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Must Know

Iran leaves Doha talks as draft US deal circulates, with US midterms and possible strikes looming

Ongoing · day 5 ↗

Iran warned on Sunday that a renewed war with the United States could last longer than the previous round of fighting, as Trump suggested Washington still had targets to strike. Iran's IRGC Navy said two tankers 'exploded' after hitting mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian negotiators left the Doha talks with Qatari mediators, and a draft proposal for a US deal is being circulated, with the talks' basis a seven-step plan Iran drew up in September to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the US naval blockade.

Why it matters

Trump has said the US will not attack before the Nov. 3 vote but has not ruled out strikes afterwards, so the draft has about a day of political cover before the pause may end; Iran says any new war could run longer than the last.

How reporting varies

Al-Monitor: Stresses the threat of renewed war: Trump says one or two sites remain to be hit "in 10 minutes", and Iran's army warns a new war could last longer.

Financial Times: Focuses on Gulf states bracing for escalation, with diplomats warning renewed conflict would be more damaging than earlier rounds.

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  • Straits Times — Backs: Iranian negotiators left Doha; draft proposal circulating, per an official; Three days of talks with Qatari mediators; Seven-step plan drawn up in September to reopen Hormuz and end blockade; Araqchi: no final conclusion on 'two-day proposal'; Trump won't attack before Nov. 3 vote, hasn't ruled out strikes after

France opens attempted murder probe after petrol bomb hits police; school blockades resume

Ongoing · day 2 ↗

France has opened an attempted murder investigation after petrol bombs were thrown at security forces during Paris protests, with footage showing an officer engulfed in flames. Protests over living costs and education continued for a third straight weekend in France, with reports of more than 300,000 people on the streets, though most demonstrations remained peaceful. Hundreds of arrests were made across France during the weekend protests.

Why it matters

Street violence is now being treated as attempted murder, while the student movement that began the protests is trying to restart even after the government's concessions, so the dispute is shifting from a bargaining issue to a law-and-order one.

How reporting varies

France 24: Describes largely peaceful protests, with more than 320,000 people on the streets and tear gas used by police in some places.

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Belgian PM De Wever goes to king to resign after coalition fails to agree budget

Prime Minister Bart De Wever went to the Royal Palace on Monday and was widely expected to offer his resignation, Belgian media reported, after late-night talks in his five-party coalition again failed to agree on next year's budget. The government has argued for months over €10bn ($11.2bn) in cuts and tax increases. De Tijd cited sources saying King Philippe was not expected to accept at once and could send him back for a last round of talks.

Why it matters

The split is over how to close the gap: De Wever's N-VA and the liberal MR want spending cuts, including on healthcare, while their socialist and centrist partners want higher wealth taxes, and the collapse comes as bond yields for weak-finance European states have risen sharply.

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  • Reuters · wire — Backs: De Wever went to the king, expected to resign over budget; Five-party coalition failed to agree next year's budget; €10bn ($11.2bn) in cuts and tax increases; De Tijd: king not expected to accept at once; N-VA and MR want spending cuts incl. healthcare; partners want wealth taxes; Bond yields have risen sharply for weak-finance European states
  • Republished by Straits Times · Lean right

Should Know

German ministers vow tough penalties after youth cost-of-living protest turns violent in Frankfurt

At least 54 people, aged 13 to 29, were arrested in Frankfurt after rioters damaged 17 shops, five of them looted, late Saturday, according to Hesse interior minister Roman Poseck. More than 100 of 1,300 deployed police officers were injured. The riots followed largely peaceful rallies by the group "Gen Z regelt" in dozens of cities over education and living costs; violence also broke out in Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt promised "tough penalties" and blamed violent left-wing groups and troublemakers from the migrant community. Poseck said police estimate 1,000 to 1,500 violent troublemakers, predominantly of migrant background.

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  • CBC News — Backs: 54 arrested, aged 13 to 29; 17 shops damaged, five looted; More than 100 of 1,300 officers injured; Gen Z regelt rallies in dozens of cities; Dobrindt: tough penalties; blamed left-wing groups and migrant-community troublemakers; Poseck: 1,000 to 1,500 violent troublemakers, predominantly migrant background

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Bulgaria's Iotova wins presidential runoff, becoming first elected female president

Ongoing · day 2 ↗

Acting President Iliana Iotova won Bulgaria's presidential runoff, according to near-final results from the Central Election Commission, and becomes the country's first elected female president. Iotova favours dialogue with Moscow and opposes military aid to Ukraine, and her win is being read as consolidating Bulgaria's Kremlin-friendly stance. Her pro-European challenger performed better than expected in the first round.

