Tabz - Live News

🇪🇺🇨🇦⚡️ — EU member states have abandoned a proposal to offer Canada "associate membership" in the 27-nation bloc, replacing it with a commitment to pursue closer ties ahead of an EU-Canada summit in Montreal, according to POLITICO. Germany, France, Italy and Greece were among the countries that opposed including associate membership in the joint declaration, despite European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposing the idea in September. The revised statement instead calls for an "ever closer association" between Canada and the EU, with both sides aiming to define the arrangement by their 2027 summit while stopping short of full membership. The declaration still requires final approval, with EU governments given until 6 p.m. to raise objections.

🇷🇺🇳🇴🇫🇮🇺🇦⚡️ — Russian President Vladimir Putin spent much of Tuesday's 90-minute phone call with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre discussing Russian and Slavic history, with little attention given to a potential ceasefire in Ukraine, according to FT. Putin delivered an extended account of Russia's historical grievances, while the Nordic leaders largely refrained from interrupting him to assess his willingness to engage in further dialogue with Europe.

🇾🇪❌🇾🇪 — Yemen's Saudi-backed PLC government has condemned repeated Houthi (Ansarallah) missile strikes against Aden International Airport, reporting six attacks on the facility in recent days, including one earlier today.

🇸🇦🇾🇪❌🇾🇪 — The Royal Saudi Air Force has been conducting intensive airstrikes against Houthi (Ansarallah) positions across several frontlines in Yemen's Taiz governorate today, including Jabal Habashi and Al-Misrakh.

🇷🇺🇪🇺🇺🇦⚡️ — Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov says European representatives will not be invited to participate in negotiations concerning Ukraine.

"They can go there if they buy tickets, but no one is planning to invite them to the negotiating table," Ushakov said.

🇷🇺🇺🇦🇺🇸🇦🇪⚡️ — Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Russia will announce the date of trilateral talks on Ukraine in Abu Dhabi, involving representatives from Russia, the U.S. and Ukraine, once the schedule is confirmed.

🇹🇷🇺🇳⚡️ — Türkiye is preparing to nominate OSCE Secretary-General and former Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioğlu as its candidate for United Nations Secretary-General, potentially announcing his candidacy on Friday, according to Türkiye Today. Turkish officials are awaiting the outcome of an informal UN Security Council straw poll scheduled for Thursday before finalizing the nomination. Ankara is expected to assess the latest voting results before formally putting forward Sinirlioğlu, with one official describing Thursday's poll as critical to the decision.

🇷🇺🇺🇸⚡️ — Russian President Vladimir Putin says Elon Musk is a "genius."

🇧🇷🇺🇸⚡️ — Brazil's Flávio Bolsonaro has arrived in Miami. He fleed Brazil following his defeat to Lula in the presidential election.

🇮🇱⚡️ — Israeli President Isaac Herzog:

We must do everything possible, especially after yesterday, to avoid another election. I expect everyone who comes here to come with an open mind.

🇪🇸⚡️ — At least 64 people have been killed and 80 injured, including 50 seriously, after two high-speed trains collided near Urda in Spain's Toledo province earlier today, El País reports. An AVE high-speed train struck an Iryo train that had stopped on the tracks, sending two Iryo carriages and one AVE carriage down an embankment. More than 540 passengers were aboard the two trains. Spanish government sources have attributed the collision to suspected human error at Madrid's Atocha control center.

🇪🇹🇷🇺⚡️ — Ethiopia has received 12 Russian-made Su-35 fighter jets and is set to acquire four S-400 air defense systems from Moscow as part of efforts to strengthen its military capabilities, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced. Abiy described the deliveries as a significant step toward improving Ethiopia's national security and deterring potential aggression. He praised Russian President Vladimir Putin for facilitating the delivery of the Su-35 aircraft a year ahead of schedule. The Ethiopian leader did not disclose the agreement's value, the expected delivery date of the S-400 systems or where the new military equipment would be stationed.

🇮🇱❌🇵🇸 — Palestinian child Imad Salem Zahra was grazed on the side of his head by a bullet fired by an Israeli sniper east of the Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, narrowly escaping death.

🇾🇪🇸🇴⚡️ — UKMTO has issued an advisory warning of suspected pirate activity in the Gulf of Aden following multiple reports of suspicious small boats operating near commercial vessels. One reported sighting involved a green-and-blue boat carrying nine people, equipped with two ladders and a hook.

🇮🇱🗳 — NEW: With 100% of regular ballots counted in Israel's parliamentary election, PM Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc is projected to secure 53 seats, compared with 48 for the opposition bloc and 19 for Arab parties.

Likud remains the largest party with 26 seats, followed by Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar with 21, Bennett's party and the Joint List with 12 each, the Democrats with eight, and Yisrael Beiteinu, Shas, United Torah Judaism, Ra'am and Otzma Yehudit with seven each. Religious Zionism is projected to win six seats. Neither major bloc has reached the 61 seats required for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. Approximately 600,000 double-envelope ballots remain uncounted and could still affect the final distribution of seats.

🇦🇲🇺🇸🇦🇿⚡️ — Armenia's parliament has ratified a strategic cooperation agreement with the United States concerning the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), advancing plans for a transport corridor connecting Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave through Armenian territory. The agreement passed with 63 votes in favor and 32 against, receiving support from the ruling Civil Contract party while opposition factions voted against it. The initiative aims to reopen regional transport routes, strengthen Armenia's connections with neighboring countries and international markets, and improve domestic railway connectivity while providing Azerbaijan with a direct transport link to Nakhchivan.

🇪🇺🇺🇦🇺🇸⚡️ — European satellite communications companies are accelerating efforts to challenge Elon Musk's Starlink following restrictions on Ukraine's access to the service that temporarily disrupted Ukrainian drone operations, according to Axios. Finnish companies ICEYE and Nokia recently announced an agreement with Ukraine's Defense Ministry to explore developing independent satellite communications capabilities, with initial satellites expected to launch in 2028. Meanwhile, Eutelsat has positioned itself as a potential alternative, confirming that its services are already available in Ukraine and can support drone operations.

🇺🇸⚡️ — President Trump:

Denuclearization — I mean, you look at 1,700, 1,800 of these unbelievably deadly missiles. It's very dangerous stuff, very, very dangerous. If something could be done in that regard, it would be great.

🇺🇸🇮🇱⚡️ — President Trump on the Israeli election:

I actually heard Netanyahu did pretty well; he might be winning or tying. It's a little bit early yet. The top people are saying, "Wow, he's doing a lot better than people thought."

🇺🇸🇧🇷⚡️ — President Trump on Brazil:

I think the election was very strange, and I thought it was terrible. I didn't take sides. You know, I know them both. I wasn't involved in Brazil.