US SENATE UP FOR GRABS AS REPUBLICANS MOVE TOWARDS HOUSE MAJORITY

Republicans were edging closer to securing a majority in the US House of Representatives early on Thursday, while control of the Senate hung in the balance, two days after Democrats staved off a Republican “red wave” in midterm elections. House Republicans had won or were leading in the races for 221 seats — just three more than needed to retake the 435-member chamber, according to votes that have been tallied by AP. Democrats had won or were in the lead for 214 seats. More than 30 races were still uncalled as of midday Thursday and could still shift. But Democrats were left with only a narrow chance of retaining control of the chamber — an outcome even party operatives privately saw as a longshot.

The fate of the Senate was far less certain. Either party could seize control by sweeping too-close-to-call races in Nevada and Arizona, where officials are tallying thousands of uncounted ballots. A split would mean the Senate majority would come down to a runoff election on Dec 6 in Georgia. Even a slim House majority would allow Republicans to shape the rest of Biden’s term. Biden acknowledged that reality on Wednesday. A White House official said Biden spoke by phone with Republican House leader Kevin McCarthy, who announced his intention to run for speaker of the House if Republicans control the chamber. “The American people have made clear that they expect Republicans to be prepared to work with me as well,” Biden said.

After years of first promoting and then kissing up to Donald Trump, Republican grandees and conservative media in the US are now ditching the former president and hitching their star (and ratings) to Florida governor Ron DeSantis, now a putative presidential candidate following a stellar gubernatorial win in Florida. Don vs Ron is being set up as America’s newest political theatre.

WITH CO2 EMISSION LIKELY TO RISE, 1.5°C TARGET GETTING TOUGHER, FINDS REPORT

Global carbon dioxide emissions is expected to continue to rise this year as well, further narrowing down the window of opportunity to keep the temperatures from rising beyond 1.5 degree Celsius, a new report released at the climate meeting on Thursday said.

At current trends, there was at least a 50 per cent chance that the 1.5 degree Celsius temperature target would be exceeded in the next nine years, the Global Carbon Project, which comes up with country level estimates of CO2 emissions every year during the climate conference, said. CO2 is the most common among the six major greenhouse gas emissions that are causing global warming.

The total carbon dioxide emissions, excluding those from land use changes and deforestation, are likely to be around 36.6 billion tonnes, about one per cent higher than the previous year, the report said. CO2 released from land use changes like deforestation would likely contribute another 3.9 billion tonnes, it said.

Among major emitters, India is estimated to see the biggest rise in its CO2 emissions, about 6 per cent from last year. Emissions are expected to decrease by about one per cent in China, the world’s largest emitter, and the European Union which, as a group is the third biggest emitter. But the United States, the world’s second biggest emitter it is projected to increase by 1.5 per cent, the report said.

UKRAINE WAR: KYIV CLAIMS MAJOR GAINS AS RUSSIA EXITS KHERSON

The Ukrainian army says it has made major gains over the last day around Kherson, after Russia said it was withdrawing from the southern city.

Ukrainian troops say they have taken back the key town of Snihurivka, 50km (30 miles) to the north of Kherson.

Kyiv has also claimed big pushes on two fronts near Kherson, including advances of 7km in some places.

Russia says it has started to exit the city - its top gain in the invasion - but the process could take weeks.

Wednesday's announcement was viewed as a major setback for Moscow's war effort, though Ukrainian officials were sceptical - warning that the manoeuvre could be a trap.

There was no immediate evidence of any mass-scale Russian withdrawal from Kherson.

Ukraine's commander-in-chief Valeriy Zaluzhny said on Thursday that he could not confirm or deny the pull-out - but said his own forces had made important advances.

Gen Zaluzhny said his soldiers had driven forward on two fronts on the western bank of the Dnipro river - an area of land which encompasses Kherson - taking control of 12 settlements.

The 7km gains were made "during the past day", he said, as troops advanced along a northern-eastern axis and a separate western axis.

Video footage showed soldiers being greeted by locals in a square, apparently after entering the town of Snihurivka.

JOE BIDEN TO MEET XI JINPING ON NOVEMBER 14 FOR TAIWAN, RUSSIA TALKS

US President Joe Biden will meet Monday with President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of next week’s Group of 20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia, a face-to-face meeting that comes amid increasingly strained U.S.-China relations, the White House announced Thursday.

