AI-writtenWritten by Claude, an assistant that can make mistakes - verify anything important against the linked sources. Political leanings from independent media assessors.

Must Know

Tech rout spreads to Asia and Europe after S&P 500 falls 4.4% on fears of US AI curbs

Ongoing · day 5 ↗

The S&P 500 fell 4.4% in its worst day since April 2025 as AI stocks sold off over worries about possible moratoriums on data centres after the Democratic midterm sweep. The Nasdaq posted its biggest daily drop in 19 months on fears of AI regulations, with investors wiping $2.5 trillion off the index, according to Reuters. The Nasdaq slid about 4% into correction territory, and Reuters reported it was set to confirm the correction as AI spending worries mounted.

Why it matters

The sell-off ties the AI trade to US politics: markets are pricing a Democratic Congress that could slow data centre building, the spending that had been propping up tech valuations.

How reporting varies

Financial Times: Reports that Donald Trump blamed voters for the tech rout, while futures suggested markets would stabilise at the US open.

5 reports · 5 outlets · 2 left · 3 center

Lean left

Centre

Iran says it sent US a nuclear proposal via Qatar, but ties talks to seven demands as tankers are hit in Hormuz

Ongoing · day 7 ↗

Iran has sent the United States a nuclear proposal via Qatar, but a senior Iranian official says it will be discussed only after Washington meets Tehran's seven demands. Tehran has also demanded the lifting of U.S. sanctions, the release of frozen assets and war reparations, according to reporting on its nuclear proposal. Iran reported three more tankers damaged in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, and Reuters says shipping will remain in peril while the Gulf war is unresolved.

Why it matters

Iran is offering a nuclear channel while keeping Hormuz shut and attacking shipping, so it holds its main leverage over oil prices even as talks move. Washington has said nuclear issues must be part of any first round, so the two sides disagree on the order of talks.

How reporting varies

NYT World: Says Iran's willingness to re-engage on the nuclear issue suggests Qatar-led efforts to avert full-blown war have had some success.

5 reports · 6 outlets · 3 left · 2 center

Left

  • Haaretz Middle East — Backs: Iran sent nuclear proposal to US via Qatar; talks tied to seven Iranian demands; senior Iranian official told Reuters; Rezaei: will neither open Hormuz nor negotiate until conditions met; conditions include lifting sanctions, frozen assets, war reparations; Hormuz kept shut

Lean left

Centre

Eisenkot wins 67 Knesset endorsements over Netanyahu; Herzog to name coalition-builder Sunday

Ongoing · day 12 ↗

President Isaac Herzog will announce on Sunday, November 8, whom he will task with trying to form the next government. 67 Knesset members back opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot's candidacy, a majority of lawmakers endorsing him over Netanyahu for the mandate to form a government. The Arab-majority parties have backed Eisenkot's bid to form the government, which gives him an edge over Netanyahu for the premiership.

Why it matters

Eisenkot's lead rests on Arab-party recommendations, the same votes Netanyahu and his allies have attacked with fraud allegations that election officials say could not have changed the result, so any coalition Eisenkot builds will be contested on legitimacy as well as numbers.

How reporting varies

NYT World: Netanyahu and allies allege Arab voters stole the election; election officials say any foul play under investigation could not have affected the result.

Globe and Mail: Stresses that neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot has a clear path to a parliamentary majority, despite Eisenkot's lead in recommendations.

6 reports · 6 outlets · 4 left · 1 center · 1 right

Lean left

Centre

Lean right

  • Globe and Mail — Backs: 67 Knesset endorsements for Eisenkot; Herzog to name candidate Sunday; two days of talks with Herzog; announcement Sunday, Nov. 8; neither has clear path to majority; Arab parties recommended Eisenkot; Netanyahu allies allege Arab voters stole election; election officials say foul play could not affect result

Trump predicts 'big' Russia deal covering 'all of Europe' after meeting Putin envoy Dmitriev

Ongoing · day 2 ↗

After meeting Putin's envoy Kirill Dmitriev at the White House, Trump predicted an imminent deal with Russia covering Ukraine and "all of Europe." Melania Trump hosted Russian and Ukrainian officials at a White House event marking the Oleshky local ceasefire, which ran from Oct. 27 to Nov. 1 and was described as the most significant truce since the war began. The Kremlin said Friday that Europe is struggling to decide who would represent it in any future Ukraine security talks.

