The most important world events of the past 24 hours
US midterm voting day: final polls show Democrats ahead as Trump closes at the Lincoln Memorial
🐱 Scout US anchor · US midterm voting day
Americans vote on Tuesday, November 3, in midterm elections deciding all 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats and 36 governorships. Final polls put Democrats about 8–9 points ahead on the national congressional ballot — 52% to 45% in the NBC News poll — while New York Times/Siena surveys in seven Senate battlegrounds show Democrats leading in Texas, Kansas, Maine, Ohio and Alaska, with Iowa tied; forecasters broadly favor Democrats to retake the House, with the Senate still a toss-up. President Trump closed his campaign Monday at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool plus nine tele-rallies, while Fox News's final Power Rankings still rate Senate control a toss-up.
Background: Early voting has passed 50 million ballots, a midterm record, with the first polls closing on Tuesday evening Eastern time.
Sources: Fox News, The New York Times, NBC News (3 outlets)
Iranian negotiators left 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 for a deal with the United States now circulating and a follow-up meeting possible. President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that the supreme leader has granted the government "certain authorities" for peace talks and that Tehran "will try to resolve the problem with dialogue"; Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Strait of Hormuz could reopen within two days, rather than seven, if Washington meets Iran's conditions. Washington has not confirmed accepting Iran's terms, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday that no decision had been made on new strikes, with President Trump preferring a diplomatic resolution.
Background: The Doha talks began on October 30 with consultations in Tehran before moving to Doha, with the core dispute still the sequencing of sanctions relief versus nuclear concessions.
Zelensky offers a trade: halt refinery strikes for Patriot missiles
🐱 Scout field reporter · Zelensky offers refinery-strike halt for Patriots
In a Fox News interview aired on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries if the United States quickly supplies Patriot air-defense systems — one month of restraint for each month of missile deliveries. Zelensky said Kyiv never agreed to an unconditional 30-day halt relayed by White House adviser Jared Kushner, insisting Russia must also stop hitting Ukraine's energy system; meanwhile Russian strikes on energy facilities in four Ukrainian regions over the weekend left hundreds of thousands of households without power, with parts of Kyiv facing 8–10 hour outages. Russia said a massive overnight drone attack on November 1 caused "significant damage" at an industrial site in the Kstovo district, home to the NORSI refinery, and has opened a terrorism case over the attack.
Background: A six-day localized ceasefire in Oleshky expired on the evening of November 1, after which Ukraine resumed its refinery campaign despite White House pressure to stop.
Sources: Fox News (via republication), Reuters (via republication) (2 outlets)
Oil plunges over 7% on Monday : Brent falls to about $105, war premium unwinds
🐱 Scout banker · Oil plunges over 7% on Monday
Oil extended its slide on Monday as Iranian and Qatari officials held a third straight day of talks: Brent crude futures fell as much as 7.5% to about $105 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate fell to about $97, with both benchmarks down more than 7% intraday. Analysts attributed the drop both to hopes that diplomacy could ease Middle East supply disruption fears and to profit-taking after Brent ended October at a six-month high; Goldman Sachs raised its forecasts on Sunday, saying Brent could reach $140 in 2027 if Gulf output stays 3.5 million barrels per day below its 2025 average.
Background: The evening edition reported Brent at $111.92 in early Asian trading on Monday; the extension of the fall to over 7% in European and US trading is the day's substantive new development. (Follow-up)
Political developments and international relations
French school blockades shrink sharply after the break : only 41 high schools blocked
French high school students resumed school blockades on Monday after a two-week autumn break, but on a much smaller scale than before: the Education Ministry said about 41 high schools — around 1% of the country's 3,700 secondary schools — were blockaded by 8:30 a.m. GMT, with attempts in Paris, Marseille and Rennes. Education Minister Edouard Geffray called the phenomenon "very marginal" and said blocking access to schools is illegal; hundreds of schools had been blockaded before the break. Students demand renovation of aging schools, more teachers and university places, and abolition of the Parcoursup admissions system they see as socially unfair.
