Iran's chief negotiator says the terms for a ceasefire and for reopening the Strait of Hormuz are on the table and Washington has not answered them. Tehran wants the US naval blockade lifted, sanctions removed, frozen funds released, hostilities ended on all fronts and the war formally declared over, and this week it added compensation for environmental damage from US and Israeli strikes. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called the conditions unacceptable, and President Trump says the United States does not need a deal. Nearly nine months after the war began, large-scale fighting is paused, no agreement is signed, and commercial shipping through Hormuz is still restricted.
Russian and Ukrainian delegations met in Abu Dhabi on 10 and 11 November and agreed to a large prisoner-of-war exchange, the first direct session between the two sides since February. Washington sent Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff and the United Arab Emirates hosted. Neither delegation published a figure, though earlier rounds under Emirati mediation moved 146 prisoners each way and 1,000 for 1,000. The exchange was the only item both sides could sign. Territory and long-term security guarantees remain unresolved, with Moscow demanding Ukrainian neutrality and Kyiv refusing to recognise annexed land. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the talks very productive, but no ceasefire or new meeting date was announced.
At least 39 people died when a boat carrying migrants toward Europe sank off Senegal, according to authorities and rescue teams. The vessel was on the Atlantic route that leads to Spain's Canary Islands, one of the deadliest sea crossings in the world. Rescue workers pulled bodies from the water while search efforts continued. The sinking adds to a rising toll on a route where overloaded wooden fishing boats frequently break down or capsize far from land. Rights groups have long warned that the crossing offers few chances of rescue once a boat loses power or drifts off course. Officials did not say how many people were aboard or how many survivors were found.
Paraguay's Senate voted 44 to 0 to remove President Santiago Peña after the collapse of Ueno Bank left about three million people unable to reach their savings. Prosecutors charged him with breach of trust, influence peddling and misappropriation, and he denies the charges. Vice President Pedro Alliana was sworn in to serve until 2028 and promised full compensation, though he is himself under investigation over the bank's failure. The case tests whether a fast-moving political process can also return depositors' money, and whether a bailout can be absorbed without straining public finances. The vote was unanimous among those present, and the Colorado Party split rather than defend him.
US Central Command has created Task Force Iron Gate, a 20-person civilian and military team in Tampa, to stop advanced weapons and sanctioned goods from moving across Iran's land borders and the Caspian Sea. The unit extends the US sea blockade, but analysts say it has no military presence on the Caspian and few partners willing to help. The move came as US projectiles hit Qeshm Island and Iran warned of severe retaliation, while the IRGC announced underground missile production sites built to survive bombardment.
President Isaac Herzog will say on Sunday which politician he will task with forming Israel's next government, after consultations at his residence showed factions holding 67 seats backing former military chief Gadi Eisenkot against 46 for Benjamin Netanyahu. Herzog called the result clear but said he wanted further talks before deciding. Netanyahu's bloc shrank from 53 seats on election night after United Torah Judaism, which holds seven, declined to recommend him. The new Knesset is sworn in on November 10, when parties may also force a vote on the speaker. The nominee gets 28 days to assemble a coalition, with a possible 14-day extension, and failure would send the country back to elections early next year.
A Hong Kong court sentenced activist Joshua Wong to 10 years in prison for conspiracy to collude with foreign forces, his second conviction under the national security law. Wong, 30, was already serving four years and eight months and had been due for release in January 2027. The judge called the offense grave and rejected claims his role was limited. Supporters gathered outside the High Court, while authorities say the law restored stability after the 2019 unrest.
Iran said three more tankers were damaged in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, keeping commercial shipping at risk after US voters punished President Donald Trump over the war. The Revolutionary Guard said two oil tankers and a tugboat caught fire, and Iranian authorities have pointed to sea mines for earlier hits. Qatar says Washington and Tehran remain committed to mediation and are reviewing proposals. Oil fell 8% on Wednesday as traders bet on a deal, then steadied near $88 a barrel. Democrats, who won both chambers of Congress, are pressing Trump to end the war before the new Congress is seated in January.
First Lady Melania Trump will bring representatives of Russia and Ukraine together at the White House on Thursday and is due to speak about the ceasefire she secured in Oleshky, in the Kherson region. The White House says she opened the channel herself and that the truce covers one part of the front line only. The meeting happens while fighting continues elsewhere: Ukraine raised the death toll from a Russian guided-bomb attack on a school used as an aid centre in Komyshuvakha to 40, including four police officers. Officials from both delegations are expected to discuss further child reunifications and monitoring of the local truce, though diplomats caution that a regional ceasefire is far from a wider settlement.
Russian air attacks killed at least 38 civilians across Ukraine in 24 hours, including more than 30 people waiting for humanitarian aid in the village of Komyshuvakha in Zaporizhzhia region. Nine aerial bombs, some weighing about 3,000kg, hit the distribution point and collapsed a shelter roof where residents had taken cover. A missile strike also damaged a hospital in Kharkiv and injured more than 70 people. Ukraine's president said Russia fired 289 drones, 17 ballistic missiles and 59 cruise missiles in one night, cutting power in nine regions and stopping three thermal plants. Three days of mourning were declared in Zaporizhzhia as rescue teams kept searching for about 50 missing people.