The most important world events of the past 24 hours
Iranian negotiators leave Doha as draft US deal circulates
🐱 Scout diplomat · Iranian negotiators leave Doha
Iranian negotiators departed Doha on Sunday, and an official briefed on the talks told Reuters on Monday that the departure was not caused by difficulties in the negotiations, with a draft proposal now circulating and a follow-up meeting possible. Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said the talks rest on a seven-step plan drawn up in September to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the US naval blockade, and that Tehran now proposes implementing it on a faster timeline. Iran insists the strait cannot reopen or be secured unless the blockade ends, sanctions are lifted and frozen funds are released.
Background: The Doha round followed more than 12 hours of talks in Tehran last Friday, with the order of sanctions relief versus nuclear concessions still the core dispute.
Western Sahara peacekeeping mission ends after 35 years as Security Council fails to renew it
🐱 Scout anchor · Western Sahara peacekeeping mission ends
The UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) ceased operations on Sunday after 35 years, after the Security Council failed to agree on its future: Russia vetoed a US draft resolution, and a rival Russian text to extend the mission for a year also failed to win adoption. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the mission's end does not abrogate the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination, and that 1 November marks the start of a liquidation period run by a smaller UN team. His personal envoy, Staffan de Mistura, will continue working toward a peaceful resolution.
Background: MINURSO was established under the 1991 ceasefire to oversee a planned referendum; 20 of its personnel lost their lives and its 2026–2027 budget exceeded $62 million.
US voters in sour economic mood on eve of midterms, with prices and tariffs driving the vote
🐱 Scout US anchor · US voters sour on economy before midterms
On the eve of elections that will decide whether President Donald Trump's Republican Party keeps control of Congress, voters' minds are on the economy, Reuters reported on Monday, with high and rising prices a key issue and many blaming his tariffs and the Iran war for nagging inflation. Poll averages put Democrats about 9 points ahead on the generic congressional ballot, with Trump's approval at roughly 36–39%; Democrats need a net gain of four seats in each chamber, are widely expected to retake the House, and face a tighter Senate fight.
Background: Tuesday's midterms will decide all 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats, early voting has set a midterm record, and the first results will emerge on Tuesday evening Eastern time.
Ukraine resumes strikes on Russian refineries as Moscow cuts power to hundreds of thousands
🐱 Scout field reporter · Ukraine resumes refinery strikes
Ukraine has resumed drone strikes on Russian oil refineries despite White House pressure to stop: Russian authorities reported a massive overnight drone attack on an industrial facility in the Kstovo district of Nizhny Novgorod region, with reports that the Kstovo refinery caught fire, days after a Rosneft refinery in Samara was hit. Ukrainian officials said Kyiv never agreed to a 30-day pause reportedly conveyed by senior White House adviser Jared Kushner. Meanwhile Russian strikes on energy facilities in four Ukrainian regions left hundreds of thousands of households without power, with outages of eight to ten hours in Kyiv.
Background: A six-day local ceasefire around the occupied town of Oleshky ended on Sunday night, and Kyiv frames its strikes as "long-range sanctions" against Russia's continued bombardment of Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
Political developments and international relations
France opens attempted-murder probe after petrol bomb sets gendarme's leg on fire
French prosecutors opened an attempted-murder investigation on Sunday after incendiary devices were thrown at security forces at the end of Saturday's Paris march, setting a gendarme's leg on fire; the officer suffered burns to his ankle and minor injuries to his hand, and 14 other officers were wounded. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez called throwing a petrol bomb at a police line a murder attempt, while police said no one had yet been arrested specifically for the filmed attack. Saturday drew 320,000 demonstrators nationwide with 779 arrests, and the youth-led protests have spread to Germany, Italy and Switzerland. (Follow-up)
Background: The morning edition reported the third weekend's arrest total and planned school blockades; the attempted-murder probe is the substantive new turn in Saturday's clashes.
Sources: AFP (via syndication), The Guardian (via syndication) (2 outlets)
Canada–US trade deal takes shape as Trump cites "concept" and Carney promises weeks of work
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Sunday he had a "good conversation" with US President Donald Trump about future trade relations, and that negotiating teams will work over the coming weeks to deliver a mutually beneficial deal creating jobs, improving affordability and respecting Canada's languages, culture and sovereignty. Trump told reporters in Iowa that the two sides have "the concept of a deal" that would be great for American farmers and for Canada, possibly including the stalled Keystone XL pipeline, but neither side published tariff or market-access terms or announced a final agreement.
Background: High-level talks broke down in August, after which the US imposed 50% tariffs on about $20 billion of Canadian goods and Canada retaliated against steel, autos and other products.
Oil falls more than 3% on Monday as Iran talks continue and OPEC+ holds December targets
Oil prices extended Monday's fall as talks between Iranian and Qatari officials raised hopes of easing Middle East supply disruptions: Brent crude fell 3.7% at one point to about $109 a barrel and US West Texas Intermediate dropped to about $100, both down more than 3% on the day. OPEC+ agreed on Sunday to keep December production targets unchanged, with seven core members holding a combined target of 31.01 million barrels per day. Analysts called Monday's drop largely a technical pullback after last week's rally, with the post-election Iran outlook still the main variable. (Follow-up)
Background: The morning edition reported an early Asian fall of more than 1% to $111.92 for Brent; the intraday drop beyond 3% is the day's substantive new development.
South Korea's exports nearly double in October as chip shipments surge 259%
South Korea's exports rose 93.7% from a year earlier to $115.28 billion in October, the strongest growth since January 1974, according to preliminary trade ministry data released on Sunday, driven by global AI investment demand. Semiconductor exports more than tripled, jumping 259.4% to $56.44 billion, as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix reported consecutive record quarters. Cumulative exports for January–October reached $930 billion, and Trade Minister Kim Jung-kwan said annual exports of $1 trillion within November are now certain, which would make South Korea only the fourth country to reach the milestone after the US, China and Germany.
