World in brief: October 21, 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 SIX COUNTIES: Police are investigating an allegation that former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson raped a woman in the Houses of Parliament, it is understood.

The Metropolitan Police did not identify the politician, 63, but said in a statement it is investigating a report passed on by officers in Northern Ireland.

Mr Donaldson was given a 15-year sentence earlier this month for a series of historical sex offences against two women when they were children.

OUTBREAK: African health ministers were invited to an “extraordinary virtual meeting” today to discuss the spread of Ebola after Nigeria reported its first case of the disease that has claimed thousands of lives and has spread rapidly since an outbreak began in Congo in May.

Nigeria reported its first case on Tuesday, linked to a traveller from Uganda who arrived in the country earlier this month.

Kenya, which has recorded nine cases, is the latest country to report cases linked to travellers who passed through Uganda.

SOUTH AFRICA: Over 500 people have fallen ill from a gastrointestinal illness that causes stomach cramps and diarrhoea, which authorities are blaming on poor water quality in Pretoria and Gqeberha.

Authorities told people in Pretoria to stop drinking water from their taps after 408 people including children fell ill and were treated at various health facilities.

City officials distributed water to residents through emergency tankers today, while the charity organization Gift of the Givers supplied the community with bottled water.

SOUTH KOREA: Officials finally freed a large grey shark today that had been trapped for more than a month in a canal in the port city of Busan.

Officials used a floating platform to herd the 9.8-foot female dusky shark, nicknamed Bukangi, along the narrow canal for hours. The shark lingered at the canal’s mouth but eventually swam to sea, Busan mayor Chun Jae-soo said.

The shark was first spotted in mid-September and became a major tourist attraction as it slowly circled the canal, its fins slicing through the water’s surface.

Round-up / 15 October 2026 World in brief: October 15, 2026 15 October 2026 Healthcare / 28 August 2026 The world has money for war. Why not for Ebola? 28 August 2026 As thousands die in the eastern DRC, a global health emergency is being starved of funds, says S KRISHNASWAMY