A woman who went missing on a solo hike in Australia’s Snowy Mountains was found “dazed and injured” on Sunday, police said, after suffering a suspected snake bite while missing for nearly two weeks.

Lovisa Sjoberg, 48, was spotted by rescuers as she walked along a bush trail in Kosciuszko National Park, southwest of the capital Canberra, on Sunday afternoon.

New South Wales Police Superintendent Toby Lindsay said Monday she was “fortunate to be alive” after being bitten by a snake, potentially a copperhead. The venomous species can deliver a painful bite that can lead to death without medical attention.

“She advises that she was bitten by a snake approximately four days prior and had rolled her ankle and was dehydrated,” Lindsay said. “She’s in fact pretty fortunate to be alive and went through a pretty tough time.”

It’s not known how long Sjoberg was missing in the wilderness – she had last been seen driving a rented car on October 15.

Police only started investigating her whereabouts last Monday after the car rental company reported their vehicle had not been returned.

Officers tracked the car to Kiandra, a former gold mining town near the mountains, and investigated the theory that Sjoberg, an avid photographer and experienced hiker, had become lost in the wilderness when she set off on foot.

Police sent up helicopters, planes, and deployed search teams by road, on foot and horseback for six days before spotting her on Sunday.

The northern part of Kosciuszko National Park recently reopened to visitors after an annual closure during winter. The park was closed two months earlier this year to allow aerial culling of deer, pigs and wild horses, known as brumbies, in an effort to protect its alpine environment.

Sjoberg has an Instagram account dedicated to images of wild horses, and members of brumby advocacy groups expressed serious concern for her welfare on social media.

Plans by the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) to shoot brumbies from helicopters led to a failed legal bid to stop the cull this year.

The government said the cull was necessary to protect native plants and animals in the alpine wilderness, which are vulnerable to damage from large numbers of feral animals.

The Snowy Mountains are part of the Great Dividing Range, a mountainous region some 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometers) long, that contains some of Australia’s highest peaks. It’s popular with hikers and skiers who visit nearby resorts during the annual ski season.

Emmy, Grammy, and Tony award-winning, American actor Billy Porter and celebrated South African television presenter Bonang Matheba have been tapped to host the fourth annual Earthshot Prize Awards in South Africa on November 6.

The Earthshot Prize is an ambitious environmental initiative founded by Prince William back in 2020 that seeks to offer green solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems.

Porter, who described co-hosting the evening as an “honor,” said in a statement: “I’m so inspired by the Earthshot community, and I can’t wait to be part of an evening that celebrates creativity, human ingenuity, and artistry in all its different forms.”

Matheba said she was “excited to celebrate these incredible innovators who are making a significant impact on our planet.”

The star-studded, eco awards ceremony – set to take place in Cape Town, South Africa in early November – will also include special performances and appearances from Nigerian singer-songwriter Davido, Tanzanian musician Diamond Platnumz, South African composer Lebo M alongside the Ndlovu Youth Choir and internationally acclaimed DJ and producer, Uncle Waffles.

The 15 Earthshot Prize finalists hail from six continents, with France, Ghana, Indonesia, Kazakhstan and Nepal all having teams in contention for the first time. The winners will be selected by the Prince of Wales and a panel of experts including José Andrés, Queen Rania of Jordan and David Attenborough. Each of the five winners will receive a prize of £1 million (about $1.3 million) to scale up their solutions.

Since the scheme launched, it has delivered more than £75 million (around $100 million) in direct funding and in-kind support, according to organizers. The competition has five categories: “Protect and Restore Nature,” “Clean Our Air,” “Revive Our Oceans,” “Build a Waste Free World,” and “Fix Our Climate.”

Supermodel and TV host Heidi Klum, actor and activist Nina Dobrev, Canadian model Winnie Harlow and performer Tobe Nwigwe will be on hand to announce the five category winners.

While celebrating the work of global environmental innovators, the event also intends to spotlight innovation from across the African continent.

