Machado returns to Venezuela after months in exile
María Corina Machado, a Venezuelan opposition leader, has returned home after more than 10 months in exile, re-entering a political landscape reshaped by US forces’ capture of President Nicolás Maduro and the installation of interim leader Delcy Rodríguez.
“I am here. With you,” Machado wrote on X on Sunday. She was photographed attending Mass in Lara state, surrounded by supporters who embraced her and clasped her hands.
Edmundo González, her ally and former presidential candidate, confirmed her arrival, saying he was thrilled to have her back on Venezuelan soil.
Machado left Venezuela by speedboat under cover of darkness to collect the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway. Previous attempts to return had failed. Since Maduro’s capture in January, Rodríguez has led the interim government and signed an oil deal granting favourable terms to the United States.
González said he would soon join Machado in Venezuela to help move the country towards freedom. Her return could strengthen the opposition’s efforts to restore democratic rule as the country navigates a major political transition and growing US influence.
Eight killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza
At least eight Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza, including an air strike on the Islamic University campus in Gaza City that killed three security guards on Sunday.
The strike was the second attack on the university within hours. An earlier drone strike injured seven female students, one of whom was seriously hurt and transferred to a nearby field hospital. Al Jazeera journalists at the scene described seeing blood and debris after the later attack, saying they had greeted the guards shortly before they were killed.
The attacks have added to the toll of violence facing Palestinians in Gaza, where university facilities and other civilian sites remain vulnerable amid continued Israeli military operations.
The latest deaths have renewed concerns about civilian safety and the protection of educational institutions as the conflict continues. The full extent of the damage from the attacks was not immediately clear.
UK’s Burnham calls for debate on EU freedom of movement
Andy Burnham, British Prime Minister, has called for an “honest discussion” about restoring freedom of movement for workers between the United Kingdom and the European Union, reopening a politically sensitive issue at the heart of the 2016 Brexit referendum.
Burnham told The Sunday Times that the influx of EU workers before Brexit had created challenges, but argued that migration involving people who came to Britain and later returned home differed from current patterns. He said the balance of migration had changed since the UK left the bloc.
Immigration was a major issue in the 2016 referendum, when voters narrowly backed leaving the EU. Restrictions on freedom of movement became a central part of the post-Brexit immigration system.
Burnham has also raised the possibility of Britain applying to rejoin the EU in the future. His comments could reopen debate over labour supply, immigration policy and the UK’s long-term relationship with the bloc.
French unions call fresh protests as anger spreads
French unions and protest groups have called for further demonstrations after nationwide rallies drew an estimated 410,000 people on Saturday, as pressure mounts on the government over wages, living costs and public services.
Authorities deployed 70,000 police officers to contain unrest and prevent a repeat of the looting and vandalism reported in several cities on October 17. Labour leaders said dissatisfaction was spreading beyond the student movement that initially mobilised last month.
Murielle Guilbert, co-leader of the Solidaires trade union federation, said there was an “aggregation of anger” among students, workers, firefighters and other groups. The SUD Education teaching union said it would join demonstrations planned for October 31, while the CGT union said it would decide on its participation during the week.
Union leaders have also called for a nationwide strike on November 5. Further demonstrations could increase pressure on President Emmanuel Macron’s government to respond to public frustration over living costs and public services.
Trump’s approval falls to 31% ahead of US midterms
Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to 31 percent, its lowest level across his two presidential terms, as Americans express concern over gasoline prices ahead of the November 3 congressional elections, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The four-day poll found that 47 percent of registered voters would support Democratic candidates if congressional elections were held immediately, compared with 35 percent for Republicans. The 112-percentage-pointlead was the Democrats’ widest advantage in the current election cycle.
Trump’s approval rating fell by one percentage point from a poll conducted two weeks earlier. The findings point to growing dissatisfaction with his administration as both parties prepare for elections that will determine control of Congress.
The results could strengthen Democratic hopes of gaining control of the House of Representatives and the Senate. A shift in congressional power would affect Trump’s ability to advance his legislative agenda during the remainder of his term.
Uganda orders 21-day quarantine for travellers from DR Congo
Uganda has introduced a 21-day quarantine for citizens returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo who have a history of travel there, tightening Ebola precautions following infections reported in Kenya and Nigeria.
