In this episode: Behind the scenes of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s highly anticipated meeting with US President Donald Trump, while Ukraine’s leader Vlodymyr Zelenskyy walks away from the White House without his Tomahawk missiles. Plus, more threats to the Gaza ceasefire despite optimism from US Vice President JD Vance, the ‘high-stakes’ meeting between the Australian and Indonesian military chiefs, and how a daring daylight robbery unfolded at the Louvre.

The International Court of Justice has issued an advisory opinion, stating that as the occupying power, Israel has failed to provide adequate humanitarian supplies to Gaza’s civilian population. The Israeli parliament has just narrowly approved a preliminary bill to apply Israeli civil law to the occupied West Bank, a move viewed internationally as a step towards annexation.

Japan's newly elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has promised to "work like a horse" to get the country back on track. As the country's first female Prime Minister, Ms Takaichi will have to deal with the growing domestic dissatisfaction over economy, wages and cost of living.

The 31st Australia-Papua New Guinea Ministerial Forum was hosted in Canberra on Monday [[Oct 20]], focusing on the implementation of the historic mutual defence treaty signed between the two countries earlier this month. The 'puk-puk' treaty will see Australia invest millions of dollars in the PNG defence force. A key part of the deal is a taskforce to recruit PNG citizens into the Australian Defence Force, but this has been criticized by former PNG defence personnel who claim the pact is harmful because PNG does not share Australia's fear of China.

The gold price has seen its worst one day fall in 12 years as gold stocks tumble after their recent run. Similarly, rare earths also slide. SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves speaks with Cameron Gleeson from Betashares and Scott Phillips from The Motley Fool to find out why some investors are pressing the sell button and offers a reality check.

More than a week into the Gaza ceasefire, senior US officials have visited Israel to discuss ways to progress to the next stage of Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan. Flareups of violence in recent days has threatened to unravel the ceasefire. Meanwhile, the United Nations says it is important the ceasefire holds - to allow for aid deliveries to be scaled up in Gaza.

Diplomacy has overtaken the battlefield in the Ukraine war, with Washington, Moscow, and Kyiv offering starkly different paths to peace. The Kremlin says no Trump-Putin summit date is set, while Washington insists leverage not concessions will end the war.

Australian researchers have found breastfeeding can protect women against breast cancer by building up their immunity. According to a new study, pregnancy and breastfeeding produces infection-fighting T-cells that help guard against abnormal cells that could develop into cancer.

The former President of France, Nicholas Sarkozy, has begun his 5-year prison sentence, becoming the first French leader to be jailed since World War Two. He was convicted of a criminal conspiracy to finance his election campaign with funds from a Libyan dictator. The 70 year is appealing the decision, claiming the case was politically motivated.

Australia's newly sealed critical minerals deal with the United States has sent the share market skyrocketing. The industry and investors are responding to billions of dollars in new investment aimed at disrupting China's dominance over global rare earths supply chains.