Global Express | November 3, 2026 — US Votes in Midterms as Democrats Chase Congress

1. US Midterm Election Day: All 435 House Seats on the Ballot

Source: BBC

It is polling day in the US midterm elections. Voters are deciding who will control Congress for the final two years of Donald Trump's presidency. All 435 House seats are up, along with 35 of the 100 Senate seats and state-level posts including governors. Republicans currently control both chambers, and Democrats hope to flip enough seats for a majority.

The first polling stations opened in Vermont at 05:00 ET (10:00 GMT), with the rest of the east coast following an hour later. As of 23:30 ET on Monday, 58,677,062 votes had already been cast. Polls suggest Democrats could win a majority in the House, while the Senate is far less certain.

Trump has repeatedly told rally crowds to "pretend I'm on the ballot." The president is not on the ballot, and the BBC notes his attempt to nationalise thousands of local and state races is unusual; he believes personal enthusiasm for him will carry Republican candidates over the line.

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2. Russian Strike on Ukraine Aid Hub Kills at Least 29

Source: Al Jazeera

Ukrainian officials say Russian forces bombed an aid centre in the village of Komyshuvakha in the Zaporizhzhia region, killing at least 29 people. The centre was housed in a school that had been closed because the village sits too close to the front line; it served as a shelter and a weekly distribution point for aid packages handed out every Monday.

In his nightly address, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia struck first as people were arriving, then hit the shelter in a second wave, calling it a "vile terrorist strike." Ukraine's emergency services said two rescue crew members and four police officers were among the dead, and five people were being treated in hospital, including two rescue workers.

Hours after the attack, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said Ukrainian and Russian delegations would meet in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11 to discuss post-war security agreements, de-escalation, humanitarian measures and ending the war. Vladimir Putin agreed to the new round of three-way talks after meeting Witkoff in St Petersburg on October 21.

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3. Belgian PM Offers Resignation After Budget Talks Collapse

Source: Euronews

Belgium's Prime Minister Bart De Wever went to the royal palace on Monday morning to offer his government's resignation to King Philippe after overnight budget talks with his core cabinet failed to reach an agreement. He left after meeting the king for about 1.5 hours without addressing the press.

The palace said the king "is taking his decision under consideration and will consult the chairs of the various coalition parties from tomorrow." He said he regrets that no agreement was reached and that the country cannot afford a prolonged political crisis, calling on all parties to put the general interest and a willingness to compromise first. De Wever is due to meet the king again on Friday.

Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said there were "too many sticking points." The government must save 10 billion euros to stay within EU spending limits; last year's deficit was 5% against a permitted maximum of 3%, and national debt exceeds 735 billion euros, more than 110% of GDP against a 60% limit. If the king accepts the resignation, new elections will be called.

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4. Yotova Wins Bulgaria's Presidential Election

Source: DW

Incumbent President Iliana Yotova won Bulgaria's presidential runoff with 57.6% of the vote, defeating former caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov on 39.5%. She campaigned as a "president of peace," opposing military aid to Ukraine and favouring dialogue with Russia.

The first round was far tighter than expected: Yotova took 34.8% and Gyurov 31.95%, forcing a runoff. Prime Minister Rumen Radev told voters before the ballot that they were "choosing between war and peace." Sociologist Dimitar Ganev said voters aged 18 to 40 mostly backed Gyurov while those over 40 favoured Yotova, with Gyurov dominant in the capital Sofia and Yotova decisively ahead in smaller cities, towns and villages.

At a rally on October 6, Yotova declared that "as long as I am president, not a single Bulgarian soldier will go to Ukraine." In the weeks before the vote, several ships in the Black Sea were hit by drones off the Bulgarian coast; the European Council criticised Russia for the escalation and the European Parliament called on the EU to consider deploying a naval operation.

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5. Australia Raises Rates to 4.85%, an 18-Year High

Source: CNBC

Australia's central bank raised its benchmark cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.85% on Tuesday, the highest level since November 2008 and its fifth increase this year. The decision was split, with six members voting for the increase and three for a hold, and matched economists' expectations.

Consumer prices rose 4.3% in September from a year earlier, up from 4% in August and the highest since March. The Reserve Bank of Australia said inflation is now expected to remain elevated through much of 2027 and not return to its 2%-3% target range until late 2027, three quarters later than previously forecast, citing higher fuel and commodity prices as well as AI-related investment driving rapid growth in technology goods prices.

RBA Governor Michelle Bullock said in September that inflation is "too high," driven by higher oil prices from the Iran war and stronger domestic spending, adding that more hikes will come "if that's what's needed." Australia's GDP rose 2.1% in the June quarter from a year earlier, down from 2.5% in the March quarter. Bullock said a recession is "not our base case at the moment."

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6. Oil Posts Biggest One-Day Drop in Three Months

Source: NBC News

Oil prices posted their sharpest drop in three months on Monday. Brent crude fell 7.6% to close at $104.77 a barrel, while US crude dropped 7.3% to $96.46. The plunges were the largest one-day percentage drops since July 27 and the largest single-day drops in dollar terms since April 17.

