In Tbilisi, protesters who attempted to storm the presidential palace in the country during municipal elections have been dispersed by Georgian riot police using tear gas, pepper spray, and water cannon.
The opposition groups, who had boycotted the election, called for a “peaceful revolution” against the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party, accusing it of authoritarianism and adopting pro-Russian policies, following the clashes on Saturday.
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In what organizers described as a show of defiance against GD, thousands of people gathered in Freedom Square and Rustaveli Avenue and waved the EU and Georgian flags. Later, some erected barriers to the nearby streets, lit fires, and fought with riot police.
Witnesses claim that a group of demonstrators attempted to break through the fence in the evening as they marched toward the palace.
On the day of local elections in Tbilisi, Georgia, on October 4, 2025, protesters attempt to enter the presidential palace grounds.
The rally was later declared unlawful by the ministry of internal affairs, claiming that it had “exceeded the norms set by law.” Then, using force, police resisted the protesters.
According to a report obtained by Reuters, protester Davit Mzhavanadze claimed that the current crisis was the result of “our pro-Russian and authoritarian government’s unwavering leadership.” I believe that this protest will continue until our government properly responds to these demands.
The ruling GD refuted allegations of vote-rigging, saying that it had taken control in every municipality in the nation’s 3. 7 million-person municipality. The party, which was founded by billionaire and former prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, denies being pro-Moscow. It claims to remain stable with Russia while announcing its intention to join the EU.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Georgia has seen its ties to Europe and the United States deteriorate, once thought to be one of the most pro-Western nations to emerge after the Soviet Union collapse. Following the disputed parliamentary election of last year, the government began holding talks with the European Union, halting any further negotiations.
The populist ANO party, led by billionaire Andrej Babis, has a clear lead in the Czech Republic’s parliamentary election but is on track to lose the majority.
ANO received 35% of the vote, according to the Czech Statistical Office, with ballots from more than 97% of the polling stations being counted on Saturday. Spolu (Together), a center-right alliance led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala, lost 23 percent.
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Fiala conceded defeat and congratulated Babis shortly after the preliminary results were released.
With more than 4,400 candidates and 26 parties vying for seats in the 200-member lower house, turnout reached 68 percent, the highest level since 1998.
After the results are finalized, party leaders are expected to begin coalition discussions with president Petr Pavel on Sunday. Officials have warned that the rollout of mail-in voting could stifle the official confirmation process.
Babis cannot rule by himself because of the overwhelming showing. ANO may be supported by the Motorists, a party that opposes EU green policies, and the far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD), a party that has opposed NATO and the EU.
At the party’s headquarters in Prague, Czech Republic, on October 4, 2025, Andrej Babis, the party’s leader, addresses a press conference following the preliminary results of the parliamentary election.
Radim Fiala, the SPD deputy leader, stated on Czech television that he was prepared to support the government’s overthrow. It was important to us and it would meet the election’s goal, he said, “because we went into it with the intention of ending the government of Petr Fiala and supporting even a minority cabinet of ANO.”
Randibor pro-Russian parties performed poorly in the partial results. The far-left Stacilo! managed 8%, while SPD! Movement that was centered on the Communist Party failed to pass the 5% threshold for parliamentary session.
Babis, who oversaw a center-left-led coalition from 2017 to 2021, has recently shifted significantly to the right. He once endorsed the euro, and he now declares himself an admirer and eurosceptic toward US President Donald Trump, even distributing “Strong Czechia” baseball caps with the slogan “MAGA.”
He has also allied himself with Viktor Orban, the prime minister of Hungary, and the European Parliament’s far-right coalition.
Finkelstein’s defense of Trump’s peace agreement, which he calls the weakest yet without a path to justice, is explained to Marc Lamont Hill.
A “Board of Peace” plan that President Trump chairs would apply to Gaza. Some in the international community have praised the decision, but others criticize how it bypasses Palestinians and provides no way for statehood. Will this agreement bring about real peace or cement the status quo, with Netanyahu promising to not completely leave Gaza?
According to US political scientist Stephen Walt, the US is planning a “half-hearted” intervention that won’t bring about peace.
According to Stephen Walt, professor of international relations at Harvard University, the US plan to end Israel’s occupation of Gaza is designed, supervised, and administered by “people who are very firmly pro-Israel.”
Walt tells Steve Clemons on the program, “We’ve seen this movie before.” Israel can assert at any time that the Palestinian side isn’t fulfilling its obligations in accordance with the terms that US President Donald Trump has announced, leading to the resumption of the conflict.
Mass rallies are taking place in urban centers across the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, and Portugal to protest Israel’s occupation of Gaza. Tens of thousands of people are taking to the streets in major cities across Europe.
Several weeks prior, protests were planned in Spain’s second-largest city, Barcelona, as well as Madrid, while protests in Rome and Lisbon were reportedly prompted by Israeli forces intercepting a humanitarian aid flotilla headed for Gaza in an effort to break Israel’s blockade of the famine-stricken Palestinian territory.
