Third weekend of youth protests in France and Germany (Update)
Youth-led protests over living costs and school conditions took place on Oct. 31 for a third weekend in France and in about 34 German cities. France's interior ministry estimated 320,000 participants, and 779 arrests were reported across France by Nov. 1; Paris prosecutors opened an attempted murder investigation after a Molotov attack on police, and looting occurred in Frankfurt.
Figures differ: Nationwide turnout in France: interior ministry 320,000; organizers nearly half a million
Indian opposition rallies in Delhi against election chief
Thousands rallied in New Delhi on Nov. 1, led by Congress and joined by other opposition parties and the Cockroach Janta Party, demanding the election chief's resignation over voter list revisions. Police with batons and shields were deployed around the site.
Oleshky evacuees reach Ukraine via Russia and Belarus
Residents evacuated from Russian-occupied Oleshky during a local ceasefire on Oct. 30 travelled by bus through Russia and by plane to Gomel, Belarus, then reached Ukraine on Oct. 31. The deal was brokered by Melania Trump.
Polish president joins protest over suspended court chief
Polish President Karol Nawrocki cut short a trip to Senegal on Oct. 30 and joined protesters outside the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw after the government suspended court president Bogdan Swieczkowski. Police detained three protesters overnight; on Oct. 31 Prime Minister Donald Tusk defended the suspension and said the overhaul would continue.
Bulgarians voted in a presidential runoff on Nov. 1 between incumbent President Iliana Iotova, who favours dialogue with Moscow, and Andrey Gyurov, a former caretaker prime minister. The candidates hold opposing views on the war in Ukraine and Russia; the first round had record-low turnout.
Israeli strikes in Gaza City and Khan Younis killed at least nine people on Nov. 1, including a child, according to the most recent count. Five Hamas-run police officers were among the dead in Khan Younis.
Iran's supreme leader warns US and Israel against attacks
Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned the United States and Israel on Oct. 31 that Iran's response to any new attack would be immediate and not limited by geography. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said no decision has been made on renewing hostilities.
Pope Leo meets Villanova and Notre Dame basketball teams
Pope Leo XIV held an audience at the Vatican on Oct. 31 with the Villanova and Notre Dame basketball teams, in Rome for the U.S. college basketball season opener, and told them he is neutral in sport.
Ebola deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo have passed 5,000, with Ministry of Health data on Oct. 31 showing 5,026 deaths among 10,351 infections. Cases have also been recorded in other African countries, and Nigeria reported two suspected cases in its northeast on Oct. 31.
UK prime minister open to slavery apology, rules out reparations
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Oct. 31 he is open to a formal apology for Britain's role in the transatlantic slave trade, but ruled out financial reparations. He spoke days before a Commonwealth leaders summit in Antigua and Barbuda.
Judge dismisses Trump's defamation suit against Wall Street Journal
U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles in Miami dismissed with prejudice, on Oct. 31, President Trump's $10 billion defamation suit against the Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch over a report on a birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein. The ruling found Trump did not prove actual malice. Trump's legal team said he plans to appeal.
DOJ and FBI expand Alaska Senate race investigation
The Justice Department and FBI are conducting a criminal investigation in Alaska into allegations that Mary Peltola's Senate campaign recruited a candidate with the same name as Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. The DOJ filed for a preliminary injunction to isolate ballots, and FBI agents visited Sullivan donors, including in Petersburg. Peltola's campaign denied knowing of any plot.
One killed, eight wounded in shooting after Magic City Classic
One person was killed and eight others were wounded in a shooting just outside Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, after the Magic City Classic football game on the night of Oct. 31. Police said one of the injured was in critical condition and multiple firearms were recovered.
Rep. Haley Stevens endorses Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan (New)
Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers in the Michigan Senate race on Nov. 1 and appeared with him at a Detroit church. She lost the August Democratic primary to Abdul El-Sayed, whose campaign had withdrawn her invitation to a joint event that day.