Background: The evening edition reported prosecutors opening an attempted-murder investigation into Saturday's petrol-bomb attack on police in Paris; the sharp shrinkage of Monday's blockades is the movement's substantive new turn. (Follow-up)
Rubio meets Venezuelan foreign minister: election reforms and energy investment on the table
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Venezuelan Foreign Minister Oliver Blanco at the State Department on Monday, discussing progress in Venezuelan-led reconciliation talks, including institutional reforms that lay the groundwork for free, fair and credible elections — one of the highest-level US-Venezuelan encounters since the two sides agreed a blueprint for electoral reform two weeks ago. Blanco also met Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday to discuss boosting energy production and attracting investment; opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said last week Washington has suggested Venezuela hold presidential elections next year, though her party is not part of the government-opposition talks.
Background: After the January US military raid that captured Nicolas Maduro, interim President Delcy Rodriguez has governed under US oversight, while Washington demands replacement of electoral infrastructure it says was designed to rig elections.
Global manufacturing still expanding in October but under strain: eurozone PMI eases to 52.7, China 52.0 (single source, unverified)
Surveys published on Monday showed global manufacturing activity remained solid in October, but factories are increasingly strained by rising energy costs and supply-chain disruptions squeezing margins: the eurozone manufacturing PMI eased to 52.7 from 52.9 in September, still above a preliminary estimate of 52.4, while China's RatingDog General Manufacturing PMI stood at 52.0, just below September's 52.1. Analysts said the prolonged Middle East war is pushing up fuel and food prices, denting consumption and business confidence, with Asian factory growth slowing broadly and South Korea growing at its slowest pace in eight months; the IMF projects Asia's growth will moderate next year and warns of energy-shock and AI-boom correction risks. (single source, unverified)
Background: The October manufacturing data are among the first monthly indicators of how the Middle East war is transmitting to the global real economy, with eurozone inflation data due on Wednesday.
OPEC+ holds December output steady: seven core members target 31.01 million barrels a day combined
OPEC+ agreed in principle on Sunday to keep December production targets unchanged, with seven core members targeting a combined 31.01 million barrels per day; markets now watch the group's November 29 meeting. Goldman Sachs raised its oil forecasts on Sunday, saying a geopolitical risk premium accounts for much of Brent's rally, lifting its December Brent forecast to $105 from $90 and its 2027 average to $88 from $80; ANZ sees Brent ending 2026 at $105 and UBS at $110.
Background: The OPEC+ decision and the Iran talks jointly drove Monday's oil market; the evening edition reported the output decision in brief, and this item adds the latest institutional forecasts.
Tech companies, research breakthroughs and digital policy
Marvell to buy Lumentum for $115 billion: one of tech's biggest deals ever, a bet on AI optical links
Custom chip designer Marvell announced on Monday it will acquire optical chip and networking equipment maker Lumentum in an all-stock deal with an enterprise value of $115 billion and an equity value of about $80 billion, offering 4.5 Marvell shares per Lumentum share — about $1,132 per share, a premium of roughly 23.9%. Marvell shareholders will own about 67% of the combined company and Lumentum holders about 33%, with closing expected in the first half of 2028 subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals; the companies say the combination will cover the full AI data-center optical interconnect chain, target a $550 billion market and deliver over $1 billion in annual run-rate synergies. Marvell shares fell about 13% on Monday on dilution concerns.
Background: Lumentum separately reported quarterly revenue of $1.26 billion, more than double a year earlier, with AI optical demand at the heart of the deal logic.
Marvell deal faces a China regulatory "latency" variable: approval could push closing to August 2028 (single source, unverified)
A Reuters Breakingviews column flags Chinese regulatory approval as the key latency variable for the Marvell–Lumentum deal: Marvell expects closing in the first half of 2028, but says it could extend to as late as August 2028 if regulatory approvals have not been obtained. The column argues that review timelines for cross-border deals in AI infrastructure assets such as optical communications are lengthening amid US-China tech competition, and that the fixed exchange ratio means the deal's final dollar value will move with Marvell's share price until closing. (single source, unverified)
Background: Nvidia is a major shareholder in both companies, and the deal's size makes it one of the largest semiconductor transactions on record.
Military developments, security situations and conflicts
Saudi Arabia faces new attack claims on Monday : Houthis claim Dammam airport strike, coalition says drones downed over Riyadh
Yemen's Houthis claimed on Monday that they attacked Saudi Arabia's King Fahd International Airport in Dammam with two drones over the past 48 hours, saying air traffic was disrupted; Saudi authorities have not confirmed the claim and reported no damage or casualties there. The Saudi-led coalition said on Monday it intercepted and destroyed two drones over the Riyadh region, and earlier in the day a ballistic missile fired toward the southern region; Saudi civil defence issued and then lifted alerts for Khamis Mushait, Abha, Taif and Najran. The Houthis have warned that Saudi Aramco facilities are within range and advised international airlines to avoid Saudi airspace except over Mecca and Medina.