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One former mayor of Barcelona and more than 40 Spaniards are among the 450 activists who Israel detained this week from the flotilla’s boats.
More than two million people in Italy participated in a one-day general strike on Friday to support the people of Gaza.
In recent weeks, Spain’s government has increased diplomatic relations with the far-right Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
Last month, protests against the presence of an Israeli-owned cycling team repeatedly slowed down the Spanish Vuelta cycling competition, while Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the Israeli-occupied Gaza area a “genocide” and demanded that all Israeli teams be barred from international sporting events.
In Barcelona, Spain, people demonstrate at a pro-Palestinian demonstration and condemn Israeli forces’ intercept of the Global Sumud Flotilla vessels, which were intended to enter Gaza and erupt Israel’s naval blockade.
Hamas said it has accepted some of the elements of the United States president Donald Trump’s plan to put an end to the two-year assault, which has claimed the lives of more than 66 000 people and destroyed Gaza.
According to the town hall in Barcelona, police estimated that 70 000 people attended the demonstration on Saturday.
Barcelona’s long, narrow Passeig de Gracia, the city’s main street, was packed. People of all ages and many families turned out as well. Palestinian flags or T-shirts supporting Palestine were carried by protesters.
Hand-held signs lacked the phrases “Gaza hurts me,” “Stop the Genocide,” and “Hands off the flotilla.”
After making an hour-long drive from her home in another town to Barcelona, Maria Jesus Parra, 63, carried a Palestinian flag high. She wants the European Union to stop the horrors she describes seeing every day on television.
How is it possible that, after what Europe experienced in the 1940s, a genocide is occurring now? said Parra. No one can now claim that they were unaware of what was going on.
Arrests in London
Three Palestinian organizations, along with local unions and students, are organizing a protest in Rome. The protesters will start in San Giovanni and move on to Porta San Paolo. According to state broadcaster Rai, police anticipate tens of thousands of people attending.
Despite police requesting a postponement following the deadly attack at a synagogue in Manchester earlier this week, a protest in London in support of Palestine Action is also being held.
On Thursday, police shot the attacker, a British man of Syrian descent, dead in the attack in the city’s northwest.
At least 175 people were detained by police on Saturday’s main protest in Trafalgar Square, central London, at the scene.
As seated activists wrote slogans on placards expressing their support for Palestine Action, officers began removing protesters. The police yelled “shame on you” to the crowd.
In a show of support for Palestine Action, organizers objected to the police’s and the government’s requests to cancel the demonstration, which had been postponed prior to the attack.
Following Thursday’s attack, police claimed that the protests would stifle resources away from security.
In a post on X on Saturday morning, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged anyone considering a weekend of protests to acknowledge and respect the grief of British Jews.
This is in mourning, I tell you. Not to build up tension and cause pain at the same time. He said, “It’s time to stand together.”
According to local media reports, thousands of people have also taken to the streets of Dublin, Ireland, to commemorate the two years since Israel started its occupation of Gaza and demand that the Irish government condemn Israel.
According to the report, 16 Irish people were among the hundreds of people who were taken hostage by Israel after it intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla.
Who: Pakistan vs. India What: ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 When: Sunday, October 5 at 09:30 GMT Where: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka How to follow: Al Jazeera Sport will have live build-up from 06:30 GMT ahead of our text commentary stream.
In Colombo, India and Pakistan could face off in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 in response to persistent political unrest between the two neighbors of South Asia.
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The eagerly awaited group-stage match will likely be capped by questions about the infamous handshakes between the captains during the pre-match coin toss and the match’s conclusion, when both teams typically take the field back.
In all three of the tournament’s three matches, the Indian men’s teams and their captain did not shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts, which caused a backlash and furore that ruined the event when India and Pakistan’s men’s teams met in the Asia Cup in 2025.
A top official from the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) has not rejected the use of a “no handshake” policy for the Women’s World Cup game.
I can’t promise you of anything, BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia said on the BBC’s Stumped podcast, “whether there will be handshakes or huggings.”
Although I can’t say for sure, our relationship with that particular hostile nation is unbroken. The last week hasn’t changed much.
“Keep your eyes on the game.”
Both teams want to ignore the contentious build-up and concentrate on the game, despite the fact that cricket may seem to have been pushed into the background once more.
The World Cup is an event that every player attends, according to Pakistan’s captain Fatima Sana, who stated on Saturday, “We know what’s happening around us, but we try to stay focused on the game.”
When asked about the “outside noise,” Sana, whose team was comprehensively defeated by Bangladesh in their opening match, said Pakistan will “focus on the tournament and on what we have come here for.”
The players’ off-field interactions with Pakistan were so memorable that the game was praised by the fans that it was the last time India and Pakistan played each other at the Women’s World Cup.
