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Must Know

Israel's president tasks Eisenkot with forming government, giving him 28 days to unseat Netanyahu

Ongoing · day 14 ↗

Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Saturday tasked Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu's strongest rival, with trying to form a new government after the deadlocked election. Eisenkot has 28 days to try to form a government, with a possible 14-day extension. Israel's main parties have recommended that Eisenkot be the one to form the new government.

Why it matters

Eisenkot's backers include Arab parties he refuses to admit to a coalition, and right-leaning allies such as Avigdor Liberman refuse to rely on Arab votes, so his path runs through ultra-Orthodox parties, a minority government or a unity deal with Netanyahu.

How reporting varies

Straits Times: Focuses on Netanyahu's warning that an Arab-backed coalition would 'dismantle' Israel, noting the language echoes far-right politicians who claim parts of Europe have come under Islamic law.

Al Jazeera: Frames Eisenkot as a contrast to Netanyahu who risks continuing his legacy, citing a Joint List lawmaker who says he would rather compromise with ultra-Orthodox parties than depend on Arab support.

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US launches Task Force Iron Gate to cut Iran's land and Caspian supply routes, widening naval blockade

US Central Command said on Saturday it set up Task Force Iron Gate, based in Tampa, Florida, to stop Iran moving advanced weapons, dual-use technology and sanctioned material across its land borders and the Caspian Sea. It will work with other US agencies, which a US official said are expected to include the Treasury, State and Justice Departments and the intelligence community. Central Command estimates its blockade has kept more than $25 billion of Iranian crude off the market. Iranian media reported explosions the same day on Qeshm Island and in Jask, with the cause unclear.

Why it matters

The blockade has choked Iran's sea exports, but a Reuters investigation found Iran still brought in at least $2 billion of hardware by Caspian ship, Central Asian truck and Chinese freight plane since January 2025, so the US is now targeting routes that sit across borders with other states.

How reporting varies

Al Jazeera: Quotes a former US defence official who says any escalation ordered by Trump would likely hit economic and infrastructure targets, unlike the military focus of earlier operations.

Reuters: Presents the task force as evidence that Washington is still searching for ways to raise pressure on Tehran more than eight months into the war, with Iran resilient despite heavy military damage.

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Falling debris from intercepted Houthi missiles damages Aramco tower in Riyadh financial district after Houthi-run ministry says Saudi-led strikes killed 33 near Sanaa

Saudi air defences intercepted two Houthi ballistic missiles aimed at Riyadh on Sunday, but falling debris damaged an Aramco building in the King Abdullah Financial District, the energy ministry said. No injuries were reported. A third missile aimed at the Eastern Province was also intercepted, the coalition said. A day earlier, the Houthi-run health ministry said coalition strikes killed 33 people, including eight women and 13 children, in a village near Sanaa; the coalition has not commented.

Why it matters

A strike on the glass-towered district that showcases Saudi Arabia's economic reform drive puts the kingdom's civilian and commercial core in range just as it seeks foreign troops and help to repel the Houthis.

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  • Al Jazeera — Backs: Falling debris damaged Aramco tower in Riyadh financial district; Houthi-run ministry says Saudi-led strikes killed 33 near Sanaa; Two Houthi ballistic missiles aimed at Riyadh intercepted Sunday; Energy ministry said debris damaged Aramco building, no injuries; Third missile aimed at Eastern Province intercepted, coalition said; 33 killed including eight women and 13 children in village near Sanaa; Coalition has not commented on the strikes
  • Al-Monitor — Backs: Falling debris damaged Aramco tower in Riyadh financial district; Two Houthi ballistic missiles aimed at Riyadh intercepted Sunday; District showcases Saudi economic reform drive; Kingdom seeking foreign troops and help against Houthis

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Gunman kills six in Krakow's main square; three more bodies found at his home

A 24-year-old Polish man shot dead six people and wounded at least 15 on Saturday in Krakow's Main Square, police said. Police shot and arrested him, and a drone later found three more bodies at his home, according to Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Tusk called the attack terrorism, and the interior minister said the suspect was fascinated by far-right ideologies. Poland began two days of national mourning on Sunday.

Why it matters

Officials are linking a far-right motive to the country's deadliest shooting in decades just as Tusk urges politicians not to exploit it, so the attacker's ideology could become a contested political issue.

How reporting varies

Financial Times: Stresses Tusk's appeal to politicians not to exploit the incident.

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Should Know

US aircraft disables cargo ship leaving Iranian port in Gulf of Oman

A US military aircraft fired on and disabled a St. Kitts-flagged cargo vessel on Saturday that tried to break the US blockade of Iran, US Central Command said. The ship had visited an Iranian port. Central Command said the crew was told to leave targeted spaces before a plane fired precision munitions at its stern. Central Command estimates the months-long blockade has kept more than $25 billion in Iranian crude from export.