It will be the first in-person meeting between the leaders of the world’s two biggest economies since Mr. Biden became president in January 2021 and comes weeks after Mr. Xi was awarded a norm-breaking third, five-year term as the Chinese Communist Party leader during the party’s national congress.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement the leaders will meet to “discuss efforts to maintain and deepen lines of communication between” the two countries and to "responsibly manage competition and work together where our interests align, especially on transnational challenges that affect the international community.”

The White House has been working with Chinese officials over the last several weeks to arrange the meeting. Mr. Biden on Wednesday told reporters that he intended to discuss with Mr. Xi growing tensions between Washington and Beijing over the self-ruled island of Taiwan, trade policies, Beijing’s relationship with Russia and more.

“What I want to do with him when we talk is lay out what each of our red lines are and understand what he believes to be in the critical national interests of China, what I know to be the critical interests of the United States,” Mr. Biden said. “And determine whether or not they conflict with one another.”

A senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the summit, sought to downplay expectations for the meeting, telling reporters on Thursday that there was no joint communique or deliverables anticipated from the sit-down. Rather, the official said, Mr. Biden aimed to build a “floor for the relationship.”

BIDEN SAYS MUSK’S TIES WITH OTHER NATIONS 'WORTHY OF BEING LOOKED AT'

Washington : US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he thinks Twitter boss Elon Musk ’s relationships with other nations is worthy of being looked at. Biden was asked at a news conference whether he thought Musk was a threat to national security and if his acquisition of Twitter with help from a Saudi Arabian conglomerate should be probed by the US government.

“I think that Elon Musk’s cooperation and/or technical relationships with other countries is worthy of being looked at,” Biden said. “Whether he is doing anything inappropriate, I’m not suggesting that. I’m suggesting they areworth being looked at. ” The White House had said last month that reports the US was discussing launching a national security review of some of Musk’s ventures including Twitter were “not true”. Musk’s purchase of Twitter sparked concerns that he could face pressure from countries trying to control online speech.

One element of the $44 billion Twitter deal was the presence of foreign investors in Musk’s consortium. The group includes Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia, Binance Holdings — a digital-asset exchange founded and run by a Chinese native —and Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund. Musk is also the CEO of electric carmaker Tesla which counts China as a key market and production base. The firm derives 25% of its revenue from China. Musk had also previously suggested tensions between China and Taiwan could be resolved by handing over some control of Taiwan to Beijing.

IRAN HYPERSONIC MISSILE CLAIM RAISES CONCERNS

Tehran : An Iranian general claimed on Thursday that the Islamic republic had developed a hypersonic missile capable of penetrating all defence systems, raising concerns from the UN nuclear watchdog.

Hypersonic missiles can also deliver nuclear weapons. “This hypersonic ballistic missile was developed to counter air defence shields,” General Amirali Hajizadeh, the commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps aerospace unit said. “It’ll be able to breach all the systems of anti-missile defence,” he said, adding that he believed it would take decades before a system capable of intercepting it is developed. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Gross expressed concerns about the announcement. “We see these announcements increase the attention, increase the concerns.”

TALIBAN OFFICIAL: WOMEN BANNED FROM GYMS

Kabul : The Taliban is banning women from using gyms in Afghanistan, an official said on Thursday, the religious group’s latest edict cracking down on women’s rights and freedoms since they took power more than a year ago. The Taliban overran the country last year, seizing power in August 2021. They have banned girls from middle school and high school, despite initial promises to the country and restricted women from most fields of employment. A spokesman from the ministry of virtue and vice said the ban was being introduced because women were not wearing the required hijab, or head covering. Women are also banned from parks.

QATAR AND ISRAEL, WHICH DO NOT HAVE DIPLOMATIC TIES, TO OPERATE SPECIAL FLIGHTS FOR WORLD CUP

Direct charter flights will operate between Israel and Qatar, which do not have formal diplomatic ties, during the upcoming World Cup in Doha, Fifa said on Thursday, facilitating attendance by eligible Israeli and Palestinian fans. Soccer’s world governing body said it brokered the deal that would allow holders of match tickets and a valid Hayya fan ID on flights from Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv to Doha's Hamad International during the one month event. “With this deal, Israelis and Palestinians will be able to fly together and enjoy football together,” Fifa president Gianni Infantino said in the statement. The statement did not specify which Palestinians, who live in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, this might apply to. The agreement requires Palestinian ticket holders and media “to travel on these chartered flights with no restrictions as they have an equal right to enjoy the tournament,” an unnamed spokesperson for Q22, Qatar’s tournament operator, said in Fafa’s statement. Israeli PM Yair Lapid said in a statement that negotiations over several months led to an agreement to open “an Israeli office in Qatar to provide services to fans coming for the World Cup”.