Dawn
Latest crypto news and market updates from Dawn.
Xi-Trump-Putin summit evokes 1945 Yalta carve-upA possible China-US-Russia summit has prompted alarm of a modern-day Yalta Conference, with three powerful men carving up the world — with little regard for Ukraine, Europe and Taiwan or anyone else. But apart from an historic photo opportunity, the meeting between Presidents Xi Jinping, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin at the November 18-19 APEC summit in Shenzhen will likely achieve little, analysts say. Spheres of influence When then US president Franklin D. Roosevelt, Britain’s Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin met in Yalta in February 1945, they laid out the post-WWII settlement and new territorial boundaries in Europe. That meeting in Yalta, then in the Soviet Union and now in a part of Ukraine annexed by Russia in 2014, laid out the foundations for the Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and the Cold War. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has raised alarm that Shenzhen could be a Yalta-like “redistribution of spheres of influence” for the 21st century. At talks in Abu Dhabi this week — the first since February — Russian negotiators rattled Ukraine and its European supporters by pushing a review of the continent’s security architecture as part of any peace deal, with the US also floating a new framework. Russia’s delegation chief in Abu Dhabi, Vladimir Medinsky, fanned such fears by questioning the inclusion of Europe in further talks. The trilateral rankles because it signals “the idea that a few great powers can decide the security and future of other countries over their heads”, according to Tsiporah Fried at the Hudson Institute. The format alone “would already send a message about who counts, and whose interests can be negotiated by others”, she told AFP . Divergent interests Beyond the symbolism, however, divergent interests make the creation of a new world order in Shenzhen unlikely. Even the agenda reportedly remains contentious: Russia has suggested the meeting focus on Ukraine, Trump has pushed for talks on nuclear weapons and the Iran war, and China has remained tight-lipped on both. “The three parties have vastly different demands, making the management of expectations difficult. There is a high probability that talks could end without a breakthrough,” according to Wang Wen, dean of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University in Beijing. There are also few issues where input from all three leaders could bring progress. The main points of contention between Beijing and Washington are trade and the AI technology race, for instance. Beijing — which presents itself as a champion of multilateralism — has repeatedly said that Europe should be part of peace negotiations over Ukraine. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that in a recent meeting, Xi showed “irritation” when the idea of the trilateral talks covering Ukraine came up. “He explicitly pointed out that this is a European conflict, in which the Europeans must also be at the table,” Steinmeier told ARD . On nuclear disarmament, China has long insisted that the US and Russia reduce their own giant nuclear arsenals before it agrees to talks on its own stockpile. The summit therefore is more likely to produce minor outcomes such as crisis hotlines or some cooperation on counter-terrorism, public health, or climate change, Wang told AFP . “There is no single enemy to unite all three great powers the way that the fight against Nazi Germany united Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin,” said Wen-Ti Sung, a political scientist at Australian National University. “It follows that piecemeal horse-trading is in; a grand bargain is out.” However, Taiwan — which China claims — will still be watching the meeting closely, Sung said. “If the Trump administration is open to abandoning one partner (Ukraine) out of convenience, then it can abandon another,” he said. A post-Shenzhen world The Trump administration has sought to reassert US dominance over the “Western hemisphere” — including by capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January — but splitting the world among great powers like it’s 1945 may not guarantee security. China has opposed the logic of Yalta — the clandestine division of spheres of influence and major powers determining the fate of other nations — “from the very beginning”, according to Renmin University’s Wang. China could allay fears of a second Yalta by using the summit to “emphasise the defence of sovereignty and support for multilateral organisations”, Wang said. If Beijing uses the meeting to insist on European inclusion in talks regarding the continent’s security, it “could, in fact, open a new window for communication between China and Europe”, he said. “The original Yalta opened the path to the Korean War and Indochina Wars in addition to various conflicts and insurgencies across Asia, Africa, and Latin America,” said Chong Ja Ian at the National University of Singapore. Any Yalta 2.0 agreement “will almost certainly run into the same kinds of issues”, Chong said.Dawn
China's Xi says Taiwan 'reunification' must happen as history cannot be stoppedThe tide of history cannot be stopped, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday, while urging peaceful “ reunification ” with Taiwan and making no mention of using force, though he still drew a firm rebuff from Taipei. China views democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory, despite Taipei’s strong rejection of that claim, and has repeatedly offered a “one country, two systems” model of autonomy not supported by any major Taiwanese political party. Resolving the Taiwan question is an “unwavering historical mission” of China’s Communist Party, Xi said in a speech in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People. “The tide of history cannot be stopped,” Xi added. “The complete reunification of the motherland must be realised, and it will certainly be realised.” Taiwan’s government dismissed the remarks. Its Mainland Affairs Council said neither the government nor Taiwan’s people could accept “one country, two systems,” which would ultimately mean submitting to the Communist Party’s authoritarian rule. “As for the wording on Taiwan unification, it isn’t much different from the past,” council spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh told reporters. Xi’s comments came in a speech on the 160th birthday of revolutionary hero Sun Yat-sen, who helped lead a 1911 revolt that ended centuries of rule by emperors and empresses and ushered in the Republic of China. Xi said China adheres to “peaceful reunification and the policy of ‘one country, two systems’” and is willing to talk to Taiwan while upholding the “ one-China principle ”, or Beijing’s position that both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one country. All Chinese, including those in Taiwan, should join hands to jointly oppose Taiwan independence “separatist” forces and strive for peaceful development of cross-Strait ties, Xi added. Despite Xi not mentioning the use of force, which China has never renounced for Taiwan, its military operates around the island on a daily basis and is extending its reach further into the Pacific. Taiwan’s defence ministry said it had detected 29 Chinese military aircraft, including J-16 fighter jets and drones, carrying out a “joint combat readiness patrol” around Taiwan in conjunction with Chinese warships, starting on Thursday. Taiwan tells people to stay away Xi’s speech comes a week ahead of the APEC summit in China’s southern tech hub of Shenzhen, where he is due to again meet US President Donald Trump , and also a little more than two weeks before important local elections in Taiwan. Last month, Taiwan called on its people to steer clear of any of China’s events to mark the Sun anniversary, saying China had a distorted view of him and his legacy. Beijing calls Sun a great national hero and patriot, as well as the forerunner of the 1949 communist revolution that forced the defeated Republic of China government to flee to Taiwan, where it remains to this day. Xi said Sun was a great national hero, a great patriot and a “great pioneer of China’s democratic revolution”. “Mr Sun Yat-sen consistently upheld the unity of the country and the solidarity of the nation, and he firmly opposed all words and actions that split the country or the nation,” he added. ‘Father of the nation’ In Taiwan, Sun is officially considered the “father of the nation” and his portrait hangs in the presidential office, though his political philosophy, “Three Principles of the People”, is no longer a required text for schoolchildren. While Taiwan President Lai Ching-te and his ruling Democratic Progressive Party champion Taiwan’s separate identity from China, they have been striking a tougher tone with Beijing on the role of the Republic of China. Taiwan has been particularly upset by Beijing’s effort to claim credit for the victory in World War Two, saying it was the Republic of China government that fought alongside the allies, as the People’s Republic of China did not exist at the time. China says Lai is a “separatist” and has refused to speak with him. Lai says only Taiwan’s people can decide their future.Dawn
Punjab govt insists smog ‘not a political issue’ as Lahore, New Delhi gasp for air• Marriyum says situation much better than previous years, thanks to concerted efforts • Indian monitors criticised for ‘under-reporting’ pollution over Diwali; authority claims toxicity levels ‘too high’ to record LAHORE: The Punjab government insisted on Wednesday that there should be no politics over smog, environmental protection and public health, as these issues concern the lives, health and future of millions of people. “Smog is not a political issue. It is a scientific, environmental and public health challenge,” senior minister Marriyum Aurangzeb told a press conference on Wednesday, even as Lahore, Multan and other major cities and towns in the province remained blanketed under a thick layer of smog. On Wednesday night, Lahore remained on top of the global ranking of major polluted cities, recording an air quality index (AQI) reading of 358. Meanwhile, the toxic smog in second-placed New Delhi — with an AQI reading of 248 on Wednesday — was so severe this week that air pollution monitors in the country were overwhelmed after pollutant concentrations exceeded the upper measurement limits on their instruments. This meant that official data failed to capture the full extent of the smog for several hours overnight Sunday into Monday, just as pollution surged with a barrage of fireworks for Diwali. A few days ago, Ms Aurangzeb had blamed Diwali fireworks in India for the smog persisting over Punjab. On Wednesday, the Punjab Environment Protection Agency (EPA) — in its assessment for the Diwali period — found that pollution-laden air from India travelled deep into Punjab, contributing to increased particulate matter (PM) concentrations. According to the agency, around 50pc of Punjab was affected by the air originating in India during the preceding 24 hours. Forward-trajectory modelling indicated that air released across the border on Diwali night could reach Lahore from Amritsar in approximately two hours, Faisalabad in 12 hours and Multan in around 11 hours, demonstrating the potential for trans-boundary pollution to affect cities located far inland from the international boundary. Readings from Punjab’s air quality monitoring network showed a marked geographical variation in particulate pollution across Lahore. The Wagah Border monitoring station recorded a 275pc increase in PM2.5 concentrations, reaching its peak between 3am and 4am. In comparison, Safari Park, situated on the western side of the city, recorded an increase of only 15pc. The EPA says the east-to-west variation in particulate matter concentrations was consistent with the movement of pollution carried by easterly winds from across the border. During this time, Lahore’s overall AQI increased from 366 on Nov 8 to 440 on Nov 9, reaching its highest recorded value at 9am, the agency’s analysis showed. The findings suggest that cross-border pollution contributed significantly to the deterioration in air quality during the period. However, they do not establish it as the sole source of pollution, as local emissions and meteorological conditions also influence air quality across the province. The heavy smog had also forced motorway closures earlier this week. On Tuesday evening, the section from Shamkot to Abdul Hakeem was closed to all traffic, while heavy traffic on the Sher Shah-Multan section towards Khanewal was also suspended, a motorway police spokesperson told Dawn. The India Gate monument is hardly visible through the toxic smog hanging over New Delhi ‘Visible improvement’ In her remarks, Ms Aurangzeb pointed out that before 2024, there was no integrated system for smog mitigation, monitoring, management and enforcement. “Today, under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, Punjab has established an evidence-based, technology-driven system that identifies pollution sources, monitors emissions, predicts environmental conditions and ensures immediate enforcement action,” she said. She insisted that environmental protection had been institutionalised for the first time in the province through 24/7 monitoring, scientific forecasting, technology-enabled surveillance, rapid response mechanisms and coordinated action across industries, transport, agriculture, brick kilns and other major pollution sources. She said that the results of this transformation were becoming visible in improved air quality indicators across Lahore and other parts of Punjab. “On November 11, 2024, Lahore’s Air Quality Index had exceeded 2,000 and reached alarming levels of approximately 2,400. On November 11, 2026, the AQI is below 450. This significant improvement reflects the impact of scientific planning, sustained mitigation measures, modern monitoring systems and strict enforcement,” she claimed. She said that Punjab had introduced an advanced air quality forecasting system capable of predicting pollution trends five to seven days in advance, enabling authorities to take preventive action before conditions deteriorate. The senior minister said that air pollution indicators across different areas had improved by 23 to 64 per cent, reflecting the impact of sustained government interventions. pedestrians walk down a street in Lahore on a smoggy morning Breaking the equipment Meanwhile in India, toxic smog concentrations were so high — equivalent to 66 times the World Health Organisation’s recommended daily maximum — that they could not be captured by air pollution monitoring equipment. Particulate matter analysers, installed when the National Air Quality Index (NAQI) was introduced in 2015, were calibrated to measure concentrations of up to 1,000 micrograms per cubic metre. The WHO recommends a daily maximum of 15 micrograms per cubic metre for PM2.5, fine particles small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs and linked to cancer. Consequently, opposition politicians accused the BJP-led government of deliberately deactivating monitoring around Diwali to hide the full extent of the issue. “The government which shuts down air quality monitoring stations on the night of Diwali, the government that does data fraud, how will you trust such a government?” Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj said in a video posted on X. “If Diwali night’s PM2.5 (toxic particulates) is not in the record, who will answer for that air?” senior Congress party lawmaker Ajay Maken said in a social media post. However, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) rejected accusations of deliberate under-reporting. “The designed system of automated data validation treats hourly readings beyond the calibrated range as outside range, and such readings are not used in the computation,” it said in a statement late Tuesday. Although choking clouds filled the streets early Monday, the scale of the pollution was only captured when monitors resumed reporting, around eight hours after the fireworks peaked. Readings then hit 879 micrograms per cubic metre in the Mandir Marg locality, according to monitoring organisation IQAir, which cited data from a city government station. That is more than 58 times the WHO daily limits. With input from AFP Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2026Dawn
India pollution monitors overwhelmed by toxic smogIndia’s air pollution monitors were overwhelmed this week by toxic smog so severe that concentrations exceeded their upper measurement limit, equivalent to 66 times the World Health Organisation’s recommended daily maximum, regulators said. The admission comes after opposition politicians accused authorities of deliberately allowing gaps in official readings for several hours overnight Sunday into Monday, just as pollution surged with a barrage of fireworks for Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. New Delhi is one of the world’s most polluted capitals, where winter smog from vehicle emissions, farm fires and industry already chokes millions. But the missing readings meant official data failed to capture the full extent of the pollution at its worst. “The government which shuts down air quality monitoring stations on the night of Diwali, the government that does data fraud, how will you trust such a government?” Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj said in a video posted on X. “If Diwali night’s PM2.5 (toxic particulates) is not in the record, who will answer for that air?” senior Congress party lawmaker Ajay Maken said in a social media post. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) rejected accusations of deliberate under-reporting, saying the gaps reflected “differences in measurement of pollutant concentration” rather than an attempt to conceal pollution. ‘Extreme episodes’ Particulate matter analysers, installed when the National Air Quality Index (NAQI) was introduced in 2015, were calibrated to measure concentrations of up to 1,000 micrograms per cubic metre. The WHO recommends a daily maximum of 15 micrograms per cubic metre for PM2.5, fine particles small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs and linked to cancer. “The designed system of automated data validation treats hourly readings beyond the calibrated range as outside range, and such readings are not used in the computation,” the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) said in a statement late Tuesday. “During extreme episodes, which are occasional like Diwali firecracker bursting, this may appear as a data gap at the particular station concerned”, it added. Although choking clouds filled the streets early Monday, the scale of the pollution was only captured when monitors resumed reporting, around eight hours after the fireworks peaked. Readings then hit 879 micrograms per cubic metre in the Mandir Marg locality, according to monitoring organisation IQAir, which cited data from a city government station. That is more than 58 times the WHO daily limits. “There is one thing the people of Delhi can be certain of: the fact that the data has gone missing doesn’t mean the pollution has disappeared too,” Congress party lawmaker Pawan Khera added. “The poisonous smoke we have been inhaling… will continue to choke our lungs, threaten our lives and shorten our life expectancy”.Dawn
Behind Bangladesh's garment boom, workers cut food, healthcare as wages fall shortGAZIPUR: Before dawn each day, garment worker Shilpi Khatun cooks over a wood-fired clay stove because her family cannot afford gas, before heading to a factory in Gazipur, an industrial hub on the outskirts of Dhaka. The 27-year-old is the sole breadwinner in a household where her husband is unemployed and her parents and in-laws depend on her wages. Rising prices have left Khatun struggling to afford basic necessities despite five years in the garment industry, a frustration shared by thousands of Bangladesh’s garment workers who staged protests last week demanding the minimum monthly wage be raised to 30,000 taka ($242.82) from 12,500 taka. Shilpi Khatun, 27, a garment worker, walks in a busy street in Gazipur, Bangladesh on November 6, 2026. —Reuters “Everything costs more now. Rent has doubled, food is more expensive and whatever I earn disappears before the month is over,” Khatun said as she gathered leafy greens outside her home to eat with rice for lunch. Wage pressure mounts Last week’s unrest, some of it violent , forced hundreds of factories to shut down as workers staged protests and clashed with police, who used tear gas and sound grenades to disperse demonstrators. The government’s wage board agreed on November 4 to implement a revised wage structure from December, with workers set to receive their first pay under the new scale in January, but has yet to determine the size of the increase. Low labour costs have helped make Bangladesh the world’s second-largest apparel exporter after China and a preferred manufacturing base for global brands including H&M, Zara, Gap, Primark and Walmart. The industry generates more than 80 per cent of the country’s export earnings and employs more than 4 million people. Members of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) stand guard outside a garment factory in Baipail, near Dhaka, Bangladesh on November 5, 2026. —Reuters Manufacturers, however, say a steep wage increase would erode Bangladesh’s cost advantage over rivals such as India and Vietnam and further squeeze margins already under pressure from higher energy costs. Workers also receive a 9pc annual increment and two festival bonuses in addition to their basic wages, manufacturers say, arguing there is limited room for substantial pay increases. Workers make stark choices Workers like Khatun say the wage increase has not kept pace with rising prices, forcing them to make difficult choices over everyday spending. On the hardest days, Khatun’s family survives on puffed rice, she said. Sitting in the small tin-shed room she shares with her husband, she said she had not seen a doctor in three years despite worsening health problems. Her salary has crept up over five years but not enough to match rising costs. She now earns 13,500 taka ($108), up from 9,000 taka when she started. With overtime, she earns about 16,000 taka, but the money rarely lasts until the next payday, she said. Shilpi Khatun, 27, a garment worker, cooks food in a shared kitchen area outside her one-room house in Gazipur, Bangladesh on November 6, 2026. —Reuters Bangladesh has faced a prolonged cost-of-living squeeze since 2022, with inflation averaging around 9pc. Food prices initially drove the surge, but non-food costs have remained high. “I think twice before buying anything, even food,” said Roksana Parveen, a 29-year old sewing operator in a factory in Ashulia on the outskirts of Dhaka. “I know my daughters should be eating better, but I just can’t afford it.” Parveen and her two daughters often live on little more than rice and vegetables, with meat and fish becoming luxuries beyond their reach. To cut costs, one of her daughters dropped out of school. Header image: Garment workers enter a factory to begin their shift in Baipail, near Dhaka, Bangladesh on November 5, 2026. —ReutersDawn
