US carries out limited strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island
The United States carried out limited strikes on Qeshm Island in Iran late on Monday, US officials said, describing the operation as defensive and saying there were no immediate plans to escalate.
The action came on the eve of the US midterm elections and only hours after President Donald Trump signalled progress in negotiations with Tehran to end the eight-month conflict, and after Vice-President JD Vance expressed optimism that diplomatic efforts were moving in the right direction.
Iranian state media reported explosions on Qeshm Island and in nearby Bandar Lengeh in the Strait of Hormuz.
One US official said the strikes were in response to an Iranian attack on a US aircraft; the operation was also reported as the latest in a series of limited strikes Washington has secretly conducted in recent weeks.
Russian strikes kill at least 26 at Ukrainian aid centre
Russian strikes on Monday hit a school being used as a humanitarian aid distribution centre in a village in southern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, killing at least 26 people, Ukrainian authorities said.
Emergency services said two rescue workers and four police officers were among the dead; local officials earlier reported 24 killed and 27 missing after at least nine 3,000kg aerial bombs struck the village.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attack “vile” and further proof that Russia does not want de-escalation or real justice.
The bombardment came hours after a rare ceasefire ended, extinguishing hopes of progress toward peace, according to the reports.
Michigan Democrat Haley Stevens endorses Republican Mike Rogers
Democratic Representative Haley Stevens, who lost Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed, has endorsed Republican Mike Rogers in the final days of the campaign, dealing a blow to her party’s nominee.
The endorsement of Rogers, who is backed by President Donald Trump, came two days before the election and after Stevens had been scheduled to appear at a unity event with El-Sayed.
Stevens and El-Sayed have feuded publicly, including over a campaign ad Stevens said was anti-Semitic and over broader personal and policy tensions.
El-Sayed has sought to keep the focus on defeating Rogers, telling reporters, “We had a primary... I’m here trying to beat Mike Rogers.”
British adventurer Karl Bushby completes 28-year round-the-world trek
Former British paratrooper Karl Bushby returned to his mother’s home in Hull on Monday after completing a 28-year, 50,000-kilometre (31,000-mile) journey on foot from the southern tip of Chile.
Bushby was 29 when he set out from Punta Arenas on 1 November 1998; now 57, he crossed the Americas, the frozen Bering Strait, Russia, Central Asia and much of Europe, swimming the English Channel to reach Britain.
Crowds gathered in Hull city centre to welcome him before he walked home for an emotional reunion with his mother.
Kimi Antonelli becomes youngest Formula One world champion
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, 20, clinched the Formula One drivers’ championship with a third-place finish at the Mexico City Grand Prix, becoming the sport’s youngest world champion and Italy’s first champion since 1953.
Max Verstappen won the race ahead of Lewis Hamilton, while Antonelli sealed the title with four grands prix still remaining.
In Bologna, Antonelli’s hometown, residents celebrated a world champion they hailed as “one of us.”
Judge dismisses case against ex-FBI agents in Hunter Biden probe
A federal judge dismissed criminal charges against two former FBI officials, Nicole Floris and Bradley Benavides, who were accused of lying to Congress about their involvement in the investigation into Hunter Biden, the son of former president Joe Biden.
Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui ruled that prosecutors had not sustained the case, and the dismissal referenced concerns about “weaponization.”
The Justice Department may still seek a grand jury indictment against the former officials.
Dallas Halloween shootings kill four and wound 15
Three separate shootings in Dallas’s Deep Ellum nightlife district on Halloween night left four people dead and 15 injured, police said.
Police Chief Daniel Comeaux said investigators were still trying to determine whether the incidents were related, while other officials said they appeared to be unrelated.
The Dallas violence was among several shootings across the United States over Halloween weekend that left dozens dead and wounded nationwide.
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to set aside California ballots
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Monday to order California to set aside roughly 20,000 mail-in ballots from people the federal government suspects may not be US citizens, in an emergency appeal filed the day before the midterm elections.
A federal appeals court had rejected the request, and lower courts also turned aside the administration’s push to sideline the disputed ballots.
US to remove South Africa and Rwanda from AGOA
The Trump administration said it will drop South Africa and Rwanda from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the duty-free trade initiative that is a centerpiece of US economic engagement with sub-Saharan Africa, accusing both countries of breaking its rules.
South Africa stands to lose duty-free access affecting about $1.7 billion in annual exports, including cars and farm products.
The move comes shortly after the US Treasury imposed sanctions on Rwanda’s defence ministry.
Trump makes closing midterms appeal at Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
President Donald Trump held a final campaign event on Monday at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, urging supporters to turn out for the midterm elections.
The site had been refilled after a botched renovation that had become an embarrassing and contentious symbol of his administration; Trump used the event to deliver his closing argument rather than travel to battleground states.
Australia’s High Court hears challenge to under-16 social media ban
Australia’s High Court heard a legal challenge on Tuesday to the country’s under-16 social media ban, brought by Reddit and the Digital Freedom Project, an advocacy group led by New South Wales MP John Ruddick.
The challengers argue the law is unconstitutional because it infringes the implied freedom of political communication; the ban, which covers 10 platforms, is among the world’s leading under‑16 social media bans.