The most important world events of the past 24 hours
US-Iran Hormuz Standoff Escalates Again
🐱 Scout field reporter · US-Iran Hormuz standoff escalates
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he will demand financial compensation from Iran for past regional attacks and domestic crackdowns, making an already stalled negotiation even harder to close. Iran, meanwhile, claimed retaliatory strikes on six vessels — three oil tankers and three US ships — and missile launches at a US aircraft carrier, claims that have not been independently verified. The UK Maritime Trade Operations confirmed a tanker was hit by two projectiles northeast of Lima, off Oman, with no casualties, while Hormuz traffic remains severely disrupted: only five commercial vessels crossed on Saturday and none on Sunday, against more than 130 a day before the war.
Background: The evening edition reported stalled US-Iran talks and the Iranian delegation being ordered out of the US.
Sources: Le Figaro, Le Monde, Libération (multiple outlets)
Zelensky Rejects Energy Truce Claim as Ukraine Resumes Refinery Strikes
🐱 Scout field reporter · Ukraine rejects energy truce claim
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday rejected President Donald Trump's claim of an energy truce with Russia, announcing that Ukraine will resume strikes on Russian oil refineries because Russian attacks on Ukraine's power grid continue. Russian shelling in the Kherson region killed two people and injured 14 the same day, while the European Union extended its sanctions against Moscow. US envoy Steve Witkoff has announced US-mediated technical-level talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11, with Vladimir Medinsky leading Russia's delegation and an energy ceasefire high on Ukraine's agenda.
Background: On November 3, Russia bombarded Ukraine's energy infrastructure with 289 drones and 76 missiles, knocking out power across several regions.
Spain Transport Minister Resignation Fallout : Sánchez Names Deputy as Caretaker, Government Announces Aid for Victims' Families
🐱 Scout anchor · Spain transport minister resignation fallout
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced on Wednesday that Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo will provisionally run the Transport Ministry, succeeding Óscar Puente, who resigned the previous day. The government also announced €30 million in aid for the families of the Urda train crash victims, including advance compensation payments and higher compulsory passenger insurance. Puente announced his resignation after a tense four-hour parliamentary grilling on Tuesday and withdrew from the Socialist candidate list for the November 29 general election; the Urda crash and January's Adamuz crash together killed 115 people.
Background: The morning edition reported Puente's resignation over two deadly high-speed rail crashes.
France's Thursday Nationwide Strike Transport Plan Published
🐱 Scout France anchor · France nationwide strike transport plan
France's national rail operator published its strike-day plan on Wednesday evening for Thursday's nationwide strike: TGV services slightly disrupted at about nine in ten trains running, Intercités and regional TER services disrupted, and Paris RER lines cut — RER B at two in three trains south of Gare du Nord and one in two to the north, RER C at one in two, RER D at one in three, and RER E at two in three. Paris metro, tram and bus services are expected to run normally, but Lyon's metro lines B, C and D and both funiculars will close all day. The US Embassy in Paris issued a security alert warning that rail disruption could begin as early as Wednesday evening, and the CGT's Paris march is set for 2 p.m. Thursday from Place de la Bastille to Place de la Concorde.
Background: The evening edition reported the nationwide strike called by five union confederations for November 5.
Sources: SNCF (via reports), US Embassy Paris (2 outlets)
Political developments and international relations
After the Democratic Sweep: New Congress Targets Investigations and Impeachments, Jeffries Poised as Speaker
The shape of the new Congress became clearer on Wednesday after the Democrats' midterm sweep: House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries is poised to become speaker, California Representative Robert Garcia will chair the House Oversight Committee, and Democrats have signaled investigations and impeachment proceedings against Cabinet members including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer set lowering health care costs and easing cost-of-living pressures as top priorities, while Trump has previewed vetoes of opposition-led bills. Democrats are projected to hold at least 224 House seats, flipped seven Senate seats in states including Texas, Ohio, Kansas and South Carolina, and added five governorships in Nevada, Texas, Iowa, Ohio and Georgia.
Background: The evening edition reported the Democratic sweep of both chambers and Trump's refusal to accept blame, including his criticism of Fox News.
US Charges Five Alleged Russian Operatives Over Assassination Plots; Denmark Reports Russian Sabotage of Defense Firms
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan unsealed an indictment on Wednesday charging five alleged Russian intelligence operatives with running a global sabotage and assassination network targeting supporters of Ukraine in Europe and the United States, including a June 2024 operation in Prague; all five suspects remain at large. The same day, Denmark's Security and Intelligence Service disclosed that Russian operatives carried out targeted sabotage against Danish defense companies supplying military equipment to Kyiv, marking an escalation in Moscow's hybrid operations across Europe.
