Israel's vote deadlocks, Ebola passes 10,000 cases, and Gulf diplomacy tries to avert renewed US-Iran war
Israel's election left neither bloc with a majority, while DR Congo's Ebola outbreak passed 10,000 cases and Africa's top doctor warned it could spread across borders. Diplomacy over the US-Iran war moved to Doha after days of reports of possible US strikes, and a train collision in Spain killed at least 69 people. Violence in Sudan, Ukraine and Yemen continued throughout.
Israelis voted on Tuesday, and exit polls showed no clear winner. By Wednesday, Likud was the largest party and Arab parties were seen as potentially holding the key. Final results on Thursday gave Netanyahu's bloc 53 seats and Eisenkot's bloc 48, and Netanyahu accused Arab parties as fraud claims and coalition dilemmas grew. By Sunday, thousands rallied in Israel as coalition talks stalled, and President Herzog faced a deadline of November 11 to name a prime ministerial candidate.
On Monday a nurse was killed in an attack on Ebola responders in eastern DR Congo, and a patient diagnosed in Nigeria was flown to Switzerland. By Tuesday and Wednesday, reports said DR Congo cases had passed 10,000 in the fastest-growing outbreak on record. On Thursday the Ituri Ebola centre reported no confirmed cases for the first time since May. On Saturday the death toll was reported to have passed 5,000 and two suspected cases were isolated in Nigeria, and Africa's top doctor warned the outbreak could spread across borders in the coming months.
On Monday Iran said it was ready to return to war, with reports pointing to possible US action after the midterms. On Tuesday Iran said the US was not serious about talks, and Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey took a peace push to Tehran on Wednesday. Vance proposed restarting talks on Thursday while Trump denied negotiations were under way and reports said the US was preparing renewed strikes. Iran said four tankers hit mines in Hormuz. On Saturday Iran called US outreach a 'positive step' while warning of retaliation, and indirect talks in Doha were in a third day by Sunday, with a Hormuz reopening plan under discussion.
Two high-speed trains collided in Toledo province, and Spain's transport minister blamed incorrect instructions on Wednesday. The toll rose to at least 64 by Thursday and at least 69 by Friday, when the king and queen visited the injured. The transport minister said traffic control errors caused the crash.
On Monday RSF drones hit five power stations in eastern Sudan and the UK sanctioned commanders. A drone strike on a Nyala market killed at least 21 on Tuesday, amid growing famine warnings. On Thursday a rights group said strikes on a Darfur market killed more than 100 people, and the UAE jailed eight over arms. By Sunday a drone strike on a Nyala market was reported to have killed five children, as UAE-Sudan tensions surfaced.
A localised ceasefire around Oleshky was extended across the Kherson region on Tuesday, though Russian strikes continued elsewhere, including a mass attack that hit a Kyiv bridge. A Russian drone strike on a Dnipro railway station killed at least 13 on Thursday, and Oleshky evacuations proceeded under the truce. Erdogan hosted Zelenskyy on Saturday, and the two agreed to work on a new Black Sea grain corridor. By Sunday the Kherson truce had ended, with Russian strikes hitting power infrastructure and Ukraine hitting refineries.
Egypt's parliament backed military aid to Saudi Arabia on Monday, and Saudi air defences intercepted a Houthi barrage near Mecca. Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan agreed on Tuesday to more talks. The UN said fighting near Taiz had displaced more than 281,000 people since August. Houthi missiles hit Aden on Friday, and the Houthis claimed six attacks on Saudi airports and oil sites. Syria weighed joining a Saudi defence pact, and Yemeni government forces said on Sunday they retook key positions in al-Jawf.
Lula won a fourth term on Sunday, and a court barred Flávio Bolsonaro from leaving Brazil. On Tuesday he left for the US despite an order to surrender his passports, and on Wednesday he landed in Florida and declared himself 'president-elect'. Trump called Brazil's election a 'disgrace' on Thursday while saying he would not 'take sides'. Bolsonaro said he left over 'persecution'.
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