could meet, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the idea “has indeed been mentioned.” Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andriy Sybiha, said such a meeting would “only encourage Putin to continue this war.” The dispute traces to October 9, when Trump announced a deal to buy Russian diesel, and to his demand that Ukraine stop striking Russian oil refineries. On Monday, Zelenskyy spoke by video to a bipartisan group of US senators and House members organised by Senators Richard Blumenthal and Thom Tillis. He called the situation “the most difficult situation since the very beginning of this war.” He listed three problems. Ukraine received no advance warning of three recent Russian attacks and no explanation afterward. The Pentagon is delaying Patriot interceptor missiles that allies have already paid for. They were bought through a NATO programme that finances US-made weapons for Ukraine, and the shipment is waiting for the signature of US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Several European countries are ready to send Patriots from their own stocks and are waiting for US approval. He said Ukraine had offered a 30-day halt to strikes on Russian refineries in return for Patriot supplies, and that neither Washington nor Moscow showed interest. In an interview on Sunday, Zelenskyy said the United States delivers 12 Patriot interceptors a month. That is about a quarter of the number under the Biden administration, and Ukraine now pays for them. A senior Ukrainian official and two Ukrainian military officers, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Hegseth has the contracts and is not signing them. A US government official called the claim “not true.” A NATO official said deliveries through the programme continue, including air defence. The Pentagon had not responded to a request for comment as of Monday. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in Uzbekistan, denied that the United States has withdrawn intelligence sharing with Ukraine. Starshield, the military version of the Starlink satellite network, was speed-capped on the night of October 13 to 14. Zelenskyy said on Saturday that a cap of about 160 kilometres per hour (100 mph) remains. Ukraine uses the network to fly interceptor drones against Russian jet-powered drones, which Zelenskyy said travel at more than 400 kilometres per hour. He said the order was a message from the American government and that SpaceX carried it out. Trump said it was not him and that he did not think it was Elon Musk. Rubio called the claim “categorically false.” Musk wrote that the US government owns and controls the system, and that decisions on its use rest with the military and, ultimately, the president. Zelenskyy is travelling to Oslo on Tuesday to meet Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. Norway’s prime minister, Jonas Gahr Store, announced the meeting. Representatives of Britain, France, Germany, Poland, the European Union and NATO are expected. Witkoff is also reportedly expected to meet Putin in Moscow over the release of Stephen Hubbard, a 72-year-old American held in Russia since 2022. The outcome of the Oslo meeting was not known when this edition was written. ROTWR will follow up. 🌍 Translator’s Note: Outside the United States, the dispute since October 9 is read as a tilt toward Moscow, and as a reason for Europe to act without Washington. AFP reports that Trump has appeared to tilt toward Russia since returning to office, including by calling for Zelenskyy to be replaced. Bernard Guetta, a French member of the European Parliament, said on a French television programme that “America, with this president, is not our ally.” Poland’s foreign minister accused Musk of playing politics over the Starshield cap. Sybiha said on October 12 that Europe should take its future in its own hands. The reading rests on Kyiv’s charge that Washington is using military aid and access to technology to pressure it into halting strikes on Russian refineries, which the White House denies. The Kremlin’s remark on the three-way summit adds to Kyiv’s fear of being sidelined. 🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: Trump said Monday that Russia has been fine on Ukraine, the day a Russian drone strike killed six people near Kharkiv. Zelenskyy told US lawmakers that paid-for Patriot missiles, Starshield speeds and missile warnings are all being held back. The White House denies ordering any of it, and a US official calls the Patriot claim untrue. Zelenskyy meets Trump’s envoy Witkoff in Oslo today. Sources Kyiv Independent | Kyiv Independent | Kyiv Independent | Kyiv