World in brief: November 2, 2026

Bangladesh / 4 November 2026 Striking garment workers demanding higher wages met with police and tear gas 4 November 2026 Ukraine / 4 November 2026 Kiev suffers power outages and lack of water following Russian strikes 4 November 2026 Meanwhile, rescuers continue to comb through rubble for survivors three days after deadly attack in Ukraine’s south

ZAMBIA: The government has carried out a violent crackdown on opposition parties after August’s election in which President Hakainde Hichilema won a second term, according to a Human Rights Watch report published today. 

Police and military personnel forcibly disappeared, arbitrarily detained, beat and threatened opposition members, lawyers and journalists, with the report documenting 14 apparent enforced disappearances and 61 cases of alleged beatings. 

Several opposition leaders, including Brian Mundubile, remain in detention, with the rights group urging authorities to halt the crackdown and ensure accountability.

BELGIUM: Prime Minister Bart De Wever handed in his resignation today as a long-simmering budget crisis boiled over, but King Philippe has not yet decided whether to accept it. 

Mr De Wever, a conservative Flemish nationalist, took office determined to tackle heavily indebted Belgium’s budget problems but failed to win support from his five-party government for his proposals. 

The King said he regretted the lack of agreement on a credible budget and will consult party leaders before receiving Mr De Wever again on Friday.

BULGARIA: Acting President Iliana Yotova won the runoff election to become Bulgaria’s first elected female head of state, securing 57.6 per cent of the vote against Andrey Gyurov’s 39.5 per cent. 

Ms Yotova, endorsed by Prime Minister Rumen Radev’s Moscow-friendly Progressive Bulgaria party, said she will work for national consensus through dialogue and for a strong state with its own foreign policy in a strong Europe. 

She has opposed further Bulgarian military assistance to Ukraine, arguing the conflict has no military solution.

YEMEN: Yemen’s internationally recognised government says its forces have recaptured military positions and strategic heights east of al-Hazm, the capital of al-Jawf governorate, while fighting continues to deepen the humanitarian crisis in the besieged city of Taiz. 

The army said the 1st Emergency Brigade seized weapons depots after killing and capturing Houthi fighters, while the Houthis claimed they had thwarted advances. 

Taiz’s governor said 120 health centres had stopped operating and hospitals were working at only 20 per cent capacity.