Haiti has postponed elections indefinitely because of worsening gang violence that has crippled preparations for the vote. The decision was announced by the country's Provisional Electoral Council on Tuesday, officials said. The council had originally set the first round of presidential and legislative elections for December 13, with a second round scheduled for February 21, 2027. No new date was provided, and the council indicated that the timetable would be released later when conditions allow.

The council's statement said the campaign period has been postponed and that the schedule will be adjusted to meet technical and operational requirements, as well as to ensure the proper conduct of each stage. It added that voter registration continues, though only 769,000 voters had been registered since the process began on July 20. A council member, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the December 13 date no longer stands and that a new timetable is being developed.

Haiti has not held elections since 2016, and its last president was assassinated in 2021, leaving a power vacuum that armed groups have exploited. The country, the poorest in the Americas, has faced a deepening political, economic, and security crisis in recent years. Gangs have expanded their control, carrying out killings, kidnappings, rape, and child recruitment across the nation. The United Nations reported that at least 5,700 people have been killed or wounded this year, and more than 1,000 women and girls have been raped. Over 230 kidnappings have also been recorded, though the UN cautioned that the true numbers are likely higher.

Approximately 1.5 million people are internally displaced by violence, according to the International Organization for Migration. The security situation has made it difficult to organize a national vote, with several municipalities under gang control lacking registration centers and road closures preventing the delivery of electoral materials. A UN-backed Gang Suppression Force, intended to reach 5,500 personnel, currently has about 1,500 deployed. The force replaced a Kenya-led security mission that was considered under-resourced. The UN Security Council recently extended the mandate of the Gang Suppression Force for six months, emphasizing the need for security conditions conducive to free and fair elections.

Public sentiment reflects deep skepticism about the feasibility of holding elections under current conditions. Davidson Jean Baptiste, a taxi driver in Port-au-Prince, said he did not expect to vote this year, noting that citizens are more concerned with insecurity and abuses by armed groups than with political participation. Others, like Claudette Piard at a voter registration center in Delmas, expressed hope that the country could return to democracy, stating that people have been excluded from political discourse for too long and now seek a government that addresses widespread suffering.

Student walkouts turned into nationwide demonstrations on Tuesday, reflecting growing frustration with public education conditions and government fiscal policies.

Tens of thousands gathered in cities including Paris, Lille, Lyon, Marseille and Toulouse after two weeks of school blockades and occasional clashes with police. Labor unions such as the CGT joined the actions, linking student grievances to wider concerns about austerity measures and rising living costs.

Hundreds of schools and colleges were closed as students demanded smaller class sizes, additional staffing and greater equity in education funding. Signs carried by demonstrators included phrases like "Old enough to be teargassed, but not to protest" and "Disenchanted generation."

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez reported more than 5,000 detentions overall, with the majority involving minors. Nearly 300 students and school staff were injured alongside hundreds of police officers. A teenager in Lens lost part of his hand after handling a stun grenade, according to local media reports.

The protests originated in late September when students supported striking teachers in Créteil, a suburb of Paris. The movement expanded to involve transport workers and farmers opposing public spending cuts. While most actions remained peaceful, some incidents involved burning barricades, fireworks and confrontations with riot police using tear gas and rubber projectiles.

Education Minister Édouard Geffray met with student representatives this week and announced a government plan to address school infrastructure and staffing shortages. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu confirmed that high school classes would be suspended through the remainder of the week for consultations.

Political analysts note the unrest coincides with rising borrowing costs and debates over a 2027 budget that includes pension reforms, public sector wage freezes and health care spending limits. The fiscal pressures have intensified scrutiny of education spending, which remains one of the largest budget items alongside defense and debt interest.

The demonstrations have drawn comparisons to the Yellow Vests movement, though organizers emphasize distinct demands focused on education rather than fuel taxes or immigration. Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally, has framed the unrest as evidence of governmental mismanagement, while left-wing leaders reject accusations of inciting violence.

International figures have amplified the situation for unrelated agendas. Former U.S. President Donald Trump referenced the protests on social media, linking them to migration concerns despite no connection to protester messaging. Similar claims appeared in online commentary from anti-immigrant influencers in the United States and Britain.

