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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called a snap election for 29 November after parliament rejected his government's emergency housing measures.

Britain has reportedly threatened to expel Israeli diplomats, while the Pentagon says it has stopped using Anthropic's AI tools.

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1️⃣ 🇬🇧🇮🇱 Britain threatens diplomatic expulsions: Britain reportedly threatened to expel one Israeli diplomat for each British official forced out by Israel's planned closure of its East Jerusalem consulate, potentially affecting 27 diplomats. The warning was reported by Ynet, while the Foreign Office declined to comment on speculation. Israel's move follows British restrictions on trade with settlements.

2️⃣ 🇾🇪🇸🇦 Government forces regain Yemeni towns: Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces recaptured Dhubab and two nearby towns around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait from the Houthis, Yemeni officials said. The offensive followed renewed fighting on the western coast, while Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities and military sites.

3️⃣ 🇷🇺🇺🇦 Russian bombs strike Kharkiv: Russian bombs struck residential areas of Kharkiv, killing six people and injuring 59, Ukrainian officials said. Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said three bombs hit different parts of the city and 30 people were receiving hospital treatment, with apartment buildings and warehouses damaged.

4️⃣ 🇧🇷 Bolsonaro gains runoff endorsements: Brazilian presidential candidate Senator Flávio Bolsonaro secured support from former rivals Ronaldo Caiado and Romeu Zema ahead of his runoff against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Caiado's team announced the endorsement and Zema backed him on social media, while candidates Augusto Cury and Renan Santos declined to endorse either finalist.

5️⃣ 🇺🇦🇫🇷 Ukraine announces Rafale pilot training: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian pilots would soon begin training on Rafale fighter jets in France after talks with French President Emmanuel Macron. He said France was preparing another defence package and the countries were working to produce French missiles and aerial bombs in Ukraine, without disclosing the package's contents.

🇪🇸 Spain calls snap election

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called a snap election for 29 November, bringing the vote forward by roughly eight months amid pressure over the country's housing crisis.

The announcement followed parliament's rejection of emergency measures aimed at evictions and property speculation.

Prime Minister Sánchez said a broader progressive coalition would help Spain address its biggest challenges.

His Socialist party governs with Sumar but relies on smaller parties to pass legislation.

Opinion polls suggest the opposition Popular Party and Vox could together win enough support to remove him from office.

1️⃣ 🇺🇸🇬🇧 President Trump cites Fairford threats: US President Donald Trump said threats prompted the withdrawal of American bombers from RAF Fairford, adding that Washington knew who had made them without identifying anyone. His comments differed from Secretary of State Marco Rubio's account of routine rotations, while Downing Street said the British base remained safe.

2️⃣ 🇨🇺🇺🇸 Cuba disputes US talks claim: Cuba's top diplomat in Washington, Lianys Torres Rivera, said contacts with the US continued but no formal negotiations were taking place, contradicting Washington's account. In a Reuters interview, she said Havana was strengthening its defences and would not negotiate changes to its political system. The State Department insisted talks were ongoing.

3️⃣ 🇳🇱🇺🇦 Dutch and Ukrainian leaders discuss F-16s: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten discussed additional equipment to sustain Ukraine's F-16 operations and strengthen air defences. President Zelenskyy said Dutch-supplied fighters intercepted a significant share of jet-powered Shahed drones, while the talks also covered infrastructure protection and possible technical-level peace meetings.

4️⃣ 🇺🇸 Pentagon ends Anthropic use: The Pentagon said it had stopped using Anthropic products after designating the company a supply-chain risk following its refusal to remove AI safety safeguards. Sources told the BBC that Claude had remained in use as recently as the previous week, despite an August phase-out deadline. Anthropic declined to comment and is challenging the designation in court.

5️⃣ 🇪🇺 European defence funding reaches record: European defence startups are forecast to raise a record $10.5bn in 2026, roughly four times the previous year's total, according to a new Dealroom and Resilience Media report. Funding had reached $7.4bn by 20 September, with large German investment rounds leading the increase and drones and autonomous systems attracting most European defence venture capital.

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