Listen to this issue.

0:00

/584.96

1×

MIDDLE EAST WAR | Day 229.

• Reuters cites two senior Iranian officials as saying Iran has adopted new tactics to step up attacks on ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz, with the aim of keeping oil prices high ahead of next month's U.S. midterm elections. [more]
• The head of Britain's MI5 security service said yesterday that Iran is increasingly trying to attack military sites in the U.K. and that last month's suspected plot against the RAF Fairford air base was "not unique." Reports note that Iran yesterday summoned the British ambassador, demanding evidence of its alleged role in the plot. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,691 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says overnight Russian missile and drone strikes on energy facilities, mostly in Kyiv and Kharkiv, left at least 600,000 people without power. The new strikes on energy infrastructure come just three days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced an "energy ceasefire" between the two countries. [more]
• Amidst renewed Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham's office says Britain will speed up deliveries of air defense missiles to Ukraine ahead of winter. [more]
• Ukrainian officials say SpaceX has limited some of its Starlink satellite internet service in Ukraine, disrupting military drone missions that depend on it. Reports note that the move comes as the U.S. presses Ukraine to halt its strikes on Russian oil refineries. [more]

U.S. INFLATION | According to Labor Department data released today, U.S. consumer prices rose a higher-than-expected 3.7% in September from a year earlier – up from 3.4% in August. Prices rose 0.6% from August, with a 9.1% jump in gasoline prices accounting for more than half of the monthly increase. Energy prices overall are up 20.4% from a year ago, while food prices were unchanged in September. [full report] [more]

U.S. MEDIA | A federal judge late yesterday extended an order barring the Trump administration from banning reporters for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House, ruling that the news organizations are likely to succeed in their First Amendment and due process claims. [more]

U.S. POLITICS | Following reports of alleged misconduct, including claims that she sought money in exchange for access to administration officials before her Senate confirmation, Kimberly Guilfoyle resigned as U.S. ambassador to Greece yesterday at the White House's request. [more]

U.S. HOUSING | According to National Association of Realtors data released yesterday, sales of previously occupied U.S. homes rose 1.5% in September from August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.99 million, slightly above economists' expectations. The national median sales price rose 1.3% from a year earlier to $417,500. [full report] [more]

U.S. BANKING | Citing failures to report suspicious transactions, including some linked to Chinese money-laundering networks, the Treasury Department yesterday imposed more than $1.2 billion in penalties on Bank of America for violating anti-money laundering and sanctions laws. [press release] [more]

U.S. IMMIGRATION | The Department of Homeland Security today issued a rule, effective immediately, cutting from 30 days to 10 the time refugees have to respond when the government notifies them it intends to terminate their refugee status. The department says the change aims to "restore integrity to the immigration system" and prevent fraud. [full rule] [more]

U.S. OPIOID CRISIS | Justice Department officials said yesterday that CVS has agreed to pay $315 million, without admitting wrongdoing, to settle a 2024 lawsuit accusing the pharmacy chain of filling medically unnecessary prescriptions for addictive opioids. [more]

NEW YORK | Amidst ongoing public scrutiny over its handling of an alleged 2024 gang rape at a fraternity house, Cornell University yesterday suspended all fraternity house parties through the end of the academic year and said it will allow New York State Police investigators to look into reports of on-campus sexual assault. [more]

U.S. AND GREENLAND | In a social media post early today, U.S. President Donald Trump, without providing additional details, said "massive" oil, gas, and mineral exploration is about to begin in Greenland. The announcement follows last month's agreement among the U.S., Denmark, and Greenland, which expanded the U.S. military's role on the island and mentions "minerals cooperation" but not oil or gas. Responding to Trump's post, Greenland's deputy mining minister told CNN that while "there are activities by U.S. companies," the island is "very far away from 'massive' exploration." [more]

YEMEN AND SAUDI ARABIA | Yemen's Houthi rebels yesterday struck the headquarters of Saudi Aramco, the world's largest oil producer, causing what Saudi authorities describe as a limited fire with no injuries. The attack came hours after the Saudi-led coalition struck a fuel facility near the Houthi-held Yemeni capital, Sanaa. [more]

LEBANON | Accusing the Lebanese government of failing to help those displaced during the war with Israel, the Hezbollah militant group said yesterday it will pay up to $14,000 to each family whose home in Lebanon was destroyed or made uninhabitable in the war. [more]

SOUTHEAST ASIA | Amidst intensifying smoke from Indonesia's wildfires, air pollution in Singapore reached its highest level of the year today, and East Timor ordered its schools closed for three days starting tomorrow. [more]

CHINA | According to customs data released today, China's exports rose 36.3% in September from a year earlier, bringing the country's trade surplus for the first nine months of the year to $938 billion. Reports note that China is on track to surpass last year's record full-year surplus of $1.2 trillion. [more]

CONGO | Health officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo say 4,381 deaths have been recorded among 9,066 confirmed cases in the country's ongoing Ebola outbreak, which has now spread to seven provinces. [more]

COLOMBIA | Hours before nationwide protests planned for today against President Abelardo de la Espriella's economic and security policies, Colombia's government issued new guidelines late yesterday giving police greater leeway to break up demonstrations that involve vandalism or roadblocks. Under the previous rules, police had to attempt dialogue and mediation before using force – a step the new guidelines make optional in some cases. [more]

FRANCE AND ISRAEL | In a statement to Al Jazeera published yesterday, Air France confirmed that it is complying with a new Israeli directive barring pilots and cabin crew who hold the nationality, including dual nationality, of countries without diplomatic ties to Israel from flights into Israeli airspace. Legal experts suggest the policy, which reportedly covers 31 mostly Muslim-majority countries, could expose the airline to discrimination claims under French law. [more]

VATICAN | Two days after disclosing that a nodule had been found in his lung, Pope Leo XIV underwent surgery in Rome yesterday that the Vatican says confirmed he has lung cancer. Doctors removed the lower lobe of Leo's right lung, and Vatican officials say that any further treatment will depend on the results of additional tests. [more]

SOCCER | The Associated Press cites a letter and two people with knowledge of the plan as saying world soccer governing body FIFA plans to propose a $6.35 billion development fund for the next four-year cycle, including $25 million for each of its member associations, up from a previously planned $10 million. The proposal comes as European soccer leaders seek a candidate to challenge FIFA President Gianni Infantino in next year's election. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1066, the invading army of William, duke of Normandy, defeated the forces of England's King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings, killing Harold and opening the way to the Norman Conquest of England. [more history]