Fires and clashes rock France amid massive nationwide protests

PARIS, France 

Protesters clashed with police in Paris and other French cities on Saturday as hundreds of thousands took to the streets to protest higher living costs and the declining conditions in schools and other public services. 

Several town halls were broken into – and in at least one instance set on fire – and many shops were vandalised and ransacked. 

One protester had his hand torn off by what appeared to be a crowd-control grenade used by police.

Police and protesters clashed violently in Paris and other French cities Saturday on the sidelines of nationwide marches against soaring inflation, with one demonstrator's hand blown off, multiple blazes set and looters breaking into dozens of stores to strip them bare.

The widespread unrest follows weeks of student protests and deepens political uncertainty in France as it readies for elections in six months' time to replace President Emmanuel Macron.

Macron and his government were criticised by many of the demonstrators, who numbered 500,000 across the country, according to the CGT union. Authorities did not immediately give their estimate of numbers.

Police used tear gas and water cannon against masked protesters in Paris and other cities who were throwing projectiles and aiming fireworks. 

Several parked cars were torched in the capital, and more than 130 arrests made.

In the southern city of Saint-Etienne, a male protester had his hand blown off by a police crowd-control grenade, a police source told AFP. 

His maiming came after a 15-year-old lost his hand October 5 to a police stun grenade during another protest in the city of Lens.

In Lyon, protesters set ablaze a tourist office in the city centre, and smashed their way into town halls in the cities of Marseille and Lille, where they vandalised the premises before leaving.

Dozens of shops were looted, including many in Marseille, among them a Hermes boutique, an Apple store in Lille, several shops in Nice and at least one mobile phone outlet in Paris, AFP journalists saw.

A crowd of more than 300 protesters tried to move up Paris's Champs-Elysees, home to flagship luxury stores. As police firing tear gas blocked their way, they yelled "All cops are bastards".

The looting and confrontations with police were being carried out by masked youths on the sidelines of marches that were largely peaceful and which attracted people of all ages, including families with children.

Paris mayor Emmanuel Gregoire stressed that "the overwhelming majority of demonstrators" wanted to "march calmly", but "acts of vandalism" were tarnishing their protest.

In Paris, tens of thousands marched across the east and north of the city in one major march, some shouting "Everyone hates the police" and "Macron, resign".

Captain of flydubai plane describes blocking axe blows as co-pilot attacked

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates 

The captain of a flydubai flight who was attacked by a co-pilot who intended to crash the plane has described blocking axe blows to the head and screaming for ​help as he reached for a knob to open the cockpit door.

Crown Prince of Dubai meets Captain Smit Machchhar in UAE

Captain Smit ‌Machchhar has been hailed as a hero for his role in averting disaster on the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv last month, helping to thwart what the UAE attorney general has said was an attempted suicide ​attack by the co-pilot who intended to crash the plane into Ben Gurion Airport.

Speaking ​in an interview with The National newspaper from a hospital bed in ⁠Abu Dhabi, his head and left arm bandaged, Machchhar said that when the first blow ​landed, he thought something had gone "horribly wrong the aircraft structure", before quickly realising he was being ​attacked and things had "taken a drastic turn".

"The next thought was I need to get help in here," he said in the interview published on Saturday.

"My immediate action was to free myself from the seat belts and ​I tried to just block the blows as much as I could," he said, pointing ​to his arm that was wounded as he defended himself. "The blows were coming on the head."

"Immediately my hand ‌went ⁠to the knob which opens the door and screaming for my colleagues, screaming his name."

"I believe that was the first time when I lost my consciousness."

The aircraft, flight FZ1073, was in Saudi airspace when the co-pilot attacked Machchhar with a crash axe, typically kept in the cockpit for ​emergency use.

The incident caused ​the airliner to ⁠plunge 16,000 feet (4,900 meters) in 30 seconds before the attacker was overwhelmed and two other pilots who were on board landed the aircraft safely ​in Saudi Arabia. The suspect, an Omani national, was transferred to ​the UAE, flydubai's ⁠home country.

The plan was inspired by the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US, UAE public prosecutors say, as a result of their criminal investigation launched on October 1.

Machchhar said he heard ⁠the cockpit ​door opening and screaming "between my colleague and the guy".

He ​said the scariest thing he felt was the aircraft nose "steeply going down."

