(2025-11-01). Israel confirms 3 bodies received from Hamas are not hostages. scmp.com Israel said on Saturday that three bodies it received from Gaza the night before were not hostages held in the Palestinian territory, as a Hamas security source reported fresh strikes in the south. | Despite occasional flare-ups, a fragile truce has been holding in Gaza since October 10, based on a US-brokered deal centred on the return of all Israeli hostages, both living and dead.
(2025-11-01). J.D. Vance defends wish for Hindu wife Usha to convert to Christianity. scmp.com US Vice-President J.D. Vance has defended his hopes that his wife Usha, who was raised as a Hindu, converts to Christianity. | A fervent Catholic who himself converted in 2019, Vance said on Friday that pushback against his remarks reeks of "anti-Christian bigotry". | The 41-year-old was asked about raising their three children in an interfaith marriage at a Turning Point USA event honouring assassinated right-wing activist Charlie Kirk at the University of Mississippi on Wednesday.
(2025-11-01). To Trump, Asean and Apec are simply platforms for his own agenda. scmp.com Political leaders like to perform on the global stage and there is no greater "performer" in this regard than US President Donald Trump, who has just been swinging across Asia, doing deals while posing as the best buddy of every national leader he met. | That kind of showmanship may impress people at home and possibly win more political support, but it hijacks the need for genuine diplomacy and international cooperation in both an economic and political sense.
(2025-11-01). Woman charged over Louvre heist tears up in court. scmp.com A woman arrested this week along with four other suspects over the unprecedented jewel heist at the Louvre was charged and remanded in custody on Saturday. | The 38-year-old was in tears as she appeared at a Paris court, saying she feared for "her children" and for herself. | She has been charged with complicity in organised theft and criminal conspiracy with a view to committing a crime.
(2025-11-01). Snap benefits cut off during US shutdown, driving long lines at food pantries. scmp.com People across the US formed long lines for free meals and groceries at food pantries and drive-through giveaways on Saturday, after monthly benefits through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme, or Snap, were suddenly cut off because of the ongoing government shutdown. | In the New York borough of the Bronx, about 200 more people than usual showed up at the World of Life Christian Fellowship International pantry, many bundled in winter hats and coats and pushing collapsible…
(2025-11-01). China considers export ban exemption for some Nexperia orders. scmp.com China's Ministry of Commerce on Saturday said it is looking to exempt some Nexperia orders from an export ban that it imposed after the Netherlands seized control of the Chinese-owned Dutch chipmaker. | "We will comprehensively consider the actual situation of enterprises and grant exemptions to exports that meet the criteria," a ministry representative said in a statement.
(2025-11-01). EU welcomes rare earth control pause as US-China deal overshadows Brussels talks. scmp.com The European Union welcomed China's suspension of expanded rare earth restrictions imposed last month, even as crisis talks in Brussels on Friday appeared to yield no relief for European firms still constrained by the original export controls. | After a full day of talks in the Belgian capital, the European Commission described the pause in controls — announced following US-China talks in South Korea on Thursday — as an "appropriate and responsible step in the context of ensuring stable global…
(2025-11-01). Trump-Xi deal: China to suspend some rare earth curbs, probes on US chip firms. scmp.com China will effectively suspend implementation of additional export controls on rare earth metals and terminate investigations targeting US companies in the semiconductor supply chain, the White House announced. | The White House issued a fact sheet on Saturday outlining some details of the trade pact agreed to earlier this week by US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping that aimed to ease tensions between the world's largest economies.
(2025-11-01). No appointment? No entry to White House press officials' rooms. scmp.com A new White House rule issued on Friday restricts the ability of credentialed journalists to freely access the offices of press secretary Karoline Leavitt and other top communications officials in the West Wing, near the Oval Office. | The new memorandum from the National Security Council bans journalists from accessing Room 140, also known as "Upper Press", without a prior appointment, citing the need to protect potentially sensitive material. | It said the change would take effect immediately.
(2025-11-01). Nexperia owner Wingtech names new president amid Sino-Dutch row over chipmaker. scmp.com Wingtech Technology, the Chinese owner of Nexperia, has named experienced general counsel Sophie Shen Xinjia, a Columbia Law School graduate, as its president amid a Sino-Dutch dispute over control of the Netherlands-based chipmaker. | Shen's tenure as president would be in line with that of Wingtech's 12th board, which was formed in January and will expire by January 2028, according to the company's filing with the Shanghai Stock Exchange on Friday.
(2025-11-01). Medical supplies, staff in short supply in Jamaica, Cuba in wake of record storm. scmp.com Jamaica plans to set up field hospitals in five western parishes after Hurricane Melissa caused extensive damage to health facilities, Health Minister Christopher Tufton has said. | Local media reports from Friday quote Tufton as saying that additional support was needed for doctors and nurses, many of whom were already stretched to the limit.
(2025-11-01). Andrew's royal exit is the latest crisis to shake the British monarchy. scmp.com Holding prestige but not power, Britain's monarchy is finely tuned to public sentiment. | That has been evident with the disgrace of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, who was stripped of his princely title and his spacious home by his brother King Charles on Thursday, a banishment that has left the disgraced royal increasingly exposed to scrutiny both in the UK and the US over his friendship with the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
(2025-11-01). Tanzanian president wins in landslide after deadly protests. scmp.com Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has won a landslide election victory, official results showed on Saturday, after key candidates were jailed or barred from a vote that has triggered days of violent protests. | The final result showed Hassan won 97.66 per cent of the vote, dominating every constituency, the electoral commission announced on state television. | A quick swearing-in ceremony would take place on Saturday, state TV said.
