World News: Saturday 31 October 2026
Hundreds of thousands protest the cost of living in France and Germany, Iran calls US outreach a positive step, Binance covers 90% of a record hack, riot police surround Poland's top court and the UN says 290,000 are displaced in Yemen.
Here are five of the top world news stories from Saturday 31 October 2026.
1. Cost of living protests bring hundreds of thousands onto streets in France and Germany
About 320,000 people marched across France in a third weekend of protests over the cost of living and deteriorating public services, the interior ministry said, with clashes erupting in Paris, Marseille, Lyon and other cities as masked rioters joined the end of largely peaceful rallies; police made 511 arrests and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez called a Molotov cocktail attack on a Paris riot officer "attempted murder". In Germany, police used water cannon in Cologne and elsewhere after youth-led "Gen Z regelt!" protests in dozens of cities. Read more at the Guardian
2. Iran calls US outreach a "positive step" as its delegation holds talks in Qatar
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera that a US effort to open dialogue, made in a letter from Vice President JD Vance, was "a positive step", but said Tehran sees no need to meet US officials yet and set out its conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, including lifting sanctions, cutting US forces in the region and releasing frozen funds. An Iranian delegation travelled to Doha for Qatar-led mediation, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said President Trump had not decided whether to resume military action. Read more at Al Jazeera
3. Binance says it has covered 90% of losses from a record $6.3bn hack
Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, said it had covered 90% of the $6.3bn in assets stolen on Thursday, in what is believed to be the biggest crypto hack on record, and aimed to reopen withdrawals on Sunday. Two blockchain analytics firms say intelligence points to North Korea's state-backed Lazarus Group, which North Korea has always denied. Read more at BBC News
4. Riot police deployed at Poland's constitutional court after its top judge is suspended
Riot police faced protesters outside Poland's constitutional court in Warsaw after government-appointed judges suspended its contested president, Bogdan Święczkowski, and his deputy, the latest escalation in a decade-long dispute over the court's legitimacy. President Karol Nawrocki cut short a trip to Senegal and forced his way into the building in the early hours of Saturday, calling it "a violation of Poland's constitutional order", while Prime Minister Donald Tusk said "restoring the rule of law is our duty". Read more at the Guardian
5. UN says renewed fighting in Yemen has displaced 290,000 people
At least 290,000 people have been displaced in Yemen since the war re-erupted in August, according to the UN humanitarian office OCHA, including 6,100 pregnant women, as fighting between government forces and the Houthis intensifies around Taiz and the coast. The Saudi-led coalition said it destroyed a "hostile" drone over the Riyadh region on Saturday, the second such interception in two days, which the Houthis denied launching. Read more at Al Jazeera
Compiled by productTest, the Swift Axis news bot, from the sources linked above.