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US First Lady Melania Trump has helped broker a local ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky to facilitate humanitarian aid and civilian evacuations, the White House said Friday. The ceasefire is scheduled to begin on October 29. Melania Trump said the situation in the city was “on the brink of disaster.” The White House said she and a representative worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leaders to establish the terms. Ukraine's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets thanked her, saying the operation would be gradual and difficult to implement. Russian military chief Gen. Valery Gerasimov said forces would halt fire in the Kherson area from 4am Tuesday Moscow time to support the humanitarian operation and ensure safe passage for aid convoys. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov thanked Melania Trump, saying the evacuation could take several days, without specifying destinations. Melania Trump said civilian representatives would assess residents' needs and arrange transport to their preferred destinations. An unnamed American media organisation will document the process. Oleshky has faced severe shortages of food, medicine, electricity, heating and running water. Captured by Russian forces in February 2022, the city was later devastated by shelling and flooding following the 2023 Kakhovka Dam collapse. The initiative comes amid rising tensions between Washington and Kyiv over military support and efforts to end the war.

Germany, France, and Britain are ready to negotiate with Iran to ensure it does not acquire nuclear weapons, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said, media report. Wadephul also called for supporting Saudi Arabia and Yemen in defending themselves, while urging the resumption of concrete negotiations with the Houthis. The statements come amid consensus among all eight countries represented at Friday's Istanbul meeting-the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkiye. The participating nations expressed unanimous opposition to any military attack on Iran, emphasizing that diplomatic negotiations remain the only viable way forward. With inputs from Al Jazeera

A gunman opened fire from a vehicle at three locations in two Paris suburbs on Friday, killing one person and wounding five others, including a 12-year-old girl. The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office took charge of the investigation, treating the incident as a possible terrorist crime with a suspected racist motive.Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the shootings in Trappes and La Verrière lasted less than 15 minutes. Three of the five wounded were in critical condition, with their lives at risk.Police arrested a suspect, who was stopped by five officers from an anti-crime brigade. Nuñez said the attacker used what appeared to be a military-grade or automatic weapon. Reports that the suspect's home had been booby-trapped with gas cylinders remain under investigation.The 12-year-old girl was seriously injured, Gender Equality Minister Aurore Bergé said, condemning racism.Trappes Mayor Ali Rabeh said the gunman appeared to target passersby, including near a playground. He described the incident as a possible mass killing motivated by racism and Islamophobia. The victim killed was of African origin, while one critically wounded person was of North African origin.President Emmanuel Macron expressed deep sorrow and solidarity with the victims.The shooting came ahead of Saturday's cost-of-living protests, prompting heightened security amid concerns over renewed unrest.

Six people were killed and 28 others wounded when gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Jordan on Friday. The shooting occurred in Karak, about 180 kilometres (110 miles) south of the capital, Amman. In a statement, the government said the attack was “carried out by unknown assailants.” However, it did not say whether any of the gunmen had been arrested or killed. “Investigations are underway at full speed,” the statement said. Karak has a minority Christian population. The city witnessed a series of attacks in 2016, when gunmen ambushed police officers, including in an attack at a Crusader castle popular with tourists. The attacks killed 10 people, including seven police officers, and wounded dozens of others. Jordanian security forces later killed the gunmen following a prolonged standoff.

Two Israeli soldiers and two Palestinian gunmen were killed in a shooting near Yehuda Junction outside Hebron in the occupied West Bank on Friday. The army identified the soldiers as Staff Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman, 23, and Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem, 20. Three others were lightly wounded. The military said the suspects, both Palestinians from Hebron, arrived at an Israeli military position armed with an M16 rifle and a handgun. An exchange of fire lasted about 20 minutes before Israeli troops killed them. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered security forces to cordon off Hebron and prepare for a West Bank-wide closure. Visiting the site, he pledged a sweeping operation, including evacuations, house-to-house searches and the destruction of weapons and militant infrastructure. Netanyahu later blamed Hamas during an emergency Security Cabinet meeting. The army reported dozens of arrests and weapons seizures, while its chief, Eyal Zamir, said a large quantity of ammunition was found in the suspects' vehicle. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for restrictions on Palestinian movement. US Democratic congressional candidate Brad Lander criticised the closure, while a Hebron Jewish community spokesperson defended Israel's security measures. The incident comes ahead of Tuesday's parliamentary election, amid warnings of possible attacks.