The scale and trajectory of the protests remain uncertain, with estimates of participation ranging from 250,000 to 450,000 depending on the source. Authorities continue to balance public safety measures with efforts to restore classroom operations.

Hundreds of thousands of students and supporters flooded streets in Paris, Marseille, Lyon and other French cities on Tuesday as part of a nationwide demonstration demanding better school resources and an end to what protesters describe as police repression. The march, dubbed "Act Three" by student unions, followed earlier actions that began in mid‑September in the Seine‑Saint‑Denis suburb, where overcrowded classrooms, staffing shortages and crumbling facilities sparked local anger. Demonstrators, many of them teenagers, marched from Paris’s Place de la République, chanting for increased funding and fewer police confrontations. Police responded with tear gas in Paris and Marseille and deployed water cannons in Rennes, though officials reported only limited clashes compared with previous waves of unrest. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu condemned earlier violence and said that since the protests began, 215 students, 85 staff members and 715 police officers had been injured. Government figures put disruption in 891 high schools — about a quarter of all lycées — while student unions claimed 450,000 participants and blockades of 1,800 schools. In Marseille, thousands moved through the city, at times forming barricades with bollards and bins before police dispersed them with tear gas. One masked protester was quoted saying, “Most of us aren’t violent; we’re going to the streets because they’ve closed our schools… schools are falling apart.” Another participant, Sacha, noted leaking ceilings and poor conditions that made learning difficult. Education Minister Édouard Geffray said he had called for dialogue rather than blockades, but described “ultra‑violent elements” infiltrating the movement. In parliament, Lecornu accused the radical‑left France Unbowed (LFI) party of trying to “sow chaos” ahead of upcoming elections. President Emmanuel Macron, in his final term, was scheduled to meet ministers to assess the situation. The interior ministry reported 6,547 stops or arrests since 28 September, and the CGT union announced plans for further student‑focused protests on Thursday. Separate investigations are examining allegations of disproportionate police force, including a case where an officer was charged with violence resulting in permanent disability after firing a tear‑gas grenade that fractured a 14‑year‑old’s jaw. A 15‑year‑old also suffered a hand injury when an anti‑encirclement grenade exploded near a school in Lens. Families of students have joined the demonstrations; one couple in their 70s, former teachers Alain and Michèle, marched in central Paris to support the youth, saying they understood the systemic problems facing the education system.

The Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), a coalition formed in 2024 that unites Tuareg and northern separatist factions, declared on Tuesday that it would carry out a controlled withdrawal from Kidal, a strategically significant town in northern Mali. The statement attributed the decision to sustained air strikes conducted by Malian government forces and Russian military contractors, which the group said compelled a tactical retreat.

The Malian military confirmed earlier on Tuesday that it had initiated large-scale air and ground operations in the vicinity of Kidal. According to a military communiqué, the objectives of these operations were to track down and neutralize armed groups, dismantle supply networks, and restore lasting security and free movement for civilians and commercial activity.

Pro-government militias, including Russian paramilitary units, re-entered Kidal on Tuesday afternoon, reported a security source familiar with the deployment. The town had been under FLA control since June, when the coalition captured it following a period of intense fighting.

The FLA characterized the withdrawal as a temporary operational measure designed to preserve its human and logistical capabilities. It emphasized that the disengagement had occurred without direct combat between its fighters and Malian government forces, describing the move as methodical and deliberate.

Mali’s security environment has been volatile since 2012, when a Tuareg separatist uprising in the north was initially co-opted by Islamist militants linked to al-Qaeda. By 2017, these groups had consolidated under Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM). Although the FLA presents itself as a secular nationalist movement advocating for the independence of the Azawad region, and JNIM frames its struggle as a broader effort to overthrow the Malian government, the two groups have set aside ideological differences to oppose the military-backed administration.

The Malian armed forces have governed the country since a 2021 coup, pledging to restore order and national unity. In the wake of expelling French military personnel and withdrawing United Nations peacekeeping forces — totaling approximately 15,000 troops — the junta has increasingly relied on Russian security contractors for defensive support.

Since April, when the FLA and JNIM launched a joint offensive against government positions, hostilities have escalated, marked by a surge in attacks on Malian military installations and supply routes. The government has described this alliance as a “terrorist coalition,” while the FLA maintains its commitment to achieving political autonomy for Azawad, a designation it uses for the northern territories of Mali.