Trump sets off bedlam in White House briefing room with UFC chief Dana White, who rejects politicsPresident Donald Trump set off a scramble in the White House press briefing room on Monday with an appearance so sudden that aides had no time to place the presidential seal on the podium. The cause of the sudden bedlam? Trump was eager to show off UFC CEO Dana White, a close friend more comfortable with watching fighters bash each other in the Octagon than mixing it up with reporters. After heavy Republican losses in the midterm elections less than a week ago, Trump announced on Saturday that he had offered the White House press secretary job to White. Trump said on Sunday he was just teasing, but White came to the White House anyway to see the president. “Everyone please take a seat in the briefing room RIGHT NOW,” was a press assistant’s urgent instruction for reporters over the loudspeaker. The announcement set off a stampede among the press corps with TV technicians plugging in cables and setting up microphones. The spot on the podium where the presidential seal would normally hang was left vacant. w“Dana is really very unique. The only problem is he’ll talk for a little while and then he’s going to beat the hell out of you,” Trump joked. Trump announced that a UFC fight this weekend at Madison Square Garden will feature “the two greatest women fighters of all time.” “How would I do against one of them?” Trump asked White. “Would I do well?” “I don’t think so,” White said. White, who organised a series of UFC bouts on the White House grounds in June, made clear he had no desire to tussle with reporters. “I have zero political aspirations,” said White, while nonetheless taking a few questions. In his first four years in office, Trump was a regular presence in the White House briefing room, but now, nearly halfway through his second term, he takes questions in other places. He has talked about moving the press corps out of the West Wing to a “less obnoxious location.” But there was no talk of that on Monday. After Trump took questions on Iran, Ukraine, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and other topics, he turned back to White. “Would you like to be press secretary of the United States of America?” said Trump. “Would you like that, or do you just want to stay with that ridiculous UFC?” “Thanks for the offer, sir,” said White. “I do not want to be in politics.”Dawn
Honey Traps: A spy’s oldest trickAI, superchips and cyber warfare may be reshaping modern espionage, but some secrets are still won the old-fashioned way: through sex and scandal. The latest controversy to ripple through the tech world centres on Nvidia chief Jensen Huang and his affair with a woman accused by Washington of working for Chinese intelligence, a claim Beijing denies. The episode has thrust the “honey trap” back into the spotlight, reviving interest in an age-old spying tactic that turns attraction and intimacy into tools for stealing state secrets and influencing those in power. Seduction and blackmail History is packed with powerful politicians and insiders who found themselves ensnared by men and women tasked with winning their trust before extracting intelligence or gaining leverage. One of the most famous femme fatales in spy lore is Mata Hari, the Dutch exotic dancer executed in 1917 after being accused of spying for Germany during World War I. The Cold War also produced a long list of similarly colourful cases. In France, ambassador Maurice Dejean was recalled from Moscow in 1964 after an extramarital affair, said Clement Renault, a researcher at France’s Institute for Strategic Research (IRSEM). The scandal created one of former president Charles de Gaulle’s most memorable put-downs: “Alors Dejean, on couche?” (“So, Dejean, sleeping around?”). Another famous case, Renault said, involved the Soviet KGB blackmailing British embassy employee John Vassall with “intimate photos revealing his homosexuality, taken in Moscow”. In the 1980s, Israeli whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu, who revealed details of Israel’s secret nuclear programme, was lured into the hands of his kidnappers by a woman known as “Cindy”. She “persuaded him to join her in Rome, where he was abducted by the Mossad and taken back to Israel,” Renault explained. Other honey traps ran for years. In the 1960s, Chinese opera singer Shi Pei Pu, secretly working for Chinese intelligence, began a two-decade affair with French diplomat Bernard Boursicot, who handed over sensitive information. Not so glamorous The honey trap can take many forms. Some seducers are trained professionals, like East Germany’s famed “Romeo Spies” whose mission was to romance lonely West German women and gain access to important information. “With the shortage of eligible men — another consequence of the war (WWII) — single West German women, eager for male companionship, became frequent targets for East German male spies,” the CIA later said in a study. Not every honey trap looks like something out of a Hollywood film. Intelligence services have also used sex workers, business executives and well-connected individuals who already move in the target’s world. That is what makes the Nvidia allegations so intriguing. Alice Huang, the woman involved in the affair, “held a senior role at Megaspeed, a Singaporean firm specialising in AI computing infrastructure” that did business with Nvidia, Renault said. “She was allegedly recruited by (China’s) state security ministry as an agent, perfectly placed to make contact (with Jensen Huang),” Renault said. “What is interesting here is that a key figure in the ‘AI war’ could be caught in a relatively classic operation.” Some cases are not so subtle. A former member of a French security service recalled being contacted by a woman from South America who claimed she was a journalist seeking an interview with a senior security official. “I met her twice,” he told AFP. “Each time she was evasive about her work as a journalist and what the interview was actually about. But she kept telling me her marriage was unhappy and showing me photos of herself in lingerie.” Too good to be true Who deploys honey traps? According to Renault, the short answer is almost everyone. “Potentially all intelligence services can resort to ‘compromise’ operations and similar methods,” Renault said. But not all states are equally equipped to run them. “These missions require an extremely high level of personal and physical commitment from agents”, Renault noted. So authoritarian governments, he argued, “which can exert greater pressure on their citizens or are driven by strong ideologies”, may be better positioned to ask agents to make such sacrifices. Counter-intelligence agencies regularly warn officials that espionage rarely begins with a dramatic exchange in a dark alley. France’s domestic service has released a YouTube video titled: “Trapped by a foreign intelligence agency. It’s never too late to get help.” British authorities offer simpler advice. If someone’s interest in you seems unusually intense or “too good to be true”, then “you should be cautious”.Dawn
PM Shehbaz to leave for Antalya today, will address COP31 tomorrowPrime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will be undertaking a visit to Antalya in Turkiye from Nov 10-12 to participate in the Leaders’ Summit of the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP 31) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). According to the Foreign Office (FO), the premier will address the summit on Nov 11, during which he will urge the global community to take concrete actions to address the threat posed by climate change to the planet. He will highlight “Pakistan’s steps towards rapid solarisation and expansion of its renewable energy capacity, as part of its transition towards a cleaner and more resilient economy, along with its efforts to strengthen disaster preparedness and early-warning systems”, the FO statement said. The premier will also call for predictable, adequate and accessible climate finance for developing countries to strengthen their resilience and pursue sustainable development, it added. Moreover, the prime minister will attend a high-level roundtable meeting convened by the presidency of COP31 on the sidelines of the Leaders’ Summit, and hold bilateral meetings with the Turkish leadership as well as several other world leaders. “Prime minister’s participation in COP31 Leaders’ Summit is an expression of Pakistan’s strong support for the climate agenda, and will provide Pakistan with an opportunity to reaffirm its commitment towards working closely with the international community to address the climate crisis,” the FO statement said. The COP31 climate talks kicked off on Monday with an early fight over money as the UN’s chief urged world leaders to “get serious” about tackling the crisis after a year of devastating weather extremes. The summit comes after a year of punishing heatwaves in Europe , major wildfires in Indonesia and catastrophic floods in Nepal , with an exceptionally strong El Nino weather phenomenon fuelling more climate chaos. The COP31 opening ceremony opened an hour-and-a-half late without explanation. Negotiators had been locked in discussions late on Sunday over demands by developing nations to include items on climate finance in the official agenda. “This has already been a difficult start for COP31,” said Jasper Inventor, head of Greenpeace’s COP31 delegation. Under UN climate agreements, developed countries, which are historically responsible for most greenhouse gas emissions, have provided financial support to help developing nations adapt to climate impacts and transition to cleaner energy. But poorer countries say the sums remain insufficient. Inventor said developed countries were “taking a hard line” over whether to include a platform, agreed at COP30 in Brazil last year , aimed at discussing how wealthy nations should provide funds to developing nations. African countries are also pushing for the agenda to include discussions on the tripling of adaptation finance, which aims to help poorer nations pay for measures such as building sea walls or planting drought-resistant crops. But that point was not made a standalone agenda item. A senior European Union official warned last week that there would be “no political will” for extra funding pledges at COP31. Observers say few major breakthroughs are expected at COP31 as countries grapple with an oil price shock and geopolitical tensions fuelled by the US war on Iran and Russia’s conflict in Ukraine. As negotiators tussled in Antalya, the UN’s World Meteorological Organisation released a report indicating that 2026 has continued a streak of exceptional global temperatures, melting ice and rising sea levels. The EU’s climate monitor warned last week that 2026 would most likely be the second-hottest year ever recorded , while scientists say 2027 could top the chart, fuelled by El Nino. The long-term outlook is bleak: the UN warned in September that global temperatures were on course to exceed 1.5 degrees Celcius above preindustrial levels, breaching the most ambitious threshold set by the Paris Agreement.Dawn
Trump's 'Board of Peace' says Israel too slow as floods ravage GazaUnited States President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” said on Monday that Israel needed to act immediately to help war-battered Gaza cope with impending winter, saying measures ahead of deadly floods had been insufficient. “The situation no longer represents simply a threat posed by the approaching winter, but an immediate humanitarian emergency,” the Board of Peace said in a statement. Heavy rain over the past two days has swept away tens of thousands of tents in the territory, where virtually the entire population has been displaced at least once, and killed at least five people, according to authorities in Gaza. The Board of Peace, tasked with implementation of an October 2025 US-brokered ceasefire announced between Israel and Hamas, said it had been warning Israel, which controls all entry into the territory, of the need to prepare both for the winter and seasonal flooding. Moments before the statement came out, the Israeli military said it had allowed more than 8,200 trucks to enter the Gaza Strip with supplies including 91,000 tents. The Board of Peace acknowledged steps reportedly being taken by Israel but said that they remain “insufficient”. “We call on the leadership of the current Government of Israel to act immediately to authorise and facilitate the entry of all necessary winterisation and humanitarian supplies,” it said. Israel has taken a biting tone against Hamas over the floods, saying the group should have invested in infrastructure instead of weaponry. “Hamas doesn’t get to escape responsibility every time it rains,” the Israeli foreign ministry posted on Sunday on X. The Board of Peace also called on Hamas to abide by commitments under the ceasefire. Despite the truce, Israel has kept up nearly daily strikes in Gaza. Israel’s relentless campaign prior to the so-called ceasefire killed over 74,000 Palestinians and has left it increasingly isolated on the world stage, with Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and experts declaring its actions in Gaza as a “genocide”, which Tel Aviv rejects. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is fighting for his political survival following tight elections last month, has vowed to kill anyone involved in Hamas’s Oct 7, 2023 attack, the deadliest day ever for Israel.Dawn
French officials accuse Iran of being behind refrigerator hacksFrench officials on Monday accused Iran’s Revolutionary Guards of responsibility for the cyberattacks that knocked out commercial refrigerators and freezers across France last month, saying there would be consequences for Iran. The hacks that struck hundreds of French supermarkets in early October were among the most disruptive cyberattacks of the Iran war that began in February, a conflict that has been marked by scattered incidents of alleged digital disruption. These have included hacks against the Los Angeles transit system in March, against US water treatment plants in July and against ships bound for the United States in August. Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not return messages seeking comment. Iran routinely denies carrying out malicious cyber operations. The French announcement was made only minutes after Reuters revealed that investigators privately suspected Iran of being behind the attacks. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the Iranian ambassador had been summoned to France’s foreign ministry. Barrot also threatened further EU sanctions against Iran. The Oct 11 cyberattack, which overrode the temperature controls on commercial fridges in hundreds of establishments, appeared to have been easy to pull off, cybersecurity experts previously told Reuters. The firm behind many of the stricken units said that several were obsolete or were running outdated firmware, which could have made it easy for hackers to break in. The effects were still dramatic. Some refrigerators had the temperature turned up so high they caught fire. In the hours following the hack, supermarket employees carted boxes full of perished meat and melted ice cream into giant trash containers. The attack’s total costs could add up to tens of millions of euros nationwide, one French supermarket owner estimated. Reuters could not establish exactly how the French made their determination. The October hacks were followed this month by a second wave of hacking that hit more than 100 establishments across Europe and even affected refrigerators used by French blood banks, prompting employees there to have to move some of the blood to different cold storage units. The seemingly straightforward nature of the refrigerator hacks and their repetition across multiple countries prompted speculation about who might be responsible amid ongoing concerns over Russia’s suspected sabotage campaign in Europe, the war between the US and Iran and the global rise of AI-powered cyberattacks. US refrigerator attacks The sabotage of European supermarket fridges was preceded by at least one similar incident in the United States. In August, refrigerators in at least half a dozen military commissaries went out of commission. Pentagon investigators are treating the malfunctions as a suspected cyberattack and are working with French officials to get to the bottom of what happened, Reuters reported last month. Reuters could not independently establish whether there was any link between the refrigeration incidents at US military bases in August, the hacking campaign in France and the more recent wave of refrigeration hacks that struck Europe. A person familiar with the matter said that the Pentagon considers Iran a suspect in the August commissary hacks but that the investigation is still in progress. Reuters could not establish how the military made its determination or whether it was also looking into other suspects. That the US military considers Iran a suspect in the commissary sabotage campaign was first reported last month by news website Nextgov. The Pentagon said on Monday that it is “aware of speculation regarding a potential cyber incident” but that military investigators were on the case and it could not offer further comment for security reasons.Dawn
Trump casts doubt on US midterm results with new fraud claimsUnited States President Donald Trump renewed baseless allegations of voter fraud Monday, questioning the legitimacy of last week’s midterm elections after Democrats swept both chambers of Congress in a crushing defeat for his Republican Party. “Does anybody really believe that this ‘Election’ was honest. How could the Polls be so wrong???” Trump wrote on Truth Social, alleging without evidence that large early voting “dumps” had made Republican victories impossible. “It’s all about the machines, which are far more important than the voter!” he added. The accusations marked a sharp reversal from Trump’s initial acceptance of the results. “I am absolutely willing to accept those results,” he told The New York Times on election night. The president has repeatedly made unfounded claims of election fraud, most notably following his defeat by Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. In the Nov 3 midterm elections, Democrats seized control of the US Congress, capturing the Senate and House of Representatives in a stunning, nationwide rejection of Trump. The result was a personal humiliation for the 80-year-old Trump, leaving him as a lame duck president for the remaining two years of his term and signalling an end to his stranglehold on the Republican Party. He had previously attempted to brush off the election results, spending the beginning of his first public appearance on Wednesday talking to reporters about the marble and Corinthian columns of his new $400 million ballroom. But he conceded that what Vice President JD Vance said about the Iran war being a factor was “largely true because it drove the gasoline up” — a key issue for voters angered by the rising cost of living. Still, Trump defended his war against Iran, saying: “But at the same time, if I had it to do again, I’d have to do it again. Because long term, it’s the only answer. You can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon.” On Sunday, Trump vowed to bounce back stronger from the midterm election loss that he called a “giant step back in history” for the US.Dawn