(2025-11-01). To survive the AI age, humans must hold on to our humanity. scmp.com The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) as a practical tool is far outweighed by overinflated hype around it. The trending topic of AI is being driven by pundits with seemingly minute-by-minute hot takes, advice and products to sell. | However, as the AI bandwagon picks up pace, there is an urgent need for a more thoughtful, independent conversation about preparing for a new reality.
middleeasteye.net (2025-10-31). Israel's genocide in Gaza never stopped. But UK media have enabled this latest lie
Across the broadcast and press realm, the story was told using the same lens. In its live feed, the BBC stated the Israeli strikes were a "test" of the ceasefire. The Guardian and The Times opted for the same framing, language that was also echoed by LBC. Sky News and the Financial Times highlighted the sign of its "fragility". | In reality, Israel's systematic violence never ceased; it was merely concealed by the UK media.
palestinechronicle.com (2025-10-31). Targeting Those Who Practice 'Do No Harm': The Failure to Protect Gaza's Healers
In Gaza, health and education professionals have faced targeted violence for two years. The lives and professional dignity of healthcare workers must be protected everywhere, in compliance with the Hippocratic Oath and Geneva Conventions.
(2025-10-31). Trump unveils renovated Lincoln bathroom after East Wing demolition. scmp.com US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he had renovated the Lincoln Bedroom's bathroom, putting his latest stamp on the White House after demolishing the East Wing, paving over the Rose Garden and decorating the Oval Office in gold. | Trump, who has drawn criticism from preservationists and Democrats for adding a Mar-a-Lago-style sheen to the historic mansion, unveiled the remodelled white-and-black-marbled bathroom via social media.
(2025-10-31). 'Hundreds dead' in Tanzania post-election violence, opposition says. scmp.com Tanzania's main opposition said hundreds had been killed in three days of election protests, with the country still under an internet blackout on Friday and the government denying any use of "excessive force". | A security source and diplomat in Dar es Salaam both said that deaths were "in the hundreds" as protests continued on Friday.
(2025-10-31). 'In Guns We Trust' challenges white evangelicals to rethink their alliance with firearms. anabaptistworld.org Accidental deaths by gun are the No. 1 killer of children in this country, more even than car crashes, which, to me, is incredible.
(2025-10-31). Costly tolerance pays well. anabaptistworld.org In the mountain village of Tempur, Indonesia — a region of Central Java famous for its coffee and cool climate — all the Christians are Mennonite. Yet they are a tiny minority. In 2021, Tempur had 3,522 residents: 3,481 Muslims, 38 Christians and three Buddhists. (All Indonesians are required to declare their religion. About 87% …
(2025-10-31). Cuts to US 'fentanyl tariffs' help Chinese exporters gain on competition. scmp.com With the US cutting its tariffs on Chinese imports by 10 per cent — halving a duty initially imposed by Washington over allegations of complicity in the fentanyl trade — analysts said the reduction may further strengthen the competitiveness of Chinese exporters, particularly in mass-produced goods. | Following a meeting on Thursday between President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump in South Korea, the world's two largest economies reached a consensus on the issue, with the US agreeing to…
(2025-10-31). Trump says ready to continue Snap aid, doesn't want Americans to go hungry. scmp.com US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he did not want Americans to "go hungry" and was ready to maintain funding for food aid a day before some 42 million people would lose their monthly assistance. | In a lengthy social media post, Trump said "Government lawyers do not think we have the legal authority to pay" the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits once funding expires on November 1 during the ongoing government shutdown, but added that he has instructed them to "clarify…
(2025-10-31). Trump says Canada's Carney apologised for ad, but trade talks won't resume. scmp.com US President Donald Trump said he received an apology from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney over a television ad that opposed tariffs, but suggested that trade talks between the two countries would not restart. | Asked by reporters aboard Air Force One whether negotiations between the White House and Carney's government would resume, Trump said: "No, but I have a very good relationship. I like him a lot, but you know, what they did was wrong. He was very nice. He apologised for what they did…
(2025-10-31). FBI foils Halloween weekend attack plot in Michigan, director Kash Patel says. scmp.com Multiple people who had allegedly been plotting a violent attack over the Halloween weekend were arrested Friday in Michigan, FBI Director Kash Patel said in a social media post. | The law enforcement effort was focused on suburban Detroit. Patel said more information would be released later.
(2025-10-30). NicaNotes: U.S. Scrambles to Put on Pressure on Nicaragua. afgj.org 
NicaNotes October 30, 2025 By Becca Renk Foster [Becca Renk Foster is originally from Idaho, USA. For 25 years, she has lived and worked in sustainable community development in Nicaragua. She coordinates the work of Casa Benjamín Linder in Managua and serves on the coordinating committee of the Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition. This article was first…
(2025-10-30). Remembering our ancestors and forerunners. anabaptistworld.org As I approach my first Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) with no living grandparents, I think about how I will not share a meal with them again until I join them. This leaves me reflecting on what ways of honoring and remembering my ancestors can fit into my Mennonite practice.
(2025-10-30). Virginia looking into wireless traffic warning system for Amish buggies. anabaptistworld.org A sheriff in Virginia would like to implement a high-tech solution to deadly crashes involving horse-drawn buggies.