Why it matters

A deal Trump describes as covering all of Europe is being shaped in talks where, by the Kremlin's own account, Europeans have not settled who represents them, so terms could be set before they have a voice.

How reporting varies

Der Spiegel: Notes Trump recently wanted Russian help to import diesel, and says his turn to a political deal likely alarms Europeans.

6 reports · 6 outlets · 2 left · 2 center · 2 right

Lean left

Centre

Lean right

Democrats plan Trump probes and eye 2028 as Trump keeps control of foreign policy

Ongoing · day 2 ↗

Democrats seized control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the November 3 midterm elections. Democrats had won more than 250 House seats as of the latest count, and some races were still not called. Hakeem Jeffries is tipped to become House Speaker and has said Congress will rein in an executive branch he described as out of control.

Why it matters

Congress can now probe and block domestic policy, but the foreign-policy powers that matter most to Ukraine, Iran and NATO stay with a weakened president who may respond with new excesses, as the Guardian editorial warns.

How reporting varies

NYT World: Europeans feel private relief but show no official glee, because Ukraine, Iran and NATO still depend on Trump.

The Guardian: Voters have given Democrats new powers to constrain Trump, but the defeat could push him to new excesses.

Reuters: The Republican losses leave Trump diminished at home, yet he still holds the levers of foreign policy.

7 reports · 7 outlets · 3 left · 2 center · 2 right

Lean left

Centre

Lean right

Should Know

Bank of England raises rates for first time since 2023 and says more may come

Ongoing · day 3 ↗

The Bank of England raised interest rates for the first time since 2023 and said more increases may come. The rate rise is the first since the start of the Iran War, a conflict that lifted energy prices, though prices have fallen since the midterms raised hopes for an end to the war.

2 reports · 2 outlets · 1 center · 1 right

Centre

Lean right

Paraguay's Peña resigns over Ueno bank collapse; lawmakers impeach him and reportedly refuse the resignation

Paraguayan President Santiago Peña announced his resignation on Thursday after the collapse of the digital lender Ueno froze access to millions of accounts. The lower house voted to impeach him minutes later. Clarín reports the legislature declined to accept the resignation, so he must face an impeachment trial in the Senate, and he says he will appear and defend himself. Clarín also reports the attorney general opened three criminal cases over the bank's collapse.

5 reports · 5 outlets · 2 left · 2 center · 1 right

Lean left

Centre

Lean right

Malaysian court orders Najib moved to house arrest, but attorney general suspends transfer

A court issued an order moving jailed ex-PM Najib Razak to house arrest after his party UMNO paid a 50 million ringgit ($12m) fine, his lawyer said on Friday. The attorney general's chambers then said the transfer was temporarily suspended, and that Najib stays in prison while legal questions over his conditional royal pardon are clarified. Najib, jailed since 2022 over the 1MDB scandal, denies wrongdoing; UMNO used crowdfunding to pay the fine because his bank accounts are frozen, and the king agreed to the pardon in September.

4 reports · 4 outlets · 1 left · 2 center · 1 right

Lean left

  • Al Jazeera — Backs: court order for house arrest; attorney general suspends transfer; 50 million ringgit ($12m) fine paid by UMNO; lawyer said Friday; legal questions over conditional pardon; jailed since 2022 over 1MDB; crowdfunding due to frozen accounts; king agreed to pardon in September

Centre

Lean right

Defeated Brazilian candidate Flávio Bolsonaro says he will keep his escape secret; Milei adviser reportedly helped

Speaking from Miami, Flávio Bolsonaro told The New York Times he will take the secret of how he left Brazil "to the grave". He also questioned the election result after Lula's win and denied receiving help from other governments. The Times reported, citing three people involved, that a top adviser to Argentine President Javier Milei met him at an Argentine airport. It said his stolen-election claims are unfounded and his party is not challenging the results.

