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Russian Strikes Hit Kharkiv Hospital and Power Plants as Aid Centre Death Toll Rises to 31: November 3, 2026

Russia struck a hospital in Kharkiv and energy facilities across Ukraine overnight, injuring at least 73 people, a day after Russian bombs killed at least 31 people at an aid distribution centre in the Zaporizhzhia region.

“The Russians directly struck a city clinical hospital. Seventy-three people were injured, and the cardiology department, where people were receiving treatment, was damaged,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said more than 1,000 windows were shattered.

Zelenskyy said Russia launched 289 attack drones, 17 ballistic missiles and 59 cruise missiles, mainly targeting power generation and substations in nine regions. More than 180,000 people were without power in the Zhytomyr region on Tuesday morning, its governor said. Russia’s defence ministry said it hit energy sites that supply the Ukrainian army.

In the Zaporizhzhia village of Komyshuvakha, regional head Mykhailo Semikin said at least nine 3,000kg aerial bombs struck on Monday and the aid centre collapsed from a “direct hit”. The dead include two rescuers and four police officers, the BBC reported, and three days of mourning have been declared.

US envoy Steve Witkoff said US, Russian and Ukrainian teams will resume peace talks in Abu Dhabi next week.

Sources: BBC News, Al Jazeera

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Brazil Publishes First Global Roadmap for Moving Away From Fossil Fuels: November 3, 2026

Brazil, host of last year’s COP30 climate summit, on Tuesday published what it called the world’s first global roadmap for transitioning away from fossil fuels, saying countries can begin cutting their dependence on coal, oil and gas now.

The roadmap, along with a second one on halting and reversing deforestation, was the compromise reached in Belém after a bitter dispute over whether the summit’s final text should include fossil fuel pledges.

The documents are not binding and contain no deadlines. They leave each country to assess its own dependence on fossil fuels and choose steps such as cutting gas flaring and venting, reducing fossil fuel subsidies and building renewable power.

“They are documents of implementation,” COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago told the Guardian, saying finance, transport, energy and infrastructure ministries should take them up.

Joeri Rogelj of Imperial College London said the roadmaps “fall short of clearly indicating the pace of change needed by including no timeline or key benchmarks.”

The plans come ahead of COP31 in Antalya, Turkey, later this month.

Sources: The Guardian

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Haitian Gang Leader Lanmò Sanjou Asks UN for Dialogue, Says Missing Salvadorans Are Dead: November 3, 2026

One of Haiti’s most powerful gang leaders has written to UN Secretary-General António Guterres asking for a UN delegation to mediate a dialogue, as fighting intensifies near Port-au-Prince after four Salvadoran aviation technicians went missing.

Wilson Joseph, known as Lanmò Sanjou and leader of the 400 Mawozo gang, confirmed the letter in an interview with the Associated Press on Monday. He told the AP that the four technicians, attacked on October 18 in Plaine du Cul-de-Sac, are dead, but offered no evidence. El Salvador’s government believes they are alive.

The incident prompted President Nayib Bukele to deploy more than 2,000 Salvadoran troops to Haiti. “Given Mr. Nayib Bukele’s vengeful remarks, expectations, and threats, I fear this situation will lead to an escalation of violence and a logic of reprisals, of which the Haitian people would be the first victims,” Joseph wrote, according to the AP.

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric confirmed the letter had been received but said that did not constitute an endorsement of its contents or recognition of its author.

The 400 Mawozo gang is known for thousands of kidnappings, including the abduction of 17 missionaries in 2021. The United States has offered a $1 million reward for Joseph, who is indicted on hostage-taking charges. The UN says more than 5,700 people were killed or injured across Haiti from January to mid-September.

Sources: Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, Infobae

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Americans Vote in Midterm Elections That Will Decide Control of Congress: November 3, 2026

Polls opened across the United States on Tuesday for midterm elections that will decide which party controls Congress for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s term.

All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the Senate’s 100 seats are on the ballot, and voters in 36 states are also choosing governors. More than 57 million Americans had already cast early ballots, with some of the heaviest turnout in Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas, according to Al Jazeera.

Republicans hold 53 Senate seats to 47 for Democrats and the independents who caucus with them, and have a narrow majority in the House. A party needs 218 seats to control the House and 51 for an outright Senate majority, with the vice-president breaking any 50-50 tie.