"I was not very sure that I'll make it ​out alive from this. Did I give up? No."

Pope Leo XIV thanks faithful for prayers at first appearance since surgery

VATICAN CITY,  Italy 

Pope Leo XIV thanked thousands of faithful in St. Peter's Square on Sunday for their prayers while he was hospitalised for an operation to remove a malignant tumor, and said he plans to gradually return to his usual duties.

The crowd erupted in cheers when the pontiff showed himself in the window overlooking the square, where a week ago on the same occasion of the traditional Angelus blessing he revealed that a nodule had been located on his lung, and that it would be surgically removed.

’’Now that this delicate phase is behind me, I will gradually resume my activities, always with God’s help and your prayers," Leo said, his voice sounding strong four days after the lower lobe of his right lung was removed.

The pontiff said the experience of the last week “has made me feel especially close to those facing illness and infirmity.”

He told the faithful that he had ‘’truly felt your support,'' and expressed ‘’particular gratitude to the doctors, nurses and all the staff" at Gemelli Hospital, where he was treated.

The pope paused for a moment and waved to the crowd before retreating into his apartment in the Apostolic Palace.

The 71-year-old pontiff had the lower lobe of his right lung removed on Tuesday in the first major health event of his 17-month pontificate. The surgery confirmed he had adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer.

Leo's next major engagement is an ambitious November 6-17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, including a dozen flights and two helicopter rides to high altitudes.

Histological testing of the tumor and related lymph nodes was underway.

The results, along with details of the tumor’s molecular and genetic makeup, will help doctors determine whether the pope needs additional treatment.

Options include chemotherapy, a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy, or targeted oral therapy based on the tumor’s genetic characteristics.

All seven candidates to lead UN receive Security Council veto in informal poll

NEW YORK, United States 

All seven candidates to lead the United Nations received a vote of "discourage," effectively a veto, from a permanent UN Security Council member in the latest informal poll, a diplomat said on Friday.

Friday's vote was the first time in the anonymous informal polling that Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States used colored straws to indicate their vetoes, while the Security Council's 10 elected members continued to use plain markers.

Costa Rica's Rebeca Grynspan -- who has been among the frontrunners in the five previous polls -- received the most "encourage" votes this time, but also got five "discourage" votes, including two from permanent members.

US media reports suggest Washington opposes all of the seven contenders in the race.

Washington's envoy to the UN Mike Waltz refused to comment on the report, but said Friday: "We have always said we just simply need the best."

On the question of new contenders joining the race, Waltz said "countries, if they want to to put more candidates in, that's certainly within their sovereign rights."

Among those considered by diplomats to be potential entrants are Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative for Gaza under the US-backed "Board of Peace," and the UAE's minister of state for foreign affairs Lana Nusseibeh.

Turkey's Feridun Hadi Sinirlioglu, Secretary-General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), has also had his name floated.

Grynspan performed best on average in the first five rounds of informal polling, again coming top Friday -- despite the two vetoes.

The other candidates are Guyanese ex-foreign minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Argentina's Rafael Grossi, the current head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Macky Sall of Senegal, Ecuador's Ivonne A-Baki and Maria Fernanda Espinosa, and Uganda's Olara Otunnu.

The outgoing secretary-general, Antònio Guterres of Portugal, ends his second five-year term on December 31, 2026.

Even if a candidate earns the required nine votes from the 15 available in the Security Council, they must also avoid a veto by the five major powers, which are deeply divided.

Once a candidate clears those bars, their name will go to the General Assembly of all UN members for confirmation.

The Security Council straw poll was devised in the early 1980s in an attempt to break a deadlock between two candidates shut down by vetoes.

The informal mechanism has persisted, in various forms, despite criticism from countries opposed to the opaque process.

Each of the 15 Security Council members must anonymously assign each candidate one of three labels: "encourage," "discourage," or "no opinion."

It is tradition that the UN's top job should rotate between different regions.

Under that premise, the role should go to a candidate from Latin America this time. There are many candidates from the region, though Sall and Otunnu hail from Africa.

DR Congo bans activities of 13 political parties

KINSHASA, DR Congo 

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s government has banned the activities of 13 political parties, including the PPRD of former president Joseph Kabila. Presented as a national security measure, the decision has divided the political class and reignited debate over democratic pluralism in the country. 

