The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation closed its operations after five months of distributing aid in Gaza, Israeli border officers killed two Palestinians allegedly affiliated with a terror network after they appeared to surrender,and a U.S.-Palestinian teenager was released after nine months of Israeli detention for allegedly throwing rocks at settlers.In other news, U.S. President Donald Trump backed Special Envoy Steve Witkoff following a leaked transcript of his call with an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Witkoff and Putin scheduled a meeting as Trump announced "tremendous progress" toward a Russia-Ukraine peace deal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it could be "feasible" to find "a dignified end" to the war,and Russian attacks killed at least six people in Kyiv, with Ukraine reportedly intercepting 14 missiles and 438 drones.Meanwhile, the U.K.'s Royal Navy intercepted several Russian vessels in its waters amid a reported 30% surge in Russian naval activity around Britain,and France launched a voluntary military service program, with the goal of recruiting 50,000 participants annually by 2035.This comes as Trump said that land operations to halt alleged Venezuelan drug operations would begin "soon" following a reported 85% reduction in drug smuggling by sea, the U.S. president declared Venezuela's airspace effectively closed — though Washington lacks authority to enforce such a measure — and Boeing won $7 billion in U.S. military contracts, including a $4.69 billion Army deal for Apache AH-64E attack helicopters and crew trainers.In Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu declared a "nationwide security emergency" amid an ongoing kidnapping crisisthat most recently saw 24 abducted schoolgirls released following negotiations between officials and the perpetrators,and the World Food Program warned of a coming famine in Nigeria, citing armed violence as the primary driver.Elsewhere, Pakistani airstrikes reportedly killed nine children in Afghanistan's Khost, marking another violent incident near the border region, suicide bombers killed three people in Pakistan's Peshawar, adding to ongoing security concerns in the area,and Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces announced a three-month "humanitarian ceasefire" amid an ongoing conflict that has killed tens of thousands.

Pope Leo XIV began his first international trip in Turkey to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, the seventh African Union-European Union summit was held in Angola, with 49 heads of state celebrating the 25th anniversary of the partnership,and Trump and China's Xi Jinping agreed to mutual state visits during a call that also saw them discuss Taiwan and Ukraine.Meanwhile, National Rally leader Jordan Bardella polled ahead in France's 2027 election, with Odoxa finding he would secure 35-36% in the first round,and Myanmar's junta granted amnesty to over 8,000 ahead of next month's elections.Elsewhere, Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro began serving his 27-year jail term after being convicted of plotting a coup, Peru sentenced former President Pedro Castillo to over 11 years in prison for conspiracy to commit rebellion,and the International Criminal Court denied former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's request for interim release while facing charges of crimes against humanity. This comes as Zelenskyy's chief of staff resigned following a raid on his home by anti-corruption investigators, Major-General Horta Inta-a was installed as Guinea-Bissau's new president after the military ousted President Umaro Sissoco Embaló,and Spain's attorney general resigned after being found guilty of leaking confidential information.In other news, Trump announced a permanent pause on migration from third world countries to allow the U.S. system to recover,as he reportedly considered offering political asylum to British citizens on speech grounds, an idea said to have been floated during discussions about free-speech issues,and net migration to the U.K. fell 69% to 204,000 in the year ending June — the lowest annual figure since 2021.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service suspended all visa requests from Afghan nationals to allow a review of security and vetting protocolsafter two national guardsmen were shot near the White House in an attack that left Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom dead and Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe in critical condition.Meanwhile, Trump's public appearances were found to have dropped 39% during his second term compared to his first term, though his international travel increased, a Pew Research Center survey found that Trump's Latino support has dropped 12% since he took office, with 70% of those surveyed disapproving of his job performance,and Trump moved to terminate all Biden-era documents signed with an autopen amid allegations that the former president was unaware of some orders.This comes as a judge dismissed the Georgia election case against Trump, citing challenges of bringing charges against a sitting president, a judge dismissed indictments against James Comey and Letitia James, ruling that interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan was unlawfully appointed,and the FBI decided to interview six Democrats over an allegedly "seditious" video advising military personnel to refuse "illegal orders."In other news, a court upheld North Carolina's Republican-drawn congressional map, allowing the contested district boundaries to remain in place for upcoming elections.