Chris Baryomunsi, the Health Minister, said the measures were necessary despite Uganda declaring its latest Ebola outbreak over in July. Ugandan authorities are investigating the Nigerian case, involving the wife of a Swiss diplomat who visited the country last month, in coordination with Nigerian officials and international partners.
Uganda disputes Switzerland’s assertion that the woman contracted the virus there. Officials are reviewing genomic sequencing, travel records and contacts. Kenya’s first Ebola patient had travelled from Congo through Uganda before flying from Entebbe to Nairobi on October 3 and died two days later.
Authorities said the Kenyan and Nigerian patients passed through Entebbe airport on the same day, but there was no direct interaction between them, according to the health ministry. The cases have prompted renewed scrutiny of cross-border surveillance and regional efforts to prevent further transmission.
Algeria approves troop deployment to Niger
Algeria’s parliament has approved the deployment of army units to Niger, potentially marking the country’s first overseas military deployment since it sent troops to support Egypt during the 1973 war.
Lawmakers unanimously backed the deployment to Madama in northern Niger, near the Libyan border, at a former French military base used during Operation Barkhane. A Nigerien security source said no troops had officially arrived as of Sunday.
Bacharou Ibro Amadou, a General and Niger’s presidential chief of staff, has visited the Kawar area to discuss plans for the base with military commanders and local authorities. The proposed deployment signals improving relations between Algiers and Niamey after a period of tension following Niger’s 2023 coup.
Relations deteriorated further last year after Niger recalled its ambassador to Algeria over Algeria’s shooting down of a Malian drone near their shared border. The planned deployment could expand security cooperation in the Sahel, where armed groups and political instability continue to challenge regional governments.
Senegal’s ruling party rejects revised budget bill
Senegal’s Pastef party, which holds a large majority in parliament, has said it will not approve the government’s revised budget, raising doubts over the timing of a debt restructuring programme supported by the International Monetary Fund.
The party cited disagreements over budget decisions, financing arrangements and guarantees provided to lawmakers, although it said it remained open to negotiations. Senegal is grappling with a heavy debt burden, which the IMF estimated at 132 percent of gross domestic product at the end of 2024, following the discovery of previously undisclosed government borrowing.
The government reached a staff-level agreement with the IMF in September for a $2.2 billion, 36-month Extended Credit Facility to support economic reforms. Parliamentary rejection of the revised budget could delay the programme and complicate plans to restructure the country’s debt.
The amended 2026 budget lowers projected real economic growth to 2.7 percent, from about 5 percent in the original plan, and raises the projected fiscal deficit to 7.6 percent of GDP from 5.4 percent. Higher energy subsidies, projected to reach 790.3 billion CFA francs ($1.36 billion), are a major contributor to the widening deficit.
Kenya bus crash kills at least 24
At least 24 people have been killed and another 24 injured after a bus carrying mourners collided with a cement truck near Mtito Andei in southeastern Kenya, police and hospital officials said.
The crash occurred at about 7.45am on Sunday along the highway linking Nairobi and Mombasa. The bus belonged to Power of the Word Church International and was carrying passengers home from their pastor’s funeral in western Kenya. One survivor said the group had stopped for breakfast shortly before the collision.
The cause remains under investigation. Makueni County Commissioner Abdullahi Khalif said the bus driver may have been attempting to overtake several vehicles before colliding with the oncoming truck. Kenya’s National Transport and Safety Authority also identified dangerous overtaking as a possible cause, although another survivor said the truck struck the bus from behind.
One survivor, Violet Mwandonyi, told the Associated Press that she remembered passengers crying out for passing motorists to help. She said she did not know what had happened to her two children, who were travelling on the bus. The crash comes just over three weeks after another collision on the same highway killed 17 people.
Gabon has lifted an eight-month ban on social media, reversing a restriction that drew criticism from users and opposition groups in the Central African country.
The High Communication Authority announced the decision in a televised statement on Saturday. The ban, introduced on February 17, was justified by the regulator on the grounds that online content was fuelling conflict and deepening divisions. Many users turned to virtual private networks to continue accessing platforms including Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.
The suspension was imposed amid social unrest under President Brice Oligui Nguema, who faced strikes by teachers and civil servants over pay and working conditions less than a year after his election.
Social media platforms have been widely used by young Gabonese for business and personal communication. Restoring access could revive digital commerce and public debate while renewing scrutiny of government restrictions on online expression.
Faith Omoboye is a foreign affairs correspondent with background in History and International relations. Her work focuses on African politics, diplomacy, and global governance.
