Hour in Review — 2026-11-03 08:00 UTC 28 sources
Two stories dominate the hour: an escalating US-Iran confrontation and the resumption of heavy Russian strikes on Ukraine, both landing on the day Americans vote in midterms. The US struck Iranian radar systems and missile launchers on Qeshm Island after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone 1. Iran says it has delivered a 'firm, rational' response and that the 'ball is in America's court' to prevent war 2. European stocks were set to fall as US-Iran tensions fuelled an oil rebound 3. Saudi Aramco's third-quarter profit rose 9 percent despite attacks that damaged its pipelines and refineries 4, and refining margins strengthened amid the Iran war 5. The AFC moved the start of the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia into December, citing conflict threats to the host 6. Separately, India condemned an attack on a ship off Oman that killed one of its nationals 7. In Ukraine, the war's longest ceasefire, which let a humanitarian mission reach Oleshky in Kherson, has ended 8. Russian strikes on a southern village then killed at least 26 people, including civilians waiting for aid, emergency workers and police 9. An overnight barrage of missiles and 289 drones hit energy infrastructure, hospitals and homes 10,11. Heating and hot water were partially halted in Kharkiv 12. Zelenskyy warned that Russia is preparing another large-scale attack focused on energy and logistics 13. Ukraine, for its part, hit Russia's Yanos refinery with drones 14. Steve Witkoff said the US will mediate trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 10–11 15. In the US, voting will decide control of the Senate and House, both currently held by Republicans 16. Trump's approval rating has fallen to 32% amid discontent in his base 17, and first results are expected after polls close at 23:00 GMT 18. A judge blocked the administration from pressuring states over noncitizen voting 19. Asian equities fell and Treasury yields rose ahead of the vote 20,21, while tech stocks sold off on funding fears 22. Elsewhere, Binance says deposits now exceed withdrawals as it recovers from its $6.3 billion hack 23,24. Kim Jong Un's sister rejected US allegations over the Binance theft and warned of a response 25. China's regulator told banks to pause IPOs to support struggling markets 26,27. The IEA warned that gas market tightness could extend into 2027 28.
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