Russian President Vladimir Putin told African leaders in Moscow that Russia is their best partner and accused the West of exploiting the continent's resources and using debt to hold back growth. The two-day third Russia-Africa Summit, which opened on Wednesday 28 Oct, drew delegations from 48 countries, including 22 heads of state. Putin plans one-to-one talks with most attending leaders on trade, security, arms and grain. Putin said Russian firms want to build manufacturing plants in Africa to bypass Western sanctions, and cited 2025 trade of $27 billion, down 2.4 % from 2024. Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye, current African Union chair, co-chairs the summit.
The United Nations aid chief warns that roughly 50 million people could face heightened hunger as the current El niño reaches unprecedented strength, according to the World Meteorological Organization head. Flooding linked to the phenomenon has killed two people and displaced over 2,000 in Argentina, while European natural‑gas futures hover near 90 euros per megawatt‑hour amid broader energy disruptions. In the United States, the National Weather Service projects a warmer‑than‑average winter with above‑average precipitation across several regions.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution condemning the United States' economic embargo on Cuba, passing with 130 votes in favour, 17 against and 25 abstentions. The vote marks the lowest level of support for the measure since 1995, with Western nations such as Germany, Italy and Latvia abstaining for the first time in 34 years. Cuban President Miguel Diaz‑Canel and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez accused Washington of coercion and attempts to seize Cuba’s wealth, while U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz denied any blockade and said U.S. ports remain open.
A drone strike on a market in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur in Sudan, killed at least 36 people and wounded more than 100 on Monday evening, according to Doctors Without Borders, which said 36 bodies reached its hospital. Local rights groups and officials cited by The Associated Press put the toll higher, at 102 to more than 100 killed, while the RSF-aligned Tasis administration's health minister gave 102 civilian deaths and 113 injured. Sudan has been at war since April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. The same week, drone attacks also disrupted power across several states, and a UN tally recorded over 300 drone deaths in the first three weeks of October.