DAILY NEWS | Tuesday, October 6, 2026 Published: 2026-10-06 Afghanistan, the Region and the World: The Pulse of Society and Popular Struggles 1) AFGHANISTAN Afghanistan at the centre of regional diplomacy, while people’s crisis persists The United Nations has reported the conclusion of Rosemary DiCarlo’s visit to Afghanistan. A dated UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) note is dated October 5, while the UNAMA page carries October 6 for the same announcement; this bulletin reflects that discrepancy rather than presenting the exact end date as undisputed. DiCarlo met de facto authorities, civil-society representatives, women, and Afghan women staff of the United Nations. She stressed continuity in the Doha process and the need for practical results for Afghans from the working groups on counternarcotics and the private sector. She also raised UN member states’ concerns about the situation of women and girls, particularly access to education. The central question remains: how far can diplomatic dialogue change the daily lives of ordinary people? For millions of families, politics has meaning when it leads to food, work, education, freedom, and social security. Sources: UN DPPA; UNAMA International Criminal Court makes four arrest warrants public On October 5, the International Criminal Court unsealed four arrest warrants concerning four senior Taliban officials, including Hibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani. The alleged crime is persecution on gender grounds as a crime against humanity, including in connection with policies that restrict women’s and girls’ access to education, work, public life, and fundamental freedoms. These are allegations, not convictions. The Taliban has rejected the Court’s jurisdiction. Sources: International Criminal Court, October 5; Associated Press, October 5 Kabul and Islamabad: tensions persist as Moscow signals readiness to mediate At the Moscow Format meeting on Afghanistan, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said that problems between Afghanistan and Pakistan should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. The meeting ended without a joint statement; reports cited disagreements between the Taliban and Pakistan. Russia said it was ready to help ease tensions if both sides requested it. That is an offer of possible mediation, not evidence that mediation has taken place. In a separate development, UNAMA said that at least 10 civilians—most of them children—were killed and nine others injured in airstrikes in Kunar and Helmand on October 1. UNAMA’s statement did not identify who carried out the strikes. Afghanistan must not become a field for regional powers to settle security scores. The voices of families who bear the cost of conflict must be heard in every discussion. Sources: KabulNow, Moscow meeting; Russian Foreign Ministry; Reuters, Muttaqi’s remarks; UNAMA, civilian casualties 2) REGION AND WORLD Gaza: one year after the peace plan, the war has not ended One year after Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza, Reuters reports that Israeli strikes continue and that much of the Gaza Strip remains under effective Israeli military control. Disarmament, withdrawal of forces, and reconstruction remain unresolved. In a report on October 6, Reuters cited Gaza medical personnel and officials reporting at least two people killed in strikes near al-Shifa Hospital. The Israeli military told Reuters that the targets were “militants”; the report did not independently establish the identities or civilian or combatant status of those killed. The IPC’s July assessment projected more than 1.4 million people in Gaza would face “Crisis or worse” levels of acute food insecurity between July and December 2026. This is a projection, not a new headcount taken on the day of publication. Gaza remains one of the clearest humanitarian and political crises of the present era. Any genuine reconstruction must put people’s needs at its centre. Sources: Reuters, strikes reported October 6; Reuters, one-year assessment; IPC, Gaza food-security assessment, July 2026 France: streets become a site of protest for a younger generation Student and school protests that began at school gates continued on October 6. Reported demands include more funding and resources for public education, hiring teachers, improving school buildings, and addressing staff shortages and overcrowded classrooms. Hundreds of schools had been closed or disrupted in the days ahead of the nationwide mobilization. Teachers’ unions also called for strike action and support for the movement; as of this bulletin’s preparation, this should not be described as confirmed nationwide participation by all unions. Arrest and detention figures are not directly comparable. France’s Interior Ministry reported 6,059 “interpellations” since September 28, while the Justice Ministry reported more than 5,060 people in police custody over a different period and under a different definition; these figures should not be added together or treated as the same measure. The Associated Press also reported that the Interior Ministry said 305 officers were injured during protests on one day. Reuters reported that a 15-year-old student lost a hand in Lens on October 5 after picking up a police stun grenade; a local official said an investigation had been opened. The movement is about more than school buildings. It shows that young people are not remaining silent in the face of under-resourced public services and structural neglect of social needs. Political claims by each side and the results of investigations should be assessed separately. Sources: Reuters, protests and schools; Le Monde, live coverage, October 6; French Ministry of Justice; Reuters, 15-year-old injured, October 5; AP, figures attributed to the Interior Ministry A significant economic fact The New York State Comptroller’s Office reported that pre-tax trading profits at New York Stock Exchange member firms reached $45.9 billion in the first half of 2026, 51.3% higher than in the same period a year earlier. This figure concerns NYSE member firms; it is not a measure