2 reports · 2 outlets · 1 left · 1 right

Lean left

Lean right

Putin receives Iran's security chief Rezaei, who delivers a message from Supreme Leader Khamenei

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, at the Kremlin on Thursday. Rezaei delivered a letter from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, whose contents he did not disclose. He said they discussed post-war regional security and a gas pipeline from Russia to Iran, and repeated that Tehran will not open the Strait of Hormuz or hold talks until the US meets seven conditions. Separately, the Guardian reported, citing leaked documents, that Russia arranged to supply Iran with 90 launchers for advanced guided missiles, and Der Spiegel said Moscow reportedly promised Tehran military equipment.

5 reports · 6 outlets · 3 left · 1 center · 1 right

Lean left

Centre

Lean right

Xi heads into Shenzhen Apec summit with US truce likely to be extended and a purged party elite

Trump and Xi are expected to meet at the Apec summit in Shenzhen later this month, and one Tsinghua scholar writing in the South China Morning Post expects their trade truce to be extended. The truce, agreed in South Korea last October, suspended US port fees on Chinese-built ships and Chinese rare-earth export controls. The New York Times says a China summit that also involved Putin would pose uncomfortable choices for Xi on Ukraine and nuclear arms limits. Meanwhile, The Diplomat reports that the party's fifth plenum, which closed Oct. 29, was missing 43 full members and 54 alternates, after 33 expulsions.

3 reports · 3 outlets · 2 left · 1 center

Lean left

Centre

Putin orders seizure of Japan Tobacco's Russian business; Tokyo demands reversal

President Putin ordered Russia to take control of Japan Tobacco's Russian assets, including its factories, and Japan has demanded Moscow reverse the move. Japan Tobacco runs the largest cigarette company in the Russian market, according to the Financial Times, and is the latest foreign firm to lose control of its operations in a widening Kremlin crackdown. The Wall Street Journal reports the move follows a Russian pattern of targeting Western firms over Ukraine and of punishing Tokyo.

5 reports · 5 outlets · 2 center · 3 right

Centre

Lean right

US extends suspension of export restrictions on Chinese firms

Ongoing · day 2 ↗

The US has extended its suspension of export restrictions on Chinese firms. Democrats won control of the US Congress in the midterm elections, and Chinese analysts interviewed do not expect a sea change in US foreign policy as a result. China's top legislature passed a law targeting cross-border corruption, giving Beijing broader tools to pursue illicit offshore assets.

2 reports · 2 outlets · 1 left · 1 right

Lean left

Lean right

Pope Leo leaves for 12-day South America tour weeks after lung cancer surgery

Pope Leo XIV, 71, left on Friday for Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, his first major trip since part of a lung was removed last month. Reuters reports crowds in the millions are expected as the first US-born pope returns to a Catholic stronghold. A US-based clergy abuse watchdog used the eve of the visit to call for a truth commission on Church abuse in Peru.

7 reports · 7 outlets · 3 left · 2 center · 1 right · 1 unrated

Lean left

Centre

Lean right

Unrated

Meloni asks EU to settle who speaks for Europe in Ukraine talks after Stubb and Støre call Putin

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote to EU Council President António Costa demanding a binding decision on who sits at the table for the EU in Ukraine peace talks, and with what mandate. She wants it discussed at next week's informal European Council in Dublin, with a formal decision at the Dec. 17-18 summit in Brussels. Costa replied that he would schedule time for the discussion. Rome had criticised an uncoordinated call to Putin in late October by Finland's President Alexander Stubb and Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

1 report · 1 outlet · 1 left

Lean left

OpenAI drops NDAs for data center projects after midterm vote against expansion

OpenAI announced new commitments to communities where it is working on data center projects, including stepping back from nondisclosure agreements, according to The Verge. The move follows this week's midterms, where The Verge says voters resoundingly voiced opposition to data center expansion.

1 report · 1 outlet · 1 left

Lean left