2026, day 300 Good morning from Asia - and it’s more election > geopolitical > geoeconomic > market drama, this time switching focus from the Americas to the Middle East. GEOPOLITICS: 🌍🔥 ‘Netanyahu reportedly pressured military to attack Iran in run-up to election’ (Guardian); ‘Report: Zamir the only security chief to oppose pre-election military action against Iran’ (ToI) - “Channels 12 and 13 reported Monday that if Netanyahu forms the next government, he will likely fire Zamir if the Israel Defense Forces chief does not resign first”; ‘UKMTO reports vessel on fire off Iraq’s coast’ (Reuters); ‘These Maps Show Why It’s So Hard to Recover the World’s Lost Fuel Supplies’ (WSJ); ‘Mecca defence alliance members in Tehran to defuse Iran-US, Yemen tensions’ (AJ); ‘Egypt parliament authorizes al-Sisi to bolster Saudi defenses amid regional attacks’ (Al Arabiya); ‘Hezbollah readies for new regional war with funds from Iran, sources say’ (Reuters); ‘Jordan launches air strikes in Syria in response to a fatal church shooting’ (AJ); ‘Syria al-Qaeda affiliate commander among three dead in strike: Defense ministry source’ (Al Arabiya); ‘PKK-linked Yazidi group to hand over arms to Iraqi government’ (AFP); ‘Turkey’s Erdogan says criticism of Libya maritime deal has no legitimate basis’ (Reuters); ‘Trump's Board of Peace taps ex-Biden aide to lead Congress outreach’ (Axios); ‘Zelenskyy calls out monthlong wait for Hegseth to sign off on Patriot missiles’ (Euronews); ‘Salvini’s anti-Ukraine pledge puts Meloni under pressure’ (Rapporteur); ‘Europe's top NATO powers pledge greater defence role, reaffirm US alliance’ (France24); ‘Labour accused of falsifying defence spending’ (Telegraph) - “Sir Ben Wallace claims military budget has been artificially inflated to make it appear on course for Nato target”; ‘Serbia’s student victory raises hopes of an EU reset’ (Euronews); ‘Canada and Europe want to reshape the global order. But whose vision will prevail?’ (Politico); ‘What message is China sending with latest footage of ‘no-notice’ DF rocket drill?’ (SCMP); GEOECONOMICS: 🌍✈️ ⛴️ 🚛 ‘EU Plans to Hit China With More Import Curbs in Early 2027’ (BBG); ‘EU loan to Airbus threatens trade truce with US, Trump trade official warns’ (FT); ‘Italy, Poland back von der Leyen's joint EU energy purchasing’ (Rapporteur); ‘Britain in talks with EU over free movement’ (Telegraph) - “Officials discuss options including rejoining bloc or single market as PM seeks to reset relations with Brussels”; ‘'The U.S. is coming closer to our position': Carney describes slight intensification of trade talks’ (National Post); ‘Win for Lula boosts China’s foothold and gives Brazil rare earths leverage’ (SCMP); ‘Africa food security under threat due to Iran war, trade officials warn’ (AJ); ‘Black Sea attacks cut Ukraine wheat exports to Indonesia, Bangladesh’ (Nikkei Asia); POLITICS: 🗳️ ‘Lula’s comeback puts brakes on Latin America’s rightward surge’ (Euronews); ‘Trump says Brazil election looked 'rigged', defeated Bolsonaro's party recognizes Lula win’ (Reuters); ‘Brazil: defeated Flávio Bolsonaro ordered to surrender passports’ (Guardian); ‘Netanyahu, desperate, now tells us we’ll all die if we don’t re-elect him’ (ToI); ‘Netanyahu, with Trump’s backing, could lose election and still lead a divided Israel’ (WaPo) - “Former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, ahead in the polls, has ruled out a partnership with Benjamin Netanyahu, but some in the Trump administration are discussing the idea”; ‘Justice Dept. charges James Comey, ex-FBI director, for a third time’ (WaPo); ‘Trump announces $1M rewards for voter fraud tips ahead of midterms’ (The Hill); ‘Former Miss Switzerland accuses Donald Trump of rape’ (Telegraph); ‘French government fails to convince students to stop protests’ (Politico); MARKETS: 📈 ‘Brazil’s currency plunges most since 1999 after Lula’s surprise victory’ (FT)