Iran ceasefire expires as Tehran threatens offensive, US rules out extension

Iran threatens offensive as US-Iran ceasefire expires without breakthrough The 60-day memorandum signed at Versailles lapsed Monday with no deal on the Strait of Hormuz or Iran's nuclear program. A senior Iranian official said Tehran will shift to a 'fully offensive' posture and conduct a 'timely and precise' attack to break the US blockade, while Trump ruled out extending the ceasefire and separately threatened to bomb Oman if it 'gets in the way' of negotiations. 123

Ukraine launches largest Moscow drone attack in two years as Russia hits Kharkiv Ukraine fired more than 620 drones at Moscow overnight, the biggest such barrage in two years, wounding three including a child and damaging a Wildberries warehouse. Russian strikes meanwhile killed 10 people in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, part of Moscow's campaign to 'weaponise winter' that has hit Naftogaz facilities 13 times in the past week. 45

Russia's 'weaponise winter' strikes seriously damage Ukraine energy facilities Ukrainian energy firms Naftogaz and DTEK reported repeated Russian attacks, with Naftogaz hit 13 times in a week and nearly 300 times this year, causing serious damage to equipment. A Russian attack also started a fire at a DTEK mine, killing a 52-year-old man, as officials warn Moscow is targeting the grid ahead of winter. 56

Trump scales back South Korea drills, courts Kim, alarming US allies Hours before joint exercises began, Trump ordered the Pentagon to scale back military drills with South Korea, calling them 'inappropriate and hostile' to North Korea. He then posted friendly memes with Kim Jong Un and said the North Korean leader had responded 'very positively' to overtures, leaving Asian allies questioning US reliability amid the Iran war. 78

Kushner and Netanyahu agree US general should oversee Hamas disarmament In an hours-long meeting, Netanyahu and Jared Kushner agreed Gaza's 'demilitarization' should begin with a Hamas weapons handover supervised by an American military general, and that no reconstruction should start before Hamas is disarmed. The talks followed rare direct engagement between Hamas leaders and Trump's Board of Peace, part of a renewed push for a peace plan Israel has rejected. 910

Zambia's Hichilema wins second term with 60% of vote Electoral officials declared President Hakainde Hichilema re-elected with 60% of the vote, defeating challenger Brian Mundubile who took 38% and had alleged voting irregularities without evidence. The result followed the arrest of leading opposition figures accused of plotting an insurrection, claims Mundubile called a fabrication. 11

Senior Russian banker fired after warning of looming 'social crisis' Andrei Klepach, chief economist at state bank VEB, was dismissed days after a leaked speech said Russia was 'falling behind' China, the US and 'in some respects Ukraine' economically. He warned the war's economic pressures would inevitably trigger a social crisis and that expectations of Ukraine's imminent collapse were misplaced. 12

Russia's Moldova plot exposed: GRU camps, cash to disrupt elections A New York Times investigation revealed Russia ran an extensive campaign to interfere in Moldova's elections, using GRU-linked training camps in Serbia, Bosnia and near Moscow, vote-buying networks, cyberattacks and religious figures. The effort aimed to weaken pro-European President Maia Sandu and her PAS party as Moldova pursues EU ties. 13

Putin's Kuril Islands visit reignites Japan-Russia territorial dispute Moscow summoned Japan's ambassador Tuesday as a spat escalates over Putin's trip to the disputed Kuril Islands, which Japan calls the Northern Territories. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called the visit 'absolutely unacceptable', and Russia countered that Japan is making unfounded claims on its territory. 14

Sydney council pulls Gaza book critical of Israel from library shelves Waverley Council removed 'How to Sell a Genocide' by Adam Johnson from Waverley Library pending review after complaints, including from a Bondi Beach massacre survivor. The book argues Israel's Gaza war could not have continued without US media complicity; the author said objections seem based largely on the title using the word 'genocide'. 15