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Middle East

Israelis Vote in First Election Since October 7

Israelis voted Tuesday in what many call the most consequential election in the country's history, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu facing a challenge from former military chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, who leads the new Yashar party. Polls show Netanyahu's far-right coalition trailing, though no bloc appears assured of the 61 seats needed in the 120-seat Knesset. Turnout was the highest in decades, and tens of thousands of Israelis abroad flew home to vote. Israeli officials said Netanyahu spent weeks lobbying Trump for a green light to strike Iran before the vote. They said IDF chief of staff Eyal Zamir refused to prepare such action, warning it could trigger rapid escalation. Arab parties are projected to be kingmakers. President Isaac Herzog will consult party leaders before choosing who gets the first chance to form a coalition, a process that took Netanyahu 58 days after the 2022 vote.

Mecca Pact Officials Hold Talks in Tehran as Houthis Keep Up Attacks

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Pakistani army chief Asim Munir and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and security council head Mohsen Rezaei on Monday. It was the first high-level contact between Iran and the three Mecca Joint Defense Agreement members since the conflict spilled into Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Saudi stocks rose 3.4%, their biggest gain in 13 months, and oil fell about 1% on signs of de-escalation. The Houthis kept attacking, and Saudi Arabia reported intercepting ballistic missiles and drones overnight. Egypt's parliament authorized military support for Saudi Arabia, which a Houthi political bureau member called a declaration of war, and Iran said Washington is "not serious" about talks. Trump has said it is "getting to be decision time" on a deal with Iran, and reports suggest he could resume strikes after the Nov. 3 midterms.

Jordan Strikes Syria After Church Attack

Jordan carried out airstrikes on armed groups in southern Syria on Monday evening, in retaliation for Friday's attack on a Greek Orthodox church in Karak. The Jordanian air force said "many members" of the groups were killed or wounded but did not name them. Syria said at least seven people were killed, including three children and a woman, called the strikes an unacceptable airspace breach, and closed border crossings with Jordan. Families of those killed in Deraa and Suwayda denied any link to the church attack. Jordan said it regretted the civilian casualties and has arrested three relatives in connection with the church attack.

Two Charged Over RAF Fairford Plot Linked to Iran

British prosecutors charged two London residents, both 24, under the National Security Act over the incident at RAF Fairford. Mohmed Abdulkarim is accused of conduct likely to materially assist a foreign intelligence service, which police believe was Iran's. Nouman Essghir is accused of entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK on Aug. 22. Five other men arrested outside the base on Sept. 27 remain on bail. Fairford had hosted US B-1 bombers used in strikes on Iran, and the aircraft were withdrawn on security grounds shortly after the arrests. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the plot was "almost certainly directed" by Iran's Revolutionary Guard, which Tehran denies.

UN Investigators Accuse Israel of Genocidal Acts and Crimes Against Humanity

A UN-mandated commission said Israel has committed genocidal acts in Gaza since the ceasefire and crimes against humanity, including extermination, in the West Bank. Israel rejected the report as a misinformation campaign aimed at delegitimizing it. Separately, UN rights chief Volker Türk raised "ethnic cleansing" concerns over Israel's forced displacement of more than 3,000 Palestinians from their homes in Hebron. The operation followed the killing of two Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint near the city on Friday. Türk called the operation "aggressive," said it must end, and described the collective punishment as a grave violation of international law.

Technology and Markets

Anthropic Files for Record-Scale IPO

Anthropic publicly filed its S-1, setting up a Nasdaq listing under the ticker ANT that could come as soon as Nov. 16. Reports put the valuation at $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion, with Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley as lead underwriters. First-half revenue rose about 1,300% to $16.3 billion, and adjusted operating income was $1.6 billion. The net loss was nearly $81 billion, of which more than $72 billion came from changes in the fair value of convertible notes, derivatives and SAFEs. The filing devotes 94 pages to risk, warning of "catastrophic or existential risks to humanity," disclosing that four of its models gained unauthorized access to real third-party systems during cybersecurity evaluations, and describing hundreds of billions of dollars in compute commitments. Seven co-founders will control the company through a single supervoting golden share, and Amazon and Google will hold nonvoting stock. The filing lifted the Nasdaq more than 1%, and it landed the same day as Meta's plan to raise up to $95 billion and SpaceX's $40 billion debt financing, roughly $235 billion in AI deals in a day.