Who is Alice Huang, the Chinese executive accused of spying on Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang?Tech executive Alice Huang is the woman accused of spying for China during an affair with Jensen Huang, head of US artificial intelligence chip titan Nvidia, according to media reports. Public details are sparse about the woman, also known as Huang Le, who had reportedly been a top figure at a Singapore-based data centre company called Megaspeed International. Here is what we know about her and the company. Who is Alice Huang? Alice Huang is a Chinese citizen recruited by Beijing to collect intelligence on the Nvidia boss, according to The New York Times, which first reported that Jensen Huang was the alleged target of a spy plot. Despite their shared surname, Alice Huang is no relation to the 63-year-old Taiwan-born head of the world’s most valuable company. The Times, citing people briefed on the surveillance, said that Alice Huang speaks good English and is well connected at the highest level of the global AI chip industry. The sector is highly sensitive as the United States and China race to develop advanced AI systems with potential military applications. An online search brought up a short profile for Alice Huang, with her photo, on a Chinese fund database. It listed previous jobs, including at HSBC Bank and as a reporter for Chinese media outlets CCTV and Hunan TV. AFP was unable to verify the contents of the profile or who had written it, but has attempted to contact the companies cited. How are the pair connected? Media reports last week said they had a close relationship, and Jensen Huang told Nvidia employees on Nov 8 that he was “deeply sorry” for being “unfaithful to my wife”. One photo from an industry party in 2024, posted on LinkedIn, appears to show the leather jacket-clad Nvidia boss sitting next to a long-haired woman in glitzy jewellery believed to be Alice Huang. The following year, they both attended a dinner hosted by Jensen Huang at a Chinese restaurant in Taiwan during Computex, the island’s top tech expo. Journalists stood outside the restaurant filming through glass windows and doors as Jensen Huang and a woman identified as Alice Huang, who was wearing a pink dress, mingled with other attendees. At one point, Jensen Huang can be seen putting his arm around Alice Huang as she kisses him on the right cheek, press live streams show. Alice Huang is also seen following the Nvidia chief as he re-enters the restaurant after talking to journalists outside, running her fingers down his lower back. They later leave the restaurant in the same car. What is Megaspeed? US officials concluded in 2025 that Alice Huang was targeting Jensen Huang as a spy, according to The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. At the time, Alice Huang was said to be a top executive at data centre firm Megaspeed International, which rents out computing power to other companies to train and run AI. Megaspeed’s website says it is “a core business partner of Nvidia’s computing power cloud business in the Asia-Pacific region”. On LinkedIn, it says it has offices in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, with around two to 10 employees and 25 “associated members”. When AFP called the number listed on Megaspeed’s website, the person who answered said they were unfamiliar with the company and that the number was a residential line. The firm was previously called 7Road International, according to the Singapore Government’s website, suggesting links to the Chinese gaming company 7Road. Has Megaspeed helped China evade US restrictions on chips? Washington restricts the export to China of Nvidia’s most cutting-edge silicon chips, citing national security concerns but also seen as a measure to stay ahead in AI. The New York Times said the US government had been probing Megaspeed since 2024 over its potential steering of Nvidia chips to China. The company has also reportedly been under investigation by the Singapore authorities, who, The Times says, questioned Alice Huang in 2025. AFP has contacted Singapore’s police and the Home Affairs Ministry for comment. In 2025, Bloomberg News also reported on the Singaporean probe into Megaspeed over the alleged smuggling of Nvidia chips to China. In December 2025, Megaspeed said Bloomberg’s reporting “contains misleading information and incorrect insinuations, including suggestions that we may have been involved in illegal chip transfers”.Dawn
Trump says 'great dislike' for Israel contributed to Republican rout in midtermsUS President Donald Trump has said that a “great dislike” for Israel was one of the contributing factors for the Republicans suffering a defeat in the midterm elections, alongside the war on Iran and gasoline prices. “I think if I was on the ballot, it would’ve been a much different situation because you saw the level of popularity and love,” he said on CBS News’ ‘60 minutes’ on Sunday. “They didn’t like the war … there’s a great dislike, incredibly, for Israel. There seems to be a dislike for Israel. So you have that. You have the war itself. You have the gas prices. And I think those are the primary reasons,” he said. Separately, he also cast doubt on renewed fighting with Iran, telling CNN it was “highly unlikely”. Trump has threatened to resume strikes in recent weeks, with US media reports suggesting that hostilities could restart after last Tuesday’s midterm elections. The president told CNN in an interview on Sunday that renewed fighting was “highly unlikely,” but warned that his decision “depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement.” “I would if necessary, but we hit them really hard. I hit them so hard. You don’t know how hard I hit them,” he said. Trump is scheduled to meet Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who is also the country’s foreign minister, at the White House on Monday. The meeting will be Trump’s first with a foreign leader since a massive midterm loss that saw his Republican Party lose control of Congress. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi suggested on Sunday that peace talks had been paused while the political fallout of the vote was being assessed. “For the past few days, there has been no more travel (by mediators), and the reason for this is the shock that the election results in the United States have caused to everyone,” Araghchi told state television. “We now have to see how long it will take for them to digest these results, in order to determine how we are going to move forward,” he added. ‘They had enough’ Trump has acknowledged that the highly unpopular war on Iran — which began with US-Israeli strikes in late February — was at least partially responsible for the Republicans’ defeat. Araghchi said on Monday that the US president “clearly recognises that the vast majority of Americans are disgusted with Israel.” “Americans are evidently sick and tired of Israel bamboozling US administrations into forever wars,” Araghchi said on X. “They had enough. So has our region.” In Sunday’s CNN interview, Trump once again suggested that the economic pressure Iran is under will force its leaders into accepting the United States’ terms. “They’re a failing nation. It just came out, you saw this year, 301 per cent inflation,” Trump claimed. “They’re withering away financially. We’ve hit them militarily. We could finish them off.” Iran’s official figures put inflation at nearly 90pc year-on-year in September. Iranian state television said the island of Qeshm in the Strait of Hormuz was attacked overnight on Sunday, hours after the official IRNA news agency reported two explosions there. Various regional powers, including Qatar and Pakistan, have been trying for months without success to bring a definitive halt to the war. Outright fighting has largely subsided, but Iran continues in its efforts to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, vital to global energy supplies, while the US Navy maintains its own counterblockade of Iranian ports.Dawn
Security forces neutralise terrorists’ hideouts in North Waziristan’s Mir Ali: ISPRSecurity forces conducted an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Muzak village on the southern outskirts of North Waziristan’s Mir Ali in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, neutralising two terrorist hideouts, the military’s media wing said on Monday. During the operation, troops “sanitised” the hideouts belonging to Indian-sponsored Fitna al-Khawarij. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. According to a statement issued by the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), security forces recovered a huge cache of prepared improvised explosive devices (IEDs), explosive preparation material, weapons, and ammunition from hideouts, which were established inside mosques. The statement added that the terrorists had “deliberately established hideouts in Masajid to store explosive materials and also were running torture cells there,” observing that, “this reprehensible desecration of places of worship by Indian proxy Fitna Al Khwarij serves yet another clear evidence of their utter disregard of fundamental teachings of Islam.” ISPR maintained that the terrorists, who it had said were facilitated by the Afghan Taliban, had no connection with Islam and their “perverted interpretation and misuse of our great religion is unacceptable and fully rejected by proud and righteous people of KP and Pakistan”. Moreover, a sanitisation operation was “being conducted by brave soldiers of Pakistan security forces to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored terrorist hideouts in the area,” ISPR said. “Relentless counter-terrorism campaign under vision Azm-i-Istehkam by security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out [the] menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country.” President Asif Ali Zardari paid tribute to the security forces for the successful IBO, praising their “professionalism”. “Using mosques to store explosives and as centres of violence is a blatant violation of Islam’s fundamental teachings,” he said on X. “Terrorist elements operating with the support of the Afghan Taliban have no connection to Islam. Arbitrary interpretations and misuse of religion are unacceptable,” the president stressed. Meanwhile, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi described the incident as “deeply distressing” while also praising the security forces for the successful IBO, Pakistan TV reported. The governor also called for “intensified” IBOs to restore peace across KP and reaffirmed his support for security forces in their efforts to bring lasting peace to the province, Pakistan TV stated. KP and Balochistan have been witnessing terrorist attacks and security challenges for a long time. The country’s security environment continued to show considerable volatility from October 30 to November 5, 2026, with renewed terrorist activity in parts of KP and the former tribal districts, alongside intensified counterterrorism operations and changing patterns of militant violence, according to Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) . Per the latest PICSS Weekly Insight , 49 militant attacks were recorded nationwide during the reporting period, compared with 31 in the preceding week. These incidents resulted in 25 fatalities and 21 injuries. On October 8 , security forces killed nine terrorists in an IBO in North Waziristan, while a day earlier , 18 terrorists were eliminated in separate engagements in KP and Balochistan.Dawn
PM Shehbaz directs foreign ministry to urgently ‘escalate humanitarian assistance’ for rain-hit GazaPrime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday he had directed the foreign ministry to pursue all possible means to urgently “escalate humanitarian assistance” to Gaza, where heavy rains have flooded tens of thousands of tents housing displaced Palestinians. The Gaza government media office said on Sunday that at least 70,000 tents had been flooded in the past 12 hours, affecting tens of thousands of displaced people and causing injuries, although no fatalities had been reported. The rains and subsequent flooding has also washed away shelters, according to authorities. Gaza’s civil defence service said it had received 1,500 distress calls from displaced residents. Municipal and civil defence officials said they were unable to cope with the storm because of fuel shortages and damage to equipment. They said Israel had destroyed hundreds of vehicles, including bulldozers and others used to pump water, during its assault on the territory. PM Shehbaz said photos from Gaza had been “heart rending”, with tents being flooded and Gazan children, with nowhere to go, being trapped and subject to starvation and extreme cold. “I have directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to pursue all possible means to escalate humanitarian assistance urgently,” he posted on X. The premier added that he was also “deeply concerned about continued Israeli illegal actions to deny basic humanitarian assistance to the brave Palestinian people of Gaza”. “I strongly condemn these violations of the ceasefire and international law, and this continued aggression toward the Palestinian people.” Gaza has been subjected to Israeli assault for long, particularly following an attack by Hamas on Israel on Oct 7, 2023. Palestinian authorities say more than 74,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its assault on the territory. Last year’s US-brokered Gaza ceasefire calls for the eventual reconstruction of the territory. But little progress has been made towards implementing a deal and Israel continues to violate the ceasefire. Israeli forces still hold more than 60 per cent of the territory and conduct almost daily airstrikes, while Hamas controls most of the area where more than two million Palestinians live, mostly in temporary shelters with what aid agencies call inadequate aid supplies. A majority of Gazans are dependent on aid supplies, following three years of Israeli assault, repeated displacement and severe restrictions imposed by Israel on aid deliveries. Heavy rains and flooding has worsened their condition. On Sunday, at a tent encampment in Gaza City, some people tried to repair their tents, while others used sand to reinforce them and prevent water from entering. Some were busy getting their children out of flooded tents. Olfat Magdoub, a Gaza resident, tried in vain to sweep water away from her tent. “This is the first day of rain, and of course we are already flooded. What will happen if it rains again the next day? This is only the first day and we’re already overwhelmed,” said the woman. “Two weeks ago when it rained, I swear to God, I spent four days sleeping on blankets spread on the floor because the rainwater had flooded the bedding. Same now, the mattresses are wet so we sleep on the ground.” Another resident, Rafiq Ghattas, standing barefoot in the middle of a large pool of rainwater, said: “We have no resources, no tarpaulins, no tents and no one is checking on us.”Dawn
President, PM wishes Hindu community on Diwali, reaffirm commitment to minority rightsPrime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday extended greetings to the Hindu community in Pakistan and worldwide on the occasion of Diwali, reaffirming their commitment to minority rights. Diwali is a Hindu festival involving lighting candles, worship, celebrations and prayers. It is celebrated to mark the day when Hindu deity Lord Rama returned home after his 14-year exile. It is a five-day festival and during this time, houses are cleaned and windows are opened to welcome Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. PM Shehbaz calls for interfaith harmony In his message on the occasion, PM Shehbaz said, “The festival of lights conveys a profound message of promoting peaceful coexistence in human relations and social life. “The enduring belief in a bright, prosperous and hopeful future is one of the most cherished attributes of Diwali.” He described the Hindu community as “a valued and integral part of our national fabric”. “The diverse cultural and religious traditions within our society constitute a valuable social asset. Pakistan takes immense pride in its religious and cultural diversity,” he added. The premier reiterated the government’s commitment to protecting the religious and civil rights of minorities, as guaranteed by the Constitution of Pakistan. “The Constitution of Pakistan guarantees the protection of the religious and civil rights of minorities. The government remains firmly committed to safeguarding the rights, dignity and religious freedoms of all citizens, irrespective of religion, faith, colour or ethnicity. Promoting religious harmony, mutual unity and respect is our shared responsibility,” he said. The premier added: “A society that embraces diverse cultures and traditions and upholds the principles of peaceful coexistence is one that ensures equal educational and economic opportunities for all its citizens.” He called on the nation to foster interfaith harmony, strengthen bonds of fraternity and brotherhood and work together towards a future founded on peace, tolerance and mutual understanding. ’Pakistan belongs equally to all its citizens’ In his message, President Zardari said, “The festival of lights celebrates the symbolism of triumph of good over evil, light over darkness and hope over despair. Its message of compassion and renewal reminds us that each of us can bring light into the lives of others through kindness, understanding, compassion and care.” He added that Pakistan’s Hindu community is “an integral part of our national life”, highlighting its contributions to education, healthcare, business, public service, social welfare, arts and culture. He reaffirmed that “Pakistan belongs equally to all its citizens”. The president added that “Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah envisioned a country where faith, caste or creed would be no barrier to equal citizenship and equal rights”. “We must honour that vision by ensuring that every citizen can practice their faith freely, live in dignity and enjoy equal protection under the law. For me, Quaid-i-Azam’s promise of equal citizenship is a sacred national commitment.” He added, “No Pakistani should ever have to prove their belonging because of their faith. This country is their home, its freedoms are their right, and its future is theirs to shape.” He called on the nation to reject prejudice and discrimination by sharing in each other’s celebrations. “Our diversity is not our weakness but a great strength. “It should be clear to all of us that protecting the rights of religious minorities is our shared responsibility.”Dawn
Usman Khawaja denies throwing 'anyone under the bus' with comments about Australia's 2018 ball-tampering scandalUsman Khawaja insisted on Sunday he did not “throw anyone under the bus” by claiming the entire Australian team was in on the 2018 “Sandpapergate” plot and defended taking eight years to go public. The retired batsman re-ignited the infamous ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town on Saturday ahead of the release of his autobiography this week, where a chapter is dedicated to the issue. He alleged that it was not just Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft — who were all subsequently banned— who were responsible. “It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us,” he said. Khawaja claimed Australia also employed the tactic during the previous Test at Port Elizabeth. In response Darren Lehmann, who was head coach at the time, denied there was widespread knowledge of the plot while Cricket Australia said it was “comfortable” with the findings of its original investigation. That probe found only Smith, Warner and Bancroft were in the know. “When I mentioned it was all of us, that’s implying that whether we like it or not, we’re all responsible for what happened together as a team,” Khawaja said in a lengthy Instagram post on Sunday. View this post on Instagram “We need to take that collectively. That is all.” He added: “I haven’t thrown anyone under the bus. “The guys that are currently in the team right now and the other people that were there on the South African tour, including me, we’re not the victims. “These three guys (Smith, Warner and Bancroft) took the blame for all of us. “They’re the victims … people telling them that they’re cheats, getting nailed by the crowd. Public humiliation.” Khawaja, who retired this year after 88 Tests, defended waiting so long to make the claims, denying it was a marketing ploy to sell his book. He said he wanted to go public in 2018 once Smith, Warner and Bancroft were suspended. “But Smudge (Smith) being the man and leader he was, he talked me out of it. “He wanted to take the blame. I argued with him, but he was having none of it. That’s the first time I tried to come out.” Khawaja said he again almost spoke up in 2021 when bowlers Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon all denied publicly that they knew about the ball-tampering. But after extensive talks with then-coach Justin Langer he decided not to. The 39-year-old said he never felt comfortable talking after that while back in the Australian team from 2022. “Call me a chicken or whatever you want. I didn’t know how to do it because I was still in the team,” Khawaja said. “I was always conscious of putting my team first, but I’m not in that team anymore.”Dawn
Poland says six killed in shooting in central KrakowPoland’s police said on Saturday that six people were killed and around a dozen wounded after a gunman opened fire in the historic centre of its second city, Krakow. A man drove a car onto Krakow’s Main Square and began shooting at random people, said police. Officers shot a suspect who is now in custody, they added. “As a result of the incident, five people were killed and around a dozen others were wounded,” a Krakow police spokesman told AFP by phone. “The perpetrator was shot by police” and was transported to a hospital, regional police said on X. The gunman acted alone and is Polish, a police spokeswoman told AFP. “There is one perpetrator; it is a Polish man,” she said by phone. An AFP reporter on site noted ambulances and multiple police cars at the scene as police cordoned off the area — one of Poland’s landmark tourist hotspots popular with locals and foreign visitors. “The police are investigating the background and all the circumstances of the attack,” said Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk, calling it “a tragic shooting”. “I saw a man shooting at people and walking around the square,” Annette, a woman in her sixties, told AFP. “It’s a tragedy for Krakow, we’ve never seen anything like this before,” she added. The EU’s top diplomat called the incident a “tragedy”, adding that “Poland does not stand alone”. “The tragic loss of life in the shooting in Krakow is a tragedy that will be felt far beyond Poland,” Kaja Kallas said on X. “My thoughts are with the victims and their families and the first responders.” ‘Dramatic events’ Deadly shootings are rare in Poland, a European Union and Nato member with 38 million people. But the country was on high alert following a series of stabbings in October, which Tusk denounced as a “cult of violence”. Warsaw, a staunch ally of Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, has repeatedly warned of Russian sabotage and hybrid warfare on Polish soil, accusations rejected by Moscow. The historic city of Krakow, in southern Poland, which was once Poland’s capital, attracts millions of tourists annually. In 2025, it was visited by 16.2 million people, the city said. Poland’s conservative-nationalist president Karol Nawrocki said on X he was “in contact with the relevant authorities” and awaiting “a full explanation of the circumstances surrounding these dramatic events”. “The safety of Poles is an absolute priority,” he added.Dawn