The star-studded ceremony will be available to watch globally through a special partnership with YouTube. Earthshot Week runs November 4 to 7, culminating with the Earthshot Prize Awards on November 6.

After Israel’s attack on Iran Saturday, US officials were quick to caution both countries against perpetuating the cycle of violence, but analysts say lasting de-escalation is not a foregone conclusion.

The airstrikes “should be the end of this direct exchange of fire between Israel and Iran,” a senior US administration official said after the attacks.

After reports emerged of explosions heard in Tehran, Israel in a statement said it launched what it described as “precise strikes on military targets in Iran” early Saturday. The strikes were in response to Iran’s barrage of missiles fired at Israel on October 1, in retaliation to the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and others.

Iran said Israel “attacked parts of military centers” on Saturday in the provinces of Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam, causing “limited damage” in some areas.

Iran appeared to have downplayed the Israeli strike, Iranian experts said. State media broadcast images showing calm on the streets of Tehran, with traffic moving and people going about their daily business.

Iran’s foreign ministry condemned the attack, calling it “clear violation” of international law. The ministry added that Iran “considers itself entitled and obligated to defend itself” after the Israeli strikes.

Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft in Washington, DC, said Iran’s downplayed response may be “more reflective of their desire to de-escalate than a true assessment of the damage Israel inflicted on Iran,” like Israel’s attempts to hide damage caused by Iran’s October 1 attack.

Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense for Democracies, also based in DC, said Iran’s downplayed response may be “a strategic move to save face and keep US constraint on Israel.”

After several hours of strikes Saturday, the Israeli military said it had targeted manufacturing sites used to produce missiles that Iran has fired at Israel over the past year. Israel also said it hit Iranian aerial defense systems early Saturday to allow its aircraft to attack the other targets.

Israel’s decision to strike early Saturday morning came after weeks of deliberations within its security cabinet about the nature and scope of such an attack, Israeli officials said.

American officials have been keen to show the extent to which Israel’s attack was retrained and precise, especially as the US pushed Israel not to attack Iran’s energy infrastructure, for fear of igniting a broader conflict, a request Israel seems to have heeded, according to preliminary reports.

After Israel’s retaliatory strikes against Iran ended, National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said the White House urges “Iran to cease its attacks on Israel so that this cycle of fighting can end without further escalation.”

But Israel has not always met the demands of its American ally. Throughout the war, Israel has defied the US’ calls for restraint – on the Rafah operation in southern Gaza, and more recently on a ground war in southern Lebanon.

Disagreements between the two governments culminated in an October 13 letter from the US to Israel, demanding the Jewish state act to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza within the next 30 days or risk violating US laws governing foreign military assistance, suggesting US military aid could be in jeopardy.

Danny Citrinowicz, a research fellow with the Iran Program at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv and a retired Israel Defense Intelligence officer who specialized in Iran, said it was too early to predict how the coming hours and days will unfold. “But one thing is clear,” he said, “Israel and Iran came closer than ever last night to the brink of direct war.”

“The ball is now in the Iranian leadership’s court,” Citrinowicz said on X, adding that the Iranian regime likely faces a familiar dilemma: to strike back for reputational gains, or take Israel’s attack as an end to the direct conflict.

Parsi of the Quincy Institute said that “if Iran chooses to exercise restraint… then this chapter may be closed, yet the conflict will remain very much alive.”

When Iran chose restraint after Israel’s retaliation in April, it emboldened the Jewish state to take out key Hezbollah leaders in Beirut, which triggered the next cycle of aggression.

Experts say that while Israel presses on with its wars in Gaza and Lebanon, any pause in direct fighting between Iran and Israel is likely to be short-lived.

As long as those regional wars persist, the overall trajectory of the Israel-Iran conflict will escalate. “While we may see some tactical de-escalation, the trajectory remains escalatory,” Parsi said, adding “a new exchange of fire between Israel and Iran will only be a question of time,” with the next round likely to be “more ferocious.”