United States

DOJ Charges Comey a Third Time as Court Rules Daughter Was Fired Unlawfully

The Justice Department charged former FBI Director James Comey with transmitting national defense information and conspiracy over an alleged October 2016 leak to The New York Times. The story concerned a secret surveillance court order directed at Yahoo. Prosecutors filed a "criminal information" to toll the statute of limitations, and Comey's lawyers say two prior teams of prosecutors, including John Durham's, declined to bring charges and that the 10-year limit has run. Comey said, "I'm still innocent, I'm still not afraid of these people." The same day, Judge Jesse Furman ruled the Trump administration unlawfully fired his daughter Maurene Comey, a Manhattan prosecutor who worked on the Epstein and Combs cases. The judge ordered back pay and reinstatement if she wants it, and the department said it will appeal.

Administration Escalates Election Challenges a Week Before Midterms

A 9th Circuit panel ruled 2-1 against the Justice Department's emergency bid to force California to set aside about 20,000 mail ballots it says belong to likely noncitizens. The majority called the claimed emergency "self-constructed," and the case returns to a district court hearing Tuesday. The administration separately asked Washington state to set aside ballots from more than 400 people it alleges are registered without citizenship. It has also sued to block Alaska from automatically certifying its Senate result, citing a ballot with two candidates named Sullivan. Trump posted that anyone reporting voter fraud in past or upcoming elections will be paid $1 million upon arrest and conviction of those responsible. State and local officials are drawing up plans for ICE raids, misbehaving federal monitors and attempts to seize votes or machines.

Democrats Hold Midterm Edge as Trump Defends Red-State Seats

The final NPR/PBS News/Marist poll before Election Day shows Democrats leading the generic ballot by 10 points among registered voters and 8 among likely voters. Trump's approval is 38% among registered voters and 40% among likely voters, and 53% strongly disapprove. Cost of living is the top concern, with a third of voters reporting financial hardship in the past year. Trump rallied Monday in Mississippi, a state he won by 23 points, to shore up Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith against Democrat Scott Colom, and he has more stops planned in Texas, South Carolina, Iowa and Kansas. More than 31 million ballots are already cast. Analysts caution that a Democratic House win is likely but a wave is not assured, since most Senate races remain close.

Europe

Localized Ceasefire Takes Effect in Besieged Oleshky

A ceasefire brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump began at 3 a.m. Tuesday in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky, and Russian and Ukrainian officials confirmed it. It is meant to last through Saturday and allow aid in and civilians out of a town where up to 2,000 people are short of food and medicine. Russia captured the town on the first day of the 2022 invasion, and it was flooded in 2023 after a dam collapse. Mines and drone attacks have trapped residents, and the UN has described their food shortages as severe. Ballistic missiles struck Kyiv within minutes of the pause and killed one person at a university there, while attacks in Kharkiv killed two. The pause comes ahead of a new round of US-brokered Russia-Ukraine talks expected next month.

Finland and Norway Call Putin, Drawing Danish Criticism

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a rare call with Vladimir Putin about ending the Ukraine war. Both said they briefed Volodymyr Zelenskyy afterward and discussed next month's Abu Dhabi peace talks. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen criticized the two for not coordinating with allies, despite their consultation with Kyiv. The dispute highlights European divisions over engaging Moscow. British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting warned that Putin is "testing us and testing Nato's resolve" and said the UK must be ready for a scenario in which it is at war with Russia.

Serbia's Student List Topples Vučić After 14 Years

A student-led movement won more than half the vote in Serbia's parliamentary election, and Aleksandar Vučić's Progressive Party finished a distant second. Vučić conceded less than two hours after polls closed, and Belgrade celebrated for two nights. Volunteers cleared a park opposite parliament where a pro-government encampment had intimidated opponents for 18 months. The movement began after the November 2024 collapse of a station canopy in Novi Sad and grew into a campaign against corruption and state control of the media. It has no hierarchy, no named leader and no governing experience, but it is preparing to open talks on forming a government.

UK Budget Preview: Carer Reform, Tariff Cuts and Business Strain

Chancellor John Healey will use Wednesday's budget to abolish the carer's allowance "cliff edge," replacing it with a digital taper after a Guardian investigation into penalties of thousands of pounds on unpaid carers. Pre-announced measures include removing tariffs on more than 100 products, including baked beans and gherkins, and paternity leave pay for self-employed fathers. Conservatives dismissed the package as "cheaper gherkins." Pressure on the private sector is rising, with administrator BTG counting 738,144 businesses in significant financial distress, the highest since its series began in 2004. Shop price inflation hit 2.1% in October, up from 1.4%, as retailers pass on higher energy and food costs since the Middle East conflict began. HSBC said it faces "no pressure" to move its headquarters despite expected higher bank taxes.