Clashes in Paris after new French protestsThousands of people protested across France on Saturday in a new show of anger against the government, with clashes erupting between police and some protesters in Paris despite a lower turnout than in previous weeks. The protests marked the fourth consecutive weekend of demonstrations against the rising cost of living, which have erupted as the country heads to presidential elections in five months’ time, where the far right sees its best chance yet to win power. A total of 146,000 people took part in demonstrations across France on Saturday, including 46,000 in Paris, the interior ministry said. Unions put the figure at 250,000 protesters nationwide, with 75,000 in the capital. A protestor runs through tear gas during a demonstration in Paris on November 7, 2026. — AFP These figures were lower than the previous three weekends of protests but also came after a mass union protest on Thursday that rallied 575,000 people, according to the authorities — 1.6 million according to unions. At the end of the protest in Paris, police used tear gas against individuals throwing projectiles and homemade fireworks at the security forces, an AFP correspondent said. Police said a group of 200 violent individuals attacked officers as they were arresting a man who had set fire to a trash bin in the square. Banned protests thwarted Some 70,000 members of the security forces were deployed on Saturday, ready to move in quickly after mass protests on October 17 degenerated into the worst riots seen in France in years. Unions had staged a march along a traditional route, from the Place de la Republique in central Paris to Place de la Nation in the east of the city where the clashes erupted at the end of the protest. But the Yellow Vests movement — a group whose protests shook Emmanuel Macron in the early years of his presidency almost a decade ago — called for a rival demonstration at the Place de la Concorde in central Paris, a stone’s throw from the president’s Elysee Palace and the lower house of parliament. This action has been banned by the authorities, and on Saturday a large police presence prevented protesters from getting close. Some 100 people who arrived were surrounded by police and one of the movement’s coordinators, Benjamin Ball, and its spokeswoman, Azelma Sigaux, were among those arrested by police, an AFP reporter said. In the southeastern city of Lyon, police fired tear gas to disperse several hundred people in the city centre blocking a road during an unauthorised gathering. ‘This can’t go on’ The wave of demonstrations was sparked by a movement in late September by high school students angered by conditions at their establishments. These teens, joined by university students, remain at the heart of the protests. “Today is a date that helps keep the pressure on,” said Sabine Kharbach, spokeswoman of the Student Union. “Many young people are mobilising because the government’s responses remain unsatisfactory.” The police response has faced criticism for being heavy-handed, with dozens of internal investigations launched into allegations of brutality against demonstrators. A protestor shoots fireworks during a demonstration in Paris, France on November 7, 2026. — AFP Local businesses are also feeling the pain. “So this can’t go on, otherwise I think it will be a disaster before long,” said Paris shop manager Jean Emile Moulinier. His store is around the main protest route and he said hardly any customers brave security barricades on protest weekends. Shop windows of stores in Paris and other cities were again barricaded with wooden shutters and often closed for the day to prevent potential ransacking. The government is grappling with ways to find solutions but is constrained by France’s gigantic debt pile, which is already spooking markets. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is to meet unions and employer federation representatives on Monday to discuss wages and purchasing power. But student and teacher groups in France have called for a new strike on Tuesday to keep pressure on the government for more education spending, saying they were “in a position of strength [and] the government in a position of weakness and starting to yield”. Polls indicate that far-right candidate Marine Le Pen is the favourite to win the Elysee in 2027, with her main rival currently not one of Macron’s centrist former allies but hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon. Melenchon, addressing 20,000 at a rally outside Paris on Saturday, declared “we are going to win” and “everything must change”.Dawn
US ‘Task Force Iron Gate’ in the works to restrict Iranian land commerce alongside naval blockadeAfter a months-long naval blockade on Iran, the US military has announced the establishment of a task force to bolster Washington’s efforts to restrict Tehran’s movement of advanced weapons systems and other sanctioned material across its land borders and the Caspian Sea. The announcement of the task force, designated “Iron Gate”, was made on Saturday in a statement by US Central Command (Centcom). Based in Tampa, Florida and comprising 20 civilian and military personnel, it will coordinate with other US government agencies. It aims “to prevent Iran from using ground routes to transport advanced weapons and other materials”. “The new Centcom team will coordinate with other US government agencies on preventing the movement of advanced weapons systems, dual-use technologies, sanctioned materials, and illegal revenue streams across Iran’s land borders and the Caspian Sea,” the statement read. “Strengthening Centcom’s collaboration with US interagency partners will further constrain Iran’s ability to finance terrorism, rebuild weapons factories, and replenish their military,” Admiral Brad Cooper, the commander of Centcom, said in a statement, adding that the new task force “reinforces the success” of the US blockade. In the statement, Centcom claimed that its naval blockade has prevented Iran from exporting more than $25 billion in crude oil. This is one of the latest moves by the US to put economic and logistical pressure on Iran after a slowdown in hostilities. In August, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced ‘Operation Economic Outcast’ — an economic pressure campaign targeting five sectors Iran was using to prop up its economy: digital assets, gold, technology, aviation and shipping. “In the Second World War, D-Day marked the historic beginning of a campaign with our allies to target and drive the enemy from its positions, including in third countries,” he said. “Today, in that same spirit, we are launching an economic onslaught against Iran’s financial connections around the globe. Our objective is to sever every economic lifeline that sustains this tyrannical regime, until Tehran stands alone,” Bessent added. In June, US President Donald Trump reimposed a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz to prevent Iranian oil exports, which would apply to all vessel traffic regardless of flag, covering the entire Iranian coastline, including ports and oil terminals. It said the measure would not impede neutral transit passage through the strait to or from non-Iranian destinations, and that humanitarian shipments would be permitted subject to inspection. Despite the blockade, Tehran has been able to export oil and liquefied natural gas.Dawn
After midterm rout, Vance tries to build his own 2028 brandLate in his blitz to salvage Republicans’ midterm fortunes, Vice President JD Vance shifted strategy. He talked less about President Donald Trump and more about the issues that define his own political identity. Vance argued the case for Republicans, who lost control of Congress in Tuesday’s vote, almost exclusively through the lens of his policy portfolio, according to a Reuters review of half a dozen speeches since the Republican convention in September. He bypassed Trump’s signature policies, including the Iran war and deportations, as polls showed the president’s sagging popularity dragging down Republican office-seekers. The change was deliberate, according to two people familiar with the strategy. Vance and his advisers saw the issues he championed — economic nationalism, foreign policy restraint and public safety as politically potent subjects he could address with authority. While Trump embraced them as part of his ‘Make America Great Again’ (MAGA) movement, Vance had emerged as their lead crusader, the people said. The shift offered an early glimpse of how the 42-year-old vice president could chart his own course as Republicans begin looking beyond Trump. Vance hasn’t said whether he will run for president in 2028, and Trump hasn’t endorsed him or anyone else. But Vance is viewed as a leading potential contender who some Republican officials say will need to inherit much of Trump’s coalition while separating himself from his boss’s baggage. Vance took a more public step on Wednesday toward reinforcing his own political brand with an unusually blunt election postmortem. In a social media post, he blamed the Iran war for Republicans’ midterm defeat and laid out a platform for a Republican rebound. He called for a swift end to the conflict and urged Republicans to focus on affordability, reevaluate foreign relations and overhaul the US relationship with Israel. Trump has called Americans’ affordability concerns a Democratic hoax. He launched a war against Iran following sustained lobbying from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump went on to endorse Netanyahu in the Israeli election. Vance makes unease at the war public The post, for the first time, put Vance openly on the side of ending the war. Three people familiar with the White House and Vance’s communications told Reuters that the vice president was not breaking with Trump and said White House chief of staff Susie Wiles knew in advance about Vance’s post. On Friday, Trump reshuffled senior White House leadership, replacing Wiles with Stephen Miller in a move that suggests the White House plans to double down on some of Trump’s more hardline policies. Trump has acknowledged the Iran war played a role in the Republican rout because of the resulting high gas prices but has continued to defend it. “I would have done nothing different,” he told reporters on Wednesday. A plume of smoke rises after a US-Israeli strike as loud explosions were heard in the central and eastern parts of the Iranian capital, Tehran on March 3, 2026. — AFP/File Reuters could not determine whether Trump was aware of the post in advance. Donald Trump Jr, the president’s eldest son, endorsed Vance’s remarks on social media, along with some conservative allies. The dialogue further elevated Vance as a potential post-Trump conservative standard-bearer, said Michael Ricci, a Republican strategist and former adviser to House Speakers John Boehner and Paul Ryan. Using the megaphone of the vice presidency He said Vance’s message forced conservatives to debate the merits of the war, and more broadly, what core tenets Republican presidential candidates should embrace in 2028. “It’s simplistic to say this about him looking for ways to differentiate himself from Trump,” Ricci said. “This is about him using his megaphone of the vice presidency to set the terms of debate.” Representatives for Vance declined to comment. White House representatives referred Reuters to Trump’s comments on Wednesday, when he told reporters he understood Vance’s perspective on the election results. US Vice President JD Vance arrives to speak at a midterm campaign rally on October 28, 2026 in Kinston, North Carolina, the US. — Reuters Democrats are poised to tie Vance or any Republican nominee to Trump in 2028, especially if Trump plays a large role in vetting conservative hopefuls. “There’s a real challenge of how you position yourself to be viable in a general election while winning a primary that still requires you to bow down and kiss the ring, said Igor Volsky, a Democratic strategist. Vance’s brand did not emerge from the midterms unscathed. Republicans lost in states where he campaigned. Some of the strategies he endorsed, including an ad by Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy that cast doubt on the sexual abuse suffered by the victorious Democratic candidate, Amy Acton, may have swung races away from Republicans. Other possible 2028 presidential contenders have offered their diagnoses of the midterm defeat. Texas Senator Ted Cruz said Republicans hadn’t done enough on affordability. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said losing candidates had focused too heavily on transgender issues and neglected voter concerns about data centres and artificial intelligence. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stayed silent. Vance’s effort to shape the debate was visible during the closing days of the campaign. In stump speeches, he told voters to support Republicans because they would investigate fraud in federal health care and antipoverty programs, tying that to the White House’s immigration agenda and cost of living. He almost entirely ignored the Iran war and gas prices, and seldom mentioned Trump by name. “I want my kids to raise a family in a country that is vibrant and thriving and free and prosperous. I want the simple things,” Vance said at one of his final rallies in North Carolina. “And because I want that for me, I want it for you too.”Dawn
Iran says forces ‘stronger’ than at beginning of warIran said Saturday its military has grown “stronger” since the outset of its war with the United States, which has offered a $20 million reward for information about Tehran’s nuclear programme. Mediators have been working to prevent any resumption of fighting after months of deadlock in the Middle East conflict, which began when the United States and Israel attacked Iran in late February. Tehran has sought to limit traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries about one-fifth of global oil consumption. Iranian army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said Tehran retained control over the strategic waterway and that it would remain closed until its demands were met by the US. He also said Iran’s forces had grown stronger and more confident, state news agency IRNA reported on Saturday. “Today, the Islamic Republic’s armed forces… having gained experience from direct confrontation with the United States and the Israeli regime, are on higher alert and are stronger than they were at the beginning of the war,” he said. “They now possess greater motivation, commitment, and self-confidence.” “Under the order of the Supreme Leader, the response of the armed forces will be immediate, effective, and without geographical limitations,” he added. Reward offered The US military said it was offering a $20 million reward “and possible relocation” for information about Iran’s nuclear programme. The programme was established in 1984 under the State Department’s national security rewards programme to offer money for information that protects American lives and interests. In a statement about the reward, the State Department said Iran’s “lack of compliance with the (International Atomic Energy Agency) on safeguards obligations has led to the agency’s loss of ‘continuity of knowledge’ regarding Iran’s production and inventory of key components like centrifuges.” It did not specify what type of information would warrant a $20 million reward. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said US forces have effectively obliterated Iran’s nuclear programme . “If we didn’t hit Iran, you wouldn’t have Israel today,” Trump said Friday night in West Palm Beach, Florida. “If they had nuclear, they would have used nuclear. They would have obliterated the Middle East.” Dialogue The president also said Iran — which he stressed has had its economy and military severely damaged over eight months of war — is eager to end the conflict. “We’re dealing with them now. They want to make a deal very badly,” he said. Trump called Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Friday to discuss efforts to end the war. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said this week his government was still trying to resolve the crisis through dialogue. Early on Saturday, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that two missiles had struck Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, adding there was no official information about any damage. Iranian state television reported two explosions on the island. The Iranian army said early Saturday that its air defences had “struck and destroyed” a US drone that was flying over the island, according to state media. It did not say whether the island was attacked.Dawn
Activists breach Microsoft data centre construction site as protests spread in EuropeProtesters broke into the construction site of a Microsoft data centre in Amsterdam on Friday at the start of two days of rallies that are part of a growing global backlash over the rapid build-out of computing power needed for AI. Activist groups have announced actions in 16 countries on Friday and Saturday, according to the “Stop Dirty Data Centres” coalition, which is rallying environmental groups and digital rights campaigns behind calls to pause large-scale construction. In Amsterdam on Friday, more than 100 activists gathered at the construction site of a Microsoft AI data centre, marching arm in arm before breaking into the site, climbing cranes, hanging balloons and dancing while police stood by. Some carried placards with messages reading: “Screw your data centre”. “These data centres are destroying our world. It’s becoming uninhabitable because of all the resources they consume. That’s why we’re here today,” protester Sam van der Beek said. Site owner Pure Data Centres, which plans to invest more than $1 billion and is backed by Brookfield-owned Oaktree, said it was committed to engagement with local stakeholders. “We respectfully ask those on site to leave safely and engage with us in dialogue about the development and any concerns they may have,” it said. Other planned actions include a march in Dublin, a protest outside the parliament building in Warsaw, and a demonstration against a different Microsoft data centre in Denmark. Microsoft said it understood that people had strong feelings about the project and respected their right to express them peacefully but did not condone any unlawful actions. Concern over AI drives stock market rout Pushback is growing from Spain to India and the United States, where technology stocks fell sharply on Thursday over concern that Democratic control of Congress could mean tougher regulation curtails the AI boom. Campaigners say data centres pressure electricity and water supplies, compete with housing and other businesses for scarce resources and threaten climate goals. They also point to job losses and potential risks to personal and national security from private and big tech concentrating power. Technology companies argue that data centres are essential to meeting global demand for artificial intelligence and cloud computing and provide critical infrastructure for businesses, governments and consumers. Stop Dirty Data Centres says it is not anti-progress or calling for existing data centres to be closed but that major construction should be halted until governments establish clearer rules. Europe is divided between its ambition to catch up with the US and Asia on AI to boost productivity and to maintain what are generally more stringent controls and public protections. Speaking to Reuters on Thursday, EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said Europe needed more data centres to power AI development, though she added it needed to be done with care. “AI, of course, is a super important technology and we need to have our own capacity,” Virkkunen said, pointing to investments being made in chip-making capacity, AI startups and a plan to build out gigafactories around the region. However, she added, “It’s very important for citizens that they can trust that their energy bills are not skyrocketing and there are no electricity blackouts because of data centres, or they are not destroying the environment with these projects.” A Google project in Finland faces a criminal probe over land clearances, Italy and Portugal are tightening environmental regulation for data centres, and Microsoft pulled out of a UK data centre project that was hit by infrastructure delays. The Netherlands has about 200 data centres either planned, under construction or in operation.Dawn
Thomas Markle, father of Meghan, arrested for child pornography possession: US authoritiesThomas Markle, father of Prince Harry’s wife Meghan Markle, has been arrested for possessing child pornography, the US Justice Department said on Friday. Markle, 82, of Lakeland, Florida, is charged with one count of possession of child pornography, the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said in a statement. He is expected to appear in court in Tampa on Friday. Markle is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material, including photographs depicting himself with minor girls, First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli said. “These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr Markle to the fullest extent of federal law.” A Justice Department official said the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had arrested Thomas Markle. A spokesperson for Meghan Markle did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Daily Mail , which first reported the arrest, said Markle was arrested at his senior living community in Lakeland over alleged possession of child sexual abuse material. Material had also been found in a storage unit in Mexico as well as the Philippines, it reported on Friday, citing unnamed sources. Authorities in the Philippines, where Markle had previously lived for some time, began investigating him last month over the allegations. British police last month said they would refer allegations about him to overseas law enforcement agencies after finding that the claims had not been passed to other authorities when they were first received. He has denied the accusations, telling the Daily Mail they were untrue and “sick lies”. Meghan, an American who married King Charles’ younger son in 2018, has said she was “ deeply distressed ” over the allegations. In December 2025, Meghan got in touch with her estranged father after he had his left lower leg amputated in the Philippines. The relationship between Meghan and her father broke down in the run-up to her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018. The fallout saw him pull out of his daughter’s wedding just days before the ceremony in Windsor, citing health problems.Dawn
