Komyshuvakha:
Russia bombs an aid centre, then returns to bomb the shelter
Russian forces struck a school in Komyshuvakha, Zaporizhzhia Oblast,
on 2 November while it served as a humanitarian aid distribution site.
Ukrainska Pravda and ISW report 10 guided aerial bombs in the first
wave. When civilians took cover underground, Russian aircraft came back
and dropped nine more glide bombs on the shelter. At least 29 people are
confirmed dead, including rescue workers and police officers who
responded to the first strike, and 48 are still missing. Zelenskyy
called the attack “vile” and “utterly horrific” and said it shows that
Russia has no interest in de-escalation. The strike came days after the
six-day Kherson-region ceasefire ended without an agreement. Ukraine
says Russia used the pause to refortify. The same night, a mass drone
attack hit a hospital in Kharkiv and Ukraine’s energy grid (see Ukraine).
US
strikes Iran’s Qeshm Island as midterm votes are cast
The US military carried out what officials called “limited and
defensive” strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz late
Monday, hours before the polls opened. The Wall Street Journal, CBS and
Reuters reported the strikes, and Iranian state media reported
explosions on the island. According to NRK and Aftenposten, the strikes
were a response to Iran firing at a US aircraft on Monday evening. Trump
says the US “has won the war”, and Vice President Vance spoke
optimistically about a diplomatic breakthrough. Oil fell more than 6% on
hopes of a deal, rose on news of the strikes, and dropped back when an
Iranian news agency reported an opening for talks with the US.
Separately, several officials told the AP that Netanyahu is pressing
Trump to escalate against Iran once the midterms are over.
Americans
vote in midterms seen as a referendum on Trump’s second term
Both chambers of Congress are at stake. Democrats need five seats to
flip the House and four to take the Senate. Polls give them a lead of up
to 8 points, and some analysts predict a “blue tsunami”. More than 54.5
million people voted early, and spending is projected at a record of
nearly $12 billion. Hours before the polls opened, the Supreme Court
denied the Justice Department’s emergency request to make California set
aside about 20,000 ballots the administration says came from
non-citizens. That ends the administration’s most aggressive legal move
before the election. Trump closed his campaign with a speech about
granite and algae at a reflecting pool in Washington. Fear that he will
dispute a defeat dominates the discussion.
Hackers
raise supermarket freezers to 50°C across seven European countries
Attackers got remote access to refrigeration control systems at
hundreds of grocery stores in Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Sweden (ICA,
Coop), Ireland and other countries. They raised freezer temperatures to
50–55°C and forced stores to throw away large amounts of food. This is
the second attack of this kind in a few weeks; the first hit French
supermarkets. No group has claimed responsibility. The EU food
commissioner called it “a deliberate attempt to disrupt our food
supply”. No Norwegian stores were affected, but MDG wants the government
to require stronger digital security for grocery chains. On r/norge, the
main question was why freezer controls are connected to the internet at
all. The same week, the UK’s NCSC assessed that AI-powered malware is
“highly likely” to attack UK power stations, airports and hospitals by
2028. In Norway, a targeted attack against UiT is in progress (see
Norway).
Ukraine–Russia
talks set for Abu Dhabi, as Europe’s peacekeepers get permission to fire
back
US envoy Steve Witkoff announced working-level Ukraine–Russia
negotiations in Abu Dhabi on 10–11 November. They will cover security
arrangements, de-escalation and humanitarian steps. US negotiators will
meet European and NATO allies in Brussels at the same time. The
Financial Times reports that the US, Russia and China are discussing a
Trump–Putin–Xi meeting. UK and French officials confirmed that the
planned Anglo-French stabilisation force in Ukraine would be allowed to
return fire if attacked. It is designed without US systems, including
Starlink. An 11-nation exercise, “Koalicja” (2,800 troops), will
rehearse a rapid deployment to Ukraine from Poland this month. On the
NATO perimeter, an unidentified drone crashed in Latvia near the Russian
border, and Poland launched a border operation along Kaliningrad after
intelligence warnings of Russian sabotage.
A burning bus and a destroyed
building after the Russian aerial attack on Komyshuvakha, Zaporizhzhia
region, 2 November. Photo: BBC
A supermarket employee throws away
spoiled refrigerated food outside an ICA store in Stockholm, 2 November.
Photo: BBC
Fire at the Slavneft-YANOS refinery
in Yaroslavl after a Ukrainian drone attack, 3 November. Photo:
Militarnyi
Politisk streik for Posten er
varslet 16. november. Foto: NRK
Isbreer i Geirangerfjord-området. 46
av 48 breer i de to verdensarvområdene er døende. Foto: NRK
Innovasjon Norges reklame på Times
Square. Foto: NRK
The Renault head unit, showing “No
maps found!” in Estonian. Photo: Rasmus Moorats
Ferromagnetism, antiferromagnetism
and altermagnetism, shown with mirrors. Image: SLAC
The new “drops” animated blur.
Image: Hyprland