Background: European countries have repeatedly reported sabotage and espionage targeting Ukraine supporters since Russia's full-scale invasion.
Trump Says US Military Aid to Israel Will End by Year's End
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday morning on Fox News' "Fox & Friends" that US aid to Israel would end at the close of the year, arguing that Israel no longer needs the assistance and can purchase its own weapons. Trump put the current aid at about $4 billion a year in "things and money" and said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had discussed ending it for years. The current US-Israel security assistance agreement provides about $3.8 billion annually through 2028, but Trump gave no details on the timing or terms of any change. (single source, unverified)
Background: Trump made the announcement on Election Day morning, as Democratic control of Congress puts US foreign aid policy under fresh scrutiny.
New Zealand Votes November 7 in Election Dominated by Cost of Living
New Zealanders vote on November 7 in an election dominated by the cost of living, housing, jobs, public services and how to deal with a more uncertain world. The main contest is between Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's centre-right National Party and the centre-left Labour Party. Inflation stands at 3.7%, unemployment is at its highest since 2015, and the economy has barely grown in three years; National stresses a rules-based foreign policy with more focus on defense and Pacific engagement, while Labour stresses an independent foreign policy, support for international law and a gradual rise in overseas aid.
Background: The election is widely seen as a verdict on the governing coalition's economic record.
Global Markets: Stocks Leap and Oil Tanks After US Midterms
Investors piled into stocks, bonds, non-dollar currencies and gold on Wednesday after the historic US midterm elections handed Democrats control of both houses of Congress. The Dow rose 3%, the S&P 500 gained 1.6% and the Nasdaq added 1.4%, while European stocks rose 1.8%, the UK gained 1%, Brazil snapped a six-day losing streak with a 1% rise, China climbed 2.3% and Japan fell 1.5%. Wednesday's plunge in oil prices puts Brent and WTI crude futures on course for their biggest weekly decline since the pandemic shock of April 2020, the dollar fell to its lowest since September 30, Bitcoin rose 3% to above $80,000, and the US trade deficit narrowed slightly in September even as imports hit a record high.
Background: The evening edition reported global stocks first falling then rebounding on the blue wave, with the dollar softening before recovering.
Bank of England Expected to Raise Rates to 4% on Thursday, First Rise Since 2023
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee announces its decision at noon on Thursday alongside a new Monetary Policy Report, and markets price a roughly 90% or higher chance of a 25-basis-point rise to 4% — which would be the first increase since August 2023. UK consumer price inflation reached 3.5% in the 12 months to September, up from 3.1% in August and well above the Bank's 2% target, with energy prices the main driver. At the September meeting the committee voted 6–3 to hold Bank Rate at 3.75%, with three members already voting for a rise, and Oxford Economics expects a second rise in February 2027 to 4.25%.
Background: The Bank of England has held Bank Rate at 3.75% since its December 2025 cut.
Tech companies, research breakthroughs and digital policy
OpenAI Plans to Acquire Coding-Tools Firm Pierre, Launches GovCloud Cyber Service
OpenAI announced on Wednesday that it plans to acquire Pierre Computer Company, Inc., describing the deal as expanding its Codex tools for building, understanding and reviewing code, though no closing date was given. OpenAI also said its Daybreak Red cybersecurity offering is now available to approved customers in AWS GovCloud (US-East) through Amazon Bedrock, using GPT-5.6 Cyber for authorized cybersecurity work. Google published a three-part framework for evaluating health-AI use cases the same day, while GitHub shipped a CodeQL 2.27.4 update and a public preview of Copilot inside Xcode's built-in coding assistant.
Background: OpenAI has steadily expanded its coding tools and public-sector security push this year.
AI Shopping Agents Threaten Amazon and Walmart's Ad Business
A Reuters analysis published on Wednesday warns that AI-led shopping agents — such as Meta's recently released Muse — pose a dilemma for Walmart and Amazon, the world's two largest retail media businesses, which together dominate an estimated $74.4 billion in US retail media spending with a combined 88% share. Agents that research and buy on consumers' behalf could erode the lucrative business of brands paying retailers to promote products on their sites, and Morgan Stanley researchers have estimated such agents could account for 10% to 20% of US e-commerce spending by 2030. Amazon blocked Muse in September, saying it accessed its store without authorization, while Walmart officially partnered with third-party agentic commerce, rolling out enabling infrastructure on October 21.
Background: Agentic AI shopping has moved rapidly into mainstream e-commerce this year, splitting retailers between openness and blockade.
