The Nations

The DNC sued the Trump administration over taxpayer-funded advertisements promoting the president, Fox News and NBC News report. The party alleges federal spending and propaganda-law violations. Trump says he and MAGA Inc. will pay for future ads; whether the government will be reimbursed remains unclear. The lawsuit has not been decided.

Trump signed the Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act, requiring federal agencies to report major projects that exceed their original cost estimate by $1 billion or are five years behind schedule, the Washington Examiner reports. The law adds public reporting; it does not itself cancel projects or establish that the disclosures will produce savings.

Canada plans legislation indefinitely delaying assisted dying for people whose sole condition is mental illness, Justice Minister Sean Fraser said, BBC News reports. Expansion had been scheduled for March 2027. Fraser cited disagreement over eligibility and irremediability; supporters challenge the exclusion in court. The announced legislation has not yet passed.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for resistance to political extremism after an AfD member won the Saxony-Anhalt parliament presidency and the Left Party won Berlin’s election, Reuters reports through Al Jazeera. He criticized support for the AfD within his CDU. His speech follows setbacks for mainstream parties; it announces no new legal ban.

More than 200,000 people have been displaced as fighting intensifies in Yemen, the International Organization for Migration said, AFP reports through Al Jazeera. The agency says displacement has surged since mid-September and over 3,700 people have fled to Djibouti. Aid officials warn of growing food and shelter needs; the fighting continues.

Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, 18, was charged with receiving a firearm and ammunition to commit a federal terrorism offense, the Justice Department and OAN report. Prosecutors allege he planned an ISIS-inspired shooting at the Mall of America. The FBI says an undercover transaction used an inert rifle before his arrest. The complaint is an allegation, and guilt has not been established.

DHS proposed charging schools $70,000 for each international student’s initial Optional Practical Training application and $30,000 for renewals, the Associated Press reports. DHS cites visa fraud and abuse; education groups warn of harm to recruitment and innovation. The proposal allows 60 days for public comment and has not taken effect.

The European Commission proposes fewer unanimous votes in accession negotiations, earlier access to some membership benefits and safeguards against democratic backsliding, DW reports. Candidate countries would still need to meet EU standards. Member states must decide whether to adopt the changes; moving to majority voting itself requires unanimous agreement.

A Palestinian man was killed near Burqa during the olive harvest, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, Reuters reports. The Israeli military said soldiers and settlers both opened fire after a report of rock throwing. Reuters could not establish who fired the fatal shot; the competing accounts do not resolve the full sequence of events.

EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič traveled to Beijing for Thursday and Friday talks on market access, Chinese export restrictions and the bloc’s goods-trade imbalance, Reuters and Al Jazeera report. Brussels seeks commitments ahead of an October 15–16 summit; China says pressure over excess capacity amounts to protectionism. No agreement has been announced.

Russian missile and drone attacks killed at least 25 civilians across Ukraine, including five children, Ukrainian officials said, the Associated Press reports. Authorities put Pryluky’s toll at 19 after an apartment block was destroyed. Russia says it targeted military-related facilities. The official count remains provisional, updating the earlier report of 24 deaths.

The Philippine military counted 101 distinct Chinese naval and coast guard vessels around four disputed South China Sea areas in September, compared with 56 in August, Fox News reports. Manila says recent encounters were unsafe; Beijing says it acted against unauthorized entry. A Philippine spokesman cautioned against drawing a broader trend from one month.

A 19-year-old student injured nine people at a vocational school in Ostroleka before police arrested him nearby, Polish authorities said, the Associated Press reports. Five students, two teachers and two passersby were hurt; one was seriously wounded. Authorities had not disclosed a motive, and none of the injuries was life-threatening.

Sri Lankan authorities arrested Shiranthi Rajapaksa over alleged misuse of 10 million rupees collected for a children’s hospital scanner, BBC News reports. Officials say China had already donated a scanner. Rajapaksa denies wrongdoing and her husband’s spokesperson says the money remains in charity accounts. The inquiry has not established guilt.

Iraq changed its official exchange rate from about 1,300 to 1,500 dinars per dollar, with bank customers paying 1,520, the Associated Press reports. War-related shipping disruption has reduced oil earnings. The weaker currency brings more dinars per export dollar but can raise import costs; the eventual effect on prices remains uncertain.

Attacks on Abha and Riyadh’s King Khalid airports killed three residents and injured 36, Saudi aviation officials said, the Associated Press reports. Yemen’s Houthis claimed the strikes, but Saudi officials did not publicly assign responsibility. AP could not independently verify separate coalition claims about intercepting a missile and destroying its launch platform.

Russia’s transport ministry said a Liberian-flagged tanker caught fire off Sochi after a naval-drone attack and all 23 Indian crew members were rescued, The Guardian reports. Officials restricted coastal access while crude oil burned. Kyiv had not commented; responsibility and the eventual environmental damage were not established.