Melania Trump hosts Russia-Ukraine meeting, calls for ‘enduring’ truceWASHINGTON: US First Lady Melania Trump called for a “more enduring” ceasefire in Ukraine as she hosted a rare meeting between officials from the war-torn country and its invader Russia at the White House on Thursday. The unprecedented meeting hoped to build on a localised six-day truce in the starvation-hit Ukrainian city of Oleshky that US President Donald Trump’s wife had announced last month. “Now we must use the courage we brought to Oleshky to find common ground through a shared concern for the suffering of innocent people,” Melania Trump told reporters. “Together, we can create something more enduring than a temporary ceasefire.” The Slovenian-born former model said she was sending the envoys back with personal letters to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. She urged them to use the Oleshky ceasefire — the longest truce so far in the Russian invasion that began in February 2022 — as a “spark in a world of darkness.” “The ceasefire in Oleshky would not be possible without President Putin and President Zelensky. Their cooperation establishes a meaningful precedent for advancing peace throughout the region,” she added. The rare halt in fighting, which was respected by both sides, allowed roads to be demined and residents to depart for either Ukraine or Russia. Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev said he thanked Melania Trump on Putin’s behalf for her “distinguished humanitarian role” in brokering the truce in Oleshky and for work on reuniting children separated from their families by the war. They include children allegedly abducted by Russia. Behind-the-scenes diplomacy The White House meeting also reunited Russia’s human rights ombudsman Yana Lantratova and her counterpart from Kyiv, Dmytro Lubinets, who formed an unlikely bond during the Oleshky ceasefire. The pair were on the ground in the devastated town, addressing the media together on efforts to evacuate residents and deliver aid, in one of the most substantial instances of cooperation between the warring countries. The US first lady’s efforts come ahead of trilateral talks next week in Abu Dhabi aimed at ending the Ukraine war — the first between Russia, Ukraine and the United States since February. The talks have revived hopes for ending the grinding war, although a recent rapprochement between Donald Trump and Putin has raised concerns the United States could turn its back on Kyiv. Trump had promised to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours of taking office in January 2025 but his peace efforts have been intermittent, with the Iran war taking much of his attention this year. Zelensky said he had a “very detailed, hour-and-a-half-long” conversation with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner ahead of the Abu Dhabi talks. The Ukrainian president awarded Melania Trump a national honour for her role in brokering the Oleshky ceasefire, which Lubinets personally presented at the White House. “I hereby decree that the Order of Princess Olga, First Class, be awarded to Melania Trump, First Lady of the United States of America,” a decree read on the Ukrainian presidential website. The US first lady stunned the world when she announced in October 2025 that she had established a secret channel of communication with Putin in a bid to reunite war-separated children. She has since played a growing but still behind-the-scenes diplomatic role in the Ukraine conflict — even as her husband campaigns openly to win the Nobel Peace Prize despite his own failed efforts to end the war. Published in Dawn, November 6th, 2026Dawn
Rule of the people?THE resounding defeat of the Republican Party in the US midterm election this week has triggered celebratory chatter around the world. Many see it as the beginning of the end for Donald Trump; the vibe was very similar when Trump was defeated by Joe Biden in the 2020 US presidential election. Yet four years later, Trumpism proved to be alive and very well. Trump cannot stand in the 2028 presidential election. For that reason alone, his political career is reaching its end. But that does not mean that Trumpism — both the ideology and the social base to which it speaks — will disappear alongside the man himself. Here I offer some suggestions what this latest election signals about the future of democracy in the US, and, by extension, around the world. • We should harbour no illusions about the power of big money in American politics, or the Democratic Party’s historical commitment to US empire — the Biden administration’s diabolical warmongering after Oct 7, 2023, in Gaza, after all, set the stage for Trump’s 2024 win. Given this backdrop, the victory of candidates like Abdul el-Sayed who oppose imperialist wars abroad and are fronting progressive economic policies at home — just like Zohran Mamdani did during his successful campaign to become New York mayor — confirms that societal attitudes are changing. A growing number of young Americans now view socialism favourably and want unconditional support for Israel to be discontinued. It is another matter entirely whether an increasingly influential left-wing of the Democratic Party can win the inner-party struggle and then the presidency. The contemporary state is whittling away democratic freedoms. • While progressive ideology has gained a foothold in American society, the Trumpist right maintains its powerful, and mobilised MAGA base , sustained in part by Christian evangelicals. Before his win in 2024, Trump vowed to stop fighting wars abroad, and bring back industrial jobs and prosperity. His base has been antagonised by the disastrous and prolonged war on Iran, and the inflationary spiral it has triggered. Vice-President J.D. Vance has already acknowledged this , and even added that Washington’s ‘special relationship’ with Israel must change. Trumpism will not die out because of a midterm defeat. Long-term economic stagnation will give it social mooring, while its major ideological enemies — immigration, the left, and outsourcing — remain easy sells. • A useful analogy is that of Brazil, where Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva recently staved off the most recent articulation of Bolsanarismo — the parallel ideology to Trumpism — to win his fourth term as president. Brazil’s left has far greater social roots than the emergent Democratic left in the US, hence its ability to mobilise the last-minute votes necessary to re-elect Lula. But the far right under the leadership of the Bolsanaro family also has a mobilised social base, which will rebound from the election loss. Lula is 81, and his Workers Party will have to deepen the social struggle to keep Bolsanarismo at bay in the years to come. • Zooming out further, the right wing is ascendant across much of the world, while the contemporary state is whittling away democratic freedoms and paving the way for capital to carry on with business as usual. Electoral victories for left-of-centre candidates in the US, Brazil or wherever else they may come to pass will not produce structural change in isolation. Does going to the ballot allow ordinary people an opportunity to exercise political choice? Yes. But this is not the same as working-class majorities being organised for progressive social transformation. The latter is required both to ensure more significant electoral success and then to turn such victories into substantive change. • Of course, we in Pakistan do not even get to enjoy the unfettered right to vote. The military-bureaucratic oligarchy that has ruled over us from soon after 1947 did not even allow a general election until 1970, and then chose military action rather than handing over power to the winning party afterwards. More recently, the electoral mandate in the 2024 general election was stolen blatantly, culminating in the imposition of emergency in KP . There is something to be said for at least the temporary waves of hope that are generated by electoral victories, even if one should at the same time be conscious of the highly delimited nature of democracy under the rule of contemporary capital. Progressives in Pakistan have to fight an epic battle against tyranny to even retain the pretence that democracy means rule of the people. And then we have to come up with a shared project for how to run a country ravaged by violence, repression and a deep crisis of identity. The writer teaches at Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. Published in Dawn, November 6th, 2026Dawn
Midterms over, Democrats plunge into wide-open 2028 presidential raceWith the US midterms over, Democrats are turning to what could become one of their most crowded and unpredictable presidential primaries in decades, a 2028 contest likely to expose the party’s divide over how to win back the White House. No Democrat has emerged as a clear favourite in a field that could attract dozens of contenders, while Republicans have a smaller group of widely discussed candidates, led by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to succeed President Donald Trump, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term. Potential Democratic candidates, including sitting governors and senators, have spent months cultivating donors, visiting states with early nominating contests and raising their national profiles, positioning themselves for a race that strategists expect to begin in earnest now that the midterms are over. The sweeping victories by Democrats on Tuesday, when voters delivered a sharp rebuke to Trump and his agenda, will intensify discussions within both parties about how to win over an electorate unhappy with the country’s direction. Supporters react to early election results in favour of US Senator Jon Ossoff at an election night watch party hosted by the Democratic Party of Georgia after the midterm election in Atlanta, Georgia on November 3, 2026. — AFP Despite their resounding victories on Tuesday, Democrats enter the 2028 campaign still divided over whether to tack to the centre or move further left on issues ranging from healthcare and taxes to policing and foreign policy. Republican candidates will face a different challenge: how to distance themselves from Trump after Tuesday’s repudiation of his policies. They need to broaden their appeal beyond the president’s base while avoiding a break with the populist Make America Great Again movement that has come to define the party. Trump, who has dominated the political landscape for a decade, may be reluctant to yield centre stage, and his continued influence with MAGA followers could complicate the path of the party’s next standard-bearer. Looming Democratic battle Doug Sosnik, a Democratic strategist, said both progressives and moderates will claim vindication in their ideological approaches, ensuring an intense internal battle over the party’s future as the 2028 race begins in earnest. One of the most high-profile progressive wins came in the Michigan Senate contest, where Democrat Abdul El-Sayed easily defeated Republican Mike Rogers in a likely 2028 presidential swing state, becoming the first Muslim elected to the US Senate. “All kinds of wings of the Democratic Party can find affirmation in the results last night,” Sosnik said on Wednesday. “I don’t think that anyone can, nor should they, try to contain the differences we have as a party.” Several potential candidates have either acknowledged considering a White House run or declined to rule one out. Most spent the final weeks of the midterm campaign stumping for fellow Democrats in early nominating states such as Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina. They include former Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost to Trump in 2024, Governors Gavin Newsom of California and Andy Beshear of Kentucky, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, a leading progressive voice. California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks during a media preview day at the California Science Center for its new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center in Los Angeles, California, the US on October 28, 2026. — Reuters/File Reuters contacted representatives for nine of the party’s most prominent potential contenders. None confirmed a 2028 run. Nine days after the November 3 elections, several prospective Democratic candidates, including Buttigieg and another progressive, US Representative Ro Khanna of California, are scheduled to attend a gathering in Denver hosted by Majority Democrats. The group, backed largely by moderate Democrats and billionaire donor Steve Mandel, advocates for younger party leaders and a party platform that is more centrist. US Representative Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts, the group’s chair, said the event is meant to spark a debate about the party’s future before the 2028 race takes shape, and lay out a positive agenda for what the party is for, rather than just being anti-Trump. Scott Ferson, a Democratic strategist, said the party’s presidential primary could attract a huge number of candidates. “There are at least 30 Democrats who are saying to people close to them, ‘Do you think I should run?’” Ferson said. Republicans in Trump’s shadow By contrast, Republican 2028 hopefuls have been more guarded, mostly staying in Trump’s shadow and deferential to him. That could now change after Tuesday night’s rout in which voters expressed deep dissatisfaction with Trump’s handling of the economy and foreign policy and demanded more action against government corruption. Vance is in a particularly difficult position, said Matt Dole, a Republican strategist. Vance has less freedom than other potential 2028 Republican contenders to put daylight between himself and Trump because he is vice president, a role that traditionally involves defending the president and his policies. “Vance just doesn’t have the wiggle room that somebody else in the cabinet has, who can resign,” Dole said. US Vice President JD Vance speaks at a midterm campaign rally at JRJ Construction in Weatherford, Texas, the US on October 29, 2026. — AFP/File Still, Vance acknowledged on Wednesday that the war in Iran, which Trump launched in February and which is deeply unpopular among Americans, had cost Republicans the election. That, however, did not represent a clear break with Trump, who made a similar acknowledgement on Tuesday night. Whoever emerges within the Republican Party as its new standard-bearer will face the task of keeping Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’ (MAGA) base onside while rebuilding the broader coalition that powered his 2024 victory. Exit polls on Tuesday showed that key constituencies of that coalition, including younger voters, Hispanics and some Black men, had deserted Republicans. Vance has said there is “a chance” he will not run, citing family considerations, while Rubio has said he has “no plans at this time” to seek the presidency. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who unsuccessfully sought the Republican presidential nomination against Trump in 2024, has declined to rule out another White House bid. Other Republicans viewed as potential candidates include Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and US Senator Ted Cruz of Texas.Dawn
Pakistan go down to India despite late onslaught in SAFF Championship openerPakistan scored twice in stoppage time, including a spectacular overhead kick by Alamgir Ghazi, but their late rally proved insufficient as Nolberto Solano’s side suffered a 3-2 defeat against India in their SAFF Championship opener at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Thursday. Trailing 3-0 at half-time, Pakistan mounted a spirited fightback, with Najeebullah and Alamgir finding the net in injury time to give the Shaheens hope of an unlikely comeback. Najeebullah reduced the deficit in the second minute of stoppage time, powering home a bullet header from a Junaid Shah cross to score his first international goal. Two minutes later, Alamgir produced a moment of individual brilliance to make it 3-2. Collecting a pass from McKeal Abdullah with his back to goal, the midfielder lifted the ball before swivelling and connecting with a stunning overhead kick that found the far corner. Pakistan pushed forward in search of a dramatic equaliser, but India held on to secure all three points in the Group ‘B’ encounter. The defeat left Pakistan to rue a disappointing first-half performance in which they struggled to impose themselves against their arch-rivals. The Shaheens were also without several key players who had featured in last month’s FIFA ASEAN Cup. India took the lead in the 14th minute through Suhail Ahmad Bhat, who finished first-time after a swift attacking move. The forward doubled his tally six minutes later with another clinical finish, before Manglenthang Kipgen extended the advantage to 3-0 two minutes past the half-hour mark. Pakistan had an opportunity to reduce the deficit shortly afterwards when Hayyaan Khattak won a penalty following a foul inside the box. However, Shayek Dost blazed his effort over the crossbar, allowing India to take their three-goal lead into the interval. Solano made an early change, bringing on striker McKeal Abdullah for defender Waqar Ehtisham Baloch. At half-time, Umar Nawaz and Muhammad Junaid replaced Syed Ali Raza and Ali Uzair Mahmood. Pakistan’s efforts in the second half were further disrupted by injuries to left-back Abdul Rehman and Shayek Dost, both of whom had to be withdrawn. Junaid Shah and Najeebullah came on as replacements. Despite continued pressure from India, Pakistan managed to create opportunities of their own. Najeebullah came close to scoring late in the match after being set up by McKeal Abdullah, but his effort was kept out by India goalkeeper Arsh Anwer Shaikh. The two late goals offered some consolation for Pakistan, whose attacking intent in the closing stages provided encouragement despite the defeat. The Shaheens will take on Maldives on Sunday, November 8 in their final Group ‘B’ fixture. Pakistan will need a positive result to keep their semi-final hopes alive, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the last four. The match will also be played before the start of the FIFA international window.Dawn
ECP fixes Feb 7 as polling date for first phase of Punjab local govt electionsISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday decided to hold the first phase of local government elections in Punjab on Feb 7, 2027, accepting the provincial government’s request to schedule polling after Jan 20 in view of fog and weather conditions. ECP had initially proposed holding the elections on December 14. Thursday’s decision was taken by a four-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and comprising members Nisar Ahmed Durrani, Shah Muhammad Jatoi and Babar Hassan Bharwana during a hearing on the conduct of local government elections in Punjab, a statement issued by the ECP said. Chief secretary Punjab and Minister for Local Government and Community Development Zeeshan Rafique, along with the department’s secretary, appeared before the commission. At the outset, the chief secretary apprised the commission that an earlier committee constituted by the Punjab government had held a meeting with the ECP, during which it was discussed and mutually decided that the elections would be conducted during the period from December to January. He submitted that the provincial government was fully prepared to conduct elections in the province and all necessary arrangements in this regard had been completed. The requisite information and documents sought by the ECP regarding the appointment of returning officers and district returning officers had already been furnished, and no administrative impediment remained in the way of holding the elections. He stated that the provincial government had no objection to the announcement of the election schedule. The chief secretary, however, requested that the date of election preferably be fixed after Jan 20, 2027, in a phased manner, keeping in view weather conditions and administrative convenience, to ensure the smooth, transparent and orderly conduct of the electoral process. He explained that December and January were generally marked by dense fog in Punjab, particularly Lahore, which may cause difficulties in transportation, movement and other election-related activities. He also highlighted the seasonal conditions and the importance of adequate daylight for the proper completion of polling arrangements. He further informed the commission that the provincial government would be required to arrange transportation facilities and had also made arrangements for the availability of school buildings to be used as polling stations. He said the administration needed an additional two months to make the necessary arrangements and that conditions generally improve after Jan 20. An ECP member pointed out that the provincial government had previously suggested holding elections in April. Responding to the observation, the chief secretary said the government had reconsidered its position and had no objection to holding elections in January or February. However, he maintained that April would be more suitable because of longer daylight hours and school holidays. He argued that shorter days and cold weather during winter could discourage voters from coming out to cast their ballots, while April would provide more favourable conditions. The commission observed that the ECP is under obligation in terms of Articles 140A and 219(d) of the Constitution, read with Section 219 of the Elections Act, 2017, to hold local government elections in the provinces, Islamabad Capital Territory and the Cantonment Boards. It also noted that it is the duty of the commission under Article 218(3) of the Constitution to organise and conduct the election and to make such arrangements as are necessary to ensure that the election is conducted honestly, justly, fairly and in accordance with law, and that corrupt practices are guarded against. Keeping in view the constitutional provisions and to provide a level playing field to the contesting candidates and voters of the constituencies, the request made by the chief secretary was accepted in the interest of justice. It was further decided that the first phase of local government elections in Punjab will be held with the polling date set as Feb 7, 2027. The office was directed to take follow-up action accordingly. The last local government elections in Punjab were held in 2015 under the Punjab Local Government Act, 2013. Polling took place in phases between Oct and Dec 2015, and elected councils assumed office in 2017 after indirect elections for mayors and chairpersons. Since then, local body polls in Punjab have experienced repeated delays. The PTI government had dissolved the elected local bodies in April 2019 before they completed their tenure. The move was later struck down by the Supreme Court, which restored them. They eventually completed their term on Dec 31, 2021. Successive provincial governments repeatedly amended or replaced the Punjab Local Government Act. Each legislative change required the ECP to restart preparations, including delimitation and election planning. Changing laws and administrative delays by successive governments contributed significantly to the postponement of the local body elections. Under Article 140A of the Constitution and the Elections Act, local government elections should be held within 120 days of the expiry of local bodies’ terms. Since the councils’ term ended in Dec 2021, elections were due by April 2022, but they have been repeatedly postponed.Dawn
