Headlines and summaries are written by AI · How it works
Mitsotakis backs Sinai monastery deal with Egypt, comments on basketball bribery arrests
In his weekly Sunday review on Facebook, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called a legally binding accord on the St Catherine's Monastery a development of lasting importance. He also said the state must close gaps that let 'big fish' slip through its controls, referring to arrests in basketball and a restaurant chain case.
Burnham calls for 'honest discussion' on EU free movement after Brexit
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has called for an honest discussion on freedom of movement with the EU and says he will set out options for the relationship around a 20 November summit in Brussels.
European Parliament awards 2026 Sakharov Prize to the International Criminal Court
The Hague-based court, which the United States has sanctioned, was chosen over two other finalists. The award ceremony is set for 16 December in Strasbourg.
Kim Jong Un makes surprise day visit to Chinese border city Dandong across new bridge
The North Korean leader crossed the newly opened Yalu River bridge on Saturday, 24 October, and was received by Wang Huning, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee. He returned to North Korea the same day, according to Xinhua.
Milei calls Sánchez a 'dictador' in Madrid, sparking rebukes across Spain's parties
Javier Milei called Pedro Sánchez a 'dictador' and 'corrupto' on 21 October, then left Spain on 22 October after fewer than 48 hours in Madrid. Vox and PP leaders then clashed over how to respond to the remarks.
Austria expels four Russian diplomats, including one at the OSCE mission, over suspected espionage
Three staff at Russia's Vienna embassy and one at its OSCE mission have been declared persona non grata and ordered to leave Austria. The move follows a May 2026 expulsion of three other Russian diplomats.
EU unveils new Arctic strategy to counter Russian and Chinese influence in the region
The European Commission presented its first Arctic strategy revision since 2021 on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, focusing on satellite surveillance, undersea cables and icebreakers.
Rubio urges Cubans to join CIA partnership as Trump threatens action on Cuba
Marco Rubio urged Cubans seeking change to join a discreet CIA partnership, while Donald Trump said US ships returning from Iran would stop one near the Cuban coast. Havana called the appeal a sign of US desperation.
Rodríguez meets opposition negotiator Figuera after third round of Venezuela talks
Acting president Delcy Rodríguez received opposition negotiator Dinorah Figuera at the Miraflores palace in Caracas. The US State Department praised the outcome of a week of talks as producing tangible results, while opposition rallies drew a government warning and an arrest claim.
Sinai monastery deal: Archbishop Symeon agrees to sign agreement with Egypt
Archbishop Symeon of Sinai said on Saturday, 24 October, that he will sign the agreement with the Egyptian state on the monastery's status, with the date set once his health allows. Several Orthodox churches had backed the move beforehand.
State media publishes Kim Jong Un photos as rumours of his death circulate
Rodong Sinmun ran photos of Kim Jong Un with his daughter at a clothing exhibition, hours after a Chinese dissident in the United States claimed without evidence that he had died.
US draft Ukraine plan offers Russia sanctions relief and gas, Economist reports
The draft would create a demilitarized zone in Donbas, bar Ukraine from NATO and reopen a path for Russian gas to Europe, while a Russian diesel tanker heads for New York.
Austrian and Swiss women kidnapped in Niger freed in Libya after 2025 captivity
Eva Gretzmacher of Austria and Claudia Abbt of Switzerland reached Benghazi in eastern Libya after being held in Niger since January and April 2025. Libyan broadcaster al-Masar credited a Haftar family intervention, and both governments confirmed the release.
Weidel calls for EU reform, Schengen exit and German EU membership referendum
At a press conference at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 21 October, the AfD co-leader laid out a plan to shrink EU institutions and to put Germany's membership to a referendum if reform fails.
Aung San Suu Kyi speaks to son by phone for first time in over five years
Myanmar's authorities say the 20-minute consular call, held on 22 October, was the first contact between the detained former leader and her son Kim Aris in more than five years.
