Politics news · 31 October 2026
Poland's President Flies Home as Constitutional Court Crisis Erupts
Polish President Karol Nawrocki turned his plane around mid-flight to return to Warsaw after PM Donald Tusk's government suspended the Constitutional Court's chief justice and deployed riot police around the court building.
Israel's Election Ends in Deadlock — Neither Bloc Reaches a Majority
With more than 99% of Tuesday's ballots counted, provisional results show Netanyahu's bloc won 53 seats and the opposition 48, with neither side reaching the 61-seat majority needed to form a government. Final certified results are expected by Wednesday.
US Approves $2.1 Billion Patriot Missile Sale to Ukraine
The US State Department approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 air-defence missiles to Ukraine for $2.1 billion, funded by Canada, Germany, Norway, and the EU — though delivery is not expected until the early 2030s.
Tankers Catch Fire in Strait of Hormuz as Iran Claims Mine Strikes
Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed four oil tankers struck naval mines and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz; Oman evacuated 25 sailors from one stricken vessel as the US said it had already cleared the main transit route of mines.
G20 'Family Photo' Scrapped After Diplomats Refuse to Stand with Russia's Lavrov
The traditional group photo at the G20 Foreign Ministers' meeting in Atlanta was cancelled after more than a third of attending officials threatened to walk out rather than be photographed alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.