Pakistan’s then-captain Bismah Maroof was surrounded by an Indian team’s fans as they sang aloud to her six-month-old daughter Fatima at the New Zealand 2022 tournament.
As players from the opposing countries bonded outside their dressing rooms after the game was over, jokes were exchanged, selfies were taken, and memories were made.
Sana, who made up the Pakistan squad in 2022, was questioned about how the players will miss the camaraderie and spirit of the previous three years.
Sana responded, “We try to keep healthy relationships with every team.”
What transpired with Bismah’s daughter when everyone mingled and enjoyed themselves? As gamers, we all enjoy these kinds of moments, but the key is to remain focused [on the game]?
The journalist was informed that India would not respond to the same query that was posed to Aavishankar Salvi, the country’s bowling coach.
Salvi did mention that India, which defeated Sri Lanka by 59 runs in their opening game, would also “focus on the cricket” on Sunday.
#CricketTwitter pic #Return to this stunning moment from the 2022 World Cup, which features Bismah Maroof’s daughter and Indian girls. https://twitter.com/PuxFEC5O1Y
The world will be watching, it’s said.
Because the World Cup is a long campaign and there will be many games in store for our girls, he said, “we want our girls to take it just as a game.”
“When you enter a major tournament, the only area of focus is cricket,” he said, adding that it’s beneficial to have the players in a good [head] space.
The event is anticipated to draw sizable audience, and the organizers anticipate a sizable crowd at the ground as well.
Sana, who also led Pakistan in their T20 World Cup 2024 encounter, acknowledged that the high-pressure match makes it “the whole world will be watching” for the match.
“There is pressure, but how we handle it is what matters most. We’ll try to keep our eyes on the prize, carry out our plans, and play as we’ve planned.
What transpired during the most recent women’s cricket match between India and Pakistan?
The last time the two teams met was in Dubai, where India won by six wickets in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024.
When did Pakistan last last defeat India in women’s cricket?
India has only lost to Pakistan three times, with the last time being against them on October 7 in the T20 Women’s Asia Cup 2022. The 13-run victory over Bangladesh was sealed by Nida Dar’s all-round performance.
Will Colombo experience rain during the India vs. Pakistan game?
In Khettarama, the area home to the R Premadasa Stadium in Sri Lanka’s capital, it is anticipated to experience rain on Sunday morning.
The weather will remain cloudy throughout the day, and there will also be some light showers coming in later in the evening. This could cause play to be delayed or interrupted.
Before Sri Lanka’s match against Australia at the same venue, there was a lot of rain on Saturday. The game was called off without any play as a result of the persistent rain.
As a result of the rain, Sri Lanka vs. Australia was postponed on Saturday.
Head-to-head encounter between India and Pakistan in women’s international matches
In women’s international matches, India leads their neighbors by 11-0. India has won all of its games by comfortable margins, including the 107-run victory in New Zealand’s ICC Women’s World Cup 2022.
Watch out for India
Smriti Mandhana: Known as one of the best limited-over bowlers in modern women’s cricket, Mandhana has already broken the majority of women’s ODI records in the last two years. She led the format in runscoring in 2024 and is currently the top-ranked ODI batter by a distance. The Indian vice-captain has now scored four ODI centuries, which is the most by any player in the current year.
Deepti Sharma, who has performed well against Pakistan in previous matches, poses an equal threat with bat and ball. Pakistan’s batters will be in great danger from Sharma’s right-arm off-break bowling. In India’s opening match of the World Cup against Sri Lanka on Tuesday, she took three wickets and scored 54 runs.
Watch out for Pakistan.
Sidra Amin, a veteran batter, recently recorded her sixth ODI century-crushing performance against South Africa. She enters the crucial match against a strong Indian bowling line-up in good run-scoring form and is regarded as the mainstay of Pakistan’s batting attack.
Nashra Sandhu, a seemingly unassuming slow left-arm bowler, has been Pakistan’s preferred option for spin in recent years, placing third in the world’s top ODI wicket-takers. In Pakistan’s nine ODIs in 2025, Sandhu took 16 wickets, six of which came against South Africa on September 22.
Formal instructions for India
India won both their home and away series titles in the opening match of the World Cup. Sri Lanka put them to the test in the opening match of the World Cup, but they won despite that defeat to start their successful campaign.
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Formal instructions for Pakistan
After defeating Bangladesh, Thailand, and the West Indies five times at home in the World Cup qualifiers, Pakistan’s form has deteriorated. They are now five games without defeat. Sana’s team lost their first World Cup match to South Africa at home, where they lost to South Africa, before suffering a dramatic batting collapse.
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India team news
For their second match of the tournament, India is expected to name an unchanged XI.
Pratika Rawal, Smriti Mandhana, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, Kranti Goud, and Shree Charani make up the predicted XI.
Pakistan team news
Pakistan’s XI will likely be the same as the Bangladesh XI, but Aroob Shah, a former All-Star, might be a better choice to replace Natalia Pervaiz.
