France Imposes Curfews After Nationwide Riots (France)
Italy Plans Troop Deployment Amid Widening Protests (Italy)
Ukraine Claims First Aerial Drone Rescue of Soldier (Conflict)
Attack on Australian MP Raises Political Safety Fears (Australia)
Houthi Strike Kills 53 as Yemen Conflict Widens (Conflict)
Drone Strikes Kill More Than 150 in Sudan and Abyei (Africa)
Trump Open to Putin and Xi Summit on Nuclear Arms (Geopolitics)
Gaza Food Aid Cuts Leave Half a Million Without Support (Middle East)
Japan Launches Mission to Return Samples From Mars Moon (Space)
Trump’s Approval Falls to 31% Before US Midterms (US)
A succinct daily briefing delivered each weekday to help you stay on top of the stories shaping the world.
French authorities have imposed overnight curfews in Paris and several other cities following a weekend of nationwide protests that descended into widespread rioting and looting. More than 2,500 people have been arrested, with at least two deaths reported and around 1,000 police officers injured. More than 2,000 businesses were affected, with damage estimated at hundreds of millions of euros.
The demonstrations began last month over deteriorating school conditions but have expanded into broader protests against rising living costs, fuel prices and public services. Around 550,000 people demonstrated over the weekend, with most protests remaining peaceful despite serious violence in several cities.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez acknowledged police had lost control in some cities and offered his resignation, which President Emmanuel Macron rejected. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has authorised local curfews and promised financial assistance. Similar demonstrations have spread across Europe. France faces a presidential election next spring.
Sources: BBC, CNN
Italy’s government plans to deploy 500 troops to Milan after weekend protests over rising living costs and public services descended into rioting and looting. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini announced the move as luxury retailers boarded up windows and removed merchandise. Police arrested 32 people, most of them minors, while a business association estimated damage exceeding €1 million.
The unrest extended across northern cities, where students protested low wages, higher prices and cuts to public funding. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the violence and met security officials to consider tougher measures. Most demonstrators in Milan remained peaceful.
Meanwhile, farmers and truckers in southern Italy have blockaded ports and major highways over fuel prices driven higher by the Iran war, causing shortages at supermarkets and petrol stations.
The separate protests reflect a broader wave of discontent across Europe, including neighbouring France, where demonstrations have also escalated into violence.
Sources: New York Times, The Guardian
Ukraine’s 92nd Separate Assault Brigade says it has evacuated a wounded soldier from the front line using an aerial drone, in what it describes as a world first. The soldier was lifted by an Ayudag-6 hexacopter and taken to a safer position, where comrades arranged his transfer to hospital. He is now undergoing treatment and rehabilitation.
The brigade said enemy drone activity and landmines had made evacuation by conventional unmanned ground vehicles impossible. Manufacturer Gurzuf Defence said the soldier had spent almost 18 months in a dangerous combat position and that reaching him would have exposed rescuers to deadly risks. Operators had to ensure the aircraft could carry a person without tipping or swaying excessively.
Both Ukraine and Russia rely extensively on battlefield drones, creating areas where movement carries substantial danger. Ukraine has previously used unmanned ground vehicles to retrieve casualties but this is its first reported aerial evacuation.
Sources: France 24, NBC News
Australian independent MP Helen Haines remains in critical but stable condition after a driver allegedly struck her with a vehicle outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, Victoria, on Monday. Ms. Haines has lost one leg already as a result of the attack and doctors are fighting to save the other one. Witnesses said the vehicle turned towards the 65-year-old lawmaker before hitting her. Haines was airlifted to Melbourne. A 43-year-old man remains in custody. Police believe he acted alone.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese thanked residents who helped restrain the suspect, including barber Ricky Jefferies, who said he removed a knife from the driver’s pocket. Police confirmed finding a knife. Investigators have not established a motive.
The attack has renewed concerns about threats against Australia’s accessible politicians. Australian Security Intelligence Organisation chief Mike Burgess warned that growing grievance and polarisation had created conditions more conducive to violence. Federal police recorded 1,067 reports of threatening or offensive behaviour towards political office holders and related premises in 2025-26, more than 10% above the previous year.
Sources: New York Times, The Hill
A Houthi ballistic missile attack on a training camp in Yemen’s Shabwa province killed at least 53 security recruits and wounded more than 200 on Monday, local authorities said. The Saudi-backed government said three missiles struck the facility near Ataq; Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea claimed it housed Saudi forces. Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council chairman Rashad al-Alimi promised a firm response.
The strike follows renewed fighting between the Houthis and government forces, backed by Saudi air power, around territory overlooking the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The Houthis have also attacked Saudi airports and energy facilities, extending the conflict across the border.