Independent | Kyiv Independent | Kyiv Independent | France 24 | France 24 | France 24 | LIGA.net | Newsweek FRANCE IMPOSES CURFEWS French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Tuesday that Monday night’s curfews “helped keep the peace,” and that local authorities can impose more tonight where they see a need. Police said the night passed without major incidents across France. The Paris curfew covered Place de la République and the Les Halles shopping district, from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Gatherings were banned there from 8 p.m. Lyon barred movement in its central zone from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. A tourist office there was set on fire on Saturday. Nice, Lille and several northern towns set curfews for unaccompanied minors. Lecornu had asked for curfews that were very limited and local. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said over the weekend that police had “lost control” in several cities. He offered his resignation on Sunday evening. President Emmanuel Macron refused it “given the need for continued command of law enforcement in the current context,” his office said. Macron told Nuñez to ensure full transparency on the failures in planning and intelligence-gathering that led to the violence. He also asked for new policing tactics on the ground as quickly as possible. Lecornu has defended the police response. He said nobody was killed despite severe violence, which he called a miracle. A man in his forties was arrested in Limoges in the investigation of the town hall fire. He is known for ties to the ultra-left and was already on a security watchlist for earlier violence against a member of the public. Authorities said the inside of the older section of the town hall, which opened in 1883, was “nearly 100% destroyed.” The roof and belfry collapsed. Patrick Martin, head of the Medef business lobby, said the state “failed” businesses during the unrest, and that it should cover the operating losses of those without insurance. Preliminary estimates put the number of businesses hit at 3,000 or more. Finance Minister Roland Lescure pledged support for shopkeepers and craftspeople. Stock indexes in Europe slid more than 1% on Monday, and French bond yields rose faster than German ones, on worries about the government’s already strained budget. Lecornu meets trade unions on Wednesday and hosts party representatives on Thursday, with security during the presidential campaign on the agenda. Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella of the National Rally said they will not attend and will send representatives. The hard-left France Unbowed, which Lecornu has repeatedly accused of fuelling the unrest, had not responded. The Yellow Vest movement has called for new protests on Saturday. At a rally in Kansas on Monday, Trump said France was being “conquered, looted, and burnt to the ground by migrants, jihadists, and communists.” He also wrote on Truth Social that migrants have taken over France and that it must close its borders. The marches themselves were against rising living costs and in support of high school students’ demands over education funding. 🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: French authorities imposed targeted curfews in Paris, Lyon and other cities on Monday night. Police say the night passed without major incidents. The interior minister has said police lost control over the weekend, and the president refused his resignation. The government meets unions on Wednesday and party leaders on Thursday, and a new protest is called for Saturday. Sources France 24 | AP News ALBERTA REJECTS SEPARATION Alberta voters rejected beginning a process toward separation from Canada. With more than 1.5 million votes counted, 76% backed remaining in Canada and close to 24% backed starting a separation process, according to unofficial results from Elections Alberta. Monday’s referendum was not a direct vote on independence. Approval would have put the province on a path to a later vote on separation. Results were delayed after late openings forced more than 100 polling stations to extend voting hours. Prime Minister Mark Carney said “Albertans made a clear choice.” He said they chose unity, and that the result lets Canada move faster on diversifying trade and building major infrastructure projects. Premier Danielle Smith called the referendum under pressure from separatists in her own party, while opposing independence. She wrote that Albertans voted “for a stronger Alberta in a united Canada,” and will address the province on Tuesday evening. Separatist leaders said the movemen

