conv.world

Xi tells Oman's sultan the Middle East must not become a great-power battleground

China's president signals expanded diplomatic engagement in the region amid US-Iran tensions.

• Nov 1 11:46 PM China announces special envoy Middle East visit
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Xi JinpingHaitham bin Tariq al-Said+2

Pope Leo XIV casts mail-in ballot, becoming first pontiff to vote in a US election

The Chicago-born pope voted absentee from the Vatican in Illinois' midterm election, prompting legal questions about a foreign head of…

• Oct 31 9:02 AM Outlets probe legality of a foreign sovereign voting
• Oct 30 9:00 PM Coverage frames vote against Trump tensions and mail-ballot doubts
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Pope Leo XIVDonald Trump+2

Strait of Hormuz remains dangerous despite US claims of openness

Analyst Trita Parsi says Iran continues to exert control over the critical waterway, making a shipping deal central to ending the war.

• Nov 2 2:30 AM Al Jazeera reports Hormuz remains dangerous despite US claims of openness
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Trita ParsiUnited States+1

Al Jazeera investigation: Indian ‘shadow’ consultants now targeting US midterms

Indian political consultancies that have covertly run campaigns in Kenya, South America and India are now linked to shadow-posting in US…

• Nov 2 1:28 AM Al Jazeera details Indian consultants’ export of covert tactics to US midterms
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Russian drone strike kills 13-year-old in Vinnytsia, wounds children

A strike on a school dormitory housing displaced people in Ukraine's Vinnytsia Oblast killed two, including a child, and injured six others.

Saudi coalition intercepts Houthi missile as Yemen fighting rages in al-Jawf

Government forces press Operation Dawn of Yemen while the Houthis shell Hodeidah's coast and keep Taiz under siege.

• Nov 1 1:00 PM Coalition destroys drone; army claims mass casualties on Houthis
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Israel's Hung Knesset: Herzog Faces Nov 11 Deadline to Pick PM Candidate

Neither Netanyahu's bloc nor the opposition won a majority in the Oct 27 vote, leaving President Herzog to choose who tries to form a…

Isaac HerzogBenjamin Netanyahu+4

German youth protests turn violent as police clash with demonstrators

Tens of thousands rallied nationwide for education reform and lower living costs before evening clashes in several cities.

Small plane crashes in Florida, killing 9

A small aircraft plunged to the ground and exploded in Palm Beach County; cause under investigation.

Qatar mediates US-Iran talks as Trump weighs resuming strikes after midterms

Indirect negotiations to end the US-Iran war continue even as Trump and Netanyahu discuss renewed military action.

• Nov 1 Trump and Netanyahu hold Saturday phone call on Iran war
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Donald TrumpBenjamin Netanyahu+1

Meloni says Ukraine support costs her politically but she won't reverse course

In excerpts from a forthcoming book, Italy's PM defends continued aid to Kyiv even as coalition partner Salvini pushes to end it.

• Nov 1 Online discussion splits between Ukraine support and Meloni's domestic record
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Giorgia MeloniMatteo Salvini+1

US Issues Boeing License Letting Belavia Buy Parts and New Jets

A Commerce Department license lets Boeing resume business with Belarus's state airline, the latest in a string of sanctions rollbacks under…

Stand collapse at Australian music festival injures 22, four hospitalized

A viewing stand holding fans gave way at a music festival in Australia, with four people taken to hospital.

Israeli drone strikes kill at least eight Palestinians in Gaza on Sunday

Attacks target police officers and civilians despite year-old ceasefire; Hamas calls it deliberate war crime.

Ukrainian medic Diana Horun, 23, killed in Russian drone strike in Donetsk

A combat medic from Lviv region died treating soldiers on the front line; her death draws a wave of online tributes and renewed debate over…

• Nov 1 4:40 PM Commenters frame her death as targeted killing of medics
• Nov 1 4:10 PM Tributes and condolences flood Bluesky for Horun
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Diana HorunVladimir Putin+1

Learjet crashes into Florida mobile home park, killing 9

A nine-seat aircraft went down in Greenacres on Nov. 1, striking a residential neighborhood.

• Nov 1 12:00 PM Learjet crashes into Greenacres mobile home neighborhood
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Private jet crash tears massive crater into Florida neighbourhood

Video of the wreckage shows a smoking crater and burning debris that onlookers compared to a missile strike.