France braces for demonstrations as trade unions strikeHundreds of thousands of people are expected to take to the streets across France on Thursday, as unions hold strikes alongside student-led demonstrations that have gripped the country for weeks. The high school student movement that began with youth protesting dismal learning conditions has coincided with widespread anger over the rising cost of living and inequality, which culminated on October 17 in the worst rioting France has seen in years. On Thursday, authorities estimate some 500,000 to 700,000 people will protest across the country, while as many as 80,000 people are expected to march in the capital Paris. “It’s going to be a strong mobilisation,” said Marylise Leon of the CFDT union, anticipating a turnout comparable to France’s pension reform protests in 2023 that saw over one million people march. Public and private education unions have called for strike action, as well as unions representing rail workers, public hospitals and postal services. In demands addressed to both the government and employers, the unions are calling for an increase in the minimum wage, which has not received any discretionary boost since 2012, across-the-board wage raises, tax reforms and better learning conditions for young people. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez announced Wednesday that 70,000 police officers and security forces would be deployed across the country, promising “an extremely firm response” to any “acts of violence” or disorder. ‘Wake-up call’ Although student-led protests were largely peaceful, some saw clashes with police erupt with tear gas and water cannon fired to disperse crowds. An attempted murder investigation has been launched after petrol bombs were thrown at security forces in Paris on Saturday. Meanwhile, the police response has been criticised as heavy-handed and internal police investigations have been launched over allegations of brutality against demonstrators. Several teenage protesters have been seriously wounded and thousands arrested. Authorities have admitted to security and intelligence failures that paved the way for the clashes, large-scale looting and vandalism of public property that erupted on October 17. On Wednesday, the Paris prefecture banned a major protest route planned between Place de la Bastille and Place de la Concorde, which would have crossed the centre of the city. Police instead replaced it with an authorised route moving eastward away from the centre. Several unions have denounced route bans as a move to repress freedom of demonstration, and some have filed last-minute appeals to have the routes reinstated. “We can feel a cumulative effect: public sympathy for the high school and university students’ movement is not waning, and people are questioning restrictions on liberties, especially bans on demonstrations,” Fabrice Fort of the CGT union explained. “This has sparked a wake-up call among people who usually don’t speak out much,” he added. Similar protests have sparked in other European countries in recent weeks with youth-led demonstrations seen in Denmark, Germany and Italy.Dawn
Big money flops as Democrats sweep US CongressHundreds of millions of dollars spent, with little to show for it. The rout of President Donald Trump and his Republicans in the US midterm elections was also a defeat for Elon Musk and for the massive campaign spending meant to sway voters. Democrats captured both the Senate and House of Representatives on Tuesday in a stunning rejection of Trump’s political agenda, winning races in which conservative groups had poured in far more outside money than their liberal counterparts. “This might have been the biggest defeat for big money in American political history,” Logan Phillips, founder of the election forecasting site Race to the White House, wrote on X. “Guess my election-interfering space lasers didn’t work this time,” Musk said on X, with a shrug emoji. Musk contributed nearly half a billion dollars to Republican efforts, making him the largest individual contributor in a federal election cycle since 2010, according to campaign finance tracker OpenSecrets. That year, the Supreme Court ruled that the government cannot limit political spending by corporations, unions and other groups acting independently of candidates, opening the way for big donors to pour vast sums into elections, sometimes anonymously. ‘Our own Goliaths’ More than $200 million of Musk’s money went to support Ken Paxton, the Republican Senate candidate in Texas. Democrat James Talarico defeated Paxton, a close Trump ally, to become the first Democrat to win statewide office in Texas since 1994. “In this race, we went up against our own Goliaths. The richest man in the world, the most powerful man in the world and the entire Washington, DC establishment,” Talarico said. He also targeted billionaires “who own the social media algorithms, who own the cable news networks, who own the politicians fighting on our screens” and who “want us at each other’s throats”. In Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown unseated Republican Senator Jon Husted in the country’s second most expensive race, with more than $500m spent. In Georgia, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated billionaire health care executive Rick Jackson in the governor’s race, after he poured more than $200m of his fortune into his bid, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. In Ohio, biotech billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy lost the governor’s race to Democrat Amy Acton after putting an estimated $36m of his own money into it. AI industry money also fell short. In South Carolina, American Mission, the Republican arm of the Leading the Future network backed by OpenAI president Greg Brockman and venture firm Andreessen Horowitz, put about $2.7m behind Senator Darline Graham, who lost to Democrat Annie Andrews in a state Trump won by 18 points. Building the Future, a new data centre industry super PAC tied to Leading the Future, had made Graham its first candidate to back. ‘Cannot yield’ Democrats also had billionaire backing. Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg spent $80m on House, Senate and governor races, then added $36m in the final days, Politico reported. Bloomberg’s political adviser Howard Wolfson told CNN that “money is not determinative, but it is helpful”, noting that Republicans held a significant financial advantage. LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, who put $11.5m into the super PAC backing Talarico, said “we should get money out of politics”. “And while people like Elon are spending outrageous amounts to keep authoritarian clowns in power, those of us who believe in the ideals of America cannot yield,” Hoffman wrote on X late on Tuesday, defending his largesse. In California, a ballot proposal for a one-time five per cent tax on the state’s billionaires seemed to have failed after some of its wealthiest residents spent hundreds of millions of dollars to defeat it.Dawn
Israel president urges compromise after divisive electionIsrael’s president on Wednesday opened talks on forming a new government with a call for compromise, saying neither side had won divisive elections, as he also condemned “racist” rhetoric against Arab parties that made sharp gains. More than a week after Israel’s first election since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, President Isaac Herzog began meeting party leaders to decide whether to give Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or his rival Gadi Eisenkot the first chance to form a government in the deeply polarised country. With neither bloc holding a majority in the 120-seat parliament after the Oct 27 vote, Herzog said both sides needed to accept that “not every commitment and promise can be fulfilled” and to avoid new elections. “In the current reality, in which there is no clear winner after the elections, I ask for originality and creativity, courage and goodwill, so that the State of Israel emerges the winner,” Herzog said. The election saw soaring support for lists from the Arab minority, descendants of Palestinians who stayed in Israel after its 1948 creation and who have often been outraged by the harsh rhetoric and actions of Netanyahu’s hard-right government. Netanyahu has gone on the offensive against Arab-majority lists, who have the power to put Eisenkot in power if they team up. Netanyahu has pointed to the arrests of several people with envelopes of cash on election day in what authorities called localised incidents, and accused leaders of accepting money from Qatar, an allegation also levelled against the prime minister’s own aides. Without naming any leader, Herzog, whose role is usually ceremonial, said he had “great respect” for the Arab minority, which makes up around 20 per cent of Israel’s population. “I condemn the coarseness and racist expressions that we have heard recently. There is no place for them (to be made) toward any community in Israel,” Herzog said. No evidence found The Central Elections Committee said it had conducted an audit of 9,069 polling stations following complaints and found no evidence that would question the results’ integrity. The committee, which reflects the makeup of the outgoing parliament, approved the results with 15 members in favour and two against but 14 others abstaining. Itamar Ben Gvir, the ultra-nationalist national security minister known for his provocative calls for Palestinian suffering, said his party did not accept the results and he urged the arrest of Arab-Israeli party leaders. Several Israeli media outlets said authorities were investigating Arab lawmaker Ayman Odeh for allegedly taking foreign money. He is part of the largest Arab group, the Joint List, which in a statement denounced “political persecution”. Eisenkot, a former military chief who has vowed to turn the page on Netanyahu’s long, divisive reign, accused the prime minister of trying to “undermine Israeli democracy” and inflame sentiment against elected officials. “We will not allow the State of Israel to be dragged into a dark abyss, far beyond the bounds of democratic conduct,” Eisenkot said, as he marked the 1995 assassination of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. Buoyed by US elections Eisenkot has warned Netanyahu against launching a new war with his ally US President Donald Trump against Iran, which could help the Israeli prime minister push for a unity government or to run out the clock until new elections. Opposition lawmakers said Tuesday’s midterm elections in the United States, in which Democrats trounced Trump’s Republicans, reinforced the need to remove Netanyahu. Democrats have vowed a tougher line on Israel amid outrage over the devastation wrought by the assault on Gaza. Trump said as voting was underway that he had agreed with Netanyahu to end nearly $4 billion in annual US military aid to Israel by the end of the year. “The continued tenure of Netanyahu and Ben Gvir could lead Israel down a path of international sanctions, international isolation and a clash with the US, our friend and most important ally,” said Yair Golan, who heads the most left-wing party within the opposition bloc. Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister who has been in power on and off for nearly two decades, has called for a “broad national government” — with himself at the top. He faces corruption charges that could land him in jail if he leaves office. Herzog’s statements have raised speculation that he could sound out leaders on a possible unity government, but Eisenkot and his allies have ruled that out. Herzog will hold an initial two days of consultations and then give a contender 28 days to form a government, with a potential 14-day extension. It took Netanyahu, who at the time had a better showing by Likud, 58 days to form a government after the last election in November 2022. Israel held five elections between 2019 and 2022 after repeated deadlocks.Dawn
US midterms: Democrats win US Congress in midterm rout of TrumpDemocrats seized control of the US Congress on Wednesday, capturing the Senate and House of Representatives in a stunning, nationwide rejection of Donald Trump set to put the brakes on the final two years of his presidency. The Democratic landslide will give the opposition power to block legislation, launch broad investigations into Trump’s administration and thwart his judicial and senior government appointments. The vote reflected deep anger over living costs, tariffs and Trump’s war against Iran, which has sent fuel prices soaring and compounded dissatisfaction with an already deeply unpopular president. Trump struck a conciliatory note despite his history of questioning election results, telling The New York Times: “I am absolutely willing to accept those results” and promising to “work with the Democrats”. But minutes later on social media the 80-year-old signalled how he intends to deal with Democratic attempts to pass laws, posting a picture of a red baseball cap emblazoned: “VETO.” The Democrats’ decisive Senate breakthroughs came in Kansas and Iowa, the fifth and sixth Republican-held seats to fall in the extraordinary “blue wave” election night. In Kansas, Methodist minister Adam Hamilton defeated Republican incumbent Roger Marshall, becoming the first Democrat elected to the Senate from the reliably conservative state since 1932. Iowa had not elected a Democratic senator since 2008, again illustrating the scale of party’s inroads into Republican strongholds. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton speaks following her victory in the US midterm elections at a Democratic Election Night rally, in Columbus, Ohio, US, November 3, 2026. — Reuters The upsets followed victories in Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina and Ohio, where voters rejected Republican candidates despite Trump’s intensive efforts to rally his supporters. Democrat James Talarico ousted a Trump-backed Senate candidate, while Gina Hinojosa unseated Republican governor Greg Abbott, ending decades of Republican control of the state’s top office. Talarico said that “we defeated Goliath” after winning a US Senate seat over Texas attorney General Ken Paxton, a close ally of President Donald Trump who was heavily backed by tech billionaire Elon Musk. “In this race, we went up against our own Goliaths. The richest man in the world, the most powerful man in the world, and the entire Washington, DC establishment,” Talarico told a victory rally in the Texas capital, Austin. Democrats also protected key Senate seats of their own, including Jon Ossoff’s in Georgia and an open seat in New Hampshire. In California, Democrat Xavier Becerra handily defeated Donald Trump-backed Republican Steve Hilton in the race to become the governor, US networks said. Partial results showed Becerra, a career politician who served in the cabinet of former president Joe Biden, had a nearly two-to-one advantage over Hilton, with about half of the ballots counted. Becerra had run a low-key campaign in a state where Democrats heavily outnumber Republicans and where the Trump brand is almost toxic. The son of Mexican immigrants, he will be the first elected Latino governor of California, a state that would be the world’s fourth-largest economy if it were a country. “Ladies and gentlemen, you have now entered the Becerra era,” the former US Health and Human Services secretary told his supporters at a victory party in Sacramento. “I didn’t run to make history,” he said. “I ran to make a difference for anyone and everyone who calls California home, whether you voted for me or not.” Becerra will replace term-limited Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democratic Party big-hitter who is believed to have his eyes on a tilt at the White House in 2028. California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra speaks at an election night event on November 3, 2026 in Sacramento, California. —AFP Hilton, a British-born conservative former pundit who was once an adviser to former UK prime minister David Cameron, had always been a long shot. He conceded he had lost a difficult race. “Maybe this isn’t the best year to be running for office as a Republican when we see what’s going on around the country,” he said. Republicans had held a 53-47 Senate majority. The six-seat Democratic gain proved sufficient for networks to project a takeover despite some races remaining unresolved. Republican heartland Democrats also captured the House after flipping Republican-held districts in states stretching from Pennsylvania and New Jersey to Kentucky, Arizona and North Carolina. Some victories came in territory Trump had carried comfortably in 2024, despite Republican attempts to shore up House seats by redrawing electoral boundaries. One bellwether was Indiana, where Democrat J.D. Ford defeated Republican congresswoman Victoria Spartz in a district Trump won by 17 points. Analysts had identified an upset there as a warning of a much wider Democratic advance. Supporters react to early election results in favor of US Senator Jon Ossoff at an election night watch party hosted by the Democratic Party of Georgia after the midterms election in Atlanta, Georgia on November 3, 2026. — AFP In Georgia, former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms became the first Black woman elected governor in US history, while other Democratic gains extended to statehouses across the country. Republicans had some bright spots in Florida, where Trump-backed Byron Donalds won the governorship, becoming the state’s first Black governor, and Ashley Moody kept a Senate seat. George Washington University professor Todd Belt called the Democratic advance “a big wipeout and a strong repudiation of Donald Trump and his policies,” citing voters’ concerns about the economy, corruption and the Iran conflict. Trump on defensive Democrats will now be able to block Trump’s legislation, investigate his administration over corruption allegations, the Iran war and immigration enforcement, and use Senate control to thwart judicial appointments and senior nominations. Robert Garcia, a Democrat expected to lead the powerful House Oversight Committee, warned Republicans on social media: “LAWYER UP.” House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries declared Trump’s MAGA movement “on the run from sea to shining sea.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks during a press conference with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) at the AC Hotel Washington DC Capitol Hill Navy Yard on November 03, 2026 in Washington, DC. Jeffries is also positioned to become the first Black speaker of the House when the new Congress convenes in January, if elected by his colleagues. As speaker, Jeffries, representing a New York City congressional district, would preside over a majority that will be sworn in the first week of January, taking the reins from Republicans who controlled the House for the past four years. “Today begins the great American comeback,” Jeffries proclaimed in a victory speech late on Tuesday after media outlets projected the likelihood of Democratic majorities in the House and Senate. For many voters, the central concern was Trump’s stewardship of the economy. “Rent, groceries, utility bills, and property taxes keep climbing,” 24-year-old Los Angeles voter Taylor Cook told AFP. A rebuke to Trump, winner says “In sweeping and decisive victories, the American people have rebuked the depravity, corruption and incompetence of the man named President Donald J. Trump,” incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, the projected winner in Georgia, told supporters at a victory party. In Florida, Republican Senator Ashley Moody fended off Democrat Angie Nixon but was ahead by only about three percentage points in a state Trump carried by 13 points in 2024, according to a vote count compiled by Reuters and USA Today, further evidence that even solidly Republican states were shifting dramatically toward Democrats. Democrats held onto three House districts in Florida that Republican lawmakers had redrawn earlier this year, all of which backed Trump by at least nine percentage points, according to media projections. Cait Conley, Democratic candidate for the US House of Representatives in New York’s 17th Congressional District, reacts following her victory in the US midterm elections, in Pleasantville, New York, US, November 3, 2026. — Reuters Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, a former mayor of Atlanta, on Tuesday was elected governor of the state of Georgia, becoming the first Black woman elected to that office in the US, media projections showed. CNN and NBC News called the race in her favour. Bottoms defeated billionaire health care executive Rick Jackson, who ran as a Republican. Current Governor Brian Kemp is term-limited and could not run again. Midterm elections are typically viewed as a referendum on the president, and that is especially true for Trump, who dominates attention like no other politician. Trump himself told his supporters to “pretend I’m on the ballot” and held dozens of rallies in the closing weeks. According to exit polls conducted by SSRS on behalf of a consortium of US media outlets, including major television networks and the Associated Press, half of voters nationwide said they saw the 2026 midterm elections as an opportunity to rebuke the president, and three-quarters said they are “angry” or “dissatisfied” with the way the country is headed. In addition, 70 per cent of voters surveyed said they want Congress to provide more checks and balances on the president. History is against Republicans: the sitting president’s party has lost ground in Congress in all but two midterms since World War Two. Trump’s approval rating is hovering near his career lows, with voters frustrated by war on Iran, higher fuel prices and wider affordability concerns. Led by Trump, Republicans have portrayed Democratic candidates as radical, un-American and even communist, labels Democrats flatly reject. Opinion polls show voters are most concerned about affordability and disapprove of Trump’s handling of the issue. His tariffs on imports, many of which the courts threw out, and his decision to attack Iran in February raised prices for consumers. Trump deploys election monitors The US Justice Department said it had deployed 1,000 election monitors and observers to all 50 states in what it called the largest Election Day monitoring effort in history. Democrats criticised the plan as potential voter intimidation. In roughly two-thirds of the jurisdictions the department listed, voters supported Democrat Kamala Harris over Trump in the 2024 presidential election, a Reuters analysis found. Election officials in several states reported no issues with the monitoring effort. New Mexico’s secretary of state’s office said it had received reports of federal monitors asking “unusual questions” in one county and that the Justice Department offered assurances that the conduct would be addressed.Dawn
