Global Express | November 15, 2026: Fifth Canadian soldier dies after base fire

1. Fifth Canadian soldier dies after fire at military base

Source: BBC

A fifth Canadian soldier has died from injuries suffered when a grass fire swept through a military training area in Alberta last month. Private William Douglas Dal Bianco, who had been receiving medical care in Ontario, died on Friday, the Canadian Armed Forces said.

Four people were killed and dozens injured when the fire broke out during a live-fire exercise at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright on 17 October, spreading rapidly in strong winds. Officials said the fire covered a kilometre in a matter of seconds. Members of 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group were training at the base at the time.

The military said 24 personnel were still in hospital and 14 had been released as of Saturday, out of 38 injured in total. Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canadians were holding the soldier's loved ones in their hearts, having earlier called it “one of the worst tragedies for the forces on Canadian soil in peacetime”. An investigation found the fire was likely sparked by a grenade launcher fired on the base's grenade range; base firefighters knew about the blaze but could not tackle it because it was in a danger area that could contain unspent explosives. Chief of the Defence Staff Gen Jennie Carignan said the armed forces were “heartbroken”, while Defence Minister David McGuinty offered his “deepest condolences”.

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2. Zelenskyy says U.S. floated trading Ukrainian territory for NATO membership

Source: CBS News

U.S. negotiators asked President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to consider giving up part of his country in exchange for NATO membership, the Ukrainian leader told journalists on Friday. “The Americans raised a question: What if Ukraine joins NATO? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbas? This was the first time this had been raised,” he said.

Zelenskyy said he was discussing a “security package” including guarantees from NATO and the European Union, an “adequate number of troops, weapons” and financial support. If those measures are offered, he would ask Ukrainians whether to accept the potential exchange. He did not specify whether that meant a referendum, but said: “I have no right to make that decision on my own.”

Control of Donbas has been a recurring sticking point in talks to end the war. Vladimir Putin has demanded that Ukraine pull its forces out of the region as a precondition for peace, and in September 2022 declared four eastern regions annexed after elections dismissed by most of the world as a sham; neither the U.S. nor the UN has recognised the annexations. Zelenskyy said he told U.S. negotiators Ukraine would need guarantees modelled on NATO's Article 5 “as an absolute minimum”, though he was “not sure it would necessarily work”.

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3. Turkey and Qatar sign landmark mutual defence agreement

Source: Euronews

Turkey and Qatar signed a landmark mutual defence agreement on Friday in Istanbul, as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani co-chaired the two countries' Supreme Strategic Committee and concluded a wide range of bilateral deals.

A joint statement said the pact is aimed at “bolstering collective defence and achieving regional security and stability, as well as adopting a unified position in the face of any external armed attack targeting either or both parties”. The two sides agreed to hold consultations on security threats and to strengthen cooperation through joint military exercises, defence industry collaboration and personnel training. Erdogan said they would keep working “to prevent the resurgence of war in the Gulf region”.

The leaders also discussed Israel's attacks on Gaza and the humanitarian situation there, normalisation efforts in Syria and developments in Libya, and signed agreements on trade, energy, diplomacy, education and culture. The deal comes amid rapid realignment driven by the Iran war: in August, Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, ratified by Turkey's parliament last week, and in October Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan and Indonesia signed the “Badr” defence industry memorandum.

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4. 49th ASEAN Summit opens in Manila with Timor-Leste as full member

Source: China News Service

The 49th ASEAN Summit opened in Manila on 15 November, with leaders set to discuss energy security, food security and economic cooperation and ways to strengthen regional coordination. The summit and related meetings run from 15 to 17 November, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attending the opening as guests of the chair.

ASEAN unveiled a new logo made up of 11 rice stalks to welcome Timor-Leste as its 11th member. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, whose country holds the rotating chair, handed the text of the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement signed on 14 November to ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn. The ASEAN Secretariat said the agreement is expected to enter into force in early 2027.

ASEAN was founded in 1967 and now groups Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Timor-Leste. Timor-Leste formally joined at the 47th ASEAN Summit in October 2025.

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5. IRS raises 401(k) contribution limit by $1,000 for 2027

Source: Fox Business

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service has raised the 2027 employee contribution limit for 401(k) plans to $25,500, up $1,000 from $24,500 in 2026. The Individual Retirement Account limit stays at $7,500, and the IRA catch-up contribution for people 50 and over remains $1,100.

For workers 50 and over in most 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457 plans and the federal Thrift Savings Plan, the catch-up limit rises by $500 to $8,500, meaning those savers will be able to contribute up to $34,000 a year in total. IRS Chief Executive Officer Frank J. Bisignano said the increase would help American families “keep more of their hard-earned income” and give taxpayers and employers the information they need to plan for the year ahead.

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6. U.S. national debt now equals the size of the whole economy

Source: Fortune

U.S. federal debt has reached $32 trillion, a debt-to-GDP ratio of 100% that would raise alarms in most other countries. In an analysis published by Fortune, a public policy scholar notes the milestone drew relatively little attention in an election season dominated by the economy and the cost of living.