Keisha Lance Bottoms and Rick Jackson debated affordability, taxes, data centers and Trump in Georgia’s only scheduled gubernatorial debate, NBC News reports. Bottoms proposed relief on household purchases and insurance; Jackson pledged income, property and utility tax cuts. Both invoked their records and challenged the other’s approach; the promises remain campaign proposals.

John James said he disagrees with Trump on parts of the Iran war and tariff policy during his first debate with Jocelyn Benson, NBC News reports. Benson challenged his votes against war-powers resolutions and linked tariffs to household costs. James defended those votes as support for deployed troops; their competing claims form part of the gubernatorial campaign.

Susan Collins and Troy Jackson traded arguments over Trump, living costs and abortion in Maine’s first Senate debate, NBC News reports. Collins emphasized disagreements with the administration and federal funding secured through her seniority; Jackson criticized her voting record. Their policy arguments and campaign claims come as the race could affect control of the Senate.

US prosecutors charged James Cody Bryant with conspiracy to murder people in a foreign country, alleging online financial and planning assistance to the Tumbler Ridge shooter, Al Jazeera reports. The February attack killed eight victims at a home and school. The charge is an allegation, and Bryant’s response was not available in the report.

Britain is considering expelling Israeli diplomats if Israel closes its East Jerusalem consulate Thursday, Reuters reports, citing four sources. Israel ordered the closure after Britain announced a ban on settlement goods. London still hopes to avert it; the ministries declined comment, and no retaliatory decision has been announced.

Sweden plans to send Patriot air defenses and about 100 troops to protect NATO’s Rzeszów logistics hub in Poland from December, Polskie Radio reports. The mission would replace Dutch systems and support deliveries to Ukraine. The Swedish government says NATO Air Command will lead the unit; deployment remains planned.

Tobias Rausch became the first AfD speaker of a German state parliament, BBC News reports. He won the Saxony-Anhalt vote with support from nine lawmakers outside his party; four of those voters remain unidentified. The largely symbolic office includes chairing debates, while the AfD’s bid to lead the state government remains unresolved.

Spain’s Supreme Court lifted the arrest warrant for Catalan separatist Carles Puigdemont under the amnesty law, DW reports. The decision clears his return after almost nine years in exile over the 2017 independence bid. The decision follows a Constitutional Court ruling applying the 2024 amnesty to embezzlement cases. A snap national election is set for November 29; the report does not give a return date.

Police briefly detained Rahul Gandhi and other opposition lawmakers during a New Delhi march demanding the election chief’s resignation, Al Jazeera and CNA report. Opposition parties allege voter-roll revisions could exclude eligible voters and favor the ruling BJP. The Election Commission rejects wrongdoing and says the exercise aims to improve roll accuracy.

Justice Samuel Alito told the Associated Press that the Supreme Court’s rising emergency caseload is troubling but difficult to curb. He also criticized President Trump’s rhetoric about the court while defending the right to challenge its decisions. These are his views in an interview accompanying a new book, not a ruling or a position of the full court.

Bulgaria ended the search for sailors from the Alfa Watan after a drone attack sank it, Al Jazeera reports, citing AFP and Reuters. Eighteen crew from a second damaged vessel were rescued. Authorities did not confirm the number missing or the drones’ origin; a maritime website reported 10 people aboard the sunken ship.

Former BND chief August Hanning was ordered into pretrial detention after his arrest on espionage and treason allegations, DW reports. His former chief of staff Manfred D. was also detained. Investigators say secret documents may have been passed to foreign intelligence services; the recipients and full scope remain unclear, and the charges have not been adjudicated.

The Parti Québécois won Quebec’s provincial election but fell short of a majority, DW reports. Paul St-Pierre Plamondon pledges an independence referendum after President Trump leaves office; recent polls put sovereignty support near 30%. The party will need opposition support to govern, and the election result does not establish majority backing for independence.

Singapore referred eight public officers to police after reviewing 191 property transactions near future rail stations, minister Chan Chun Sing told Parliament, CNA reports. The referrals permit further examination of purchase circumstances and information gaps. They do not establish misconduct; police will assess whether confidential information was misused.

President Trump approved the military’s proposed firing-squad execution of Nidal Hasan, the Pentagon said, according to BBC News. Hasan was convicted after killing 13 soldiers at Fort Hood in 2009. The Army will set the time and place; the announcement does not mean an execution has already occurred.

A vendor mistakenly mailed 3,126 Maricopa County early ballots six days ahead of schedule, the Associated Press reports. The county says they reached the correct voters, remain valid and can be returned normally; Runbeck’s chief executive called the mistake accidental. President Trump criticized the county, but the report establishes no fraudulent ballots or changed vote count.

