Daily Brief: Hegseth Meets Netanyahu, France Imposes Curfews

In today's Bilig Daily Brief, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth met Israel's prime minister as Washington weighs renewed strikes on Iran. France imposed curfews after weekend riots, Houthi missiles killed dozens in Yemen and Saudi Arabia postponed its flagship investment conference.

Hegseth meets Netanyahu on unannounced Israel visit

Hegseth met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday evening at Ovda air base in southern Israel, Axios and CNN reported, citing sources. Defence Minister Israel Katz also attended. The talks covered the possibility of resuming major combat operations against Iran, according to the reports. The Pentagon declined to comment. In a video shared on Tuesday, Netanyahu thanked Trump for his endorsement and said: "Donald, we have a job to finish." Israel votes in a general election on 27 October.

Trump says US "could leave" Iran war now

President Donald Trump told a campaign rally in Park City, Kansas, on Monday that "we could leave right now. They're not going to have a nuclear weapon." On Truth Social, he criticised European allies over Iran and warned: "If they don't soon find their way, we will have no choice but to leave." Early on Tuesday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had shot down a US MQ-9 drone over the Strait of Hormuz, state media reported. There was no US confirmation.

France imposes curfews after weekend of riots

French authorities imposed curfews in parts of Paris, Lille, Nice and other towns on Monday night after weekend riots linked to anti-government protests, Reuters reported. In Paris, a curfew around Place de la République and Les Halles ran from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez offered to resign, but President Emmanuel Macron refused, his office said. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said his "determination to restore order is absolute". About 2,400 people have been arrested, the interior ministry said.

Houthi missiles kill 53 at Yemen training camp

A Houthi missile strike on a government security forces training centre near Ataq, capital of Yemen's Shabwa province, killed 53 people and wounded more than 200 on Monday, local authorities said. Three ballistic missiles hit the centre while new recruits were training, the authorities said, holding the Iran-aligned group "fully responsible". Reuters verified video from the site showing bodies and injured people. Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi vowed a firm response.

Saudi Arabia postpones flagship investor conference

Saudi Arabia has postponed its Future Investment Initiative (FII), the conference known as "Davos in the Desert", to 2027, organisers said, after a wave of Houthi missile and drone attacks on the kingdom. The tenth edition was due to run in Riyadh from 26 to 29 October. Dates will be announced "very soon", FII chief executive Princess Maha bint Mishari Al Saud said. Government agencies in Riyadh told staff to work from home, AFP reported, citing sources.

Alberta voters reject move towards separation

Voters in the Canadian province of Alberta rejected a proposal on Monday to start a process that could have led to a vote on leaving Canada. Early results showed about 76% backed staying, The Canadian Press reported. "Albertans made a clear choice. They chose unity," Prime Minister Mark Carney said. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Albertans had "voted for a stronger Alberta in a united Canada". Separatist leader Jeffrey Rath said the campaign would continue.

Asian shares slide as AI worries hit chipmakers

South Korea's Kospi index closed down 3.73% at 5,552.74 on Tuesday as SK hynix fell 4.23% and Samsung Electronics lost 2.98%, the Korea JoongAng Daily reported. Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 1.3%, AP said. In early European trade, Germany's DAX was down 0.8% and France's CAC 40 0.43% at 07:31 GMT. On Monday, the S&P 500 rose 0.4% to 7,690.73 and the Nasdaq gained 1.1%. Brent crude traded above $110 a barrel, and the 10-year US Treasury yield was about 5.1%.

OpenAI seeks $30 billion ahead of Anthropic listing

OpenAI is seeking to close a funding round of about $30 billion that could value the ChatGPT maker at more than $1.4 trillion, Reuters reported on Monday, citing two people familiar with the matter. SoftBank Group and Abu Dhabi-based MGX are in talks to join, the sources said. OpenAI aims to close the round before rival Anthropic's expected stock market debut in mid-November. OpenAI was last valued at $852 billion in March. OpenAI and SoftBank declined to comment.

Lavrov visits Tehran for talks on war

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Tehran on Monday, his first visit to Iran since February 2025, and met President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Al Jazeera and The Moscow Times reported. Lavrov said Russian specialists would gradually return to the Bushehr nuclear power plant and that Moscow remained committed to its strategic partnership with Iran. He linked restored navigation in the Strait of Hormuz to guarantees against renewed attacks on Iran.

Merz urges German firms to embrace AI

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged businesses on Monday to adopt artificial intelligence (AI), telling the Invest in Germany Summit in Berlin: "Please open your doors for AI to make use of your data." The economy ministry has signed a memorandum of understanding with Nvidia, the government said, without giving details. A group including Siemens and Deutsche Bank sees potential investment of up to 4.1 trillion euros in Germany by 2035, Reuters reported.

Trump announces $8 billion diesel aid for farmers

Trump announced an $8 billion programme on Monday to help farmers with diesel costs, speaking at the same Kansas rally. The Department of Agriculture said it would make one-time payments this harvest season to offset higher input costs, with the Farm Service Agency administering them, Reuters reported. Fuel prices have risen during the war with Iran. Control of Congress is at stake in the 3 November midterm elections.

UK unemployment falls to 4.7%

Britain's unemployment rate fell to 4.7% in the three months to August, below the 4.9% forecast, official data showed on Tuesday. Job vacancies fell by 21,000 to 691,000 in the July to September period, the lowest outside the pandemic since 2014, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. Total pay growth slowed to 3.7% from 3.9%, while regular pay growth, excluding bonuses, held at 3.7%. Inflation data are due on Wednesday.