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French protests draw smaller crowds on fourth Saturday, with Paris clashes, before Monday talks with PM Lecornu

Ongoing · day 4 ↗

Protests against the cost of living continued on Saturday for a fourth consecutive weekend in France, with estimates of 146,000 to 250,000 participants, most of whom demonstrated peacefully. Authorities put the number of protesters at nearly 150,000 across France on Saturday. Clashes broke out between police and some protesters in Paris on Saturday, even though turnout was lower than in previous weeks.

5 reports · 5 outlets · 5 left

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New Zealand faces weeks of limbo as special votes, due 27 November, could decide a photo-finish election

Ongoing · day 3 ↗

Official results will not be announced until 27 November, and the special votes still being counted could change the outcome. Preliminary results showed the right-wing bloc slightly ahead, but no clear winner emerged from an election dominated by economic concerns. Qiulae Wong, described as an outsider, has been identified as a figure who could decide New Zealand's next government.

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Russian attack leaves over 600,000 without power in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region

Ongoing · day 3 ↗

More than 600,000 people in Dnipropetrovsk oblast lost electricity after an overnight Russian attack, and the regional military administration head Oleksandr Hanja said hospitals and critical infrastructure now run on generators.

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Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant loses external power, switches to diesel generators

The Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southeastern Ukraine lost its external power supply on Sunday, according to the Russian-installed management. It said automatic protection shut down the Ferosplavna line because of damage, and backup diesel generators are powering equipment needed for safe operation. The management said radiation levels on the site and in the surveillance zone were normal.

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Islamic State-linked attack in Congo's Ebola zone kills at least 48, officials say

Ongoing · day 3 ↗

At least 48 people were killed in an assault by a group loyal to the Islamic State, officials said. The attack forced patients to flee an Ebola clinic. The area is a hot spot of the growing Ebola outbreak.

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Iran executes three men over armed unrest in Karaj during January protests

Iran executed Hassan Dioband, Hamid Kazemi and Reza Zanganeh on Nov. 8, state media reported. They were convicted of working for Israel and the US and of armed unrest in Karaj, including attacks on public facilities and an electricity substation. The Supreme Court upheld the sentences, and ten co-defendants received prison terms of 5 to 10 years. Rights groups say Tehran uses executions to intimidate, and a US-based group said it could not verify the evidence against Zanganeh; his family rejected the charges.

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Paris prosecutors probe whether foreign powers are behind hoax bomb threats on European flights

Ongoing · day 3 ↗

French prosecutors are investigating the series of fake bomb threats against commercial flights in Europe, including whether foreign powers may be involved. Authorities are still trying to identify the source of the bomb threats and hacks that diverted aircraft and led to evacuations at media outlets. Reporting describes a cyberattack on supermarket fridges and software vulnerabilities alongside the bomb threats to planes, and government officials are encouraging residents to build resilience and stockpile supplies.

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Weakened Trump to meet Xi in Shenzhen in two weeks as Hegseth may visit China

Trump is expected to meet Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Apec leaders' meeting in Shenzhen in two weeks, their third face-to-face meeting this year, after Republicans lost both chambers of Congress on Tuesday. The South China Morning Post notes China hosted another politically weakened US president, Barack Obama, at the 2016 G20 in Hangzhou. Separately, Stephen Orlins of the National Committee on United States-China Relations said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Adm. Samuel Paparo may "soon" visit China, which he said would help regularise military contacts; no visit has been confirmed.

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US intelligence believes Nvidia's Huang had romantic tie to alleged Chinese spy

American intelligence warned that Nvidia chief Jensen Huang was involved with an executive recruited by China to gather information on a US group, according to the Financial Times. Le Monde, citing the New York Times, reports Huang is suspected of having had a romantic relationship with a Chinese businesswoman who spied on him. Nvidia makes advanced chips central to AI development.

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METR report finds Anthropic's AI models improving about twice as fast as a year ago, driven by AI

A report published Thursday by the AI safety group METR, after an 11-week investigation inside Anthropic, found the company's models are improving roughly twice as quickly as a year ago. METR said it is confident the gain is not just from more computing power, and that most of the acceleration as of October is due to AI. Anthropic was allowed to redact parts of the final report, and it appears to have done so heavily, according to The Verge.

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Mélenchon launches 2027 French presidential bid with pledges on wages, pensions and NATO exit

French hard-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon presented his manifesto, "A Shared Future", at a rally in Le Bourget, north of Paris, on Saturday. He pledged to raise the minimum wage, cap prices for essential foods and restore the retirement age to 60, and renewed his call to leave NATO. The Financial Times put the crowd at 20,000; Le Monde said several thousand. It is his fourth presidential bid, and it comes amid cost-of-living protests across France.

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