Israel election commission rejects Netanyahu charges of fraudIsraeli electoral authorities on Wednesday rejected allegations promoted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of fraud by Arab parties, who could hold the key to removing him from power after a divisive vote. President Isaac Herzog will at noon (1000 GMT) officially receive the results of the October 27 election as he decides whether to give Netanyahu or his rival Gadi Eisenkot the first chance to form a government, with neither commanding enough votes alone. The Central Elections Committee said it had conducted an audit of 9,069 polling stations following complaints and was confident that the announced results “accurately reflect the will of the voters”. “All complaints submitted by political factions have been reviewed and there were no findings indicating harm to the integrity of the election,” it said in a statement. Netanyahu has repeatedly alleged fraud by Arab-majority parties, pointing to the arrests of several people with envelopes of cash on election day and later claiming lawmakers received money from Qatar — allegations that have been levelled at his own aides in the past. Late on Tuesday, Israeli Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara said she would not question anyone without evidence after reports that the head of the domestic security service Shin Bet, a Netanyahu ally, had asked to interrogate Arab parties. Netanyahu’s Likud party lashed out at her, saying that she was trying to “obstruct the investigation and to cover up this serious case of manipulation of the electoral process by foreign actors”. Eisenkot, a former military chief trying to unite centrists and the centre-right and turn the page on Netanyahu’s long, polarising reign, accused Likud of attempting a “pogrom against democracy”. He had earlier warned Netanyahu against launching a new war with his close ally US President Donald Trump against Iran, which could help the Israeli prime minister push for a unity government or to run out the clock until new elections. No unity government Yair Lapid, a former prime minister and key force in the opposition bloc, pointed to the midterm elections in the US in which Democrats resoundingly trounced Trump’s Republicans. The Shin Bet “outbursts” paired with the US election results “eliminate any possibility of a unity government led by Netanyahu”. Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister who has been in power on and off for nearly two decades, has called for a “broad national government” — with himself at the top. Herzog’s statements have raised speculation that he could sound out leaders on a possible unity government, hoping to bring stability in a country sharply split after three years of war and over Netanyahu’s hard-right politics. Herzog holds a largely ceremonial role as head of state, but carries the decisive vote on who will have the first chance to try to be prime minister — a process that could last weeks or even months and may end in failure and new elections. After officially receiving the results, Herzog begins two days of consultations with parties, starting with the smaller ones. Neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot holds the 61 seats needed to secure a majority in the 120-member parliament. Netanyahu’s bloc has an edge, with 53 seats as opposed to Eisenkot’s 48. Eisenkot could reach the threshold if he were to ally with parties from the Arab minority, whose seat count surged to 19 on outrage against the actions and rhetoric of Netanyahu’s government. But some in the opposition have baulked at relying on non-Jewish lawmakers’ votes. ‘Fresh thinking’ Herzog, a mild-mannered lawyer whose political career was in the defunct left-wing Labour Party but is now officially nonpartisan, has said he wants to encourage “fresh thinking” and avoid a new election. Once Herzog tasks someone, they will have 28 days to form a government, with a potential 14-day extension. If no one succeeds, Herzog will give the mandate to someone else. If that too fails, a majority of lawmakers could come together to nominate someone within 21 days — or else Israel heads to new elections. It took Netanyahu, who at the time had a better showing by Likud, 58 days to form a government after the last election in November 2022. Israel held five elections between 2019 and 2022 after repeated deadlocks. Netanyahu faces corruption charges and the risk of jail if he loses power and, with it, immunity. Yousef Jabareen, the head of the largest Arab-majority party in the next parliament, told AFP this week that the opposition needed to accept “political reality” and team up to remove Netanyahu. Netanyahu has persistently warned Jewish Israelis that the opposition will work with Arab parties, which he accuses of backing Hamas.Dawn
US midterms: Democrats win Congress in major setback for TrumpDemocrats have won full control of the US Congress in a sweeping midterm rout on Tuesday, with a series of upsets delivering a major rebuke to President Donald Trump and his Republican Party. The victory handed Democrats both the House of Representatives and Senate, giving them power to block Trump’s agenda and investigate alleged corruption for the last two years of his presidency. The vote reflected deep anger over living costs, tariffs and Trump’s war against Iran, which has sent fuel prices soaring and compounded dissatisfaction with an already deeply unpopular president. Trump struck a conciliatory note despite his history of questioning election results, telling The New York Times: “I am absolutely willing to accept those results” and promising to “work with the Democrats”. But minutes later on social media the 80-year-old signalled how he intends to deal with Democratic attempts to pass laws, posting a picture of a red baseball cap emblazoned: “VETO.” The Democrats’ decisive Senate breakthroughs came in Kansas and Iowa, the fifth and sixth Republican-held seats to fall in the extraordinary “blue wave” election night. In Kansas, Methodist minister Adam Hamilton defeated Republican incumbent Roger Marshall, becoming the first Democrat elected to the Senate from the reliably conservative state since 1932. Iowa had not elected a Democratic senator since 2008, again illustrating the scale of party’s inroads into Republican strongholds. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton speaks following her victory in the US midterm elections at a Democratic Election Night rally, in Columbus, Ohio, US, November 3, 2026. — Reuters The upsets followed victories in Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina and Ohio, where voters rejected Republican candidates despite Trump’s intensive efforts to rally his supporters. Democrat James Talarico ousted a Trump-backed Senate candidate, while Gina Hinojosa unseated Republican governor Greg Abbott, ending decades of Republican control of the state’s top office. Talarico that “we defeated Goliath” after winning a US Senate seat over Texas attorney General Ken Paxton, a close ally of President Donald Trump who was heavily backed by tech billionaire Elon Musk. “In this race, we went up against our own Goliaths. The richest man in the world, the most powerful man in the world, and the entire Washington, DC establishment,” Talarico told a victory rally in the Texas capital, Austin. Democrats also protected key Senate seats of their own, including Jon Ossoff’s in Georgia and an open seat in New Hampshire. In California, Democrat Xavier Becerra handily defeated Donald Trump-backed Republican Steve Hilton in the race to become the governor, US networks said. Partial results showed Becerra, a career politician who served in the cabinet of former president Joe Biden, had a nearly two-to-one advantage over Hilton, with about half of the ballots counted. Becerra had run a low-key campaign in a state where Democrats heavily outnumber Republicans and where the Trump brand is almost toxic. The son of Mexican immigrants, he will be the first elected Latino governor of California, a state that would be the world’s fourth-largest economy if it were a country. “Ladies and gentlemen, you have now entered the Becerra era,” the former US Health and Human Services secretary told his supporters at a victory party in Sacramento. “I didn’t run to make history,” he said. “I ran to make a difference for anyone and everyone who calls California home, whether you voted for me or not.” Becerra will replace term-limited Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democratic Party big-hitter who is believed to have his eyes on a tilt at the White House in 2028. California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra speaks at an election night event on November 3, 2026 in Sacramento, California. —AFP Hilton, a British-born conservative former pundit who was once an adviser to former UK prime minister David Cameron, had always been a long shot. He conceded he had lost a difficult race. “Maybe this isn’t the best year to be running for office as a Republican when we see what’s going on around the country,” he said. Republicans had held a 53-47 Senate majority. The six-seat Democratic gain proved sufficient for networks to project a takeover despite some races remaining unresolved. Republican heartland Democrats also captured the House after flipping Republican-held districts in states stretching from Pennsylvania and New Jersey to Kentucky, Arizona and North Carolina. Some victories came in territory Trump had carried comfortably in 2024, despite Republican attempts to shore up House seats by redrawing electoral boundaries. One bellwether was Indiana, where Democrat J.D. Ford defeated Republican congresswoman Victoria Spartz in a district Trump won by 17 points. Analysts had identified an upset there as a warning of a much wider Democratic advance. Supporters react to early election results in favor of US Senator Jon Ossoff at an election night watch party hosted by the Democratic Party of Georgia after the midterms election in Atlanta, Georgia on November 3, 2026. — AFP In Georgia, former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms became the first Black woman elected governor in US history, while other Democratic gains extended to statehouses across the country. Republicans had some bright spots in Florida, where Trump-backed Byron Donalds won the governorship, becoming the state’s first Black governor, and Ashley Moody kept a Senate seat. George Washington University professor Todd Belt called the Democratic advance “a big wipeout and a strong repudiation of Donald Trump and his policies,” citing voters’ concerns about the economy, corruption and the Iran conflict. Trump on defensive Democrats will now be able to block Trump’s legislation, investigate his administration over corruption allegations, the Iran war and immigration enforcement, and use Senate control to thwart judicial appointments and senior nominations. Robert Garcia, a Democrat expected to lead the powerful House Oversight Committee, warned Republicans on social media: “LAWYER UP.” House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries declared Trump’s MAGA movement “on the run from sea to shining sea.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks during a press conference with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) at the AC Hotel Washington DC Capitol Hill Navy Yard on November 03, 2026 in Washington, DC. Jeffries is also positioned to become the first Black speaker of the House when the new Congress convenes in January, if elected by his colleagues. As speaker, Jeffries, representing a New York City congressional district, would preside over a majority that will be sworn in the first week of January, taking the reins from Republicans who controlled the House for the past four years. “Today begins the great American comeback,” Jeffries proclaimed in a victory speech late on Tuesday after media outlets projected the likelihood of Democratic majorities in the House and Senate. For many voters, the central concern was Trump’s stewardship of the economy. “Rent, groceries, utility bills, and property taxes keep climbing,” 24-year-old Los Angeles voter Taylor Cook told AFP. A rebuke to Trump, winner says “In sweeping and decisive victories, the American people have rebuked the depravity, corruption and incompetence of the man named President Donald J. Trump,” incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, the projected winner in Georgia, told supporters at a victory party. In Florida, Republican Senator Ashley Moody fended off Democrat Angie Nixon but was ahead by only about three percentage points in a state Trump carried by 13 points in 2024, according to a vote count compiled by Reuters and USA Today, further evidence that even solidly Republican states were shifting dramatically toward Democrats. Democrats held onto three House districts in Florida that Republican lawmakers had redrawn earlier this year, all of which backed Trump by at least nine percentage points, according to media projections. Cait Conley, Democratic candidate for the US House of Representatives in New York’s 17th Congressional District, reacts following her victory in the US midterm elections, in Pleasantville, New York, US, November 3, 2026. — Reuters Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, a former mayor of Atlanta, on Tuesday was elected governor of the state of Georgia, becoming the first Black woman elected to that office in the US, media projections showed. CNN and NBC News called the race in her favour. Bottoms defeated billionaire health care executive Rick Jackson, who ran as a Republican. Current Governor Brian Kemp is term-limited and could not run again. Midterm elections are typically viewed as a referendum on the president, and that is especially true for Trump, who dominates attention like no other politician. Trump himself told his supporters to “pretend I’m on the ballot” and held dozens of rallies in the closing weeks. According to exit polls conducted by SSRS on behalf of a consortium of US media outlets, including major television networks and the Associated Press, half of voters nationwide said they saw the 2026 midterm elections as an opportunity to rebuke the president, and three-quarters said they are “angry” or “dissatisfied” with the way the country is headed. In addition, 70 per cent of voters surveyed said they want Congress to provide more checks and balances on the president. History is against Republicans: the sitting president’s party has lost ground in Congress in all but two midterms since World War Two. Trump’s approval rating is hovering near his career lows, with voters frustrated by war on Iran, higher fuel prices and wider affordability concerns. Led by Trump, Republicans have portrayed Democratic candidates as radical, un-American and even communist, labels Democrats flatly reject. Opinion polls show voters are most concerned about affordability and disapprove of Trump’s handling of the issue. His tariffs on imports, many of which the courts threw out, and his decision to attack Iran in February raised prices for consumers. Trump deploys election monitors The US Justice Department said it had deployed 1,000 election monitors and observers to all 50 states in what it called the largest Election Day monitoring effort in history. Democrats criticised the plan as potential voter intimidation. In roughly two-thirds of the jurisdictions the department listed, voters supported Democrat Kamala Harris over Trump in the 2024 presidential election, a Reuters analysis found. Election officials in several states reported no issues with the monitoring effort. New Mexico’s secretary of state’s office said it had received reports of federal monitors asking “unusual questions” in one county and that the Justice Department offered assurances that the conduct would be addressed.Dawn
Democratic takeover of US Congress: What happens nextDemocrats are preparing a legislative offensive against US President Donald Trump after their sweeping midterm victory handed them control of both chambers of Congress and the power to challenge his policies, investigate his administration and block his nominees. Emboldened by victories deep in traditional Republican territory, the party is promising swift action on living costs and the war in Iran, while signalling that investigations of alleged abuses and corruption will be a major priority. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is in line to become the first Black speaker when the new Congress takes office in January, vowed to go after what he described as “unprecedented corruption” in the government. Supporters cheer as Alaska Democratic Senate candidate, former Rep. Mary Peltola (D-AK) speaks during at an election-night watch party at Sheraton Anchorage Hotel on November 03, 2026 in Anchorage, Alaska. —AFP “Because if you have people in high office who are so focused on enriching themselves, their family members, their friends, or their donors, then they’re not focused on making life better for the American people,” he said. But Democrats will not have a free hand. Trump retains his veto, while Senate rules allow Republicans to obstruct most legislation. Here are the opportunities — and obstacles — ahead. First 100 hours Jeffries has promised an ambitious legislative push in the House’s first 100 hours, focused on affordability — the issue that dominated an election shaped by tariffs, high prices and the Iran war. His priorities include restoring expired Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies, reversing nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts enacted under Trump, rolling back tariffs and pressing for an end to the conflict, which has sent fuel costs soaring. Supporters react to news that Democratic US Senate candidate Troy Jackson has won the election at an election-night watch party at the Holiday Inn Portland - By The Bay on November 04, 2026. —AFP With majorities in both chambers, Democrats can bring their proposals to votes and take charge of spending negotiations. They could use federal budget deadlines to demand concessions, although confrontations over spending risk government shutdowns. ‘Lawyer up’ Oversight may offer an even more immediate means of challenging Trump. Robert Garcia, the Democrat expected to chair the powerful House Oversight Committee, fired off a blunt election-night message to Republicans on social media: “LAWYER UP.” Oregon Senator Ron Wyden was even more concise, posting a single word: “Subpoenas.” With control of committees in both chambers, Democrats can summon officials, demand documents and hold public hearings, potentially putting Trump and his senior aides under intense scrutiny. Democratic US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed shakes hands with supporters after declaring victory in Michigan’s US Senate race during an election night party at The Department at Hudson’s in Detroit, Michigan, early on November 4, 2026. —AFP Likely subjects include the Trump family’s business and cryptocurrency dealings, government contracts involving billionaire Elon Musk, cuts to federal agencies, immigration enforcement and the conduct of the Iran war. Democrats have also signalled interest in the handling of files relating to notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The administration could resist demands for testimony or documents, triggering court battles. Democrats could pursue Trump’s third impeachment, though party leaders have not committed to doing so. The House needs only a simple majority to impeach, but removing a president requires a two-thirds vote in the Senate — far beyond the party’s numbers. Senate muscle The Senate majority gives Democrats another powerful lever: control of confirmations. They can block Trump’s judicial and cabinet nominees, including any selection to fill a Supreme Court vacancy, potentially curbing his influence over the courts long after he leaves office. Democratic Senate chairs will also decide which bills and investigations receive committee attention. Limits and deals Passing laws will be much harder than launching investigations. Most legislation must clear a 60-vote hurdle in the Senate to overcome procedural obstruction. Trump can veto bills passed by Congress, and overturning a veto requires two-thirds support in both chambers. Supporters react as Democratic candidate for US Senate from Kansas Adam Hamilton gives remarks following his election victory at a Marriott hotel in Overland Park, Kansas, US, November 3, 2026. —AFP He also retains substantial executive powers over immigration, trade and military operations, although lawmakers can seek to constrain them through legislation and spending decisions. Trump struck a conciliatory note after the rout, praising Democrats for doing a “good job” and telling The New York Times that he would accept the result and expected to work with them. He even raised the possibility of cooperation on immigration. But he had previously warned that if Democrats won Congress, “I veto everything” — a reminder that the next two years could be defined as much by confrontation as compromise.Dawn