The withdrawal from Kidal represents a significant shift in the regional balance of power, though the FLA has not indicated whether the move is permanent or contingent on future security conditions. The situation remains fluid, with both sides retaining the capacity to re-engage militarily depending on evolving tactical and political calculations.

Christa Pike, the woman convicted of murdering Colleen Slemmer in 1995, has regained consciousness after a lethal injection attempt in Tennessee last week failed to end her life. Her legal team confirmed on Tuesday that she is speaking while remaining restrained to her hospital bed at a Nashville facility, where she has been treated since the botched execution on September 30. Pike, 50, sustained severe arm injuries during the procedure after officials struggled to insert intravenous lines into her small veins, a difficulty compounded by a blood disorder known as thrombocytosis. Doctors had warned prison authorities of these medical challenges prior to the execution, according to court filings.

The execution protocol collapsed after two doses of pentobarbital were administered improperly, leaving Pike gasping, crying and describing her arms as if they might burst open. Medical staff abandoned the lethal injection effort after 2.5 hours of failed attempts, calling an ambulance instead. Pike’s lawyers noted that prison officials disregarded prior medical advice about her condition, and the Department of Correction later acknowledged following "every step of the state's lawful, established execution protocol" despite the outcome. Commissioner Frank Strada resigned following the incident, and Governor Bill Lee had previously paused all executions for the remainder of the year pending an external review.

Pike’s death sentence stemmed from her role in the 1995 murder of Slemmer, a 19-year-old classmate. Prosecutors described the killing as exceptionally brutal: Slemmer was lured to a wooded area near the University of Tennessee campus, struck with asphalt, and had a pentagram carved into her chest before Pike took a fragment of her skull as a keepsake. Pike, then 18, was sentenced to death, while her co-defendants received lesser penalties. Her clemency petition, which cited childhood trauma and mental health struggles, was denied by Lee last week. The case has reignited debates about the feasibility of lethal injection, with opponents pointing to the prolonged distress and procedural failures as evidence of systemic flaws in carrying out capital punishment.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced the temporary closure of all secondary schools across France for the remainder of the week as nationwide demonstrations against proposed education reforms intensified. Police deployed tear gas on Tuesday to disperse crowds attempting to block school entrances in multiple cities, where hundreds of thousands of students and supporters gathered to demand changes including increased teacher staffing, extended lunch periods, and modified school schedules. Organizers reported nearly 2,000 schools affected, while government sources estimated approximately 250,000 participants nationwide, with protest leaders citing closer to 500,000 demonstrators. Protesters in Paris, Marseille, Nantes, Lyon, Strasbourg, and Rennes carried signs reading "they don’t really care about us" and "survive or study," reflecting grievances over under-resourced institutions. In several locations, clashes escalated with projectiles thrown at police and street fires lit, prompting authorities to deploy riot units. Hugo Vetzel, a recent high school graduate in Strasbourg, stated "there is such a gap between the elites and us," while parents and teachers expressed concerns about both inadequate school conditions and potential infiltration by disruptive elements.

The government framed the closures as a measure to empower school administrators, educators, and students to address internal democratic concerns regarding facility conditions. Lecornu emphasized that "burning down a high school does not improve the state of high school buildings," and directed ministers to develop responses to student demands by the end of October, including plans for campus repairs. However, skepticism persists regarding fiscal feasibility, with Al Jazeera correspondent Natacha Butler noting France's "real budget crisis" and debt constraints may limit implementation speed. The Ministry of Interior reported 6,100 arrests since protests began two weeks ago, predominantly involving individuals under 18, while the Ministry of Justice confirmed over 1,800 prosecutions, including 1,483 minors. Medical reports indicated at least 215 teenagers and 715 police officers injured during confrontations, including a 15-year-old who lost his hand after handling a police grenade in Lens. Meanwhile, former U.S. President Donald Trump referenced the unrest on his social media platform, attributing it to "mass migration" and "Islam wanting to take over a once great Country," claims lacking evidentiary support that critics noted align with broader patterns of anti-Muslim rhetoric among certain political figures seeking to mobilize right-wing constituencies ahead of upcoming elections.