Oct 25, 2026
5 min read
In today's Bilig Daily Brief, President Donald Trump said a US strike on Iran could come "maybe tomorrow", and Iran said it had shot down a US drone. Brazil votes in a run-off that final polls show as a tie, and France made nearly 1,000 arrests during nationwide protests.
Trump says Iran strike could come "maybe tomorrow"
President Donald Trump told reporters on Saturday that the United States was weighing another attack on Iran. "We're thinking about doing it, and maybe tomorrow," he said. Trump said Tehran wanted a deal but questioned whether it would hold, adding: "I may have to finish it off, or maybe they'll make a deal." The Hill, citing two sources, reported that the military had prepared options for renewed strikes after the 3 November midterm elections. A Pentagon official declined to speculate on future operations, the outlet said.
Iran says it shot down US drone
Iran's army said on Sunday that its air defences had shot down a US LUCAS drone over the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, the semi-official Tasnim agency reported, according to Reuters. On Saturday, Iran's ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, said Tehran had offered through Pakistan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if Washington lifted its naval blockade of Iranian ports, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Tasnim, which is close to the Revolutionary Guards, called reports of such an offer "a lie and fabrication".
France arrests nearly 1,000 after protests
French police arrested nearly 1,000 people on Saturday during another weekend of nationwide protests over the cost of living and schools, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said. The interior ministry put turnout at about 410,000, while the CGT union estimated 800,000. Clashes broke out in Paris, Nantes, Lyon and other cities, where police used tear gas, and water cannon in Nantes. Nuñez said looting was far smaller than the previous weekend, when about 3,000 businesses were damaged or looted.
Brazil votes in tight presidential run-off
Brazilians vote on Sunday in a presidential run-off between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, with final polls showing a statistical tie. A Datafolha poll released on Saturday gave Bolsonaro 51% of valid votes and Lula 49%, within its margin of error of two percentage points. A CNT/MDA survey published the same day put Bolsonaro on 46.3% and Lula on 45%. Bolsonaro, 45, led the 4 October first round. Lula, 80, is seeking a fourth term.
Israeli raids displace Hebron families
Israeli forces displaced hundreds of Palestinian families in Hebron on Saturday during an operation launched after two Israeli soldiers were killed near the city on Friday, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported. Hebron's mayor, Youssef al-Jaabari, and a local activist put the number at 250 families, while Governor Khaled Dudin said 150. The Israeli military said it was carrying out "precise, targeted and thorough searches" that would last several days. Dudin called the measures collective punishment.
Houthis fire missiles at Saudi cities
Saudi air defences intercepted several Houthi missiles over the weekend, the Saudi-led coalition's spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki said. Two ballistic missiles aimed at Taif and the oil export hub of Yanbu were downed on Saturday, prompting brief civil defence alerts across Mecca province. A ballistic missile and two drones fired towards Riyadh, and a cruise missile aimed at Khamis Mushait, were intercepted early on Sunday, Anadolu Agency reported. The Houthis said they had targeted Saudi airports, energy facilities and an air base.
Russia says it downed 532 Ukrainian drones
Russia's defence ministry said on Sunday that its air defences destroyed 532 Ukrainian drones overnight over more than 20 regions. In the border city of Belgorod, one person was killed and 14 were injured, Russian officials said. Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 153 drones at Ukraine overnight, of which 119 were shot down or suppressed. A drone hit a five-storey residential building in the central city of Vinnytsia, injuring six people, Ukrainian officials said.
Kim Jong Un crosses new bridge into China
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the Chinese border city of Dandong on Saturday, crossing the newly opened New Yalu River Bridge. He was received by Wang Huning, a member of the Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee, who passed on greetings from President Xi Jinping. On his first trip to China in a year, Kim visited a Korean War memorial on the eve of the anniversary of China's entry into the war. He said Pyongyang was ready to "expand practical cooperation" with Beijing.
Merz warns of threats facing Germany
Chancellor Friedrich Merz told a congress of the Christian Social Union (CSU) in Munich on Saturday that Germany faced "extraordinarily serious challenges" from extremists at home and foreign powers abroad. He accused Russia of trying to destabilise Germany daily through cyberattacks and sabotage, an accusation Moscow rejects. Merz called for tax, pension and welfare reforms to be carried out now rather than later. His coalition is under strain after heavy losses in recent eastern regional elections.
Obama attacks Trump on campaign trail
Former President Barack Obama rallied Democrats in Cleveland, Ohio, and Detroit, Michigan, on Saturday, nine days before the 3 November midterm elections. In Cleveland, where he campaigned for Senate candidate Sherrod Brown and governor candidate Amy Acton, Obama blamed the war with Iran for higher fuel prices and accused the administration of incompetence. Trump, who cast an early vote in Florida on Saturday, campaigned in Georgia the same day.
The week ahead
Israelis vote in a general election on Tuesday, 27 October, the day Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at a gas exporters' summit in Moscow. The US Federal Reserve meets on 27 and 28 October, with Chair Kevin Warsh's rate decision due on Wednesday, when the Bank of Canada also decides. The European Central Bank (ECB) announces rates on Thursday and the Bank of Japan on Friday. The US publishes its first estimate of third-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) and September inflation data on Thursday. Microsoft and Alphabet report earnings on Wednesday, Amazon on Thursday, and ExxonMobil and Chevron on Friday.
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