The US Army general, Lt Gen Brett Sylvia, fired by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has admitted to leaking classified information about the wars in Iran and Ukraine to journalists over a period of roughly a year.

https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/failed-polygraph-tests-and-more-how-top-us-army-strategist-fired-for-leaking-war-info-was-exposed-14056608.html?utm_source=telegram&utm_medium=social

Can Pope Leo XIV, the head of the Catholic Church and Vatican head of state, vote in the US midterms? Here's how his American citizenship, Illinois voting laws and an overseas mail-in ballot could make history.

https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/why-pope-leo-is-set-to-make-history-if-he-votes-in-the-us-midterms-14056597.html?utm_source=telegram&utm_medium=social

Watch: Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico found a desi way to connect with voters, trying his hand at making a masala dosa during a campaign stop at an Indian restaurant in Irving, near Dallas.

https://www.firstpost.com/world/united-states/james-talarico-gives-desi-twist-to-texas-senate-campaign-watch-how-he-makes-masala-dosa-14056720.html?utm_source=telegram&utm_medium=social

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was forced to pull the plug on the plans to get a photograph of the foreign ministers from the Group of 20 nations right at the start of the meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.

https://www.firstpost.com/world/us-cancels-g20-photo-op-after-european-ministers-refuse-to-be-pictured-with-russias-lavrov-14056735.html?utm_source=telegram&utm_medium=social

From Jio's record-breaking IPO to the fraud at Punjab National Bank's Greater Noida branch, here's a roundup of the big news from India.

https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/this-week-in-explainers-how-jio-rewrote-indian-ipo-history-14056634.html?utm_source=telegram&utm_medium=social

India clears a Rs 2.12 lakh crore package led by kamikaze drones, counter-drone systems and air defence, approves its largest destroyers yet, and Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit takes over as Chief of the Air Staff. Also this week: a missile test zone over the Bay of Bengal and an espionage probe targeting naval establishments in Visakhapatnam. Read Firstpost's Weekly Defence Dispatch.

https://www.firstpost.com/india/weekly-defence-dispatch-drones-top-indias-rs-2-12-lakh-crore-shopping-list-navy-goes-big-on-destroyers-iaf-gets-a-new-chief-and-more-14056739.html?utm_source=telegram&utm_medium=social

With Democrats hoping to take control of Congress, Trump has said he will accept the results only if the elections are “honest”. But what happens if he disputes the outcome?

https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/what-happens-if-trump-rejects-the-2026-us-midterm-election-results-14056291.html?utm_source=telegram&utm_medium=social

In an article published in The Guardian on Saturday, Andy Burnham said Britain could no longer avoid difficult conversations about its history if it wanted to maintain strong relations with Commonwealth nations, particularly those in Africa and the Caribbean.

https://www.firstpost.com/world/uk-pm-andy-burnham-signals-possible-apology-for-slave-trade-but-rules-out-paying-reparations-14056864.html?utm_source=telegram&utm_medium=social

Clashes broke out in Paris, Marseille and several other French cities as more than 320,000 people took part in demonstrations against the rising cost of living, widening inequalities and deteriorating public services.

https://www.firstpost.com/world/france-protests-turn-violent-as-police-arrest-511-germany-also-sees-clashes-14056893.html?utm_source=telegram&utm_medium=social

From the Israeli political deadlock after neither major bloc was able to attain the required seats, to the crypto heist at Binance, our weekly roundup has it all.

https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/this-week-in-explainers-why-israels-political-deadlock-isnt-bad-news-for-netanyahu-14056576.html?utm_source=telegram&utm_medium=social

Ahead of the US midterm elections, Donald Trump and Barack Obama are in a bitter war of words. The topic of their feud is our Word of the Week -- the Cheesecake Factory.

https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/cheesecake-factory-is-the-word-of-the-week-how-us-restaurant-chain-has-become-a-midterm-jibe-14056325.html?utm_source=telegram&utm_medium=social

Have you noticed that the US only votes on the first Tuesday of November? Here's the reasoning behind this phenomenon.

https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/us-midterms-why-do-americans-vote-only-on-the-first-tuesday-of-november-14056055.html?utm_source=telegram&utm_medium=social

The Internet can sometimes be a pretty dark place. However, a livestream of puppies from Finland is bucking this trend and putting a smile on everyone's face.

https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/paw-sitive-vibes-how-finlands-24-hour-puppy-livestream-has-become-an-internet-sensation-14055740.html?utm_source=telegram&utm_medium=social

Can a smile actually make you happier? Research suggests it may boost your mood and ease stress. But experts say authenticity matters. So, smile when it feels right.

https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/can-forcing-yourself-to-smile-make-you-happier-what-science-says-14055731.html?utm_source=telegram&utm_medium=social

Less than 48 hours before Election Day in the US, comes a major twist. US Congresswoman Haley Stevens, a Democrat, has endorsed Republican Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers over her party’s Abdul El-Sayed.

https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/us-midterms-democrat-haley-stevens-endorsing-republican-abdul-el-sayed-michigan-senate-race-14057016.html?utm_source=telegram&utm_medium=social

Cyclone Murasu has strengthened into a severe cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal and is likely to make landfall between Nellore and Narsapur in Andhra Pradesh on November 3. The storm comes just a week after Cyclone Arnab lashed the state with heavy rains and winds.

https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/cyclone-murasu-intensifies-before-nov-3-landfall-how-severe-is-the-storm-and-which-states-are-on-alert-14057026.html?utm_source=telegram&utm_medium=social

From Germany to Switzerland, Europe's Gen Z is taking to the streets over unaffordable housing, education, rising living costs and conscription. What began as peaceful demonstrations has increasingly been overshadowed by riots and clashes with police. Here's what is fuelling the unrest.

https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/from-germany-to-switzerland-why-young-europeans-are-protesting-14057046.html?utm_source=telegram&utm_medium=social

"We are out of time." Those were among the final words transmitted from a Learjet 60 before it plunged into a residential neighbourhood in Greenacres, Florida, on Sunday, leaving at least nine people dead.

https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/florida-plane-crash-what-happened-in-the-final-minutes-before-learjet-plunged-to-the-ground-14057090.html?utm_source=telegram&utm_medium=social

The November 3 midterm elections could reshape the US Congress, determining who controls the House of Representatives and Senate during the final two years of President Donald Trump’s term. Here’s why this matters to India.

https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/us-midterms-republican-loss-india-impact-analysis-14057073.html?utm_source=telegram&utm_medium=social

The US Army is reportedly training its troops to dig mass graves to bury fellow soldiers killed in battle in preparation for the possibility of large-scale casualties in a future conflict. This comes at a time when Washington is reportedly planning a massive operation in Iran after the midterms.

https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/why-is-the-us-training-its-soldiers-for-mass-burials-after-more-than-70-years-14057108.html?utm_source=telegram&utm_medium=social