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Saudi air defences down Houthi missile as coalition strikes Hodeidah port and oil site

The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile aimed at southern Saudi Arabia on Monday. Civil defence had issued, then lifted, alerts for Abha, Khamis Mushait, Taif and Najran. Houthi-affiliated media said coalition strikes on Hodeidah's Ras Isa port and an oil company site in Bajil wounded seven people; the coalition did not comment. The Saudi economy shrank 3.8% as oil output fell, the Wall Street Journal reported.

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More than 300,000 flee renewed Yemen fighting as Houthis besiege Taizz

Ongoing · day 2 ↗

Rights experts say the death of a UN staffer in Houthi custody exposes systematic abuses by the group and call for international accountability. More than 300,000 people have fled fighting in Yemen, and the situation in Taiz is described as especially dire, with warnings of a looming humanitarian crisis. Reporting examines how the Houthis have built their military capabilities and are becoming less dependent on their outside patron.

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Binance users pull billions as exchange reopens after $6.3bn hack, with withdrawals reported to be slowing

Ongoing · day 3 ↗

Binance customers pulled about $3.64 billion, or 2.1% of the exchange's assets, when it went back online on Sunday after the hack. The Binance group has pledged to reimburse users whose assets were stolen in the hack. According to Reuters, Binance says the rush of withdrawals is slowing as users weigh the security risk.

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UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara ends after 35 years, as liquidation begins

Ongoing · day 2 ↗

The UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara ended Sunday after 35 years, after the Security Council failed to renew its mandate, the UN chief said. Morocco welcomed the decision to end the mission, while opponents in the Algeria-backed Polisario Front expressed concern. Western Sahara is claimed by both Morocco and the pro-independence Polisario Front, and was once ruled by Spain.

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  • NPR World — Backs: Mission ended after 35 years; liquidation begins; Ceased operations Sunday after Council failed to renew mandate; Russia vetoed US draft Friday; rival Russian text voted down; Morocco welcomed; Polisario called it 'unacceptable'; Nov. 1 liquidation start; smaller team returns assets to troop contributors

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Trump says US and Canada have a 'concept' of a trade deal, including a pipeline, after talking to Carney

President Trump said the US and Canada have a "concept" of a new trade deal, after speaking with Prime Minister Mark Carney. Reuters reported the outline includes a pipeline. Trade talks between the two countries collapsed acrimoniously in August, according to the Straits Times.

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Bank of England set to raise rates to 4% this week as BOJ readies December hike

The Bank of England is expected to raise its key rate to 4% on Thursday, joining peers in raising borrowing costs to contain a pickup in inflation ahead of an intense period of wage negotiations, according to the FT and WSJ. Reuters says the bank may push back on market bets for further rises. Reuters also reports the Bank of Japan has locked in a December hike, though uncertainty over the neutral rate clouds the outlook. The Guardian says more than 2.3m UK households face a sharp rise in mortgage payments in 2027 as they come off fixed deals.

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Anthropic plans $3.5bn share sale to Japan investors in IPO, filing shows

Anthropic plans to sell $3.5 billion of shares to Japanese investors as part of its initial public offering, according to a filing cited by Reuters. Le Monde reports the IPO document also details the "catastrophic or existential" risks the company says AI poses to humanity.

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China's party plenum document pledges digital tools against graft and deeper reach into tech sector

Ongoing · day 3 ↗

The fifth plenum adopted a landmark document pledging to step up Communist Party building across China's tech sector and to deploy digital tools in the fight against corruption. Xi Jinping defended the Communist Party's strict governance and internal discipline campaigns, calling them a "fundamental guarantee" for China's rise and arguing they do not stifle growth. The Chinese Communist Party is using big data surveillance to combat corruption.

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Freezer temperatures soar at Swedish and Belgian supermarkets; one store blames hackers

Freezers at several Swedish grocery stores overheated overnight, ICA and Coop said on Monday, and at least one store blamed a cyberattack. Coop told Aftonbladet that six of its stores were affected; ICA said a limited number of its stores were hit. The Financial Times reports overheating as high as 55C in dozens of stores in Sweden and Belgium, weeks after French police said hackers seized cooling units at hundreds of supermarkets.

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Oleshky truce ends as Kyiv and Moscow each say the other used it to reinforce

Ongoing · day 2 ↗

Ukraine's military said it evacuated 167 people from threatened areas of southern Kherson region on Sunday, as a temporary local ceasefire neared expiry. Ukraine evacuated nearly 200 civilians from areas south of Kherson shortly before the Oleshky ceasefire ended, which was the longest local pause in fighting since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022. The Kremlin said Monday that it assumed Ukraine's army had used the Oleshky ceasefire to regroup, which it called normal practice.

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