
— Developing economies are projected to grow by 4% in 2026, down from 4.7% in 2025, as they face new technological and policy barriers. Asia is projected to contribute 59% of global growth in 2026. But the industrial path that powered its rise is becoming harder for others to follow. AI: profits after tax account for 68% of traced value added, while workers receive less than 15%.
— Guardian: Military vehicles carrying soldiers drove across Eritrea's southern border into Tigray on Wednesday, reaching the town of Adigrat 25 miles (40km) south, according to civilian witnesses, a militia commander and the conflict monitoring group Acled. Eritrean troops were then targeted by Ethiopian government drones on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, Acled said.
— The Interior Ministry said 71,500 people participated in the day's demonstrations, of which 24,500 took part in the main Paris protest centred around the Bastille square. Arsonists attacked a Bordeaux police station, a school in Saint-Etienne was ransacked and a teacher in Toulouse was hit by a demonstrator, said the Interior Ministry. Education Minister Edouard Geffray told TF1 TV that extra teachers would be drafted in to plug gaps in schools which do not have enough teachers, while heavy school timetables will also be reviewed.
— Beyond documented arrests, UNAMA reported verbal abuse, beatings and threats against women including female shopkeepers, with detentions exposing victims to severe social stigma; actual cases likely far exceed 52 due to underreporting.
— HRW said it interviewed 24 third-country nationals in six countries — Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini and South Sudan. Some described to the group "abusive treatment" during their deportation flights, including being chained for about 18 hours and with no knowledge of their destination. They were also "denied access to essential medication, and often did not receive sufficient food or water".
— PassBlue: Rebeca Grynspan, nominated by her country Costa Rica, retained her lead in the race, but she dipped to 9 "encourage" votes on Oct. 7 from 10 encourage in the most-recent poll, on Sept. 29. Opposition to her candidacy doubled (6 "discourage") as well, according to the results of the Wednesday straw poll seen by PassBlue. The next straw poll is scheduled for Oct. 16.
— Protestors accuse the Election Commission of removing opposition voters to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, though the commission asserts revisions aim only to remove duplicate and ineligible entries.
— Recent opinion poll showed that the French public broadly supports the protest — with 72% agreeing with the students' demands, and 55% backing the demonstrations (LINK)
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