  8. 3d ago

    The Rest of the World Report | October 19, 2026 — Evening Edition

    Weekday morning and evening editions. Saturdays once. Good news on Sundays. All sources listed. IRAN’S NINE-COUNTRY WARNING Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, says Iran will hit “the bases of nine countries” if the United States strikes Iranian military bases or petrochemical facilities again. Iran’s chief of staff warned separately that the next miscalculation against Iran will bring more severe responses than before. The Revolutionary Guards said another oil tanker caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz after hitting a mine. That is the Guards’ account. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov landed in Tehran on Monday afternoon, his first visit to Iran since February 2025 and his first since the US-Israeli war on Iran began. He came from Bahrain, where on Sunday he attended a strategic dialogue between Russia and the Gulf Cooperation Council. Council members urged him to use Moscow’s influence with Tehran to press for serious dialogue and restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The council’s secretary-general said its six member states have faced more than 7,000 Iranian missiles and drones since the war began. In Tehran, Lavrov met Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and, later, President Masoud Pezeshkian. Araghchi blamed US and Israeli aggression for the insecurity around the Strait of Hormuz and said regional problems have “no military solution”. Lavrov said Russia is committed to its 20-year strategic partnership agreement with Iran, which took effect on October 2. He said Russian specialists would gradually return to the Bushehr nuclear power plant after leaving during the war. He linked restored navigation in the strait with protection for Iran against renewed attacks. He also expressed support for the memorandum of understanding Iran and the United States signed in June, which later collapsed, as a framework for reducing tension. Iran says it wants a return to that agreement. Nikita Smagin, an analyst of Iran and Russia’s role in the Middle East, said the near-simultaneous visits to the Gulf and Tehran are a deliberate signal. Moscow wants to show it deals with all these countries on broadly equal terms. He said Russia has a partial interest in the war continuing, because higher oil prices and the loss of Iranian oil to China benefit Moscow. He also said its leverage over either Iran or the United States is limited. US media have cited intelligence reports that Russia and China are giving Iran satellite imagery for targeting and weapons components. President Donald Trump said last week that Moscow and Beijing would have too much to lose by helping Iran. In Yemen, officials said Houthi ballistic missiles hit a training centre for recruits in Shabwa province. At least 58 recruits were killed and more than 200 wounded, and the death toll is expected to rise. A worker and two consultants said government agencies in Riyadh have told employees to work from home starting Monday, as the city comes under repeated attack from Yemen. 🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: An adviser to Iran’s supreme leader says Iran will hit the bases of nine countries. He says it will do so if the United States strikes Iranian bases or petrochemical facilities again. Russia’s foreign minister is in Tehran for the first time since the war began, and Moscow is presenting itself as a mediator. Houthi missiles killed at least 58 recruits in Yemen. Sources The New Arab | Sunday Guardian | Al Jazeera | Al Jazeera EGYPT WEIGHS DEFENDING SAUDI ARABIA Egypt’s parliament has postponed until October 26 a vote on whether to authorize the military to help defend Saudi Arabia if the kingdom asks for support. The pledge follows near-daily Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia since early October. The deadliest was at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, which killed and injured hundreds, including an Egyptian flight attendant. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi asked parliament to authorize action if Egypt is asked, including air defence forces and logistical support. Egypt’s National Defence Council pledged all necessary and possible support on Sunday. Neither statement said how many troops might be sent or for how long. Approval would give Sisi the legal authority to deploy troops but would not send them automatically. No formal Saudi request has been announced. The constitution requires two-thirds of the 596-member House, or 398 votes, before troops can be sent on a combat mission abroad. The four main pro-government parties won 403 of the 568 elected seats in last year’s election. The vote was first pushed from Sunday to Tuesday amid reports of heated debate in the House, then postponed again on Monday afternoon for a week. About 300 members asked to speak in closed sessions, according to local media. Three said they would abstain. The largest pro-government party, the Wafd and the Salafist Nour Party back the request. Supporters point to the cost to the Suez Canal of Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, and to Saudi financial support. A $5.3 billion Saudi deposit at Egypt’s central bank matures this month, and Cairo faces a potentially costly repayment unless Riyadh agrees to roll it over. The Egyptian Social