Lead Story
Israel's election deadlock drags into a second week as thousands rally for an Eisenkot-Arab coalition
With final results confirming Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing bloc won 53 seats and Gadi Eisenkot's opposition bloc 48, both short of the 61 needed to govern, President Isaac Herzog is set to begin consultations next week before tasking a candidate with forming a government; Eisenkot is widely expected to get the first mandate. Ultra-Orthodox parties have signaled they would be willing to negotiate joining an Eisenkot-led government, even as Eisenkot has ruled out relying on Arab-led parties and allies close to Netanyahu are pushing for a unity government between the two rivals. On October 31 and into November 1, thousands rallied in Tel Aviv urging Eisenkot to form a coalition with Arab-led parties to oust Netanyahu, while Netanyahu supporters held a counter-demonstration.
Read more →Lead Story
Israel's election deadlock drags into a second week as thousands rally for an Eisenkot-Arab coalition
With final results confirming Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing bloc won 53 seats and Gadi Eisenkot's opposition bloc 48, both short of the 61 needed to govern, President Isaac Herzog is set to begin consultations next week before tasking a candidate with forming a government; Eisenkot is widely expected to get the first mandate. Ultra-Orthodox parties have signaled they would be willing to negotiate joining an Eisenkot-led government, even as Eisenkot has ruled out relying on Arab-led parties and allies close to Netanyahu are pushing for a unity government between the two rivals. On October 31 and into November 1, thousands rallied in Tel Aviv urging Eisenkot to form a coalition with Arab-led parties to oust Netanyahu, while Netanyahu supporters held a counter-demonstration.
US enters final 48 hours before pivotal midterm elections as both parties make closing pushes
With early voting underway ahead of Tuesday's November 3 midterms, Democrats are fighting to flip control of Congress, with all 435 House seats, 35 of 100 Senate seats and 39 governorships on the ballot and the heaviest spending concentrated in battlegrounds including Texas, Ohio, Michigan and South Carolina. President Trump has said he will spend more than $400 million by Election Day and has been campaigning heavily alongside Vice President JD Vance in the closing days, while former President Obama has made appearances for Democratic candidates nationwide. Analysts note this is the first midterm since 1894 held during a non-consecutive second presidential term, and the campaign's final stretch has been marked by disputes over attack ads, including accusations of AI-generated "deepfake" ads in Minnesota.
Read more →US enters final 48 hours before pivotal midterm elections as both parties make closing pushes
With early voting underway ahead of Tuesday's November 3 midterms, Democrats are fighting to flip control of Congress, with all 435 House seats, 35 of 100 Senate seats and 39 governorships on the ballot and the heaviest spending concentrated in battlegrounds including Texas, Ohio, Michigan and South Carolina. President Trump has said he will spend more than $400 million by Election Day and has been campaigning heavily alongside Vice President JD Vance in the closing days, while former President Obama has made appearances for Democratic candidates nationwide. Analysts note this is the first midterm since 1894 held during a non-consecutive second presidential term, and the campaign's final stretch has been marked by disputes over attack ads, including accusations of AI-generated "deepfake" ads in Minnesota.
Momentum builds toward a Ukraine-Russia summit as Witkoff ferries proposals between Kyiv's allies and the Kremlin
US envoy Steve Witkoff met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Oslo on October 20 alongside the leaders of Norway and Finland, then traveled to St. Petersburg on October 21 to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, who told him he "agrees in principle" to resume three-way peace talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US; the meeting opened with Russia releasing detained American Stephen Hubbard as a goodwill gesture. Zelenskyy has pushed for a format that includes a direct Trump-Putin-Zelenskyy meeting, which Russia has so far resisted, and the Kremlin says Putin is still reviewing the documents Witkoff presented outlining possible terms. On November 1, Zelenskyy discussed security guarantees and the peace effort by phone with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who separately condemned recent attacks on Black Sea shipping.
Read more →Momentum builds toward a Ukraine-Russia summit as Witkoff ferries proposals between Kyiv's allies and the Kremlin
US envoy Steve Witkoff met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Oslo on October 20 alongside the leaders of Norway and Finland, then traveled to St. Petersburg on October 21 to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, who told him he "agrees in principle" to resume three-way peace talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US; the meeting opened with Russia releasing detained American Stephen Hubbard as a goodwill gesture. Zelenskyy has pushed for a format that includes a direct Trump-Putin-Zelenskyy meeting, which Russia has so far resisted, and the Kremlin says Putin is still reviewing the documents Witkoff presented outlining possible terms. On November 1, Zelenskyy discussed security guarantees and the peace effort by phone with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who separately condemned recent attacks on Black Sea shipping.
Nationwide unrest continues in France as fresh clashes break out on the edge of Paris
France has been gripped by a wave of protests since October 24-26, when the Interior Ministry counted roughly 410,000 demonstrators nationwide (unions put the figure at up to 800,000, with about 110,000 in Paris alone) over school staffing shortages that broadened into wider anger about school funding and living costs; clashes with police broke out in Paris and Marseille and nearly 1,000 people were arrested. The unrest has carried into the following week, with wire reports describing a march on the outskirts of Paris on November 1 that again turned to clashes between police and some demonstrators, under the watch of tens of thousands of officers deployed nationwide.
Read more →Nationwide unrest continues in France as fresh clashes break out on the edge of Paris
France has been gripped by a wave of protests since October 24-26, when the Interior Ministry counted roughly 410,000 demonstrators nationwide (unions put the figure at up to 800,000, with about 110,000 in Paris alone) over school staffing shortages that broadened into wider anger about school funding and living costs; clashes with police broke out in Paris and Marseille and nearly 1,000 people were arrested. The unrest has carried into the following week, with wire reports describing a march on the outskirts of Paris on November 1 that again turned to clashes between police and some demonstrators, under the watch of tens of thousands of officers deployed nationwide.
Investigators question Adif signal operator as Spain's deadly Urda train crash probe intensifies
In the days after an October 28 collision in which a Renfe AVE high-speed train slammed into a stopped Iryo train near Urda, Toledo, killing dozens, Spain's Guardia Civil has questioned the Adif operator who authorized the AVE's departure before the crash, and both a judicial inquiry and a separate rail-accident investigation commission (CIAIAF) have opened formal probes. Engineers and railway unions have publicly challenged Transport Minister Óscar Puente's initial account, which pointed to a signaling failure followed by an erroneous decision to restart the train, calling the explanation incomplete given the line's safety systems. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has pledged to "get to the end" of the investigation and act forcefully if negligence is confirmed.
Read more →Investigators question Adif signal operator as Spain's deadly Urda train crash probe intensifies
In the days after an October 28 collision in which a Renfe AVE high-speed train slammed into a stopped Iryo train near Urda, Toledo, killing dozens, Spain's Guardia Civil has questioned the Adif operator who authorized the AVE's departure before the crash, and both a judicial inquiry and a separate rail-accident investigation commission (CIAIAF) have opened formal probes. Engineers and railway unions have publicly challenged Transport Minister Óscar Puente's initial account, which pointed to a signaling failure followed by an erroneous decision to restart the train, calling the explanation incomplete given the line's safety systems. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has pledged to "get to the end" of the investigation and act forcefully if negligence is confirmed.