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Tbilisi (AFP) – “If the pro-Russian side wins, I’m definitely going to leave Georgia,” says Tamta, one of those heading to the polls for parliamentary elections that will determine the country’s future. Many are hoping to halt the drift towards Moscow seen under the ruling Georgian Dream party, which earlier this year passed a controversial “foreign influence” bill, targeting civil society and sparking weeks of mass street protests.

Apia (Samoa) (AFP) – “Iran should not respond” to Israeli strikes on military targets in the country, says UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Speaking in Samoa, where he is attending a Commonwealth summit, Starmer says “we need to avoid further regional escalation,” following the overnight strikes, which Israel has claimed were retaliation for an Iranian missile barrage earlier this month.

Atlanta (AFP) – As the US presidential race enters its final stretch, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris is facing a fresh problem in Georgia, a crucial swing state, where support from Black male voters is declining. President Joe Biden only narrowly beat Donald Trump in the state in 2020, despite receiving support from 88% of Black voters. Recent surveys have Harris at around 74%, a notable drop in what is becoming one of the tightest elections in recent memory.

Tbilisi (AFP) – Georgia’s President Salome Zurabishvili casts her ballot as the country goes to the polls for an election that could determine the fledgling democracy’s European aspirations, with concerns growing over the current ruling party’s pro-Russian drift.

Amman (AFP) – An Israeli airstrike on a Lebanese border crossing on Friday 25 October has jeapordised the main escape route for people fleeing into Syria, says the UN. Speaking in Jordan, UN refugee agency Middle East spokesperson Rula Amin says such strikes are “hindering and really putting at risk a main lifeline that people use to escape the conflict”. Israel’s military has said the route was being used by Hezbollah to transfer weapons.

Maputo (AFP) – In recent days, protests have swept the streets of Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, against the re-election of the East African country’s ruling Frelimo party. Hundreds of opposition supporters have rejected what they call a “stolen” ballot in favour of the party, which has been in power since 1975. On 24 October, the electoral commission announced Frelimo candidate Daniel Chapo as the winner, but opposition leader Venancio Mondlane claimed irregularities and declared himself the victor. PROFILE OF Daniel Chapo

Trujillo (Peru) (AFP) – In April this year, a criminal gang demanded $2,500 from Peruvian school owner Diomedes Sanchez, before planting a bomb outside the building when he refused to pay. The 50-year-old is one of many hit by an extortion epidemic targeting both the rich and poor across the country, with an association representing businesses claiming an estimated cost of $1.6 billion per year.

Duluth (United States) (AFP) – With just over a week to go until the US presidential election, Republican candidate Donald Trump calls his Democrat rival Kamala Harris a “low IQ individual”. Speaking at a rally near Atlanta, Georgia, Trump accuses the vice-president of “importing millions of illegals”, continuing along the anti-immigration line seen throughout a campaign in which the former president has falsely accused migrants of eating pets.

Douglas (United States) (AFP) – With immigration cited as a key issue for voters ahead of the US presidential election, Arizona, the only swing state bordering Mexico, has become something of a battleground. Both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have visited the state in recent weeks, posing for photos and delivering speeches. But for some residents near the wall, the reduction of immigration to little more than a political football is raising concerns.