of the entire U.S. financial industry. It should be considered alongside the circumstances of workers, unemployed people, and low-income families. The concentration of wealth alongside economic insecurity is a central contradiction examined by the political economy of capitalism. Sources: New York State Comptroller, October 6; Reuters, republished by Yahoo Finance 3) WORKERS’ AND LEFT MOVEMENTS Britain: Wood Group workers begin strike action Offshore workers represented by the RMT and Unite unions began a 48-hour strike in the early hours of October 6. The dispute concerns working conditions and union concerns about changes to contracts and “fire and rehire” practices. Wood Group told the BBC it was aware of the planned action and that consultation over changes was continuing. This is not only a dispute at one company: job security, wages, and working conditions remain key terrain in the struggle between labour and capital. Sources: RMT, October 5; Unite the Union; BBC, October 6 Indonesia: employment-protection bill approved Indonesia’s parliament approved an employment-protection bill on October 6. Reuters reported that higher severance benefits were among its key provisions, while the parliamentary site described the bill’s aims as strengthening workers’ rights and business certainty. The final published text of the law was not available when this bulletin was prepared; details about limits on dismissal and the funding of benefits should therefore be attributed to media reports or officials until the official text can be checked, rather than presented as definitive statutory provisions. Sources: Reuters, October 6; Indonesian Parliament, October 6 South Africa: “Red October” and a new test for the Communist Party The South African Communist Party (SACP) has launched its “Red October” campaign. Its stated priorities include the right to work, water, electricity, land, roads, and social safety. The party says it will contest the coming local elections independently of the ANC under its own name and banner—something it describes as a first in South Africa’s democratic era. This is the party’s stated position and programme. In the campaign address, General Secretary Solly Mapaila stressed accountability among elected representatives and the need for a councillor’s office to remain connected to organizing among the people. The experience matters for left movements: political power detached from the organized strength of working people can harden into bureaucracy and privilege. Sources: SACP campaign statement, October 4; SABC News, October 4; The Herald, October 6 Greece: Communists mobilize against militarist policies The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) has called on workers and young people to mobilize against militarist policies and Greece’s role in military plans involving the United States, NATO, and the European Union. The All-Workers Militant Front (PAME) called a demonstration for 7:30 p.m. on October 6 at Syntagma Square. At the time this bulletin was prepared, the rally was still scheduled; its occurrence and attendance cannot be confirmed in advance. Opposition to militarization and military spending is the organizers’ political position. Sources: PAME call; KKE statement; U.S. State Department travel schedule Spain: the struggle for housing continues The Communist Party of the Workers of Spain (PCTE) has issued a statement on continuing popular mobilizations around the housing crisis. It followed parliament’s rejection of two emergency housing decrees and called for continued organizing for the right to housing. This is a party position and call to action; it should be kept distinct from independent reporting on protest attendance or the movement’s reach. Rising purchase prices and rents in parts of Europe consume a growing share of workers’ and young people’s incomes. Sources: PCTE statement; republished by SolidNet; Spanish Congress, rejection of the decrees Communist solidarity against repression: party statements are not independent reporting The Communist Party of Mexico (PCM) and the Communist Youth Front (FJC) said that eight of their members were detained in Mexico City before the October 2 march. The reviewed sources did not independently confirm the number eight; the claim must therefore be attributed clearly to the parties themselves. The Communist Party of Greece published a solidarity message with the PCM and its youth front. The Communist Party of Turkey and the Communist Party of Pakistan also issued messages of greeting and solidarity for the 85th anniversary of the Tudeh Party of Iran. These are political messages from parties, not independent reports of an event. Sources: PCM statement via El Machete; march report via La Jornada; KKE statement via SolidNet; TKP message to the Tudeh Party; Communist Party of Pakistan message to the Tudeh Party 4) A SHORT NOTE The pulse of struggle: the world is not still From Kabul to Paris, from London to Jakarta, and from Athens to Johannesburg, today’s events show that society is not motionless: students protest, workers strike, unions organize, and communist and socialist parties make their positions known. These struggles are not identical; each has its own historical and political context. What they share is people organizing because they see existing conditions as unjust and seek to change them. News is not only the recording of events; it is also an effort to understand historical movement. History is not written only in the palaces of power. Factories, universities, schools, working-class neighbourhoods, and streets are also places where the future is shaped. The “Daily News” section of this website seeks to be more than a channel for official headlines: it aims to open a window onto the social, labour, and political struggles of people around the world. We call news “news” and analysis “analysis”; attribute each side’s claims to that side; and make the sources and context of events clear. The world today cannot be understood only from the desks of power. We must also hear the voices of those struggling to change it. Prepared and edited by: Yama Afghan October 6, 2026