Gabon military leaders claimed that electoral malpractice was one of the reasons for the coup, but another surely must be the growing frustration of the general public with a ruling elite who live in luxury while life for average Gabonese, despite its oil riches, remains a struggle.

Argentina's leader presidential candidate Javier Milei, a self-described anarcho-capitalist, has derided Pope Francis as “a malignant presence on earth,” denounced him as a “filthy leftist” and charged that the pope had “an affinity for murderous communists.”

Commenting on President Biden’s visit to Israel, C.R.S. President Sean Callahan said, “We appreciate the president’s call for respect for the human dignity of all and his announcement that humanitarian aid will be allowed into Gaza from Egypt. Civilians in Gaza cannot wait any longer and this plan must be implemented immediately.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa said that the A.N.C. remained steadfast in advocating for peace between Israel and Palestine. He said the A.N.C. stood with Palestine and its citizens, who have been oppressed for more than 70 years.

Sandesh Gonsalves, who leads the Jesuit Refugee Service team in Afghanistan, reports that Afghans are struggling in the wake of a “massive” earthquake that struck on Oct. 7. According to U.N. sources, the humanitarian aid system in Afghanistan is already desperately overstretched and underfunded, with over 29 million Afghans in need of assistance.

While outright war conditions pertain in Gaza and along its border in southern Israel, in the north, in Jerusalem and the West Bank, conditions are also fraught. Violence between Palestinians and Israeli settlers has broken out sporadically.