Saudi Arabia cancelled an international investment conference and extended remote schooling around Riyadh on Monday amid continuing Houthi attacks. Yemen’s government says at least 1,282 people have died in the conflict since 6 August, while at least 19 have been killed in attacks on Saudi airports since early October.
Sources: BBC, Associated Press
At least 73 people were killed and 19 wounded in a drone attack on a market in Abyei, the disputed region jointly administered by Sudan and South Sudan, according to caretaker information minister Yohana Akol Ngor. He accused Sudan’s army of Monday’s strike but provided no evidence. South Sudan summoned Sudan’s ambassador in protest, while medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières said it was treating more than 20 wounded patients.
Separately, a drone strike on Sunday killed 80 people near a transport hub in al-Dibab, West Kordofan, according to a local medical source. A witness said the site was struck twice as commuters gathered after market day. The Rapid Support Forces’ administration blamed Sudan’s army.
The attacks highlight the growing civilian toll of drone warfare. Between January and April, drones accounted for at least 880 civilian deaths in Sudan, more than 80% of conflict-related civilian fatalities during that period.
Sources: Reuters, The Guardian
US President Donald Trump said he would consider a three-way summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, but insisted its focus should be nuclear disarmament rather than Ukraine. Putin reportedly proposed talks alongside next month’s APEC summit in China to discuss ending the war. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed discussions about a meeting but said neither its format nor agenda was settled.
Trump said trade could also feature, while dismissing Russia’s role in the Ukraine conflict. His comments follow a diesel agreement with Putin and a decision not to tighten sanctions on Moscow. Trump has also criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
A summit among the three nuclear powers could open discussions on arms controls but the prospect has raised concerns about allies being excluded from decisions affecting their security. The proposed meeting remains uncertain, as does whether Ukraine would feature in any eventual talks.
Sources: Japan Times, Politico
The World Food Programme has cut monthly food assistance in Gaza from 1.6 million people to 1.1 million after its funding fell to less than half previous levels. Families now receive one food parcel instead of two, cash payments have been reduced, and daily hot meals have fallen from 250,000 to 150,000. The agency warns that recent improvements in food security could quickly reverse.
Around 1.4 million people, or 67% of Gaza’s population, still face crisis-level hunger or worse, including 200,000 in emergency conditions. More than 80% of residents are unemployed, leaving many unable to buy food even when it is available.
World Food Programme Palestine director Shaun Hughes said recovery investment was essential because the humanitarian operation was unsustainable. Reconstruction promised after the October 2025 ceasefire has not begun. The agency needs $450 million to maintain critical operations across Gaza and the West Bank through March.
Sources: The Guardian, UN
Japan launched its Martian Moons Exploration spacecraft aboard an H3 rocket on Tuesday, beginning a five-year mission to collect samples from Phobos, the larger of Mars’ two moons. The spacecraft separated successfully after launch from Tanegashima Island. No mission has previously returned material from Mars or either moon, and earlier attempts to reach Phobos have failed.
The spacecraft is expected to reach Mars next year. A French-German rover named Idefix will survey Phobos for 100 days before a Japanese lander attempts to collect at least 10 grams of material in late 2028 or 2029. The samples are scheduled to return to Earth in Australia in 2031.
Scientists hope the material will help determine whether Phobos formed from debris following a collision with Mars or is a captured asteroid. Five space agencies are collaborating on the mission, which could also inform future exploration of Mars.
Sources: Associated Press, Wall Street Journal
US President Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to 31%, the lowest of either presidential term, as rising fuel prices weigh on voters ahead of November’s congressional elections. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found 47% of registered voters favour Democrats against 35% for Republicans, widening the opposition’s lead from seven to 12 percentage points in two weeks.
The shift follows the US-Israeli war against Iran, which began in February and drove up petrol prices. Some 68% disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy, including 37% of Republicans. Women favour Democratic congressional candidates by 50% to 32%.
The November 3 elections will determine control of Congress, where Republican losses could complicate Trump’s remaining agenda. Other surveys reinforce the warning: an NBC poll found 71% believe the country is on the wrong track, while a separate poll put Trump’s approval at 33%. National polling cannot capture every local electoral contest.
Sources: Reuters, Al Jazeera
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On this day …
On this day in 1962, Chinese forces launched coordinated attacks against Indian positions along their disputed Himalayan border, beginning the Sino-Indian War.
The conflict followed years of deteriorating relations over territorial claims, particularly in Aksai Chin and the eastern Himalayas.
Chinese troops rapidly overwhelmed Indian positions before Beijing declared a unilateral ceasefire on 21 November.
Although the fighting lasted barely a month, its consequences proved enduring. China retained control of Aksai Chin, while the broader territorial dispute remained unresolved.
More than six decades later, the two nuclear armed neighbours continue to contest sections of their border, demonstrating how brief military conflicts can leave strategic disputes that endure for generations.