• Nov 1 3:35 PM Private jet crashes in Florida neighbourhood
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Israeli court frees two bribery suspects, undercutting Netanyahu's vote-fraud claims

Election officials say even substantiated foreign-interference claims wouldn't undermine the Oct. 27 vote that cost Netanyahu his…

Benjamin NetanyahuGadi Eisenkot+3

Qatar mediates US-Iran talks on Hormuz strait as midterms loom

Indirect negotiations in Doha enter third day with $6bn asset freeze and two-day reopening timeline on table.

Abbas AraghchiAnwar Gargash+4

Israeli forces raid Hebron shops, beat Palestinians in Halhul

Troops seized surveillance equipment and briefly detained residents during raids on Sunday in cities under siege following an October 23…

Nepal rescues six Indian tourists stranded by snowfall near Shey Phoksundo Lake

A group that ignored warnings and left their guide was located, then pulled out by helicopter after a first rescue attempt was grounded by…

• Nov 1 3:08 AM Officials locate stranded group, mobilize army helicopter
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Russian strikes cut Ukrainian power grid as Kherson ceasefire ends

Hundreds of thousands lose electricity as both sides escalate drone attacks despite Trump's push for energy-sector truce.

Volodymyr ZelenskiyGleb Nikitin+3

Gulf States Fear Escalation if US Strikes Iran Again

Middle Eastern allies worry a renewed US-Israeli attack on a better-prepared Iran could spark far worse regional conflict.

Donald TrumpAnwar Gargash

Study: Australian children raised in poverty face 5x higher risk of poverty as young adults

New analysis of long-running household survey data finds childhood poverty strongly predicts poverty in people's 20s and 30s, especially…

• Nov 1 2:17 PM The Conversation publishes the authors' account of the findings
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Forbes analysis warns of civilian risks in potential renewed U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran

Commentary reflects ongoing tensions following February 2026 air campaign as regional escalation concerns persist.

Israel election deadlock makes President Herzog the kingmaker

With neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot holding a majority after the Oct. 27 vote, Herzog opens consultations and pushes party leaders toward a…

Isaac HerzogBenjamin Netanyahu+3

Trump approves El Salvador troop surge into Haiti as Bukele vows to 'teach gangs a lesson'

Up to 2,000 Salvadoran troops deploying after four nationals disappeared from UN force; experts warn of escalation.

• Nov 1 5:28 PM Trump endorses El Salvador troop surge into Haiti
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Donald TrumpNayib Bukele

G20 Atlanta Meeting Ends Without Consensus After Europeans Snub Lavrov Photo

European foreign ministers refused to pose with Russia's Sergei Lavrov, forcing Rubio to scrap the G20 family photo as the summit closed…

• Oct 31 10:34 AM G20 talks close without consensus or joint communique
• Oct 30 9:56 PM Kallas accuses Lavrov of pushing 'lies' at the summit
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Sergey LavrovMarco Rubio+3

Sudan's power grid nears collapse as drone strikes hit 12 stations in a week

A coordinated campaign of drone attacks has knocked out power infrastructure across six Sudanese states amid the ongoing civil war.

France opens attempted murder probe after Molotov cocktail attack on police

Prosecutors launched an investigation after firebombs injured officers during the third weekend of anti-inflation protests in Paris.

• Nov 1 Interior Minister denounces 'extraordinary' level of violence
• Nov 1 Prosecutors open attempted murder investigation into Molotov attack
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Iran dangles two-day Hormuz reopening as Gaza strikes continue, Qatari ship hit

Tehran says a U.S.-met proposal could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, as Israeli strikes kill a boy in Gaza and a Qatari gas…

• Nov 1 Houthis report Saudi-led strikes on Hodeida medical school
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Abbas AraghchiDonald Trump+3

Helicopter rescues climbers stranded on Italian limestone cliff

Firefighters conducted a dramatic aerial operation to save climbers from a steep rock face in Italy.

UAE braced for worst as mediation efforts continue in US-Iran conflict

The UAE seeks diplomatic resolution but remains prepared to defend itself as regional tensions persist over the Strait of Hormuz.

Hebron siege enters 10th day; Israel threatens to expand West Bank offensive

Palestinian officials report $3.8m in losses and mass displacement as Israeli forces maintain a lockdown on Hebron after a deadly attack.

• Nov 1 10:34 AM Israeli protesters in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem push to oust Netanyahu
• Nov 1 Israeli forces arrest teachers, raid UN-run school
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Kremlin dangles Zelensky-Putin phone call, Kyiv insists on in-person meeting

Russia floats a phone call and renews demands that Zelensky travel to Moscow, while Kyiv calls it a tactic to dodge a face-to-face summit.

Volodymyr ZelenskyVladimir Putin+4