At least six people were killed and dozens injured in a series of shootings across the United States during Halloween weekend, with the deadliest violence reported in Dallas. Police and officials described separate incidents in nightlife districts and near college campuses, while investigations remained active and several cases had produced no arrests.
A six-day humanitarian ceasefire around Russian-occupied Oleshky in the Kherson region has ended after Russia declined Ukraine’s offer to extend it. The pause enabled civilian evacuations and supplies, but fighting continued elsewhere. At the same time, Russian attacks on energy infrastructure left hundreds of thousands without electricity, while Ukrainian officials reported casualties and called for more air-defence support.
Pope Leo XIV has cast a mail-in ballot in Illinois, becoming the first pope to vote in a United States general election, according to the Vatican. The Chicago-born pontiff, who remains a US citizen, has voted in American elections when eligible, while his participation comes amid tense exchanges with President Donald Trump over immigration, war and other issues.
The United States has approved a proposed sale of 500 Patriot air-defence missiles to Ukraine at a cost of $2.1bn, with Canada, Germany and Norway expected to provide the financing. The decision answers Kyiv’s calls for more interceptors, but the missiles are new builds and could take time to produce.
Hundreds of residents have left Russian-occupied Oleshky during a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine’s Kherson region, travelling through Russia and Belarus toward Ukrainian-controlled territory. Russian and Ukrainian officials coordinated the operation, while others stayed behind. Reports differ on the exact number evacuated, but both describe a four-hour departure window and a fragile truce due to end Sunday.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey sent senior representatives to Tehran in a coordinated effort to reduce the risk of renewed military escalation. Iranian officials described the talks as constructive but announced no breakthrough. The visit comes as Saudi Arabia faces Houthi attacks, Washington and Tehran remain in dispute, and Iran presses a plan concerning the Strait of Hormuz.
Two London men have appeared in court accused of offences under Britain’s National Security Act after an incident involving petrol-filled vans near RAF Fairford. Prosecutors say a suspected handler known as Ali directed the group, while counter-terrorism police believe the operation was connected to Iranian intelligence. Iran denies involvement.
A UN-backed commission says Russia deliberately targeted civilian energy infrastructure in Ukraine, causing severe hardship during winter and amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity. The panel also found evidence that men from 29 countries were recruited through deception or coercion into Russia’s armed forces, while Moscow rejected the inquiry’s mandate and findings.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has used Donald Trump’s endorsement to argue that he is best placed to confront Iran, while suggesting further action could follow if he remains in office. The White House says the United States will not attack Iran before its November midterm elections, adding uncertainty to Netanyahu’s warning.
Israel’s military says all land crossings between Israel and the occupied West Bank will close during Tuesday’s parliamentary election, while Palestinian workers will be barred from entering Israel and settlements. The restrictions follow a deadly Hebron-area shooting and an expanding operation that Palestinian officials and rights groups say has displaced thousands.
German prosecutors have placed a 21-year-old German national in pre-trial detention after his extradition, alleging that he travelled abroad in an attempt to join Islamic State. Investigators say he did not reach Somalia, instead travelling to Pakistan, and accuse him of preparing a serious act of violence endangering the state.
Ukraine says Starlink and Starshield satellite connections have returned to the operating speeds needed for frontline communications and drone defence after more than a week of restrictions. Elon Musk said SpaceX throttled Starlink because Ukraine allegedly used it for offensive drone strikes, while responsibility for Starshield changes remains disputed.
The Houthis denied attacking Mecca and Medina after Saudi Arabia said it intercepted ballistic missiles and reported debris in several locations. The group said its targets were Saudi military and oil facilities, while Yemen’s internationally recognised government accused it of striking coast-guard sites in Aden. The reports indicate a renewed escalation threatening a fragile truce.
Russia and Ukraine have confirmed a US-brokered ceasefire arrangement for Oleshky, a southern Ukrainian city occupied by Russian forces and facing severe shortages. The plan is intended to enable humanitarian deliveries and civilian evacuations, but the reports differ over the precise start time and the number of people still living in the settlement.
Ukraine’s military command says it will observe a temporary ceasefire in a designated area of Oleshky, a Russian-occupied town in the Kherson region, to enable a humanitarian operation. Associated Press Sport reports that Melania Trump helped broker an agreement to allow relief aid into the city, although the supplied accounts provide few details about the arrangement or its implementation.
Israel has ordered preparations for a full closure of the occupied West Bank after a shooting near Hebron, according to Sky News. NPR reported that Israeli soldiers killed two men whom the military said had carried out an attack and that at least five people were injured, some critically. The reports differ on the identities of the two dead.
Iranian officials and analysts say Tehran is preparing for another US or Israeli operation once elections in both countries have passed. Reports cited by DW and NPR describe possible strikes on nuclear, energy and missile facilities, while Washington’s intentions remain unconfirmed and diplomatic contacts have not been formally abandoned.
Donald Trump says Ukraine’s access to the Starshield satellite network has been restored, but a European official cited by ABC News said a speed cap remained in place. The episode has produced conflicting explanations from Washington and Elon Musk over who imposed the restrictions and why.
German defence company Rheinmetall has opened a facility in Telford producing large-calibre gun barrels and breeches, returning tank-barrel manufacturing to Britain after a 20-year gap. The plant reflects a wider European effort to expand defence output after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with capacity initially set at 245 barrels a year and the possibility of substantial expansion.
Russia has signalled that it is ready in principle to restart three-way negotiations with Ukraine and the United States, while Donald Trump says the conflict is closer to ending than at any previous point in his view. The diplomatic movement was accompanied by another Russian attack on Kyiv, underscoring the distance between negotiations and conditions on the ground.
The United States has ordered non-emergency government employees and their families to leave its mission in Saudi Arabia as attacks attributed to Iran-aligned Houthi forces intensify. Strikes killed at least three people and injured eight, according to reports. US officials also said families at missions elsewhere in the Gulf would be withdrawn, although the State Department publicly confirmed only Saudi Arabia.
Local officials in the disputed Abyei region say a drone attack on Amiet Market killed at least 153 people and displaced about 8,000, while South Sudan blamed Sudan’s military without presenting evidence. A separate Guardian report described an 80-person strike in West Kordofan, underscoring the difficulty of verifying casualties amid Sudan’s communications blackouts and expanding drone warfare.
A Wall Street Journal report cited by the South China Morning Post says Elon Musk ordered a slowdown of a military-grade Starlink service used by Ukraine, disrupting battlefield communications and drone operations. Reuters could not independently verify the account, while Musk, Donald Trump and US officials have offered differing descriptions of who controlled the restriction and what access remains available.