US adviser Massad Boulos met Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in Egypt over the weekend, Reuters reports. Boulos said Washington and regional partners seek a political solution and Sudanese-led dialogue. No ceasefire was announced; the army’s war with the Rapid Support Forces continues.

Hundreds protested in Pristina after lawmakers failed to advance a bill limiting the Hague-based Kosovo Specialist Chambers, the Associated Press reports. Police used tear gas after protesters launched flares and firecrackers. A hospital official said 12 people were treated and discharged. The proposed court changes remain unresolved.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed renewed Ethiopia’s demand for Red Sea access, the Associated Press reports, after coastal states asserted responsibility for the sea at a regional meeting. The landlocked country says it favors dialogue amid tensions with Eritrea. No access agreement or military action over the demand was reported.

Romania says two crew members died and 11 were rescued after the Turkish-owned Royad Mammadov caught fire and sank in its Black Sea economic zone, BBC News and DW report. President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Russian drones; Romania had not established the cause and Russia had not commented on this vessel specifically.

David Rush pleaded guilty to wire fraud after fabricating classified programs to divert about $194 million in government funds, the Justice Department and NBC News report. He agreed to forfeit gold, currency and luxury properties. Sentencing is set for January 28; the maximum prison term is 20 years, and the sentence has not been decided.

Nigeria’s Air Force says all 25 people aboard a military aircraft died in Monday’s Ondo State crash, DW, Reuters and the Associated Press report. It listed 20 passengers and five crew, correcting an earlier official count of 32; officials have not explained the discrepancy. President Bola Tinubu ordered an investigation; the cause remains unknown.

Taliban officials joined Russia, China, India, Iran, Pakistan and other countries for Afghanistan talks in Moscow, the Associated Press reports through ABC News. Russia offered to mediate Afghanistan-Pakistan tensions if both sides requested it. No settlement was reported; Moscow’s praise of Taliban policy is its own assessment.

More than 5,000 supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan began a dayslong march toward Islamabad after negotiations failed, the Associated Press reports through NPR. They seek his release, hospital transfer and family visits; officials dispute claims about his access to care and relatives. Authorities have erected roadblocks.

Germany’s foreign intelligence chief Martin Jaeger warned lawmakers of an escalating Russian campaign of sabotage, drones and cyberattacks, Reuters reports. He said Germany risks violent conflict but saw no indication of an imminent large-scale attack on NATO. Russia denies plans to attack NATO countries; the warning is an intelligence assessment.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called an early general election for November 29 after lawmakers rejected housing measures, BBC News and AP coverage in the Washington Examiner report. His minority coalition faces protests over rents and evictions. The announcement seeks a stronger parliamentary mandate; the election outcome remains undecided.

Pacific leaders opened pre-COP climate talks in Fiji calling for accessible adaptation finance, ocean protection and efforts to keep warming within 1.5°C, AFP reports through France 24. The meetings in Nadi and Tuvalu precede November’s COP31 summit in Turkey. Delegates are pressing for commitments; new financing outcomes remain pending.

Nicaragua’s government announced an immediate withdrawal from the Central American Parliament after the Organization of American States called for restored civil rights and the release of political prisoners, Al Jazeera reports. Managua described the move as an exercise of sovereignty. Its practical effects on regional cooperation have not been detailed.

UK police arrested a 22-year-old British man in Westminster on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts in the RAF Fairford investigation, Counter Terrorism Policing and DW report. Six earlier suspects remain on bail. President Trump linked the earlier bomber withdrawal to threats; police have not established the motivation or a causal link to that move, and the arrest is not a conviction.

The NAACP sued the Justice Department seeking records about planned election-monitor deployments, The Guardian reports. It says a September records request went unanswered and warns of voter intimidation. DOJ says monitors follow legal requirements and will not interfere with voting. The lawsuit seeks transparency; no ruling or finding of misconduct is reported.

The World Food Programme says an air strike killed a driver in a clearly marked food-aid convoy in Sudan’s South Kordofan on Saturday, Al Jazeera reports. The agency called for an investigation and did not identify those responsible. The full extent of the damage remains under assessment.

Philippine immigration authorities say two raids on Mindanao detained 244 foreign nationals, mostly Chinese, in a crackdown on illegal offshore gaming operations, Al Jazeera reports. Officials say they are investigating possible trafficking offenses involving some detainees and plan to deport others; individual responsibility has not been established.

Saudi-backed Yemeni forces say they secured Bab al-Mandab and captured Mokha, BBC News reports. Other government sources place them only on the city’s outskirts, and the Houthis deny losing it. The Houthis claimed retaliatory strikes in Saudi Arabia, which condemned the attacks. Territorial control and the offensive’s outcome remain disputed.