The debt has reached this level because for 25 years the federal government has spent more than it collects in taxes; even as the economy grew, lawmakers cut taxes repeatedly, sometimes with bipartisan support, rather than paying down debt. An analysis of Congressional Budget Office data by the Center for American Progress found that the series of tax cuts since 2001 has added more than $10 trillion to the debt, and that without them the debt-to-GDP ratio would be falling.

The article argues that tax cuts can have a relatively benign fiscal impact when growth is strong and debt is low, but with debt as a share of GDP so much higher and interest rates steeper, the cost of adding new debt is far greater than 15 or 20 years ago, whether through spending or tax cuts. Democrats, set to take over Congress, will have to wrestle with that maths as they pursue an affordability agenda, it concludes.

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7. Woman who alleges Russell Brand raped her at 16 waives anonymity and seeks age of consent change

Source: BBC

A woman who alleges Russell Brand raped her when she was 16 has waived her right to anonymity and is campaigning for a staggered age of consent. Mia Latter, 37, was one of six women who made allegations against Brand in a 2023 Times, Sunday Times and Channel 4 Dispatches investigation, in which she was known as “Alice”. None of those six were complainants in his recent criminal trial.

Latter told the Sunday Times she met Brand, then 30 and working at MTV, on her way home from a shopping trip when she was 16. She said he told her to keep the relationship secret from school friends and referred to her as “the child” in front of his entourage. The paper reported that she was allegedly orally raped towards the end of their relationship. She said she would not continue with the criminal process so she could focus on her campaign.

She wants an age of consent that bars relationships between 16- and 17-year-olds and adults, while leaving teenage peers free: “If you're in your thirties, forties and fifties and you're trying to have a relationship with someone under the age of 18, it [should be] a criminal offence.” Cabinet Office Minister Louise Haigh said changing the law would be a “massive step” but deserved “proper consideration and scrutiny”. On Monday Brand was sentenced to 10 and a half years for one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, and was acquitted of two counts of rape and one allegation of attempted indecent assault. The Met said its investigation into Latter's allegation, opened in January 2026, remains ongoing.

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8. France sees fifth consecutive Saturday of nationwide protests

Source: Euronews

Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets across France on Saturday for the fifth consecutive weekend of nationwide protests. The Yellow Vest movement, students and education unions voiced grievances ranging from the rising cost of living and demands for better school funding to stronger protection for children and teenagers, and opposition to a new police bill. In Paris many gathered on Place de la Republique.

The interior ministry estimated around 106,000 people demonstrated nationwide, including 24,000 in Paris; organisers put the figure at 200,000, with 100,000 in the capital. Turnout was lower than recent peaks, with more than half a million taking part in a union-led strike on Thursday. Unions have called another day of strike action next Tuesday after rejecting the government's promise of a 0.6% rise in the minimum wage.

Protesters also oppose the police bill due to be voted on next week, which would give officers and gendarmes additional protection when using firearms on duty. Supporters, including Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally, say it prevents officers being automatically presumed guilty of excessive force; unions call it a “licence to kill” that would make accountability harder. Lawyers for at least 18 people injured at recent protests said last week they would sue the interior ministry over alleged police brutality, including injuries to hands, feet and eyes.

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9. SpaceX catches Starship upper stage with tower 'chopsticks' for the first time

Source: BBC

SpaceX successfully caught the top part of its Starship rocket as it returned to Earth on Saturday, using mechanical arms nicknamed chopsticks on its launch tower in Texas. It is the first time the company has captured a detachable section of the rocket this way, and huge cheers were heard as the Ship settled into the arms.

“That was the Holy Grail of space flight, plummeting through fire to be snatched out of the air by steel. We caught a Starship and now everything changes,” SpaceX spokesman Dan Huot said. The company described the catch as “picture perfect”. A first attempt to catch the booster had been unsuccessful and was aborted, with the booster diverted to the ocean where it burst into flames just above the sea.

It was the 15th test flight of Starship and the first aimed at fully recovering both parts of the rocket.

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10. COP31 shies away from fossil fuels as Finland publishes exit roadmap

Source: Euronews

Leaders are shying away from mentioning fossil fuels at COP31 in Antalya despite mounting warnings that the world will overshoot the 1.5C threshold, as the first week of talks wrapped up. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called this summer's extreme weather and deadly wildfires a “summer of truth” and said “we are at a global tipping point” on 11 November, but did not mention fossil fuels once.

According to the UN, coal, oil and gas account for around 68% of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90% of all carbon dioxide emissions. Campaigners accused von der Leyen of “missing the mark” and of a celebratory tone while EU climate finance flatlines. Agreement at the UN summit requires consensus among nearly 200 parties, so progress is often slow and incremental.

Finland did publish a domestic roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels, following France, Germany and the Netherlands. More than 96% of Finland's electricity already comes from non-fossil sources, but heavy industry, long distances and cold-climate heating keep energy intensity and per-capita consumption high: in 2025 wood fuels accounted for 28% of total energy consumption, nuclear 27% and fossil fuels 18%. Finland aims to be carbon neutral by 2035 but set no legally binding deadline for exiting fossil fuels. Brazil, which spearheaded a global roadmap before handing over the COP presidency, is also working on its own national plan.

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