BIG Wrap

(CNN) France is bracing for yet another wave of protests this weekend with authorities racing to prevent a repeat of the kind of violence and riots that hit the nation last week. French authorities will be launching a massive security operation with some 70,000 police officers deployed across the country over the weekend, according to the interior ministry. Specialist SWAT units, helicopters, armored vehicles, police dogs and water cannons will all be part of the operation....

(Al Jazeera Media Network) Iran’s armed forces say they are prepared to fire on United States warships as President Donald Trump said Washington was still deliberating new attacks or continued pressure on Iran. Trump told supporters at a rally in Florida on Friday that the US military “may do another Epic Fury”, in reference to the extensive bombing campaign against Iran at the start of the war. He had earlier questioned whether to end the conflict...

Eyewitness captures moment of blast in Kyiv (CNN) Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv in a massive missile attack overnight into Thursday, hours after President Vladimir Putin said the Kremlin was ready to resume trilateral peace talks next month. At the request of US special envoy Steve Witkoff during their three-hour meeting on Wednesday, Putin said he would be willing to resume talks with Ukraine and the United States after November 10. But the latest...

(Al Jazeera Media Network) Cameroonian President Paul Biya, 93, is once again the subject of death rumours. Africa’s longest-serving president, known for his long stays away from the Central African nation he governs, only recently returned home from one of his longest stints abroad. His long absence renewed speculation about his health amid unconfirmed reports that he had been hospitalised or had even died. Despite Biya returning to the country in late August after more than...

(Al Jazeera Media Network) Elon Musk has pledged to give one SpaceX share to every child in the United States next year – a gift that could be worth more than $10 billion. “This will be the first of many,” the world’s richest man wrote on X on Monday. About 73 million children under 18 live in the US, according to US Census Bureau data. At Friday’s closing price of $146.03, the pledge would be worth about...

The United Kingdom said Tuesday it will deploy fighter jets to defend Saudi Arabia against attacks by the Iran-alliedHouthi rebels in Yemen. (CNN) The UK will fly “defensive counter-air missions” using Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets to protect Saudi cities and critical infrastructure, the defense ministry said in a statement. Over the past month, the Houthis have intensified their attacks on Saudi Arabia, launching ballistic missiles and drones at key infrastructure, including oil facilities and...

(CNN) The relationship between Ukraine and the United States is facing increasing strain over intelligence sharing, sanctions, Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy, and the path to peace. There also appears to be deepening mutual distrust between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump on Monday accused Zelensky of not knowing what he was talking about and suggested it was “time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine.” Over the weekend, Kyiv launched...

(Al Jazeera Media Network) France has announced partial curfews in several major cities across the country in the aftermath of the violent unrest that gripped the country over the weekend. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Monday that he had asked regional authorities to impose “partial” and “localised” curfews in some cities to protect businesses after weekend demonstrations spilled into some of the worst street violence in recent years. The call came as calm returned, allowing...

(Al Jazeera Media Network) Taiwan has confronted and driven away 16 Chinese coastguard, research and fishing vessels that it said were involved in simultaneous “maritime harassment” operations. An “unusually large” number of Chinese vessels took part in coordinated operations around Taiwan’s main island and Pratas (also known as Dongsha), a disputed island to the southwest, the Taiwanese coastguard said in a statement on Sunday. The Chinese vessels included four fishing boats, which engaged in “simultaneous operations’...

(CNN) Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis traded fresh strikes Wednesday, with the Iran-backed group targeting the Saudi capital and claiming responsibility for an attack on the headquarters of state oil giant Aramco. Saudi authorities said an administrative building belonging to Aramco in the city of Dhahran, where the company is headquartered, was targeted. It caused a limited fire, but it was not immediately clear whether the building was directly hit or damaged by falling debris...