Virginia and the District of Columbia filed a federal lawsuit on Oct. 31 to stop construction of a proposed 250-foot arch at Memorial Circle in Washington, citing traffic, environmental and historic preservation concerns. A judge ordered both sides to agree on a briefing schedule for a temporary restraining order motion.
One killed, six injured in Fairfield Halloween store shooting
One person was killed and six others were injured in a shooting at a Spirit Halloween store inside the Solano Town Center in Fairfield, California, on the night of Oct. 30. Police identified the dead victim as a 31-year-old pregnant woman, and a search for a single suspect continues with no arrests made.
Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan, asked Rep. Haley Stevens to stay away from his campaign events after she demanded an apology over his comments on Israel. A joint Detroit event planned for Nov. 1 is off, as the two are no longer campaigning together.
President Trump is holding rallies in Iowa and Kansas on Nov. 1, two days before the midterm elections, after earlier canceling in-person appearances in favor of tele-rallies. He returns to the campaign trail after a break at Mar-a-Lago.
Mamdani says Trump agreed to visa for Ghanaian mother
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Oct. 31 that President Trump agreed to grant a visa to the mother of a 15-year-old boy shot dead on his way to school in the Bronx. The visa would let her travel from Ghana to New York City.
Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy was hospitalized after having a stroke on Nov. 1, his office said. The stroke occurred at his son's hockey game.
Binance said on Oct. 29 that a security breach affected an estimated $6.3 billion in assets, with about $3 billion frozen, and suspended deposits and withdrawals. It said it will cover all losses and plans to resume withdrawals by Nov. 1; blockchain firms linked the theft to North Korea.
National Grid agrees deal for Teesside substation (New)
National Grid has struck a deal paving the way for Britain's biggest electricity substation to be built on Teesside, near a planned large datacentre, as the UK seeks to expand AI infrastructure.
OpenAI has lowered its target for its latest funding round and is now seeking up to $20 billion. The round has not closed, so the figures are subject to change, a person familiar with the deal said.
Borsa Istanbul general manager detained in fund investigation
Borsa Istanbul's general manager was detained on Oct. 31 in an investigation into investment funds, Anadolu Agency said. Separately, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appointed Muhsin Atci, head of the tax inspection board, as chief of Turkey's market regulator.
Judge lets NAACP data center pollution lawsuit proceed
A judge denied SpaceX's bid to dismiss an NAACP lawsuit over air pollution from the Colossus data centers in Memphis, allowing the case to move forward. The suit accuses the SpaceX-owned AI company of violating the Clean Air Act.
Wall Street had its worst day since June on Oct. 30 as a tech stock sell-off deepened over worries about AI spending returns. Five tech companies are set to spend up to $828 billion on infrastructure this year, and about $1 trillion in market value was erased.
Virgin Media O2 is to cut thousands of jobs as it reduces its cost base, amid investor concerns about its ability to service its £22bn debt, as reported on Oct. 31.
A Georgia Tech undergraduate built a jet-powered RC aircraft that reached 790 km/h (491 mph), unofficially exceeding the previous world record for the fastest jet-powered RC aircraft. The speed has not yet been validated for an $800,000 prize.
DeepSeek releases prototype of autonomous coding agent
DeepSeek, a Chinese AI start-up, has released a prototype of a more autonomous coding agent that can handle multiple tasks with minimal human intervention. It is positioned to compete with Anthropic's Claude Code and with OpenAI.
Anthropic's Claude blocks video game reverse-engineering requests
Anthropic's Opus 5.5 model is blocking attempts to recreate video games and to reverse-engineer them. Users say the restrictions also block non-malicious reverse-engineering work, including game developers' tasks and basic troubleshooting.
The Golden State Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in Game 7 of the WNBA Finals at Chase Center in San Francisco on Oct. 31, winning their first title. Gabby Williams scored 30 points and was named Finals MVP.