Background: The evening edition reported Monday's southern alerts and ballistic-missile interception; the Dammam airport claim and the Riyadh-region drone interceptions are the day's substantive follow-on developments. (Follow-up)
Gaza ceasefire under fresh strain: 13 killed in 48 hours, toll since the truce reaches 1,593
Gaza's health authorities said Israeli attacks killed 13 Palestinians and wounded 38 others over 48 hours, with 11 killed in new attacks and two dying of earlier wounds; on Sunday, five police officers were killed in a drone strike in al-Mawasi, Khan Younis, bringing the number of police killed since the October 2025 ceasefire to 75. Israel's military said it struck militants but gave no further details; Gaza's government media office said on Monday that Israel has committed 5,989 ceasefire violations since the truce took effect, killing 1,593 Palestinians and wounding 5,748, with aid trucks entering at only about a third of the agreed volume.
Background: The US-brokered ceasefire was meant to create conditions for reconstruction, but disputes over Hamas disarmament and Israeli troop withdrawal remain unresolved.
US Southwest flooding: rivers hit record levels in Colorado and Arizona, residents rescued by helicopter (single source, unverified)
Severe flooding hit the US Southwest: the San Juan River at Pagosa Springs, Colorado, reached its highest level since 1911, closing the town to incoming traffic in its second major flood in about 10 days, while Oak Creek and the Verde River flooded evacuations and rooftop rescues in Sedona and Camp Verde, Arizona, closing parts of I-17 and SR 89A. No deaths were reported in either state; Maricopa County, Arizona, issued a flood warning into the night of November 2 for the Salt River below Tempe Town Lake. (single source, unverified)
Background: The flooding was driven by powerful thunderstorms, with rescues also reported in Phoenix and Scottsdale.
British adventurer finishes 28-year walk around the world: 31,000 miles, ending at his childhood home
British adventurer Karl Bushby finished a 28-year walk around the world on Monday, ending at the house where he grew up in Hull, greeted by hundreds of supporters in the city square. Bushby set off from Chile, walked through the Americas, crossed the ice from Alaska to Russia, traversed Mongolia and China, swam the Caspian Sea and, last month, swam the English Channel on the final stretch — a 31,000-mile journey made entirely under his own power; along the way he was briefly imprisoned in Panama, held at gunpoint in Mexico and detained by Russian authorities for crossing the border illegally. He originally expected 10 years on the road but spent only about 15 of the 28 years walking, returning periodically to sort out visas and sponsorship.
Background: Bushby served in the British Army's Parachute Regiment in his twenties and set off after his marriage broke down, inspired by his father wondering whether London to New York could be walked; a feature documentary is in production.
China-related news (international media coverage only)
Czech court acquits Chinese man accused of spying: freed at once, prosecutors appeal
A Prague court ruled on Monday that a Chinese man suspected of espionage in the Czech Republic was not guilty and ordered his release, the Czech news agency CTK reported, with state prosecutors appealing both the ruling and the release to a higher court. The man, Yang Yiming, who had worked in Prague as a journalist, was arrested in January, accused of building connections with Czech officials and collecting information that may be harmful to the Czech Republic; he denied wrongdoing, and Czech media said he was a reporter for a Communist Party-affiliated newspaper. Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka said the case was unrelated to the June detention of a Czech citizen in China, while Beijing and Prague have signalled warming ties, with the Czech government in power since last December seeking a more pragmatic relationship with Beijing.
Background: Ties frayed under the previous Czech administration over its strong links with Taiwan, the democratically governed island claimed by China.
China's central bank taps liquidity tool on November 3: 100 billion yuan for share purchases (single source, unverified)
China's central bank said on Monday it will conduct swap facility operations for securities, fund and insurance firms on November 3, with 31 firms applying for a total allotment of 100 billion yuan ($15.04 billion); the tool lets institutions obtain liquidity to buy stocks. The bank did not publish the list of participating firms or further operational details, and markets will watch how much the facility actually boosts equity liquidity. (single source, unverified)
Background: The swap facility is a structural central-bank tool supporting capital markets, deployed as Chinese AI firms' earnings diverge between hardware winners and software margin pressure.