Democrats have campaigned on the cost of living and on ending the war with Iran, while Republicans are counting on loyal voters despite Trump’s low approval ratings and the historical tendency of the president’s party to lose seats in midterms.

The Cook Political Report rates seven Senate races as toss-ups: Alaska, Kansas, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Ohio and Texas. Six of those seats are held by Republicans. In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed faces Republican Mike Rogers, and in Texas, Democrat James Talarico is challenging state Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The first polls close at 6 p.m. Eastern time (3 p.m. Pacific) in parts of Kentucky and Indiana. Close races could take days or even weeks to call; in 2022, CBS News did not project a Republican House majority until November 17, the BBC noted.

Sources: Al Jazeera, BBC News

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World Brief, Evening: November 2, 2026

Explosions on Iran’s Qeshm Island as US officials talk about “defensive” strikes in Hormuz, on the same day Trump says a deal “could happen.” Russian bombs kill 26 people at an aid centre in Zaporizhzhia, and peace talks are set to restart in Abu Dhabi. The Supreme Court turns Trump down on California ballots the night before the midterms. Plus investigators on the Florida jet, the Commonwealth summit opening in Antigua, South Africa and Rwanda losing US trade perks, Ebola in Congo, Rubio’s plan for Venezuela, North Korea on the Binance heist, and Australia’s social media ban in court. Ten stories as of Monday evening, November 2.

1. Strait of Hormuz; Qeshm Island / Iran. Several explosions went off in rapid succession on Qeshm Island late Monday, Iran’s state news agency IRNA said, with witnesses reporting two planes overhead. Fars said blasts were also heard in the port city of Bandar Lengeh. US officials told the Wall Street Journal and AP the US military carried out “defensive strikes” to limit Iran’s ability to attack shipping, targeting “Iranians using surface-to-air missiles against U.S. assets,” Al Jazeera reports. Earlier Monday the Revolutionary Guards said they had captured two US reconnaissance drones south of Qeshm and destroyed an MQ-9. There was no immediate comment from Tehran or Washington.

It all landed on a day of deal talk. “Iran wants a settlement, as soon as possible. It could happen!” Trump posted, and later at the Lincoln Memorial: “It looks like that’s coming together very nicely.” Asked if he was thinking about striking Iran after Tuesday’s midterms, he said “no.” JD Vance said “we’ve certainly made some progress” and that no deadline had been set, Al Jazeera reports. Iran says its seven-step plan to reopen the strait can now be done in two days rather than a week if the US lifts its naval blockade and meets its other conditions. “The ball is in the US court,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said.

2. Zaporizhzhia region / Ukraine. At least 26 people were killed when at least nine 3,000kg Russian aerial bombs hit the village of Komyshuvakha on Monday, the BBC reports. Zelensky says the first strike hit a school “used for humanitarian needs” and a second hit where people were sheltering. The dead include two rescuers and four police officers, and people are still under the rubble. Russian drones forced rescuers to stop several times. Zelensky: “This is yet another proof that Russia does not want any de-escalation.” Tuesday is a day of mourning across the region. The Russian military hasn’t commented.

Meanwhile, US envoy Steve Witkoff says Ukraine, Russia and the US will resume peace talks in Abu Dhabi next week, the first since February, with no big breakthrough expected. And Britain and France will lead about 2,800 troops from 12 European nations in Exercise Koalicja in Poland, November 9–22, a rehearsal for deploying a reassurance force to Ukraine if there’s a peace deal, the BBC reports. “This is not a hypothetical plan, it’s a real force,” UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said.

3. Washington / United States. On the eve of the midterms, the Supreme Court turned down the Trump administration’s emergency bid to make California set aside about 20,000 ballots from people the Justice Department says aren’t citizens, with no noted dissents, The Guardian reports. Lower courts had already sided with the state. The department never shared how it built its list. “The highest court in the land firmly slapped down the Trump DoJ’s baseless attack on California’s electoral process,” Governor Gavin Newsom said.

Polls open Tuesday on what’s set to be the most expensive midterms ever, with Open Secrets projecting nearly $12bn in total spending, about 30% more than 2022, the BBC reports. Elon Musk is the biggest individual donor, at almost half a billion dollars for Republicans, most of it in the Texas Senate race. Trump made his closing pitch Monday at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

4. Palm Beach County, Florida / United States. The NTSB says it will look at whether parts of the Learjet 60 broke off before it nose-dived onto Military Trail on Sunday, killing all nine aboard, the BBC reports. Debris was found across sports fields, businesses and homes. The crew had reported ice and moderate turbulence and asked to climb to 37,000 feet. Less than 30 seconds later the jet began to descend and the crew called mayday: “we are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000ft per minute.”