Military developments, security situations and conflicts
Gaza Ceasefire in Name Only: Israeli Attacks Kill Several, UN Warns Displacement Is Worsening
Israeli attacks in Gaza killed at least four Palestinians on Tuesday, Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday, including a couple killed in an apartment in Gaza City and a 17-year-old boy shot in Khan Younis, as its correspondent reported a surge in Israeli attacks overnight and into the early hours of Tuesday. The UN human rights office warned on Wednesday that Israeli forces continue to push Palestinians into ever-smaller areas of the Gaza Strip while destroying civilian infrastructure and attacking displacement sites, and said Israel aims to increase its area of military deployment to 70% of Gaza's territory.
Background: More than 1,500 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire that took effect in October 2025.
Sources: Al Jazeera, UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) (2 outlets)
Sudan-Ethiopia Relations Deteriorate as Ethiopia Expels Six Sudanese Diplomats
Ethiopia ordered six Sudanese diplomats to leave the country on Wednesday, Reuters reported, marking a further deterioration in relations over allegations that each side supports the other's enemies. Sudan accuses Ethiopia of allowing the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to launch suicide drones from Ethiopian territory against civilian infrastructure, lodging a complaint on Sunday with the UN Security Council and the African Union's Peace and Security Council; a Sudanese report counts 70 assaults involving 187 one-way attack drones between February and October. Ethiopia denies supporting the RSF and accuses Sudan of backing rebels in its northern Tigray region, while Sudan also accuses the UAE of supplying the drones.
Background: Sudan's civil war, which began in April 2023, has killed more than 140,000 people and displaced about 14 million, according to UN figures.
Delhi Air Worsens: Wednesday Morning AQI Hits 377 as Emergency Measures Step Up
Air quality in India's capital deteriorated further on Wednesday morning, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 377, in the "very poor" band, after hitting 451 on Tuesday morning with several areas in the "severe" category — Rohini at 429, Punjabi Bagh at 424 and Bawana at 408. The Commission for Air Quality Management invoked Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan across the National Capital Region on Monday, bringing dust control and water sprinkling measures. India's Supreme Court has allowed green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR on November 7 and 8 during designated morning and evening hours, with a complete ban resuming from November 9.
Background: Diwali is days away, and firecrackers typically push Delhi's pollution higher at this time of year.
Sources: Brussels Reporter, Central Pollution Control Board (via reports) (2 outlets)
Thailand Records 470 Mpox Cases and 3 Deaths in First Ten Months of 2026
Thailand recorded 470 mpox cases and three deaths in the first ten months of 2026, The Straits Times reported, as case counts draw attention ahead of increased travel around festival season. (single source, unverified)
Background: Thai health authorities have monitored the mpox outbreak through the year.
China-related news (international media coverage only)
China's Commerce Minister Vows to Expand Cooperation With Canada
China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao pledged on Tuesday to keep reducing problems and expanding cooperation with Canada in a meeting with Canadian Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu, according to China's Commerce Ministry cited by Reuters, with "candid and in-depth" exchanges on economic and trade relations and cooperation in traditional and emerging fields. The two countries struck an initial trade deal in January during Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to Beijing that cut electric vehicle and canola tariffs, and Wang said recent trade consultations had made positive progress, including a further extension of relevant exemption measures. He said the two sides should consolidate cooperation in energy, agricultural and aquatic products and consumer goods, and expand it in advanced manufacturing, clean energy and smart agriculture.
Background: China-Canada relations have steadily warmed since the initial trade arrangement in January.
Hong Kong Summit Exposes Wall Street's AI Confusion as Mainland Stocks Slide
Artificial intelligence took centre stage at Hong Kong's Global Financial Leaders' Investment Summit this week, Reuters reported on Wednesday, with Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon and Bridgewater Chair Bob Prince among the top bankers and investors debating markets, regulation and the war for computing power, while Chinese officials touted open-weight AI models and real-world deployment and downplayed the tech-led stock correction. Hong Kong is enjoying a record spell for stock offerings, with 117 IPOs raising $51 billion so far this year, but mainland markets have slid sharply: the STAR50 index of China's hottest tech stocks has lost more than 40% from its June high, the CSI300 has tumbled nearly 20% and fell 8.5% in October alone. Vice Premier He Lifeng noted the shift in economic momentum toward new drivers and said analysts expect Beijing to reach its 2026 GDP target of 4.5% to 5.0% without additional stimulus.
Background: The summit, organised by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and first held in 2022, ran from November 2 to 4 under the theme "Rethinking the playbook".