Israel has long tried to push Iran and other Iranian proxies back into deterrence.  But experts say Israel’s strategy may not be entirely effective.

“It doesn’t de-escalate through escalation,” he said, “which is the most incredible thing I’ve heard.”

Georgia’s President Salome Zourabichvili has condemned “deeply troubling incidents of violence unfolding at various polling stations” as the country votes in a crucial parliamentary election.

Voting opened early Saturday in the election, seen as a stark choice between Russia and the West. The ruling Georgian Dream party, which has in recent years taken a sharp authoritarian turn and stalled the country’s progress toward potential European Union membership, is bidding for re-election.

Activist and monitoring groups shared footage that they said showed ballot stuffing at a polling station in Marneuli, southern Georgia.

Another video showed a man, identified in local media as Azad Karimov – head of the opposition United National Movement (UNM) party’s regional organization – being assaulted by several men outside the polling station in Marneuli’s 69th precinct. Photos showed Karimov with a bloody nose and cuts to his face.

In an emergency briefing, the head of the CEC called on Marneuli’s election officials to investigate the incident and take appropriate action.

“This is troubling information, and the election administration, if confirmed, will not allow such isolated, controlled, or manipulative incidents to undermine the many months of efforts we have put forth into the election day,” Giorgi Kalandarishvili said.

Zourabichvili, a pro-Western figure whose powers are largely ceremonial, said she had been unable to reach the minister of internal affairs and that “the official government lines are not working.” Before the election, Zourabichvili urged Georgians to vote against Georgian Dream.

Responding to the reports from Marneuli, Georgian Dream politician Givi Mikanadze said “anyone who hinders the election process” will be punished, but appeared to blame the opposition for the incident.

“The opposition has no tangible factor other than to stage provocations, because they know that they will lose the elections,” he said, according to Imedia Media, a Georgian outlet.

After casting his ballot early Saturday, Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told reporters that Georgian Dream will secure 60% of the vote and called on opposition parties to recognize these results. Government critics have questioned how Kobakhidze could know the results in advance.

The CEC reported voter turnout at 50.6% at 5 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET), which Zourabichvili said was “very high.”

At 10 p.m. local time (2 p.m. ET), the CEC will announce preliminary results based on 90% of votes counted.

Commonwealth leaders, ending a week-long summit in Samoa, said on Saturday the time had come for a discussion on whether Britain should commit to reparations for its role in the transatlantic slave trade.

Slavery and the threat of climate change were major themes for representatives of the 56 countries in the group, most with roots in Britain’s empire, at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting that began in the Pacific Islands nation on Monday.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose country has long rejected calls for financial compensation for nations affected by slavery, said summit discussions were not “about money.”

On slavery, the leaders said in a joint statement they had “agreed that the time has come for a meaningful, truthful and respectful conversation towards forging a common future based on equity.”

The push for ex-colonial powers such as Britain to pay reparations or make other amends for slavery and its legacies has gained momentum worldwide, particularly among the Caribbean Community and the African Union.

The statement also made reference to “blackbirding”, a term for people from places including the Pacific Islands being deceived, coerced or kidnapped to work on plantations in Australia and elsewhere.

Those opposed to reparations say countries should not be held responsible for historical wrongs, while those in support say the legacy of slavery has led to vast and persistent racial inequality.

The joint statement did not mention what form reparations should take.

Starmer told a press conference the joint statement did two things: “It notes calls for discussion and it agrees that this is the time for a conversation.

“But I should be really clear here, in the two days we’ve been here, none of the discussions have been about money. Our position is very, very clear in relation to that,” he said.

Professor Kingsley Abbott, director of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London, said the statement was a sign of a potentially historic breakthrough on the issue.

“The commitment to conversations on reparatory justice wedges open the door for dialogue, and now the hard work really begins,” said Abbott, who attended the summit.