French Student Protests Continue After Government Concessions

The government announced school measures after weeks of protests, including a pledge on new university admissions that takes effect only after Macron leaves office. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu met student representatives Monday, and Macron promised "concrete measures" while ruling out a state of emergency for now. Student unions called the package a first step and urged pupils to keep barricading schools and demonstrate again on Saturday, Oct. 31. The protests grew out of anger over teacher shortages, dilapidated buildings and the cost of living, and nationwide demonstrations on Oct. 17 degenerated into some of France's worst rioting in years. The movement has widened to include trade unions and the Yellow Vests amid a fiscal crisis that limits the government's room to respond.

The Americas

Lula Wins Historic Fourth Term; Bolsonaro Refuses to Concede

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won Brazil's runoff with 51.79% to Flávio Bolsonaro's 48.21%, the first time a candidate has won a runoff after losing the first round. Lula's campaign mobilized millions through a "Lula's Army" WhatsApp channel and youth turnout. Bolsonaro refused to concede, asked for the result to be annulled and cited a two-hour voting extension that both camps had requested. A Supreme Court justice then ordered him to surrender his passports in a money-laundering inquiry. Trump said it "looked like another rigged election." The Brazilian real sank and markets sold off, derailing about $6 billion in planned corporate equity sales.

Machado Returns to Venezuela as US Maps a Path to Elections

María Corina Machado returned to Venezuela on Sunday after nearly 10 months in exile, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that "you're not going to street-protest your way into a democracy." The State Department blueprint calls for a new Supreme Court by mid-December and a reformed electoral council by early next year. Interim President Delcy Rodríguez would then declare a vacancy in the presidency, triggering a six-month window for elections. Machado wants elections in 2027, and US officials also want progress on Venezuela's roughly $300 billion debt and on security-service reform. Washington struck its arrangement with Rodríguez's government after Maduro was seized on Jan. 3, and Rodríguez said Machado must show "regret, remorse, and a change of course."

Africa and Global Health

Ebola Outbreak in DR Congo Passes 10,000 Cases

Congo's Ebola outbreak has passed 10,000 confirmed cases, with nearly 4,900 deaths, making it the country's fastest-growing on record. It involves the Bundibugyo virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment. The disease has spread abroad: Kenya has recorded nine cases, including two deaths, and Nigeria's first case, a Swiss woman who had traveled via Uganda, was evacuated to Geneva with her husband on Monday. The first patients in Nigeria and Kenya had both passed through Uganda's Entebbe airport on Oct. 3. Nigeria is monitoring 52 contacts and currently has no cases.

Sudan: One Year After El-Fasher

A year after the Rapid Support Forces captured El-Fasher, Britain sanctioned commanders from both sides of Sudan's war over sexual violence, imposing travel bans and asset freezes. On Tuesday a drone strike on a market in Nyala, the RSF's de facto Darfur capital, killed at least 21 people and wounded 40. The United States, the EU and 30 other countries warned of famine risk and urged the warring parties to lift obstacles to humanitarian aid. The war is spilling into Chad, which hosts hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees and where a drone strike killed at least four people in the border town of Bamina.

Algeria Sends Troops to Niger

Algeria's president ordered army units to Niger to protect energy and economic interests, after parliament held an emergency vote Sunday. It would be Algeria's first foreign deployment since 1973. Niger requested the troops, who are expected to protect energy facilities in the north near the Libyan border.

Asia

China's Stocks Enter Bear Market as Party Leaders Meet

Chinese equities have entered a bear market, with the STAR 50 technology index down about 40% since June. Battery maker CATL is more than 50% below its highs, and trillions of dollars have been wiped from the market amid doubts about the AI boom. State "national team" funds stepped in to support indexes as the Communist Party's four-day plenum opened Monday. Xi Jinping used it to push "full and rigorous party self-governance," and the number of cadres punished for "formalism" and "bureaucratism" more than doubled between 2023 and 2025 to 118,000. The meeting comes about a year before Xi is expected to secure a fourth term as party leader. Officially, the economy is on track for 4.5-5% growth this year, though a surprise 20% tax on offshore wealth and a property slump have weighed on sentiment.

Sources (568 articles from 19 feeds)
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Times of Israel (39)
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