Israel launched retaliatory strikes on Iran, continued fighting in northern Gaza saw a polio vaccination campaign paused,US Sec. of State Antony Blinken reported that Gaza cease-fire talks would resume shortly,and Turkey launched strikes on Kurdistan Workers' Party targets in Syria and Iraq.Meanwhile, Ukraine's bid to join NATO reportedly faced pushback,Russia's ambassador to the UK criticized Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy's "victory plan,"the UK agreed to loan Ukraine $2.93B from interest on frozen Russian assets,and the US Pentagon claimed to have evidence that North Korean troops were deployed to Russia.Elsewhere, Australia announced a $4.7B arms deal with the US,India and China agreed to disengage their respective border troops,a former commander of Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army was sentenced to 40 years for war crimes,and four people were killed during an attack on an army convoy in India.

Russia hosted 36 leaders for a three-day BRICS summit,Moldovans narrowly backed a referendum to join the EU,and dozens of Canada's Liberal Party members called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step down.Meanwhile, former Peruvian Pres. Alejandro Toledo was jailed for 20 years on bribery charges,EU observers noted alleged irregularities in Mozambique's recent election,and Israel arrested seven citizens for allegedly spying on behalf of Iran.This comes as China alleged that foreign agencies are attempting to steal its space secrets,Donald Trump's campaign accused the UK's Labour Party of interfering in the US election,as a report suggested that a nongovernmental organization linked to the party is attempting to "kill Musk's Twitter,"and the Wall Street Journal reported that Elon Musk has been in regular contact with Russia's Vladimir Putin since 2022.In other news, China issued a tariff exemption on Afghanistan's exports,Canada announced major cuts to immigration,and King Charles III addressed questions of reparations for the UK's transatlantic slave trade.

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump escalated their rhetoric in the lead-up to the election,with the vice president accusing Trump of "demeaning" the presidential office,the presidential contenders campaigned in several swing states,and some 20 electoral ballots were damaged after a mailbox was set alight in Arizona.This comes as polls showed that Harris holds a slight lead over Trump,though the former president polled ahead among Arab Americans,the Harris campaign reportedly prepared for Trump to declare an early victory,and anonymous sources claimed that Harris is bracing for a loss in the "Blue Wall" states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.Meanwhile, former Democrat-turned-independent Tulsi Gabbard formally joined the GOP,the Justice Department cautioned Elon Musk against continuing his $1M giveaway to select registered voters,and a House panel found that the attempt on Trump's life in Pennsylvania was "preventable."In other news, members of the Central Park Five — who were convicted and then cleared of raping a woman in 2002 — sued Donald Trump for defamation,former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani was ordered to surrender his assets in a defamation case,the White House proposed a new rule requiring insurance providers to cover the costs of over-the-counter birth control,and Pres. Joe Biden apologized for Washington's role in Indigenous boarding schools.

The UK debated a bill on assisted dying,and over 100 female soccer players called on FIFA to end its deal with Saudi Arabian oil firm Aramco.

US prosecutors sought new sentences for the Menendez brothers — who were convicted in the 1989 killing of their parents —two men pleaded guilty to murdering an acquitted suspect in Canada's 1985 Air India bombing,and the US indicted Venezuelan media tycoon Raul Gorrin Belisario on money laundering charges.Meanwhile, UK police officer Sgt. Martyn Blake was found not guilty in the shooting and killing of Chris Kaba,and ex-Abercrombie CEO Mike Jeffries was arrested over sex trafficking allegations.

Striking Boeing workers rejected a new pay deal,the Walt Disney Company announced a CEO succession plan,the US reached a $102M settlement over the Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse,and mining firms BHP and Vale agreed to pay $30B over a 2015 dam collapse in Brazil.

An "AI Safety Clock" was launched,and a US mother filed a lawsuit over allegations that an AI chatbot led to her son's suicide.

Bill Gates was sued over his promotion of the COVID vaccines in the Netherlands,Pharmaceutical company Moderna prepared the world's first norovirus vaccine trial,and researchers warned that gambling poses a global health threat.Meanwhile, an E. coli outbreak in the US was traced to McDonald's onions,and convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein was diagnosed with a rare type of bone marrow cancer.

The UN's COP16 biodiversity summit began in Colombia,as the agency warned that the world is on track to warm by up to 3.1°C by 2100,and Hurricane Helene was found to have caused $53B in damages in North Carolina.