Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed the military to prepare plans for potential strikes on Iran, the Financial Times reported, citing three sources. The report said US President Donald Trump opposed resuming hostilities ahead of the midterm elections.

French President Emmanuel Macron made an unannounced stop in Riyadh to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, describing it as a visit of solidarity. The stop came during Macron's wider tour of Gulf states.

Fewer than half of New Zealand business leaders feel positive about their own performance, with expectations for improvement sliding to a record low this quarter.

Home values fell across every Australian capital city last quarter, the sharpest decline on record, as high borrowing costs continue to weigh heavily on buyers nationwide.

Taiwan has flight-tested a low-cost attack drone resembling Iran's Shahed design that its manufacturer says could reach targets in mainland China, aiming to overwhelm Chinese air defences amid persistently high cross-strait tensions.

Tesla has agreed to integrate Ant Group's Alipay payment platform into its China-sold vehicles, starting with an Alipay-powered smart parking service, as the company pushes to localise features amid intensifying competition in China's EV market.

More than 400 people, mostly children, fell ill after drinking contaminated tap water east of Pretoria, South Africa.

At least 10 people are feared dead after a boat capsized during a clash between residents and security forces over an oil spill in Nigeria's Rivers State.

European Union prosecutors searched European Parliament offices linked to the far-right Patriots group as part of a probe into the alleged misuse of more than four million euros by its dissolved predecessor, Identity and Democracy.

Ukraine's president said freezing the front line along current positions could be a first step toward ending the war, as Kyiv insists on a seat at any negotiations and security guarantees from Washington and European allies.

Satellites detected 9,045 fire hotspots in the Brazilian Amazon during the first half of October, a 62% jump from a year earlier, as a drought worsened by El Niño fuels blazes even as annual deforestation fell to its lowest level since 1988.

Argentine President Javier Milei used his first public event in Madrid to call Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez a 'dictator,' urging Spaniards to vote out the Socialist-led government weeks ahead of Spain's November 29 snap election.

Intel has installed the first major structural truss at its long-delayed chip factory in Ohio, marking a visible construction milestone. The company has not yet announced a major outside customer for the plant, which is running at least five years behind schedule.

eBay will lay off about 1,000 employees, roughly 9% of its workforce, in its second round of job cuts this year. The e-commerce company said the move is meant to sharpen its focus on top strategic priorities.

Footage filmed in southern Lebanon shows Israeli soldiers walking through a displaced family's home after it was rigged with explosives. The video circulated widely online.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said naval mines prevented three tankers from passing through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. The announcement pushed oil prices higher amid escalating regional tension.

Developers behind a proposed gas-fired power plant for a data centre in Moss Vale, New South Wales, have told a court they now want the site connected to the electricity grid instead. The plant could sit idle within two years if the amended plan is approved.

ANZ economists say New Zealand's housing bubble has largely deflated after two years of price corrections. The bank expects only mild further declines nationwide, with Reserve Bank interest-rate moves still shaping buyer affordability.

Finance ministers from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum reached consensus on cooperating on artificial intelligence and digital financing technology at a two-day meeting in Hong Kong. China's finance minister, Lan Foan, said the outcomes would help shape talks at next month's leaders' summit in Shenzhen.

Reliance Jio Platforms, the telecoms and technology arm of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani's conglomerate, opened India's largest-ever initial public offering on Wednesday, seeking $3.2 billion from investors. The listing is the second mega IPO to reach Indian markets within a month, arriving despite subdued broader equity trading.