With the ruling party supporting the move, the opposition condemning it, and analysts questioning its legality, reactions remain sharply divided.

The political standoff between Kinshasa and supporters of Joseph Kabila has taken a new turn. On Thursday, October 15, Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani announced a ban on the activities of 13 political parties, including the People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD), which governed the country under Kabila’s presidency.

The measure also targets the Leadership and Governance for Development (LGD), led by Matata Ponyo; Seth Kikuni’s PISTE-E; and Claudel Lubaya’s Union for African Democracy (UDA). Provincial governors are responsible for enforcing the ban.

The decision comes amid heightened political tensions, particularly following the creation in Goma, in eastern DR Congo, of the National Refoundation Front (FRN), a politico-military movement led by former president Joseph Kabila. Against this backdrop, the government says it intends to prevent the activities of the parties concerned, while several opposition figures view the move as a restriction of political space.

The decision has been welcomed by the ruling Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS). Jean-Baptiste Katsongo, the party’s federal president in Butembo, North Kivu province, says the government is acting within its responsibility to protect national security.

“We welcome this decision because it is a matter of responsibility. The Interior Ministry is responsible for the security of Congolese citizens. In that capacity, it must take the necessary decisions to protect them,” he said.

The statement reflects the ruling camp’s position, which places security at the centre of the government’s decision. But the parties targeted by the ban see it as a threat to political expression and their ability to voice their demands.

For Bruno Mwitohero, the LGD’s federal president, the measure comes amid wider tensions over governance and the country’s institutional future. He believes that voices critical of the government risk being pushed to the margins.

“We are fighting against constitutional changes and the tyranny taking hold across the country. We cannot stand by and do nothing,” he said.

Mwitohero also questioned the functioning of the country’s institutions. He alleged that some members of parliament had been bribed and could no longer speak freely. He argues that banning political parties risks further shrinking the space for dissent.

His remarks highlight the growing divide between the government and sections of the opposition, as the country continues to face a persistent security crisis in the east alongside mounting political tensions nationwide.

Beyond the political confrontation, the decision has raised questions about its legal basis and its implications for democratic pluralism.

According to the information available, the Interior Ministry’s announcement does not specify the detailed grounds for the ban or how long it will remain in force. It also does not formally dissolve the parties concerned.

Independent political analyst Guel Mamlaka warns that the consequences could extend beyond the leaders of the targeted parties. Members and supporters could also feel punished, even though they may have had no involvement in any alleged wrongdoing by their leaders.

“This decision risks creating frustration among Congolese members of these parties who are not necessarily involved in the actions attributed to their leaders,” he said.

Mamlaka also cautioned that the measure could have unpredictable consequences on the ground and potentially deepen tensions in a country that presents itself as a democracy.

The central question is whether the security concerns cited by the authorities can be reconciled with the protection of political freedoms and democratic principles. Banning a party’s activities is not automatically the same as dissolving it, and the legality of the measure must be assessed against the applicable laws and any available avenues for appeal.

The decision is also having repercussions within the political circles surrounding Joseph Kabila.

Since the announcement of the FRN’s creation and the ban on PPRD activities, several political figures have distanced themselves from the former ruling party, exposing disagreements over the strategy to adopt and how best to continue their political struggle.

These departures reveal tensions within the ranks of those who have long been associated with the former president. They also raise questions about the PPRD’s future and its ability to maintain its influence in an evolving political landscape.

Caught between the government’s security arguments, the opposition’s accusations of repression and analysts’ concerns, the ban on 13 political parties opens a new chapter in DR Congo’s political crisis.

The key question now is whether the measure will help ease tensions or deepen mistrust between the government and its opponents, in a country where security challenges and political rivalries remain closely intertwined.

UN Security Council backs Saudi right to self-defense after deadly Houthi strikes on Riyadh airport

NEW YORK, United States 

The UN Security Council on Thursday condemned “in the strongest terms” the escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, and affirmed the Kingdom’s “inherent right” to self-defense.

The presidential statement highlighted in particular the deadly strikes against Riyadh’s main airport this month.

Council members condemned “the reckless strikes” on Oct. 10 and 11 targeting King Khalid International Airport, which killed 14 people and wounded more than 300. They also cited “multiple strikes on other airports and Saudi Aramco facilities” across the Kingdom, which they said had hit civilian aviation and energy infrastructure and killed and injured civilians.