Transgender athlete Jammie Booker was stripped of the "World's Strongest Woman" title after organizers ruled that competitors must participate in the category corresponding to their biological sex at birth,and the U.K. began a trial examining puberty blockers' impact on children, with results expected in four years.Meanwhile, North Dakota's Supreme Court reinstated the state's abortion ban, which makes performing an abortion a felony crime, the European Parliament backed minimum age restrictions on social media, supporting new rules aimed at setting clearer standards for young users across the EU,and Canada's province of Quebec moved to expand its secularism rules, introducing proposed changes that would widen the scope of existing restrictions for public-sector employees.

A New Zealand mother was sentenced to life in prison for murdering her children in 2018,and seven people were arrested in the Philippines amid a probe into a corruption scandal related to flood control projects.

NBC News reported that Trump Mobile's T1 smartphone remains unavailable despite a planned release for August,and a U.K. committee warned that BBC News is not in "safe hands" under current chairman Samir Shah.

The U.S. budget deficit hit $284 billion in October, marking a 10% increase from the year prior,and Canada's Mark Carney signed a deal with the province of Alberta that opens the door to an oil pipeline to the Pacific.Meanwhile, Australia's inflation rose to 3.8%, the highest in seven months,and Canberra capped high-risk mortgage lending at 20% in a move that the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority said was "preemptive."Elsewhere, U.K. Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced her 2025 Budget, with £26 billion in tax increases,and the U.K. proposed a new bill to impose a tax on overnight tourists in London, with estimates that it could bring in between £91 million and £240 million yearly.In other news, Jakarta became the world's most populous city with 42 million people, surpassing Tokyo which had held the top position since 2000.

Louisiana's surgeon general was named deputy chief of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, making him the agency's second-highest official, Trump announced Medicare price cuts for 15 drugs in a deal that is expected to save $12 billion annually compared to prior spending levels,and the White House delayed the unveiling of Trump's health care plan, postponing the release to a later, unspecified date.Meanwhile, a study found that 82% of people regain at least 25% of their weight after stopping Mounjaro, prompting questions about the long-term effect of weight loss drugs, a three-year-old in California became the first patient ever to receive gene therapy for Hunter syndrome — a rare condition in which patients cannot produce an enzyme that breaks down complex sugar molecules in cells —and Novo Nordisk's semaglutide drug failed to slow Alzheimer's disease progression in a trial involving over 3,000 patients.

Flooding in Southeast Asia killed around 600, with heavy rains affecting multiple countries across the region and causing widespread displacement,and the Trump administration sought to overturn Biden-era soot standards over allegations that the restrictions were flawed.

Trump signed an order to launch "Genesis Mission" — an effort to integrate AI into scientific research —and researchers developed a new AI tool to reduce political polarization on X in an effort to encourage more balanced exposure to differing viewpoints.Meanwhile, an MIT study predicted that AI could replace 11.7% of U.S. workers, equivalent to $1.2 trillion in wages,and a research charity warned that the U.K. could lose between 1 and 3 million low-skilled jobs to AI by 2035, though it estimated that the technology could create 2.3 million jobs within the same time frame.

A study identified four major turning points in the brain's development, with the adult phase beginning at the age of 32.

Scientists detected gamma rays that may reveal dark matter — a finding that could offer new clues in the ongoing search for the universe’s unseen mass — and a NASA rover recorded electric crackling on Mars — the first potential evidence of lightning on the red planet.

An apartment fire killed over 100 in Hong Kong in one of the region's deadliest residential blazes in decades.

Jamaican reggae musician Jimmy Cliff died from a seizure at the age of 81.