Thursday, 5 November 2026
Democrats won both chambers of Congress in the midterms on Tuesday, 3 November, flipping Republican Senate seats in states such as Texas and South Carolina. Vice President JD Vance wrote on Wednesday that the Iran war is why Republicans lost. President Donald Trump called that largely true but said he would start the war again.
Trump says he has no immediate plans to attack Iran, though US forces are "locked and loaded". Iran's Revolutionary Guards said four tankers hit mines south of the Strait of Hormuz and are still burning. In Ukraine, Zelensky said 40 people died in Monday's Russian strike on an aid site in Komyshuvakha. In Israel, the elections committee certified the 27 October results, dismissing Netanyahu's fraud claims, and President Herzog opened consultations on forming a government.
Brent fell more than 8 percent to about $94-95 as investors bet the Republican defeat lowers the risk of renewed US-Iran fighting. AI shares fell in Asia on fears of tighter regulation, and Bloomberg reports CoreWeave bonds hit new lows after Democrats who pledged to restrict data centres won governorships. Eurozone inflation rose to 4.0% in October from 3.8%.
Less noticed: an airstrike on a Colombian ELN camp in Venezuela's Apure state killed at least 20 people, according to rights groups, and the New York Times reports the US backed it with intelligence and drones. Watch whether Herzog's consultations produce a candidate to form a government.
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Trump says he has no immediate plans to attack Iran, though US forces are "locked and loaded". Iran's Revolutionary Guards said four tankers hit mines south of the Strait of Hormuz and are still burning. In Ukraine, Zelensky said 40 people died in Monday's Russian strike on an aid site in Komyshuvakha. In Israel, the elections committee certified the 27 October results, dismissing Netanyahu's fraud claims, and President Herzog opened consultations on forming a government.
Brent fell more than 8 percent to about $94-95 as investors bet the Republican defeat lowers the risk of renewed US-Iran fighting. AI shares fell in Asia on fears of tighter regulation, and Bloomberg reports CoreWeave bonds hit new lows after Democrats who pledged to restrict data centres won governorships. Eurozone inflation rose to 4.0% in October from 3.8%.
Less noticed: an airstrike on a Colombian ELN camp in Venezuela's Apure state killed at least 20 people, according to rights groups, and the New York Times reports the US backed it with intelligence and drones. Watch whether Herzog's consultations produce a candidate to form a government.
Important today
Democrats win Senate and House in midterm rebuke of Trump
Trump keeps Iran strike option open as Tehran vows larger response after midterms
Komyshuvakha death toll reaches 40 as Russia strikes Ukraine's power grid
Iran says four more tankers burn after hitting mines near Hormuz
Houthis tighten Taiz siege and claim Riyadh airport strike as fighting spreads
Vance and Trump blame Iran war for Republican midterm rout
Election committee rejects fraud claims as Herzog opens government talks
British health worker evacuated as WHO backs two Bundibugyo vaccine trials
US-backed strike on ELN camp in Venezuela kills at least 20
AI stocks slide, then broader markets rally after Democratic midterm sweep
French blood service cold stores hacked as Ahold Delhaize counts cost of its attack
Melania Trump's Oleshky mediation shapes Ukraine diplomacy ahead of Abu Dhabi talks
All stories
Global · 4
North America · 4
Middle East · 6
- Trump keeps Iran strike option open as Tehran vows larger response after midterms
- Iran says four more tankers burn after hitting mines near Hormuz
- Houthis tighten Taiz siege and claim Riyadh airport strike as fighting spreads
- Election committee rejects fraud claims as Herzog opens government talks
- Israeli strikes continue in Gaza as UN report says genocide persists
- Trump's plan to end US military aid to Israel draws warnings
Europe · 9
- Komyshuvakha death toll reaches 40 as Russia strikes Ukraine's power grid
- French blood service cold stores hacked as Ahold Delhaize counts cost of its attack
- Melania Trump's Oleshky mediation shapes Ukraine diplomacy ahead of Abu Dhabi talks
- Eurozone inflation reaches 4% as energy prices climb
- Hackers divert an estimated €118m from Crédit Mutuel Arkéa
- Commission sees Montenegro in EU by 2028, urges Ukraine to speed up reforms
- BMW cuts outlook for second time since June as profit falls
- Danish students protest allowance cuts as France heads into another protest day
- Polish prosecutors probe President Nawrocki amid Constitutional Tribunal dispute
South America · 1
Africa · 3
Asia · 7
- Indonesia's president fires chief of staff after wiretapping arrest
- China confirms contacts with Moscow and Washington on a possible Trump-Xi-Putin summit
- North Korea fires missiles, rejects US talks and denies crypto theft
- Bangladesh agrees new garment pay scale after five days of protest
- Taiwan flags more than 100 Chinese naval and coastguard vessels in western Pacific
- Beijing steps up stock-market support as chipmaker YMTC shelves IPO
- Google to invest $15bn in Malaysian data centres
Geopolitics · 21
- Democrats win Senate and House in midterm rebuke of Trump
- Trump keeps Iran strike option open as Tehran vows larger response after midterms
- Komyshuvakha death toll reaches 40 as Russia strikes Ukraine's power grid
- Iran says four more tankers burn after hitting mines near Hormuz
- Houthis tighten Taiz siege and claim Riyadh airport strike as fighting spreads
- Vance and Trump blame Iran war for Republican midterm rout
- Election committee rejects fraud claims as Herzog opens government talks
- British health worker evacuated as WHO backs two Bundibugyo vaccine trials
- US-backed strike on ELN camp in Venezuela kills at least 20
- Melania Trump's Oleshky mediation shapes Ukraine diplomacy ahead of Abu Dhabi talks
- Indonesia's president fires chief of staff after wiretapping arrest
- China confirms contacts with Moscow and Washington on a possible Trump-Xi-Putin summit
- North Korea fires missiles, rejects US talks and denies crypto theft
- South Africans vote in local elections as ANC braces for heavy losses
- Israeli strikes continue in Gaza as UN report says genocide persists
- Trump's plan to end US military aid to Israel draws warnings
- Commission sees Montenegro in EU by 2028, urges Ukraine to speed up reforms
- Taiwan flags more than 100 Chinese naval and coastguard vessels in western Pacific
- Bandits kill soldier and pregnant woman, abduct 15 in Nigeria
- Danish students protest allowance cuts as France heads into another protest day
- Polish prosecutors probe President Nawrocki amid Constitutional Tribunal dispute
Economy · 8
- AI stocks slide, then broader markets rally after Democratic midterm sweep
- Eurozone inflation reaches 4% as energy prices climb
- Brent drops below $100 as midterm result fuels hopes of US-Iran de-escalation
- Bangladesh agrees new garment pay scale after five days of protest
- BMW cuts outlook for second time since June as profit falls
- Beijing steps up stock-market support as chipmaker YMTC shelves IPO
- Meta starts debut euro bond sale as hedge funds flag private-credit risks
- CVS to split pharmacy business from insurer Aetna
Technology · 5
- French blood service cold stores hacked as Ahold Delhaize counts cost of its attack
- Democratic governors elected on pledges to curb data centres, putting AI build-out under scrutiny
- Oracle scraps $7bn Tencent chip deal under Trump pressure
- Hackers divert an estimated €118m from Crédit Mutuel Arkéa
- Google to invest $15bn in Malaysian data centres