The NTSB says ice and turbulence were factors but the probable cause will take a “lengthy investigatory process.” Families named the passengers as tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, their children Emma and Charlie, Rachael Reed, Charmi Fehr and Anita Maria Cetina. One man on the ground hurt his leg. Investigators are still trying to find out if a cockpit voice recorder was aboard.

5. St John’s / Antigua and Barbuda. Leaders from 56 countries are in Antigua for the Commonwealth summit, and Prime Minister Andy Burnham is coming with a “debt reset” plan for member countries buried in interest costs, plus talks on a formal UK apology for the slave trade, likely next year when Britain holds the G20 presidency, the BBC reports. “By sticking our heads in the sand, we have damaged the ability of the Commonwealth to function,” Burnham wrote.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband says a formal apology is something “the British government are open to,” but that Britain won’t pay financial reparations. Kemi Badenoch says an apology would be “a lever to wedge open the door to ask for cash.” King Charles addresses the leaders Tuesday.

6. Pretoria / South Africa; Kigali / Rwanda. Trump has told Congress he’ll pull South Africa and Rwanda out of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, the duty-free trade programme, from January 1, 2027, the BBC reports. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said both were “engaging in practices that are inconsistent” with the rules, citing trade barriers and security concerns, plus corruption for South Africa and human rights and the rule of law for Rwanda. Rwanda’s defence ministry was sanctioned barely a week ago over its alleged backing of M23 rebels in eastern DR Congo.

South Africa sent about $1.7bn of goods to the US under AGOA in 2025, mostly cars, parts, farm products and wine, Al Jazeera reports. Trade Minister Parks Tau called it “unfortunate” and said the country would speed up finding other markets.

7. Democratic Republic of Congo. The Ebola outbreak has now killed 5,376 people, 5,372 of them in DR Congo and two each in Kenya and Uganda, Africa CDC data show, according to Al Jazeera. About 10,444 people have been infected with the Bundibugyo strain, which kills more than half of those it infects. There’s no approved vaccine or treatment for it. Trials of Ervebo, which works against the more common Zaire strain, have started. This is Congo’s 17th and largest outbreak, declared in mid-May. Two suspected cases in northeast Nigeria tested negative.

8. Caracas / Venezuela. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Venezuelan Foreign Minister Oliver Blanco on Monday and reaffirmed Trump’s “three-phase plan for Venezuela: stabilization, economic recovery and political reconciliation, and democratic transition,” the State Department said, according to Al Jazeera. Opposition leader María Corina Machado, back home since last week, says Rubio’s sequence points to presidential elections in 2027. Interim President Delcy Rodríguez has promised elections “with the world as witness” but hasn’t named a date. Machado also said the US oil deal “does not reflect the levels of transparency that Venezuelan society wants.”

9. Pyongyang / North Korea. Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un’s sister, called the FBI’s claim that North Korea stole $6.3bn from the crypto exchange Binance “absurd rhetoric and nothing new,” and warned there were “issues to reconsider” over US hostility, ABC News reports. The FBI blames a state-backed unit called TraderTraitor for what’s thought to be the largest financial heist ever. Binance customers pulled out $4.64bn once it lifted a temporary freeze on withdrawals.

10. Canberra / Australia. The High Court starts two days of hearings Tuesday on challenges to Australia’s under-16 social media ban, one from the Digital Freedom Project and one from Reddit, the BBC reports. The rights group says the ban takes away children’s right to free communication. Reddit says it’s complying in the meantime but “there are better and more effective ways.” Ten platforms are covered, with fines up to A$99m, though nobody’s been fined yet. “We will not be intimidated by big tech,” Communications Minister Anika Wells said last year.

Coming Up

Nov 3: U.S. midterms, and King Charles addresses the Commonwealth summit in Antigua (through Nov 4). Nov 3–4: Australia’s High Court hears the social media ban challenge. Nov 4: Israel’s certified results due. Nov 6: Pope Leo XIV begins his Uruguay–Argentina–Peru trip. Nov 7: New Zealand votes. Nov 9: COP31 opens in Antalya, and Exercise Koalicja starts in Poland (through Nov 22). Nov 10–11: Israel’s new Knesset is sworn in, then Herzog’s deadline to pick someone to form a government. The Youth Olympic Games run in Dakar through Nov 13. The full board is on The Watch.

