World in brief: October 20, 2026

Middle East / 29 October 2026 Netanyahu alleges foreign interference in Israeli elections 29 October 2026 East Asia / 29 October 2026 China in record-breaking exports of clean energy 29 October 2026 East Asia / 29 October 2026 South Korean prosecutor pushes for death penalty for impeached ex-President Yoon 29 October 2026 China / 29 October 2026 Hong Kong’s housing minister resigns after fire investigation 29 October 2026 The Americas / 28 October 2026 Defeated Bolsonaro flees to Miami as Trump rejects Brazil election result 28 October 2026 Latin America / 28 October 2026 Cuba hits back at US slurs during UN blockade debate 28 October 2026 ISRAEL: Extreme speech has surged under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government and can be heard at the highest levels ahead of Israel’s October 27 elections, with think tank OFEK revealing a spreadsheet today listing 227 extreme comments made by officials this year.

While Mr Netanyahu has not used the rhetoric of his far-right allies, he campaigns with the slogan “right or Palestine,” which some critics have called incitement.

Hate speech amplified by AI and social media is shaping everyday attitudes, with most remarks aimed at Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

SOUTH AFRICA: A court denied bail today to a former deputy police chief facing sexual offence charges, ruling he remain behind bars pending trial.

Shadrack Sibiya resigned from the police service earlier this month following his arrest in September on accusations of raping an 18-year-old woman, human trafficking and sexual grooming of a minor.

The Randburg Magistrates Court agreed with prosecutors that his release would pose a threat to witnesses and that he had failed to present exceptional circumstances.

SPAIN: Four people have been killed as torrential rainfall sweeping eastern Spain triggered severe flooding, evacuations and shelter-in-place orders for tens of thousands, authorities said.

Storm Adam dumped as much as 700 litres of rain per square metre in 24 hours in some areas of the Valencia region, isolating towns and bursting riverbanks.

Security forces carried out more than 400 rescues, and 87,000 people remained under shelter orders in eight municipalities by late afternoon.

HAITI: Gangs opened fire on an armoured vehicle over the weekend, leaving four soldiers from El Salvador unaccounted for in the first major attack since an international gang suppression force began operations.

The attack occurred on Sunday in Croix-des-Bouquets, Port-au-Prince, with the Salvadoran military saying the four aviation technicians fled the burning vehicle as helicopters dispatched to the area also came under fire.

The force’s special representative warned that gangs are testing the mission, with attacks recently increasing.