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President Erdoğan moves to deepen Turkey’s reach across Africa’s Sahel corridor, while in the Middle East, Iraq’s prime minister ties militia disarmament to a full US troop withdrawal. Meanwhile, Riyadh edges closer to a landmark deal with Washington for the purchase of F-35 fighter jets.

Today’s main story: COP30 – Middle Powers and the Climate Transition: Brazil’s Defining Test.

Read more below ⤵️

Top 5 Stories

1️⃣ 🇷🇺 🇨🇳 Putin orders roadmap for rare-earth extraction to compete with China: The Russian president has directed his cabinet to devise a national plan for rare-earth mineral extraction by December, part of an effort to challenge China’s control over the market for critical metals used in electronics, electric vehicles, and weapons systems. The order also calls for new transport and logistics hubs along Russia’s borders with China and North Korea to bolster trade and infrastructure.

2️⃣ 🇩🇪 🇸🇾 Merz holds deportation talks with Sharaa: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that he has invited Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to Berlin to discuss the deportation of Syrian nationals with criminal records. Declaring that “the civil war in Syria is over,” Merz said Germany would resume deportations and “implement this in a very concrete manner,” framing the move as part of efforts to stabilise Syria.

3️⃣ 🇺🇳 🇸🇩 UN issues warnings as RSF drone strikes target El-Obeid: At least 40 civilians were killed and dozens wounded in an attack on a funeral in El-Obeid, central Kordofan, as Sudan’s conflict continued to spread beyond Darfur, the UN reported. The assault comes amid preparations by the Rapid Support Forces to advance further after capturing El-Fasher, leaving the military clinging to the Nile corridor. 

4️⃣ 🇷🇺 🇺🇦 Russia tightens grip on Pokrovsk: Russian forces are closing in on Pokrovsk after months of brutal urban combat, threatening to encircle Ukrainian defenders in the key Donetsk city. The move underscores Moscow’s growing confidence after recent advances and reflects an increasingly dangerous escalation, both on the frontlines and in the global nuclear arena.

5️⃣ 🇧🇴 Bolivia’s Supreme Court annuls prison sentence of former president: Bolivia’s Supreme Court has overturned the 10-year prison sentence of former interim president Jeanine Anez, ruling that her conviction for allegedly orchestrating a coup against Evo Morales violated due process. Her release marks a dramatic reversal in one of Bolivia’s most polarising political cases, rooted in the turmoil that followed Morales’s contested 2019 resignation and Anez’s brief, turbulent tenure.

Major Story

🇧🇷 MIDDLE POWERS AND THE CLIMATE TRANSITION: BRAZIL’S DEFINING TEST

As COP30 approaches, the global landscape is shifting dramatically. Economic nationalism now defines both Washington and Beijing, eroding the post-war order of open markets and predictable trade. The United States is deepening its reshoring drive and protectionism, while China’s slowing growth threatens commodity-dependent economies that once relied on its insatiable demand. For middle powers such as host Brazil, the question is whether they can adapt—or remain trapped in the extractive models of the past.

Brazil’s Leadership Moment at COP30

Held in Belém, deep in the Amazon, COP30 will be Brazil’s opportunity to redefine what climate leadership from the Global South looks like. The conference will test whether emerging economies can move beyond pledges to tangible industrial transformation. Brasília’s agenda—focused on forest protection, renewable energy innovation, and financing a just transition—positions Brazil as a bridge between the developed and developing worlds. It seeks to demonstrate that sustainability and economic growth can reinforce rather than undermine each other.

Reforming Climate Finance

A defining theme of COP30 will be the fight for fairer global climate finance. Many developing nations remain unable to access concessional funding or debt relief to invest in resilience and decarbonisation. Brazil will use its platform to push for reforms of international financial institutions and greater accountability from wealthier nations that have failed to meet climate finance pledges. By championing an agenda of equity and pragmatic reform, Brazil hopes to rally a coalition of emerging economies demanding both resources and respect.

Building a Green Industrial Future

Brazil’s transition strategy is already taking shape. The country’s expertise in biofuels, sustainable agriculture, and forest-based industries offers a blueprint for low-carbon development suited to the Global South. Yet the challenge is scale—attracting sufficient investment and technology to transform these sectors into the backbone of a green industrial economy. Brazil’s success will depend on converting its ecological assets into competitive advantages, turning renewable abundance into jobs, exports, and innovation.

Leading the Global South

If Brazil succeeds, COP30 could mark a historic turning point: the moment a major emerging economy proved that leadership on climate does not belong solely to the industrialised North. By blending diplomacy, innovation, and moral authority as steward of the Amazon, Brazil has a rare chance to recast the global climate agenda—not as charity, but as shared opportunity.

Other News

1️⃣ 🇹🇷 🇳🇪 🇧🇫 🇲🇱 Erdoğan expands Turkey’s influence across the Sahel: Once focused mainly on North Africa’s former Ottoman territories, Turkey has turned its attention southward, deepening its presence across the Sahel. Following the wave of coups in Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, coupled with France’s retreat and Washington’s reduced engagement under President Trump, Russia and China have dominated security and resource sectors, and Turkey has rapidly emerged as a key political and economic partner.

2️⃣ 🇮🇶 🇺🇸 Sudani links militia disarmament to full US troop withdrawal: Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said non-state militias can only be disarmed once all US forces leave Iraq, arguing that foreign troops have outlived their purpose now that ISIS no longer poses a major threat. Speaking ahead of the 11 November parliamentary elections, Sudani framed his position as a matter of sovereignty, balancing ties between Washington and Tehran, whose allies dominate Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces.

3️⃣ 🇸🇦 🇺🇸 Saudi Arabia nears F-35 fighter jet purchase from Washington: The Trump administration is reviewing Saudi Arabia’s request to buy up to 48 U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets — a multibillion-dollar deal that has advanced through key Pentagon channels ahead of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Washington. If approved, the sale would mark a major policy shift, challenging Israel’s long-protected military superiority.

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