World Brief: November 2, 2026

Iran’s negotiators leave Doha with a draft US deal in circulation and no handshake, while Yemen’s Houthis push to within 80 km of Aden. Shop freezers in seven European countries go warm in a cyber-attack. The Oleshky truce is over and Russian drones are back over Kherson. Plus Israel’s Arab parties line up behind Eisenkot, the last day before the US midterms, Antigua’s prime minister says he is a republican, Belgium’s government offers to quit, Uganda starts bringing its troops home from Somalia, a truck bomb in Colombia’s Tolima and Australia’s fifth rate hike in waiting. Ten stories as of Monday morning, November 2.

1. Doha / Qatar; Tehran / Iran; Aden / Yemen. Iran’s delegation, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, left Doha on Sunday after three days of Qatari-mediated talks, and an official told Reuters the exit was not over difficulties: a draft proposal for a US deal is being circulated and a follow-up meeting is possible. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said “the issue is complex.” The basis is still Iran’s seven-step September plan, now squeezed into two days, and Tehran’s line is that no final deal can start and the Strait of Hormuz cannot reopen “unless the US naval blockade is brought to an end.” It also says no to shipping out its highly enriched uranium. President Pezeshkian says Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has handed the government “certain authorities” over the talks, oil fell nearly 4% on Monday, and President Trump says there will be no new attacks before Tuesday’s vote (AP). China’s Wang Yi met Iranian and Saudi officials to push dialogue (Reuters).

In Yemen, the Houthis have advanced to within 80 km of Aden, their closest since 2015, four military sources told Reuters. Fighting is at a camp at the entrance to Tur al-Bahah in Lahij, after the group took Al-Maqatirah district in three days, and the push threatens the Aden–Taiz road. Taiz has been encircled since early October and more than 100,000 people have been displaced; the Houthis hit Aden airport on Wednesday. Government forces say they repelled attacks on the Tur al-Baha front (Al Jazeera).

2. Brussels / Belgium; Stockholm / Sweden; Dublin / Ireland. Dozens of supermarkets in seven countries, Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands, Estonia and Finland, had their freezers switched into defrost mode in what the refrigeration firm calls a cyber-attack, the BBC reports. About 40 Delhaize stores in Belgium and Luxembourg were hit, along with 15 Carrefours in Belgium, an Ikea in Mons, seven of Coop Sweden’s 800 shops and 13 SuperValu stores in Ireland. Some units reached 50C. Stephan Moelans, CEO of Sabcobel, which runs Delhaize’s systems, told Belga his team had been “working all night and morning to disconnect the affected units from the network.” It looks like the same method used on hundreds of French supermarkets last month. One Delhaize in Hoeilaart lost €100,000 of stock. Nobody has said who did it, and US officials are still looking into refrigeration failures at American military bases in August.

3. Kherson / Ukraine; Kyiv; Ankara / Türkiye. The Oleshky truce, the longest pause of the full-scale war, ended late Sunday after Moscow turned down an extension. By 8 a.m. Monday a Russian drone had hit a car in Kherson’s Korabelny district, wounding a 62-year-old woman and a 73-year-old man, and one person was killed in Izium (Euronews). Ukraine’s General Staff says Russia used the pause to reinforce, rotate troops and bring up ammunition; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called regrouping “standard practice.” Zelensky told Fox News Ukraine would stop hitting Russian refineries for a month if the US supplies Patriot interceptors for a month: “We will find money; it’s not just aid.” Washington approved a $2.1 billion sale of 500 PAC-3s on Friday, but he says deliveries may be years off (RFE/RL). He also told CNN Türk he is ready to meet Putin in Türkiye. This comes a day after hackers pushed fake nuclear alerts through both countries’ air-raid apps (BBC). US-mediated talks are due to resume this month.

4. Jerusalem / Israel. Israel’s two Arab-led parties say they will back Gadi Eisenkot to unseat Benjamin Netanyahu, without joining a government. The Joint List (11 seats) under Yousef Jabareen would keep a minority government alive from outside, and Mansour Abbas’s Ra’am (8) has signalled it is ready to go further and wants the internal security portfolio, Al Jazeera reports. The count stands at 53 for Netanyahu’s bloc, 48 for Eisenkot’s and a record 19 for the Arab parties, with 61 needed. Jabareen told the Guardian it has been “an awful four years” and that Arab turnout more than doubled to about 80%. Eisenkot’s conditions for Arab partners include recognising Israel as a Jewish state and denouncing Hamas. Results are certified Wednesday, after which President Herzog consults the parties. Dozens protested outside Eisenkot’s home.