Democratic Party told its members to abstain, saying military participation must not become an open-ended commitment. The Constitution Party called for clearly defined objectives, limits and conditions. Ayman Nour, the exiled leader of the Ghad Party, listed 10 safeguards. They include a fixed duration and a defined geographic scope. He said the authorization is not a blank cheque. He cited Egypt’s intervention in Yemen in the 1960s, which many Egyptians call “Egypt’s Vietnam”. Lawmaker Reda Abdel Salam proposed limiting any deployment to defending Saudi territory and critical infrastructure while avoiding combat inside Yemen. Al-Azhar, Egypt’s highest seat of Sunni learning, called for an immediate halt to the fighting and proposed a mediation committee. 🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: Egypt’s parliament has put off until October 26 a vote on letting the military help defend Saudi Arabia from Houthi attacks. Egypt would act only if Saudi Arabia asks, and no formal request has been announced. The delay followed reports of heated debate, and some parties want clear limits on any deployment. Saudi Arabia holds billions of dollars in deposits at Egypt’s central bank. Sources The New Arab | The National THE KOHEN WILEY FINDING Mississippi’s attorney general has found that the police officer who shot and killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley was justified in using force. Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office announced the finding on Monday. Its statement said the office “found the use of force was justified” in a June 14 incident in Senatobia involving one officer with the Senatobia Police Department. The review followed an investigation by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. Senatobia is a town about 40 miles (65 kilometers) south of Memphis, Tennessee. Officers were responding to a shoplifting call at a Walmart. The call alleged that Kohen’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, and her friend Latoya Ferrell had stolen diapers. The women left the store with Kohen, got into a car and began to drive away. One officer fired into the car. Kohen was killed, and a bullet also wounded Ferrell. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said that day that the car drove toward officers. In a video released days after the shooting, Vellesiya Wiley denied that she or her friend stole anything. She disputed that the car headed toward the officers. Ben Crump, the civil rights attorney representing the family, has said a preliminary independent autopsy indicates Kohen was shot from the side of the car, not the front. The Mississippi Department of Public Safety has released neither the body-camera footage nor the overhead video from the Walmart parking lot. A department spokesperson says video surveillance footage of the shooting will be released shortly to media organizations through public records requests. A short bystander clip posted online soon after the shooting shows neither the shots being fired nor the car driving toward officers. Neither woman has been charged with a crime, and officials have not released any evidence of shoplifting. The officer identified as the subject of the investigation is Hunter Foster. He is white. Kohen and both women are Black. In July, internal complaints showed that Foster had been accused of making a racially offensive remark to a coworker days before the shooting. Two earlier misconduct cases involving him surfaced after the shooting. One was dismissed. The other ended in a confidential settlement. In September, Senatobia fired its police chief, Harold Vanderford, after news reports about racist text messages in which he used slurs. Last year, a Senatobia officer pulled a Black woman from her car during a dispute over an accessible parking space in the same Walmart lot. Two years earlier, an officer was fired for arresting a Black 10-year-old for urinating in public. Marquell Bridges, who leads the Building Bridges Coalition and organized protests over the shooting, accused Fitch and others of complicity in a cover-up. 🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: Mississippi’s attorney general has found that a Senatobia police officer was justified in firing into a car in June, killing 1-year-old Kohen Wiley. The body-camera and parking-lot video have not been released, and the state says they will be released to media through records requests. Neither woman in the car has been charged. The family’s attorney says a preliminary autopsy shows Kohen was shot from the side of the car. Sources Mississippi Free Press | AP News THE SHAKAHOLA VERDICT A Kenyan court has convicted a cult leader and 28 associates of murdering 191 people, 190 of them children. The High Court in Mombasa delivered the verdict on Monday. Pau

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About

The Rest of the World Podcast is the audio version of The Rest of the World Report. Every edition, in the voice of the editor. The same stories, the same sourcing, the same voice — for listeners who want the news in their ears instead of on their screens. www.restoftheworldreport.com

Information

  • Creator
    Rest of the World Podcast hosted by Rudy Martinez
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    245
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Rudy Martinez
  • Show Website
    The Rest of the World Podcast