The comments marked a clear step up in the Security Council’s response to the crisis. A presidential statement requires the agreement of all 15 members of the council and is read into the formal record at a public meeting. 

That gives it more weight than the previous press statements issued by the council on Aug. 7 and Sept. 18, which Thursday’s text referenced. Those earlier statements had demanded the Houthis “immediately cease their military escalation” and their attacks on civilians and civilian objects.

In the presidential statement, council members “expressed their solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the face of attacks impacting civilians and civilian objects on its territory.” In addition, they “affirmed the inherent right of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia of self-defense in accordance with international law.”

Members offered their “deepest sympathy and condolences” to the families of the victims and to the Saudi government and people, and wished the wounded “a speedy and full recovery.”

They also widened their condemnation to also include the Houthis’ “continued attacks and threats against commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandab” Strait.

It stressed the need to ensure the safety of commercial vessels and their crews, called for respect for the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and for navigational rights and freedoms, and stressed the importance of international humanitarian law.

The council also pressed for full implementation of Resolution 2216, which was adopted in April 2015, detailed a targeted arms embargo on the Houthis, and called for “practical cooperation, including with the Government of Yemen,” to prevent the group from obtaining the weapons, technical assistance, training and financing “necessary to carry out further attacks.” It also reminded all UN member states of their obligations under the embargo.

The council reaffirmed its support for the Yemeni government and its “strong commitment to the unity, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Yemen.” It added that “sustainable peace in Yemen cannot be achieved through violence, coercion or use of force.”

The statement also backed the UN special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, in his work to help achieve “a negotiated, inclusive, Yemeni-led and Yemeni-owned political settlement” to the conflict.

The strike on King Khalid International Airport on Oct. 10 was the deadliest attack against the Kingdom in more than a decade. A ballistic missile hit the part of the complex that houses terminals 3 and 4. Most of those who were killed came from the Arab world and Global South. 

They included four Saudis, two Bangladeshis, and one person from each of Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, India and the US. The attack on Oct. 11 killed a Pakistani resident of the Kingdom, and injured 11 people.

On Oct. 8, an attack on the same airport killed three Saudis, including a pilot, and destroyed a Saudia aircraft. Dozens were wounded. 

On Oct. 6 and 7, A strike on Abha International Airport killed two women, from Algeria and Morocco, and injured 28 people, and an attack on King Khalid International killed a Sudanese national and injured eight people.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 16/10/2026

 

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 15/10/2026

 

Mauritius imposes curfew after police shooting sparks violent protests

PORT LOUIS, Mauritius 

Mauritius imposed a curfew on Tuesday over roughly a third of the island in response to rare violent protests that erupted after a police officer shot and seriously wounded a woman.

The Indian Ocean island, popular with tourists for its pristine beaches and coral reefs, has long been seen as a model of prosperity and stability.

But protests against water shortages and the rising cost of living have rocked the island in recent days.

The curfew runs from Tuesday evening until Wednesday morning, affecting 10 administrative regions, mainly on the outskirts of towns.

"My message is clear and uncompromising: we will identify the instigators and all those who are acting against the interests of the country, and they will be held to account," Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam said.

"Those who have carried out these actions will have to face the very heavy consequences warranted by their anti-patriotic acts."

According to witnesses, the police officer fired without warning at the woman, hitting her in the neck. He has been arrested and brought before the courts.

The woman is still in hospital, but the bullet has been removed by a team of Indian surgeons dispatched to Mauritius to save her, according to local media.

The protests had begun before the shooting, with demonstrators using burning tyres to block roads.

After the incident, several cases of looting were reported, notably at two supermarkets, and police stations were attacked, injuring several officers.

The British embassy in Mauritius warned its nationals there may be further protests and to "avoid demonstrations and large public gatherings."

The French embassy in Mauritius has also asked the French community to "exercise caution."

No outbreaks of violence had been reported since the start of the curfew, an AFP correspondent observed on Tuesday evening.

Mauritius has seen remarkable growth since its independence from the United Kingdom in 1968.

Its economy, once primarily agricultural and centred on sugar production, has diversified and is now driven by tourism as well as textiles and the financial sector.