Trump's Yalta bid in Ukraine war raises alarm over US role in peace talks
Commentators warn that Trump is seeking a Yalta-style settlement that could leave Ukraine with truncated autonomy. Kyiv says Washington has curbed Starlink access and delayed Patriot interceptors, which US officials deny.
COP17 opens in Yerevan as UN warns biodiversity targets are off track
Delegates from the 196 countries that agreed the 2022 biodiversity targets opened talks in Armenia on Monday, 19 October, and will meet until 30 October, as the UN says most goals are behind schedule.
Canada and Turkey launch strategic partnership as Carney begins first bilateral visit
Mark Carney and Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a three-year action plan and planned free trade talks on Thursday, 22 October 2026, as Canada seeks trade partners beyond the United States.
Zakharova urges Meloni to heed Al Bano's call to reopen doors to Russia
Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova shared an interview with Italian singer Al Bano on Telegram, urging Giorgia Meloni to drop sanctions on Moscow and listen to his appeal.
Rubio in India: trade deal 'pretty close', Reliance under US pressure over oil
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio opened his India visit in Mumbai, where Washington and New Delhi say a trade agreement is close. The trip also centers on Reliance Industries' Jamnagar refinery, a major buyer of Russian and Venezuelan crude.
Von der Leyen says 70 billion euro gap in Ukraine funding for 2027 must be closed
Ursula von der Leyen said the 2027 shortfall of 70 billion euros for Ukraine must be covered, with partner financing expected to supply a third of it. Friedrich Merz and Ulf Kristersson spoke to reporters in Brussels on the same day.
Egypt repeats rejection of Turkey-Libya maritime memorandum as Fidan proposes talks
In Istanbul on Friday, 23 October, Egypt's foreign minister repeated Cairo's categorical rejection of the 2019 memorandum. Hakan Fidan then proposed talks that, according to Skai, would not include Greece.
Netanyahu says Israel must prepare a blockchain-based economy to bypass possible banking sanctions
Israel's prime minister said Israel may need an alternative economy that works around the banking system, and confirmed that blockchain is one option under study, days before Tuesday's election.
Macron calls foreign leaders' remarks on French riots unacceptable and stupid
Speaking in Doha on Wednesday, 21 October, Emmanuel Macron said foreign leaders were campaigning at France's expense with comments on the unrest. He also said there was no clear evidence of foreign interference in the riots themselves.
Romanian PM Luca Niculescu calls Bulgarian PM Rumen Radev on Black Sea security
Romanian Prime Minister Luca Niculescu phoned Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev on Wednesday, 21 October, about coordination on Black Sea security. It was his first official call from the Victoria Palace, a day after he was sworn in with his cabinet.
Leaked WhatsApp messages show Didier Reynders' close contact with Belgian intelligence official
EUObserver published WhatsApp exchanges between former EU commissioner Didier Reynders and Hughes Brulin, a former staff director at Belgium's State Security Service, covering 2019 to 2022.
US bars civilian federal agencies from using DeepSeek AI, citing data risks
The Department of Homeland Security ordered civilian federal agencies to remove DeepSeek products and stop buying them, in an order made public on Monday, 19 October. The restrictions also reach tools from other companies that are built on DeepSeek's models.
Merz backs Western Balkans EU bid as Montenegro nears accession deal
Chancellor Friedrich Merz used the Berlin Process summit in Montenegro on Thursday, 22 October 2026, to warn of a power struggle over the western Balkans between the EU, China and Russia.
Kimberly Guilfoyle out as US ambassador to Greece amid reports of an unpaid bill and a watchdog probe
The White House asked Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, and she has since accepted. Press reports cite a $100,000 debt request to a Trump donor, an unpaid dinner bill and a State Department inspector general inquiry, and she denies wrongdoing.
US denies Ada Colau entry to Puerto Rico, her camp links it to Gaza flotilla
The US government refused the entry request of former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, who was due to speak at a municipalism event in Puerto Rico. Her camp says the real reason is her participation in the Gaza flotilla.