5. Washington / United States; Michigan. It is the last day before Tuesday’s midterms. President Trump wrapped up a 28-stop rally run in Salina, Kansas, on Sunday and gives his closing speech Monday at 2 p.m. EST at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, the site of a troubled renovation (AP). In Michigan, Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens defended endorsing Republican Mike Rogers for the open Senate seat over her party’s nominee Abdul El-Sayed: “I changed my mind,” she told CNN, saying she is “rock solid” on it. Fellow Michigan Democrat Debbie Dingell called the interview “painful,” Chuck Schumer called the switch a “despicable betrayal,” and state party chair Curtis Hertel says Stevens is “not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future,” the BBC reports.

6. St John’s / Antigua and Barbuda. After a Sunday church service with King Charles and Queen Camilla, Prime Minister Gaston Browne told ITV News, “I am a republican,” and said he would like Antigua and Barbuda to become a republic, though that is the people’s call under the constitution, the Independent reports. He also pressed Prime Minister Andy Burnham to go beyond an apology and pay reparations for slavery, suggesting the money could come from Britain’s overseas development budget: “If there’s no compensation, there’s likely to be a repeat of those atrocities sometime in the future.” Reparations are not on the formal Commonwealth summit agenda, and former St Vincent leader Ralph Gonsalves told the Guardian Britain was “vehement” that they stay off it; the Foreign Office calls that “completely untrue.” The King addresses leaders Tuesday.

7. Brussels / Belgium. Prime Minister Bart De Wever offered his government’s resignation to King Philippe on Monday after overnight talks in his five-party “Arizona” coalition failed to agree a budget that closes a gap of about €10 billion, the AP reports. The king has not accepted it yet. He will consult party leaders from Tuesday and see De Wever again on Friday. Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said there were “too many sticking points.” Belgium ran a deficit of 5.2% of GDP last year (Politico Europe).

8. Kampala / Uganda; Mogadishu / Somalia. Uganda has started pulling its troops out of Somalia after nearly 20 years fighting al-Shabab. Acting army spokesman Chris Magezi says the first soldiers deployed under a bilateral deal are home, with more within days, and all Ugandan forces, including those in the African Union mission, will be out by the end of 2027, the BBC reports. A first group of 109 left Mogadishu on Friday. “After 20 years of a lot of blood and sacrifice, we are handing over security to our Somali brothers,” army chief Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba wrote. Uganda has about 4,500 troops with the AU force and about 2,000 more under the bilateral deal, and the AU mission’s funding is uncertain. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud had asked Kampala for more time.

9. Planadas / Colombia. A truck packed with explosives blew up near a military base in Planadas, in Tolima, on Sunday, killing at least four people, a two-month-old girl among them, and damaging a hospital and a pharmacy, the BBC reports. Governor Adriana Magali Matiz called it “a vile and criminal act.” Nobody has claimed it. Armed groups have stepped up attacks on the security forces since President Abelardo de la Espriella took office in August, ended peace talks and started bombing their camps, sometimes using drones to carry explosives. “We will not retreat, not even a millimetre,” he said, promising more bombings and that those responsible would be “hunted down.”

10. Sydney / Australia. The Reserve Bank is widely expected to raise rates for a fifth time on Tuesday, Melbourne Cup day, taking the cash rate to its highest since 2008, the Guardian reports. Union leaders protested outside the RBA in Sydney on Monday morning. CBA now sees growth slowing to about 1% by the middle of next year, mostly because Brent crude has gone from about US$72 in July to above US$110. NAB says unemployment may have to climb from 4.7% to as high as 5.4% to get inflation down. AMP’s Shane Oliver says home prices could fall by as much as 15%, and Sydney values are already 10% off their peak.

Coming up.

Nov 3: U.S. midterms; King Charles addresses the Commonwealth summit in Antigua (through Nov 4); Reserve Bank of Australia decision. Nov 4: Israel’s certified results due. Nov 6: Belgium’s king sees De Wever again; Pope Leo XIV begins his Uruguay–Argentina–Peru trip. Nov 7: New Zealand votes. Nov 9: COP31 opens in Antalya. Nov 10–11: Israel’s new Knesset sworn in; Herzog’s deadline to name a candidate to form a government. The Youth Olympics run in Dakar through Nov 13. The full board is on The Watch.