The joint statement also referred to concern about “the severe consequences of the climate crisis, including rising temperatures and sea levels.”

In a boost for Pacific Islands such as Tuvalu under threat from rising seas, they issued the Commonwealth’s first Oceans Declaration, affirming that a nation’s maritime boundaries should remain fixed even if climate change causes small island states to be submerged.

Fixing maritime boundaries means atoll nations can continue to reap the economic benefit of vast fishing grounds, even if populations must migrate as dry land area is significantly reduced. The declaration bolsters momentum for international law to recognise the perpetual statehood of sinking island states.

More than half of the Commonwealth’s members are small nations, many of them low-lying islands at risk from rising sea levels caused by climate change.

Georgia’s most powerful man claimed victory in an election on Saturday but the opposition called on the ruling party to admit defeat, setting the stage for a confrontation over the future of the South Caucasus country.

Georgian Dream’s billionaire founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, the opposition, and foreign diplomats had cast the election as a watershed moment that would decide if Georgia moves closer to the West or leans back towards Russia amid the war in Ukraine.

Early official results with 70% of precincts counted, showed the ruling party had won 53% of the vote, the electoral commission said, but the deeply divided pro-Western opposition parties said that they had collectively clinched a majority.

Rival exit polls gave sharply different projections for the election. The Georgian Dream-supporting Imedi TV channel showed the ruling party winning 56%. Exit polls by the pro-opposition channels showed major gains for the opposition parties.

Ivanishvili, the ruling party’s reclusive billionaire founder and onetime prime minister, claimed victory and praised the Georgian people. But the opposition also celebrated victory and said Ivanishvili should concede.

Tina Bokuchava, leader of the United National Movement party of former President Mikheil Saakashvili, told Reuters that the opposition had won by a good margin of 10%.

“Against that backdrop most people will be taking Bidzina Ivanishvili’s claims of a government majority with a large bucket of salt,” Bokuchava said.

“We believe the Georgian public has voted clearly for a future at the heart of Europe and no amount of posturing will change that.”

Crucial vote

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili – a one-time ally of the ruling party turned fierce critic whose powers are mostly ceremonial – and independent domestic election monitors had alleged Georgian Dream was engaged in widespread vote-buying and other forms of electoral abuse in the lead-up to the vote.

Georgian Dream did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Ivanishvili, who made his fortune in Russia in the 1990s, came to power in 2012 advocating pro-Western views, alongside a pragmatic policy towards Russia.

He has since soured on the West, accusing a “Global War Party” of seeking to drag Georgia into war with Russia, even as he insists Georgia is on course to join the EU.

Some Georgians told Reuters that they wanted change.

“I voted for freedom and for the European choice,” said voter Irakli Andronikashvili in Tbilisi on Saturday, adding that he wanted a government which was “more progressive, less corrupt and more common-sense.”

Georgia was once one of the most pro-Western states to emerge from the chaotic aftermath of the Soviet Union’s collapse. The road leading from Tbilisi’s airport is named after former US President George W. Bush.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Tbilisi’s relations with the West have taken a sharp downward turn. Unlike many Western allies, Georgia declined to impose sanctions on Moscow, while Georgian Dream’s rhetoric has become increasingly pro-Russian.

Georgian Dream has drawn the ire of its Western allies for what they cast as its increasingly authoritarian bent. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban congratulated Georgian Dream for an “overwhelming victory.”

The pro-opposition Formula exit poll said that the ruling party would be the single largest party but that the four main opposition parties combined would have 83 seats.

Georgia’s four main opposition blocs are deeply divided, and it is unclear if they will be able to work together if they deprive Georgian Dream of its majority.

Sandro Dvalishvili, a 23-year-old Georgian Dream activist, told Reuters last week that Georgia would face “danger” if his party of choice was defeated at the polls.

“If it turns out that we don’t win, for me that’ll be very bad. Because I don’t see another force that will bring peace and stability to our country,” he said.