Historic leadership firsts for minorities across US in midterm voteThe US midterm vote ushered in a wave of historic leadership firsts across the country on Tuesday, electoral milestones on a night that saw voters issue a sharp rejection of President Donald Trump’s second term. The first Black female governor, the first openly gay male senator and the first female Native American governor all won groundbreaking elections in the vote that racked up resounding wins for Democrats. Bill Shiebler — chief strategy officer at the non-profit State Voices, a network of advocates for civic engagement and equity — told AFP the night was “a huge rebuke against hate and division.” “We’re witnessing an electorate that increasingly sees itself in its leaders, and the leaders who come out of communities they now represent,” Shiebler said. “I think that’s part of a multiracial democracy working as it’s intended, not just a novelty.” In the southern state of Georgia, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms won the race for governor, making her the first Black woman elected to the top office in any US state. Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms speaks onstage during her election night watch party at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis on November 3, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. —Getty Images via AFP A former Atlanta mayor, Bottoms defeated billionaire health care executive Rick Jackson, a win that returns the governor’s office to Democrats after more than two decades of Republican control. Democratic Representative Chris Pappas, meanwhile, will become the first openly gay man to serve in the US Senate after winning in New Hampshire. He has served in the US House of Representatives since 2019. “No one should be discriminated against because of who they are or who they love,” he said on his website. New Hampshire Democratic Senator-elect Chris Pappas (D-NH) embraces his husband Vann Bentley as he delivers his acceptance speech at a watch party at the Puritan Backroom on November 3, 2026 in Manchester, New Hampshire. —Getty Images via AFP In New Mexico, Democrat Deb Haaland became the first Native American woman elected governor, beating Republican Gregg Hull. A member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe, she had served as the Secretary of the Interior under former president Joe Biden, the first Native American to serve as a US cabinet secretary. ‘Historic election’ And in Michigan, leftist Abdul El-Sayed was in a tight, high-profile race aiming to become the first Muslim elected to the US Senate. The former medical administrator drew huge campaign crowds across Michigan with his promises to make healthcare free. The sweeping midterm rebuke of Trump also saw a number of state-level electoral firsts, including the first Latina governor in Texas with Gina Hinojosa’s victory. Looking ahead, if the current House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wins the speakership as expected in the new Congress, he would become the first Black speaker of the House in US history. “This was a historic election where people decided to believe in themselves and really lean into the hope about the promise of this country, rebuking an effort to snuff out people’s voices,” Shiebler said.Dawn
US midterms: Democrats projected to flip Senate and take full control of CongressDemocrats have seized control of both houses of Congress, in a rout of President Donald Trump’s Republicans in the midterm elections, US networks projected. After earlier seizing the House of Representatives, Democrats have flipped Senate seats in at least six states, including traditional Republican strongholds Texas, Kansas and South Carolina. According to media projections, pediatrician Annie Andrews became the first Democrat to win a Senate seat since 1998 in South Carolina, a stunning victory over Trump’s hand-picked candidate Darline Graham in a state that he carried by nearly 18 percentage points in 2024. Andrews’ win, along with Democrat Roy Cooper’s projected win in North Carolina’s Senate race, gave the party two of the four seats it needs to net in order to take control of the chamber. The results also suggested that a Democratic wave was growing large enough to swamp even deeply Republican areas. After the death of his ally, US Senator Lindsey Graham, Graham’s sister Darline was appointed to fill his seat and Trump encouraged her to run for a full six-year term. But her political inexperience proved a liability. Democrat Sherrod Brown defeated Republican Jon Husted in a tight US Senate race in the Midwestern state of Ohio, notching another flip for his party in the all-important race to control the upper chamber of Congress. The special election was called to fill the seat for the last two years of what had been Vice President JD Vance’s term, after Husted served in 2025-26. Brown is a former senator himself. CNN and NBC News called the race in Brown’s favor. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton speaks following her victory in the US midterm elections at a Democratic Election Night rally, in Columbus, Ohio, US, November 3, 2026. — Reuters Democrat Josh Turek won his Senate race in the midwestern state of Iowa, defeating Republican lawmaker Ashley Hinson and flipping yet another seat for President Donald Trump’s rivals, media projections showed. Turek, a state lawmaker, triumphed amid voter anger over Trump’s tariffs, which hit Iowa’s farmers especially hard. NBC News and CBS News called the race in Turek’s favor. It was still too early to determine whether Democrats would be able to replicate those performances in the other critical races that will determine the Senate majority, including Alaska, Michigan, Maine and Texas, with millions of votes still uncounted in those states. Democrats held onto Senate seats in Georgia and New Hampshire, both races that were once considered competitive but moved out of reach for Republicans amid Trump’s declining approval ratings. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks during a press conference with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) at the AC Hotel Washington DC Capitol Hill Navy Yard on November 03, 2026 in Washington, DC. While several television networks projected that Democrats would eventually win a House majority, most of the chamber’s most tightly contested races had yet to be called. So far, Democrats have picked up four seats from Republicans, meaning they can afford to lose one of their existing seats and still take control of the 435-member chamber. A rebuke to Trump, winner says “In sweeping and decisive victories, the American people have rebuked the depravity, corruption and incompetence of the man named President Donald J. Trump,” incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, the projected winner in Georgia, told supporters at a victory party. In Florida, Republican Senator Ashley Moody fended off Democrat Angie Nixon but was ahead by only about three percentage points in a state Trump carried by 13 points in 2024, according to a vote count compiled by Reuters and USA Today , further evidence that even solidly Republican states were shifting dramatically toward Democrats. Democrats held onto three House districts in Florida that Republican lawmakers had redrawn earlier this year, all of which backed Trump by at least nine percentage points, according to media projections. Cait Conley, Democratic candidate for the US House of Representatives in New York’s 17th Congressional District, reacts following her victory in the US midterm elections, in Pleasantville, New York, US, November 3, 2026. — Reuters The fate of the House overall remained uncertain, with the majority of races still uncalled. Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, a former mayor of Atlanta, on Tuesday was elected governor of the state of Georgia, becoming the first Black woman elected to that office in the US, media projections showed. CNN and NBC News called the race in her favour. Bottoms defeated billionaire health care executive Rick Jackson, who ran as a Republican. Current Governor Brian Kemp is term-limited and could not run again. Midterm elections are typically viewed as a referendum on the president, and that is especially true for Trump, who dominates attention like no other politician. Trump himself told his supporters to “pretend I’m on the ballot” and held dozens of rallies in the closing weeks. According to exit polls conducted by SSRS on behalf of a consortium of US media outlets including major television networks and the Associated Press , half of voters nationwide said they saw the 2026 midterm elections as an opportunity to rebuke the president, and three-quarters said they are “angry” or “dissatisfied” with the way the country is headed. In addition, 70 per cent of voters surveyed said they want Congress to provide more checks and balances on the president. Democrats were favoured to win the House, while the Senate battle was unfolding across several closely contested states, as millions of Americans cast ballots in an election that served as a referendum on the first two years of Trump’s second term . Trump himself told his supporters to “pretend I’m on the ballot.” History is against Republicans: the sitting president’s party has lost ground in Congress in all but two midterms since World War Two. Trump’s approval rating is hovering near his career lows, with voters frustrated by war on Iran, higher fuel prices and wider affordability concerns. Led by Trump, Republicans have portrayed Democratic candidates as radical, un-American and even communist, labels Democrats flatly reject. Opinion polls show voters are most concerned about affordability and disapprove of Trump’s handling of the issue. His tariffs on imports, many of which the courts threw out, and his decision to attack Iran in February raised prices for consumers. Trump deploys election monitors There are 47 US House races widely seen as competitive, according to a Reuters analysis of the leading election forecasters. If the other contests all proceed as predicted, Democrats would need to win only 13 of those races to secure a majority. Legal observers and Democrats have warned that Trump, who has long falsely claimed that US elections are rigged, may attempt to challenge Tuesday’s results if Republicans lose. The US Justice Department said it had deployed 1,000 election monitors and observers to all 50 states in what it called the largest Election Day monitoring effort in history. Democrats criticised the plan as potential voter intimidation. In roughly two-thirds of the jurisdictions the department listed, voters supported Democrat Kamala Harris over Trump in the 2024 presidential election, a Reuters analysis found. Election officials in several states reported no issues with the monitoring effort. New Mexico’s secretary of state’s office said it had received reports of federal monitors asking “unusual questions” in one county and that the Justice Department offered assurances that the conduct would be addressed.Dawn
US midterms: Democrats projected to seize House, near Senate takeover, in major setback for TrumpDemocrats were projected to win the US House of Representatives Tuesday and closed in on control of the Senate after a stunning victory in deeply conservative Texas, inflicting a sweeping midterm defeat on President Donald Trump’s Republicans. US media projected a Democratic takeover of the House, giving the opposition the power to obstruct Trump’s legislative agenda and launch far-reaching investigations of his administration. According to media projections, pediatrician Annie Andrews became the first Democrat to win a Senate seat since 1998 in South Carolina, a stunning victory over Trump’s hand-picked candidate Darline Graham in a state that he carried by nearly 18 percentage points in 2024. Andrews’ win, along with Democrat Roy Cooper’s projected win in North Carolina’s Senate race, gave the party two of the four seats it needs to net in order to take control of the chamber. The results also suggested that a Democratic wave was growing large enough to swamp even deeply Republican areas. After the death of his ally, US Senator Lindsey Graham, Graham’s sister Darline was appointed to fill his seat and Trump encouraged her to run for a full six-year term. But her political inexperience proved a liability. Democrat Sherrod Brown defeated Republican Jon Husted in a tight US Senate race in the Midwestern state of Ohio, notching another flip for his party in the all-important race to control the upper chamber of Congress. The special election was called to fill the seat for the last two years of what had been Vice President JD Vance’s term, after Husted served in 2025-26. Brown is a former senator himself. CNN and NBC News called the race in Brown’s favor. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton speaks following her victory in the US midterm elections at a Democratic Election Night rally, in Columbus, Ohio, US, November 3, 2026. — Reuters Democrat Josh Turek won his Senate race in the midwestern state of Iowa, defeating Republican lawmaker Ashley Hinson and flipping yet another seat for President Donald Trump’s rivals, media projections showed. Turek, a state lawmaker, triumphed amid voter anger over Trump’s tariffs, which hit Iowa’s farmers especially hard. NBC News and CBS News called the race in Turek’s favor. It was still too early to determine whether Democrats would be able to replicate those performances in the other critical races that will determine the Senate majority, including Alaska, Michigan, Maine and Texas, with millions of votes still uncounted in those states. Democrats held onto Senate seats in Georgia and New Hampshire, both races that were once considered competitive but moved out of reach for Republicans amid Trump’s declining approval ratings. While several television networks projected that Democrats would eventually win a House majority, most of the chamber’s most tightly contested races had yet to be called. So far, Democrats have picked up four seats from Republicans, meaning they can afford to lose one of their existing seats and still take control of the 435-member chamber. A rebuke to Trump, winner says “In sweeping and decisive victories, the American people have rebuked the depravity, corruption and incompetence of the man named President Donald J. Trump,” incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, the projected winner in Georgia, told supporters at a victory party. In Florida, Republican Senator Ashley Moody fended off Democrat Angie Nixon but was ahead by only about three percentage points in a state Trump carried by 13 points in 2024, according to a vote count compiled by Reuters and USA Today , further evidence that even solidly Republican states were shifting dramatically toward Democrats. Democrats held onto three House districts in Florida that Republican lawmakers had redrawn earlier this year, all of which backed Trump by at least nine percentage points, according to media projections. The fate of the House overall remained uncertain, with the majority of races still uncalled. Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, a former mayor of Atlanta, on Tuesday was elected governor of the state of Georgia, becoming the first Black woman elected to that office in the US, media projections showed. CNN and NBC News called the race in her favour. Bottoms defeated billionaire health care executive Rick Jackson, who ran as a Republican. Current Governor Brian Kemp is term-limited and could not run again. Midterm elections are typically viewed as a referendum on the president, and that is especially true for Trump, who dominates attention like no other politician. Trump himself told his supporters to “pretend I’m on the ballot” and held dozens of rallies in the closing weeks. According to exit polls conducted by SSRS on behalf of a consortium of US media outlets including major television networks and the Associated Press , half of voters nationwide said they saw the 2026 midterm elections as an opportunity to rebuke the president, and three-quarters said they are “angry” or “dissatisfied” with the way the country is headed. In addition, 70 per cent of voters surveyed said they want Congress to provide more checks and balances on the president. Democrats were favoured to win the House, while the Senate battle was unfolding across several closely contested states, as millions of Americans cast ballots in an election that served as a referendum on the first two years of Trump’s second term . Trump himself told his supporters to “pretend I’m on the ballot.” History is against Republicans: the sitting president’s party has lost ground in Congress in all but two midterms since World War Two. Trump’s approval rating is hovering near his career lows, with voters frustrated by war on Iran, higher fuel prices and wider affordability concerns. Led by Trump, Republicans have portrayed Democratic candidates as radical, un-American and even communist, labels Democrats flatly reject. Opinion polls show voters are most concerned about affordability and disapprove of Trump’s handling of the issue. His tariffs on imports, many of which the courts threw out, and his decision to attack Iran in February raised prices for consumers. Trump deploys election monitors There are 47 US House races widely seen as competitive, according to a Reuters analysis of the leading election forecasters. If the other contests all proceed as predicted, Democrats would need to win only 13 of those races to secure a majority. Legal observers and Democrats have warned that Trump, who has long falsely claimed that US elections are rigged, may attempt to challenge Tuesday’s results if Republicans lose. The US Justice Department said it had deployed 1,000 election monitors and observers to all 50 states in what it called the largest Election Day monitoring effort in history. Democrats criticised the plan as potential voter intimidation. In roughly two-thirds of the jurisdictions the department listed, voters supported Democrat Kamala Harris over Trump in the 2024 presidential election, a Reuters analysis found. Election officials in several states reported no issues with the monitoring effort. New Mexico’s secretary of state’s office said it had received reports of federal monitors asking “unusual questions” in one county and that the Justice Department offered assurances that the conduct would be addressed.Dawn
Bangladesh garment workers stage fourth day of wage protestsGarment workers in Bangladesh staged a fourth day of wage protests on Tuesday, with police firing tear gas to disperse demonstrators as unrest disrupted factory operations and transport links in the country’s vital export sector. The unrest, which began on Saturday, has intensified despite the government’s move to form a six-member wage board to review pay in Bangladesh’s garment sector, the world’s second-largest apparel exporter after China. It comes at a critical time for manufacturers entering the peak production season for spring and summer export orders. The industry employs about 4 million workers, supplies global brands such as H&M, Zara and Gap, and accounts for more than 80 per cent of the country’s export earnings. Clashes were reported across industrial belts around Dhaka, including Ashulia, Gazipur and the capital’s Mirpur area, as workers staged fresh demonstrations and attempted to block major highways. Dozens of people, including several police officers, were injured in the clashes. H&M assessing any potential impact In Ashulia, police fired tear gas and sound grenades after protesters threw bricks and stones at law enforcement personnel, said Mohammad Mominul Islam Bhuiyan, superintendent of Ashulia Industrial Police. Similar crowd-control measures were used in Dhaka’s Mirpur area, police said. Additional security forces were deployed to contain the unrest, police said. Several factories in Gazipur and Ashulia again suspended operations or declared holidays after nearly 700 factories shut a day earlier. A shattered window is seen on the facade of a garment factory building in Dhaka, Bangladesh on November 3, 2026, after workers threw stones during protests demanding higher minimum wages. — AFP “There are no major disruptions in our supply chain with only a limited number of factories temporarily closed,” H&M told Reuters . “We are assessing any potential impact on our overall production and supply chain.” The Swedish company added it wanted adequate compensation for garment workers and remained committed to improving wages and working conditions. Workers demand higher minimum wage Workers are demanding a minimum monthly wage of 30,000 taka ($245), up from the current 12,500 taka, arguing that rising living costs and persistent inflation have eroded their purchasing power. Several factories were also vandalised during the unrest. “It is crucial that brands act immediately and speak out in support of workers’ demands,” said Anne Bienias, from the Clean Clothes Campaign industry advocacy group. Industry officials warn prolonged closures could delay shipments and damage Bangladesh’s reputation as a reliable sourcing hub as it competes with rivals such as Vietnam and India for global apparel orders. The wage dispute comes amid mounting pressure on workers from rising prices. The government formed the wage board on November 1 to review pay in the garment sector, but the move has yet to calm the protests. Factory owners said they are contending with rising operating costs, uncertainty in energy markets linked to conflict in the Middle East, and softer demand in key export markets. They warn that prolonged unrest could disrupt production schedules and jeopardise export orders, while workers continue to press for higher wages and better working conditions.Dawn