The slide followed a series of headlines on Iran. IRNA cited the Iranian president as saying the supreme leader had "granted the government certain authorities" to seek to resolve problems through dialogue with its enemies. Traders read that as Iran choosing to keep talking to the US through mediators rather than escalate the war by striking American allies in the region.

According to Axios, Trump "for now, wants to let negotiations play out." After oil closed for the day, NBC News asked the president twice whether he was considering striking Iran after the midterms, and twice he replied, "No." Trump told reporters, "Oil today is down $10," and later wrote on social media: "Iran wants a settlement, as soon as possible. It could happen!"

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7. Spanish Train Crash: One Canadian Among the Dead

Source: CBC

Global Affairs Canada confirmed on Monday that a Canadian was among those killed in last week's high-speed train collision in Spain, and that another six Canadians were hurt in the October 28 crash. The department said it is providing consular assistance and working with local authorities to gather more information.

The collision happened near the town of Urda in central Spain and affected 526 passengers and 12 crew members across the two trains. The Tribunal Superior de Justicia of Castilla-La Mancha issued a statement on Sunday with details of the 69 people who died after victims were identified, including 54 from Spain and citizens of France, the United States, Japan, Argentina, Mexico, Tunisia, Portugal and the Czech Republic.

It was the second major fatal accident this year involving the same rail companies on the same line, after a January crash killed 46, reopening debate about safety and maintenance on Spain's high-speed network. Transport Minister Óscar Puente said several trains were automatically stopped after the signalling system failed, after which Madrid's control centre took over and authorised a Renfe train to proceed even though a stationary Iryo train was ahead. Puente has so far resisted opposition calls to resign.

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8. Sudan's Power Grid Hit by 18 Drone Strikes in a Week

Source: Al Jazeera

Drone strikes hit three electricity substations in eastern and northern Sudan on Monday, causing widespread power outages. The attacks brought the number of reported strikes on Sudan's electricity network to 18 over the past week.

Facilities in New Halfa and Aroma in eastern Kassala state were hit early on Monday, while the al-Ghazali substation in Northern State was also targeted, according to local media. Videos circulating on social media appeared to show fires at the facilities as civil defence teams tried to extinguish them; Al Jazeera said it could not immediately verify the footage.

Sudan's military government has accused Ethiopia of aiding the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in carrying out the attacks. On Sunday the government said it had filed complaints with the UN Security Council and the African Union's Peace and Security Council. The army also reported on Monday that a group of RSF members had defected by surrendering in Damazin, capital of Blue Nile state, after Al Jazeera obtained video of senior RSF commander Siddiq Ander announcing his defection.

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9. UK Cyber Chief: AI-Driven Attack on Infrastructure Within Two Years

Source: New Civil Engineer

The National Cyber Security Centre warned in its annual State of the Cyber Nation report, published on November 3, that it is "highly likely AI malware will be used in a ransomware attack on UK critical national infrastructure." NCSC chief executive Richard Horne said it could happen within two years.

The report singles out Russia and China, saying Russian hacking groups engage in offensive cyber operations in Ukraine, including disrupting power generation, and that China "highly likely has the intent and is best positioned to use AI for operations against critical national infrastructure and other strategic targets." Last week's Budget announced 70 million pounds for a new National Exposure and Real-Time Vulnerability (Nerv) Centre within the NCSC.

Horne is expected to say that in the coming months the UK faces "a real prospect of an unprecedented rise in the number of cyber incidents," not because AI has invented new ways to attack but because vulnerabilities tolerated for too long can now be discovered and exploited at a scale once unimaginable. "For decades, we have collectively got away with doing tech on the cheap," he said. The warning came as fridges and freezers in continental European supermarkets were deliberately switched to overheat and ruin food in a cyberattack this week.

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10. China Steps Up Middle East Diplomacy With Iran and Oman Talks

Source: Al Jazeera

China is stepping up its diplomatic efforts in the Middle East. On Monday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, in Beijing, while President Xi Jinping hosted Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq on a state visit, the first by an Omani head of state since the two countries established ties in 1978.

Wang told Bagheri Kani that dialogue and negotiation remained "the only viable path forward" as conflicts in the region "drag on and risk further spillover," and reaffirmed China's support for Iran's sovereignty and security. Al Jazeera's Katrina Yu, reporting from Beijing, noted that China is Iran's biggest trading partner and the biggest customer of Iranian crude, but that Beijing had done little diplomatically on the war for weeks or even months, and Monday's meetings suggest growing impatience.

China's foreign ministry announced on Monday that special envoy Zhai Jun will visit Iran, Oman and Saudi Arabia this month. Xi told Sultan Haitham that the Middle East and Gulf "should not become an arena for great-power rivalry and geopolitical conflict." The two sides signed 14 cooperation documents covering artificial intelligence, green energy and supply chains, along with a currency swap agreement, and called in a joint statement for safe navigation through Hormuz to resume and for the US and Iran to restart dialogue.

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