Looters on Saturday seized the opportunity to raid and vandalise a host of shops and businesses across France – from bakeries and supermarkets to tech stores – as hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to protest higher living costs and other grievances.

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.

Israeli settlers on Saturday attacked a convoy carrying a European delegation in the occupied West Bank, beating up a 78-year-old  French mayor. While Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – who is just days from a crucial election – described the incident as a "smear" campaign against Israeli settlers, France's top diplomat urged Israel to "urgently halt criminal violence".

Pope Leo XIV was released from the hospital on Saturday after lung cancer surgery. Doctors removed part of the 71-year-old's right lung last week to extract a cancerous tumour. 

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group claimed responsibility after two missiles struck Aden International Airport on Friday, saying they had targeted a weapons depot as well as a military command headquarters. The Aden Security Department said a Yemenia Airways flight bound for Cairo had been preparing for takeoff when the attack took place.

Tens of thousands of people on Saturday took part in nationwide protests in France that quickly turned violent. Police used tear gas and batons to try to disperse unsanctioned marches, while in both Lille and Marseille, protesters briefly forced their way into the town halls before being removed by police. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

US President Donald Trump on Friday put a sweeping package of sanctions and tariffs targeting Russian energy revenues on hold, saying the waiver was in the country's national interest. The relationship between Washington and Kyiv has been fraying since Trump struck a deal with Moscow to ease sanctions in exchange for Russia flooding the global market with diesel to bring down fuel costs.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that he feared his US counterpart Donald Trump "will continue" lifitng sanctions on Russia. Zelensky's relationship with Trump deteriorated after the Washington eased sanctions on Moscow as part of a diesel-supply deal, despite Russia increasing strikes on Ukraine. 

Cette semaine, Caroline De Camaret reçoit Pierre Moscovici, membre français de la Cour des comptes européenne. Depuis 1977, la Cour des comptes agit comme un auditeur externe de l’Union européenne, examinant la gestion financière et le budget de l’UE. Ancien député européen, Pierre Moscovici fut aussi ministre des Affaires européennes puis de l'Économie, avant de devenir commissaire européen aux affaires économiques et financières, président de la Cour des comptes française et, finalement, membre de la Cour des comptes européenne à Luxembourg.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama on Friday blamed the involvement of “foreign hands” for escalating protests, which he said are aimed at hindering Albania's bid to join the European Union. Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of Albania's capital since Tuesday, demanding Rama’s resignation and denouncing university conditions and high tuition fees.

A White House Press official said Friday that Secretary ​Katie Zacharia was "let go" from her role after US President Donald Trump signaled she was on her way out, a week after he picked her for the post. Zacharia's credentials as an attorney had come under scrutiny and she admitted to not having passed the bar in an interview with Fox News on Thursday.

A White House Press official said Friday that Secretary ​Katie Zacharia was "let go" from her role after US President Donald Trump signaled she was on her way out, a week after he picked her for the post. Zacharia's credentials as an attorney had come under scrutiny and she admitted to not having passed the bar in an interview with Fox News on Thursday.

Following US President Donald Trump's October 9 announcement of an agreement signed with Russian President Vladimir Putin to import Russian diesel into the United States, a number of pro-Russian social media accounts began claiming that a Russian oil tanker was already carrying thousands of barrels of diesel to the United States. The ship was actually carrying fertiliser. 

A 16-year-old gunman killed three children and a teacher at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday before being killed by a community member who pursued him inside, police said. Two other people were wounded in the shooting.

Ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores pleaded not guilty on Thursday to new torture charges brought against them by US authorities, calling them “false allegations". The couple has been held in a New York jail since their capture in early January and is facing a new indictment accusing them of conspiring to torture political opponents and US citizens.

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that he was cancelling plans to livestream the firing squad execution of a convicted military base shooter – a project that had sparked outrage in the United States. Nidal Hasan is scheduled to be executed on December 3 at Fort Hood in Texas, where he killed 13 people in 2009.

An association in Haiti is organising capoeira classes – an Afro-Brazilian martial art – in an attempt to reduce community violence and promote social reintegration. The Observers team spoke to its founder, Rodney Jean Marc, who said their doors are open to everyone, “even children in armed gangs”. The initiative takes place as the country's security situation has worsened in recent years.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Wednesday called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to "go" after Kyiv raised doubts over US support for his country against the Russian invasion. A day earlier, Musk said any restrictions on Ukraine's use of the Starshield system would be due to decisions made by the US government after Zelensky called on Musk to restore Starlink, which Kyiv says has been slowed down.

Thousands of Colombians protested peacefully across the country on Wednesday against right-wing President Abelardo de la Espriella, in the opposition’s first major demonstrations since he took office in August. Former leftist president Gustavo Petro led a rally in Bogota joined by trade unionists, Indigenous groups, students and feminist activists.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s party plans to file a complaint against Meta with the Organisation of American States alleging election interference, his campaign said Wednesday. The party accuses Meta of restricting Lula’s online content ahead of the October 25 presidential runoff against far-right Senator Flavio Bolsonaro. Meta denies the allegations.