Mauritius even briefly achieved high-income country status in 2020, before its economy was hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Pope Leo diagnosed with lung cancer but had successful surgery, Vatican says

VATICAN CITY, Italy 

Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with lung cancer but had successful surgery to remove a lower lobe of his right lung, the Vatican has said in a medical bulletin.

The 71-year-old underwent a 90 minute surgery on Tuesday at Rome's Gemelli Hospital and was subsequently diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma.

"The operation was successful and there were no complications," the Vatican said. "After the operation, the Pope awoke normally and returned after a brief period of observation to his room," it added.

The lump was first detected during what the Vatican has described as "routine checks". The Pope is expected to remain in hospital for about a week.

Earlier, large crowds waited for hours outside the hospital for the Pope.

They cheered greetings and well wishes as he passed, while he waved and smiled back through the lowered back window of his car.

He was then met by staff on the hospital steps. "I'm sorry," one of them commiserated, to which the Pope gave a smile and a shrug. "We're here for you," he was assured.

In its statement, the Vatican said the whole lower lobe of the Pope's right lung was removed "to ensure the procedure was radical". 

A Vatican source told Agence France-Presse news agency further tests were being carried out to see if there was any sign the cancer had spread.

It was Leo XIV himself who on Sunday announced news of his operation to the world, speaking from the balcony in St Peter's Square after delivering the traditional Angelus blessing.

He said the nodule, or growth, on his lung was "contained" and had been found "at a very early stage", but that doctors had advised him to have it removed.

Gemelli's thoracic surgery team operated on the Pope, whose schedule has already been cleared until 20 October to give him time to recover.

Nodules are quite common and not necessarily cancerous, but after it was examined the medical team confirmed it was pulmonary adenocarcinoma, "as suspected by pre-operative tests", the Vatican said.

The Vatican has stressed that the pontiff, who is generally thought to be fit, had no symptoms of infection or illness.

Cardinal Kikuchi Tarcisio Isao of Tokyo wrote on social media that he'd had an audience with Pope Leo on Monday, and said the pontiff felt "nothing wrong" physically.

He said the Pope had decided to check in for surgery as soon as possible because he was due to travel to Latin America in early November, and was keen to stick to that plan.

The trip is particularly significant because it includes a visit to Peru, where the pontiff was a missionary and then a Bishop for many years.

Despite all the reassurances, the news has shaken Catholics all over the world.

"Am I worried? Yes, because I certainly wasn't expecting anything like this," Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin told journalists on Tuesday.

He agreed that the news was like a "bolt from the blue", but said the cardinals had been struck by the Pope's "serenity" and were confident in his recovery.

Arsenal beat Lille 3-0 as perfect Champions League start continues

LONDON, England 

Arsenal blew away Lille with a three-goal blitz in seven second-half minutes for a 3-0 win to extend their perfect start to the Champions League on Tuesday.

Jurrien Timber’s deft finish opened the floodgates just after the hour mark at the Emirates Stadium before Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka rounded off the scoring.

Victory takes Arsenal into a share of the lead at the top of the Champions League table alongside Barcelona and Sporting Lisbon.

Mikel Arteta was able to use the wealth of resources at his disposal as he made five changes to the side that beat Leeds 2-1 on Saturday.

But it was Lille boss Davide Ancelotti, son of Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti, who was the happier after a goalless first half.

The visitors even had the ball in the net but Ayase Ueda was flagged offside.

Bruno Guimaraes came closest to breaking the deadlock for Arsenal before the break when he fired wide from close range and then saw a powerful shot from range parried by Berke Ozer.

The Gunners quickly went through the gears in the second period once Timber dinked the ball over Ozer from Noni Madueke’s pass.

Arteta had left arguably his three most potent attacking weapons on the bench and the introduction of Saka, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard made an immediate impact.

Saka’s low cross picked out Eze whose deflected shot flew into the top corner to end any doubt over the destiny of the three points.

The England winger then finished off an exquisite team move from Havertz’s cut-back for Arsenal’s third.

There were further cheers from the home fans when Olivier Giroud came on as a late substitute for Lille on his return to the club, where he scored 105 goals in a six-year spell.

But Giroud could not conjure up another Emirates goal as Lille remain without a Champions League point after their defeat to Real Betis on matchday one.