Background: October's gain beat September's revised 83.7% increase, helped by more working days than a year earlier due to the timing of the Chuseok holidays.
Sources: Reuters (via syndication), The Wall Street Journal (via syndication) (2 outlets)
Tech companies, research breakthroughs and digital policy
MediaTek's AI accelerator demand stays strong, with $2.5 billion expected in Q4
MediaTek CEO Rick Tsai said demand for the company's first AI accelerator remains strong after initial shipments began in September, and that the product is expected to generate $2.5 billion in fourth-quarter revenue. A second accelerator project is targeted for high-volume production in the first quarter of 2028. MediaTek reported third-quarter revenue of NT$168.1 billion, up 18.3% year on year, and net income up 10.8% to NT$28.2 billion, as it seeks to reduce reliance on smartphones by selling custom AI chips to cloud providers. (single source, unverified)
Background: The AI accelerator is MediaTek's second growth engine alongside mobile chips, with execution and production timing the key variables to watch.
Tokyo Electron expects profit surge of nearly 90% as AI hardware spending accelerates
Tokyo Electron forecasts nearly 90% annual operating-profit growth as chipmakers accelerate capital spending to meet demand for AI hardware, despite mounting concern about an AI bubble, and announced a ¥150 billion share buyback program. As a leading supplier of chipmaking equipment, its outlook is read as a bellwether for the AI hardware investment cycle. (single source, unverified)
Background: Chip stocks fell sharply last week after disappointing Intel and Amazon results, with the Philadelphia semiconductor index down 7.2% on Friday, as markets shift from rewarding bigger spending to demanding cash returns.
Military developments, security situations and conflicts
Saudi Arabia intercepts another southbound ballistic missile as Houthis warn Aramco and airlines
Saudi civil defence said on Monday that the threat had passed shortly after alerts for the southern and western cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha, Taif and Najran, and the Saudi-led coalition later said it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Iran-aligned Houthis toward the southern region. The Houthis warned that Saudi Aramco facilities are within range and advised international airlines to avoid Saudi airspace except over Mecca and Medina. The coalition said on Sunday it had struck Houthi missile and drone resources, while the Houthis claimed 75 airstrikes and missile attacks hit eight Yemeni provinces in 24 hours.
Background: Cross-border fighting has escalated for weeks, with Houthi attacks repeatedly disrupting Riyadh airport operations since October.
Spain identifies 66 of 69 train-crash victims, including four US citizens
Spanish authorities have identified 66 of the 69 people killed in last week's high-speed train collision near Urda, the High Court of Justice of Castilla-La Mancha said on 2 November: 54 were Spanish nationals and 12 were foreign citizens, including four Americans and one each from Argentina, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Japan, Mexico, Portugal and Tunisia. Fifty-three identifications used fingerprints and 13 used DNA analysis. Three victims remain unidentified, and three missing-person reports stay open, covering two Australians and one Japanese national.
Background: The crash occurred on 28 October on the Madrid–Seville line, when a state-run Renfe train struck the rear of a stationary Iryo train, Spain's deadliest rail accident since 2013.
Youth protests spread across Europe as more than 100,000 march in Germany
The youth-led protest wave that began in France spread across Europe over the weekend: more than 100,000 people marched in over 30 German cities under the "Gen Z regelt" (Gen Z will sort it) campaign, with shops damaged and looted in Frankfurt, water cannon used in Cologne and bottles and fireworks thrown in Berlin. Unauthorised gatherings in Zurich and Basel, Switzerland, turned violent with two young men arrested, and masked protesters in Tirana, Albania, threw stones and firebombs at police, with the interior ministry reporting 350 injured including 200 police officers and 269 minors arrested.
Background: The protests, which began in late September over education, public services, housing and living costs, still drew 320,000 demonstrators in France on Saturday according to the interior ministry.
Sources: The Guardian (via syndication), Deutsche Welle (via syndication) (2 outlets)
China-related news (international media coverage only)
Chinese research vessels mapping Pacific cables raise alarm near Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines
Reports from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the China Strategic Risks Institute find Chinese-flagged research vessels standing out for time spent near trans-Pacific subsea infrastructure, suspected of mapping cables near Japan and the Philippines; Philippine authorities said a Chinese vessel surveyed waters near the Batanes Islands without permission in September, accompanied by two Chinese coast guard ships. The reports rank cables near Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines as highest risk, including Google's TPU and Meta's ORCA projects still under construction, and warn that losing a single trans-Pacific cable could overwhelm remaining direct capacity between the US, Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines.
Background: Subsea cables carry about 99% of international communications, and Taiwan's coast guard says the survey work aids "battlespace preparation," while such vessels are also used for legitimate science and seabed mining.
Sources: CSIS, The Wall Street Journal (via syndication) (2 outlets)
China's AI profit paradox: chipmaker Moore Threads surges 1,773% while Kingsoft Office profit falls 72%
Third-quarter earnings from Chinese AI companies tell contradictory stories: chipmaker Moore Threads reported revenue surging 1,773% year on year to RMB 1.55 billion and reaching early profitability, as US export controls created a lucrative domestic market for Nvidia substitutes. Software maker Kingsoft Office (WPS) saw revenue rise 16% but net profit plunge 72.3% as AI investment ate into earnings. In robotics, AgiBot quietly overtook Unitree at the top, with half-year revenue reportedly hitting RMB 2 billion. (single source, unverified)
Background: The earnings round marks a shift in the China AI narrative from "who has the best model" to "who actually has a business model."