Chepkirui and Almgren win New York City Marathon (New)
Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya won the women's race for a second time and Andreas Almgren of Sweden won the men's race on his marathon debut at the New York City Marathon on Nov. 1. Chepkirui pulled away from Kenyan Hellen Obiri in the final 150 meters. Nearly 60,000 runners took part.
Chelsea beat Manchester United 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in a Premier League match on Oct. 31, with goals from Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer. United's Lisandro Martinez was sent off, and United have gone nine games without a win.
Canelo Alvarez won the WBC super middleweight title by unanimous decision over Christian Mbilli in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 31. It was his first fight since losing to Terence Crawford.
Borussia Dortmund drew 2-2 at Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga on Oct. 31, with Fabio Silva scoring an equaliser after 89 minutes. Harry Kane missed a penalty for Bayern.
Lewis Hamilton took pole position for the Mexico City Grand Prix on Oct. 31, his first for Ferrari and first in more than three years. George Russell qualified second, Charles Leclerc third, Kimi Antonelli fourth and Lando Norris sixth.
Britain's Harriet Dart won her first WTA title on Nov. 1, beating 18-year-old Austrian Lilli Tagger 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the Guangzhou Open final in China. Dart, a qualifier, came back from a set down.
Ciara Mageean, an Irish two-time Olympian who won the 2024 European 1,500m title in Rome, has died aged 34. She had announced last year that she was diagnosed with bowel cancer.
Yamaha will not travel to the Qatar MotoGP round at Lusail on Nov. 6–8, saying it found insufficient grounds to change its company-wide travel restrictions given the situation in the Middle East. MotoGP said the withdrawal carries sporting implications.
Michael Mann injured by accidental discharge at gun range
Director Michael Mann was injured on Oct. 31 at a Los Angeles gun range when his holstered weapon accidentally discharged, causing a superficial leg injury. He was treated at a hospital and released.
SNL Halloween episode with Inde Navarrette hosting
On the Oct. 31 episode of Saturday Night Live, Tom Hanks returned as David S. Pumpkins in the cold open, interrupted by James Austin Johnson as Donald Trump, and Inde Navarrette made her hosting debut. Gracie Abrams performed as musical guest, the Milwaukee Brewers appeared on Weekend Update with Bobby Moynihan after their World Series win, and the show played a 1994 Patrick Stewart clip as a tribute.
HBO Max releases surprise It: Welcome to Derry Halloween episode
HBO Max released a surprise 30-minute special episode of 'It: Welcome to Derry' on Oct. 31 for Halloween. Titled 'A Story of Derry,' it is set hundreds of years before the show's events and the introduction of Pennywise.
Harry Styles concludes 30-show Madison Square Garden residency (New)
Harry Styles ended his 30-night residency at New York's Madison Square Garden over the weekend of Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 with two Halloween-themed shows. Jalen Brunson joined him on stage and presented a commemorative banner.
Clayface and You Can See Everything compete for top box office
Warner Bros.' Clayface and A24's You Can See Everything were competing for first place at the domestic box office over the Halloween weekend, each projected at about $10.5 million. Final results had not been reported.
Figures differ: Weekend gross estimate: Warner Bros. Clayface $10.4M; A24 You Can See Everything $10.6M
Juan Atkins, the Detroit producer and DJ regarded as a co-founder of techno music, has died at age 64. He was a member of the Belleville Three, Cybotron and Borderland, and released music as Model 500.
Deep Purple singer hospitalized, two shows postponed
Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan, 81, was hospitalized in Germany after a medical emergency, and the band postponed two shows scheduled for the weekend of Oct. 31. The nature of the condition was not disclosed.
Nintendo holds Pikmin Day Direct, announces Hello! Pikmin
Nintendo held a short Pikmin Day Direct on Oct. 31, ahead of the first Pikmin Day on Nov. 1. Shigeru Miyamoto shared new Pikmin 4 information for Switch 2, a Pikmin Bloom update, and announced the Hello! Pikmin series.