Sources: Reuters (Iran talks; Yemen; China), AP (Iran; Trump; Belgium), BBC (freezer cyber-attack; Michigan; Uganda; Colombia; alert apps), Al Jazeera (Israel; Yemen), The Guardian (Australia; Israel; reparations), RFE/RL (Zelensky, Patriots), Euronews (Kherson), The Independent (Antigua), Politico Europe (Belgium).

Rifle-Carrying Police Begin Patrolling Sydney in Wake of Bondi Beach Attack: November 2, 2026

Heavily armed police officers carrying long-arm rifles have begun patrolling Sydney’s streets under a new New South Wales Police Armed Response Command, a response to last December’s mass shooting at Bondi Beach.

Fifteen people, including a 10-year-old girl, were killed on December 14 when two gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah event at the beach, Australia’s worst mass shooting in almost three decades.

Police say the unit, which will eventually number 250 officers, will patrol tourist areas, major events and places of worship “to prevent, deter and rapidly respond to serious threats.” Its role “is built on a simple principle – preserving life,” Detective Superintendent Andrew Evans said.

“No Australian wants to see officers with military weapons on our streets, but the sight of body bags is far worse,” said Alex Ryvchin of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry. Amnesty International Australia warned of the “militarisation of policing,” the BBC reported.

One alleged gunman, Naveed Akram, faces 78 charges, including 15 counts of murder. His father, Sajid Akram, was killed by police at the scene.

Sources: BBC News, Reuters (via CNA), SBS News

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India Evacuates Coast as Cyclone Murasu Nears Andhra Pradesh, Days After Cyclone Arnab: November 2, 2026

Authorities in India’s Andhra Pradesh state began evacuating low-lying coastal areas on Monday as Cyclone Murasu approached, less than a week after Cyclone Arnab struck the same coastline and killed six people.

About 2,000 people had been moved by Monday, and “we are planning to evacuate some 30,000 people,” Prakhar Jain of the state disaster management authority told Reuters, as reported by Al Jazeera.

The India Meteorological Department said Murasu was likely to cross the south Andhra Pradesh coast near Ongole between 11:30 p.m. Monday and 4 a.m. Tuesday local time as a severe cyclonic storm, with winds of 100 to 110 km/h gusting to 120 km/h.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said 6,000 to 8,000 electricity poles could be damaged, posing a “severe threat to power supply.” Disaster response teams have been deployed, fishermen told to stay ashore, and schools closed in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Odisha.

Murasu is expected to be less intense than Arnab.

Sources: Al Jazeera, India Meteorological Department

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Myanmar Military Strikes Kill at Least 15, Hitting Maternity Clinic and School: November 2, 2026

At least 15 people, including a newborn, were killed in Myanmar military strikes that hit a maternity clinic in Rakhine state and a school in Loikaw, Reuters reported, citing local sources.

Twelve people were killed and 32 wounded in Rakhine, where an airstrike struck a maternity clinic in Mrauk-U. Much of the state is held by the Arakan Army, which has fought the junta since late 2023.

In Loikaw, the capital of Kayah state, three students were killed when a school was hit, according to the reports.

The strikes add to a mounting civilian toll from the military’s air campaign against armed groups opposed to its rule.

Sources: Reuters (via The Straits Times), DVB, Anadolu Agency

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Truck Bomb Near Army Base Kills Four, Including Baby, in Colombia’s Tolima: November 2, 2026

At least four people, including a two-month-old baby girl, were killed when a truck packed with explosives blew up near a military base in Planadas, in Colombia’s Tolima department, on Sunday night.

The blast damaged a nearby hospital, a pharmacy and other buildings. Tolima Governor Adriana Magali Matiz called it “a vile and criminal act that we reject with absolute forcefulness,” according to the BBC.

“Attacking the civilian population and putting at risk the lives of our soldiers and the Tolima families is crossing a line that we will not tolerate,” she added. Colombian media reported more than a dozen injured.

No group has claimed the attack. Armed groups have stepped up attacks on security forces since President Abelardo de la Espriella, sworn in in August, ended peace talks and ordered an offensive against them. On Saturday, a motorcycle bomb in Huila killed a police officer and injured six.

Sources: BBC News, Infobae

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