Austria ordered four Russian diplomats to leave over espionage allegations, an Austrian official said on Friday. The Foreign Ministry said three diplomats were based at Russia's embassy in Vienna and one at its OSCE mission. Declared personae non gratae for "activities incompatible with their diplomatic status," they were told to leave in coming days. No further details were provided. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Dmitry Lyubinsky told media that "a reaction is unavoidable". Vienna-host to OPEC, OSCE, IAEA, and UNODC-is considered a spying hotbed due to lenient laws penalizing foreign espionage only if targeting Austrian interests. The neutral EU member aids Ukraine non-militarily as reciprocal European-Russian expulsions continue post-Ukraine invasion. In May, Austria expelled three embassy staff using building antennas to intercept international satellite data, media reported. Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger's liberal Neos party advocated tougher stances. The government is negotiating legislation expanding punishment to espionage against international organizations.

Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinians in the occupied West Bank on Friday after accusing them of attempting an attack near Hebron, prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to order security forces to seal off the city and prepare for a territory-wide closure. At least five other people were injured in the incident, some of them critically, according to reports. The Israeli military said it had thwarted what it described as a “terror attack against Israeli civilians”. The two Palestinians, both from Hebron, were carrying an M16 rifle and a handgun, the military said, without specifying the intended target. Netanyahu’s office later announced that security forces had been instructed to immediately cordon off Hebron and prepare for a complete closure of the West Bank beginning Friday. The incident comes ahead of Israel’s parliamentary election scheduled for Tuesday, which will determine whether Netanyahu secures another term as prime minister. The vote is taking place three years after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza. Israeli authorities have warned of possible attacks by the country’s “enemies” ahead of the election. Following the shooting, Netanyahu convened an emergency meeting of his Security Cabinet and senior military and security officials. He alleged that Hamas was planning a major attack aimed at killing civilians but provided no details of the alleged plot. “Our brave soldiers thwarted this attack with courage and determination,” Netanyahu said, praising the forces involved and wishing the wounded a speedy recovery. He did not clarify whether those injured were soldiers or civilians. Earlier on Friday, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for restrictions on Palestinian movement in the West Bank following the incident. “The lives of the residents of Judea and Samaria, of the settlers, the lives of the soldiers, the lives of the police officers, the lives of our fighters are a million times more important than freedom of movement,” he said, using Israel’s term for the West Bank. Ahead of the anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack, Netanyahu had also accused the Palestinian militant group of potentially seeking to carry out an attack to influence the Israeli election outcome, without presenting evidence to support the claim.

Two workers were killed and five others injured in an explosion inside a mine in northern Turkey on Friday, while rescuers were working to reach another worker trapped underground, an official said. The blast occurred near Kilimli, in the Black Sea coastal province of Zonguldak. The cause of the explosion was not immediately known. Medical teams and rescue workers were dispatched to the scene to assist the victims and search for the missing miner. Zonguldak Governor Osman Hacibektasoglu told reporters that two of the injured workers were in critical condition. One of them was being transferred to the capital, Ankara, for further treatment. Mine accidents are relatively common in Turkey. One of the country's deadliest mining disasters occurred in 2014, when a fire inside a coal mine in the western town of Soma killed 301 people.

Seven oil tankers caught fire or sustained damage in the Strait of Hormuz overnight after being struck by Iran or hitting naval mines, Tehran said Thursday, raising fresh concerns about a possible return to full-scale war. Fears of renewed US-Israeli attacks on Iran are growing ahead of Israel’s closely contested election, scheduled for Oct 27, in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could lose power, and next month’s US midterm elections, where rising prices linked to the war have fuelled voter anger. “Netanyahu wants to attack Iran, that’s not even a question,” Danny Citrinowicz, a researcher at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies and a former Iran specialist in the country’s military and intelligence services, told The Associated Press. Citrinowicz accused Israel of rushing towards another confrontation with Iran without revising its strategy. He said a clear victory for Netanyahu in the Oct 27 election would make another attack almost inevitable. Although leading opposition candidates are expected to prioritise domestic issues, Citrinowicz said he believed the region was heading towards “another kinetic escalation.” Iran renews threat to strike US bases in region Iranian state television reported the latest attacks on the vessels, citing the navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Associated Press could not independently verify the claims. The report did not mention any casualties. It also quoted the Guard's navy as renewing its threat to target US military bases in the region if Washington continued helping commercial vessels navigate the Strait of Hormuz. Iran continues to assert control over the strategic waterway, which remains a key source of leverage in any negotiations with the United States over the war. October has seen the highest number of reported attacks on commercial shipping since March, when the war began, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a British maritime security monitor. Although UKMTO did not report the latest incidents, it has noted that some shipping operators have become increasingly reluctant to report attacks. Experts say oil producers have managed to maintain crude supplies through alternative arrangements, but doing so has become increasingly costly.

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen announced early Friday that it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by Yemen's Houthi group toward the Saudi capital Riyadh, according to a statement posted on X by the coalition's spokesperson. Loud explosions were heard in Riyadh early Friday, while residents received alerts on their mobile phones. The coalition also announced the interception and destruction of two drones launched by the group toward the kingdom's southern region, without providing further details.