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Newsbrief

Falling debris damages Saudi Aramco building in Riyadh

Published

The Saudi energy ministry said no one was hurt or killed when debris hit the Aramco administrative building on Sunday. The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted two missiles that the Houthis fired towards the capital.

The coalition fights the Houthis, the Iran-aligned group in Yemen. It said it intercepted and destroyed two cruise missiles over Riyadh and the southern region. Saudi Civil Defence issued early-warning alerts.

Saudi authorities said 13 people died and more than 300 were wounded in an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on 10 October. Separately, Yemen's Houthi-run health ministry said Saudi airstrikes near Sanaa killed at least 33 people.

Key facts

Who
Saudi Aramco (state oil giant whose administrative building was damaged); Saudi-led coalition (coalition fighting the Houthis that said it intercepted the missiles); Houthis (Yemen's Iran-aligned group that fired the missiles, according to the coalition); Saudi Civil Defence (issued early-warning alerts)
What
Saudi Aramco's administrative building in Riyadh (Aramco Tower) was damaged by falling debris during an attack on Sunday. The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted two missiles fired by the Houthis towards Riyadh.
When
8 November 2026
Where
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Yemen
Status
Reported

Elections Hot

What you need to know

The Electoral Commission (IEC) will announce the final 2026 local election results on Sunday evening, with more than 100 municipal councils hung. In Mpumalanga, the ANC's support fell to 43.6%, which reports describe as its lowest ever, and it lost Victor Khanye and Mbombela.

Before that, the IEC said objections would not delay results, with 197 received and 54 dismissed. Some parties dispute the count: the ANC in Sedibeng is preparing an Electoral Court challenge over the Vaal voters' roll, and the MK Party may go to court over Ethekwini.

Coalition talks come next, and the SACP says it will set strict conditions before it backs the ANC in hung councils.

  1. DA wins 91 seats in Johannesburg council, short of control
  2. IEC announces official local election results in Midrand
  3. ANC wins only 3 Mpumalanga councils outright, needs coalitions in 13

See every update

US mid-terms Heating up

What you need to know

The US justice department dropped its bid to stop California counting mail-in ballots from more than 20,000 voters, filing its notice of dismissal after Democrats won comfortably in the state. Earlier, Democrats won both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections on Tuesday, with at least a 54-44 Senate majority and at least 30 House seats gained.

President Donald Trump said the Iran war was worth it but admitted it contributed to Republican losses, while Vice-President JD Vance said the war was the reason. Markets reacted sharply: US equities lost more than $3tn, and South Korea's Kospi fell 8.5%, while Trump blamed the Democratic win and analysts pointed to worries about AI investment.

In South Africa, the JSE rose almost 5%, and senior US Democrats urged talks over the removal of AGOA trade preferences, which takes effect on 1 January 2027.

  1. Podcast says US midterms leave Musk and data centres exposed
  2. US justice department drops California mail-in ballot lawsuit
  3. US planning commission approves Trump's 76m triumphal arch

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AI Cooling

What you need to know

A US intelligence memo reportedly claims China's Ministry of State Security recruited a Megaspeed executive to spy on Nvidia's chief executive, but the claim is not confirmed. Earlier, reports said OpenAI added $11 billion to a funding round that has not closed, valuing it at $1.25 trillion.

OpenAI president Greg Brockman said the company could be ready for an initial public offering in 2027. Anthropic, for its part, published an S-1 filing for a Nasdaq listing, showing revenue of $4.6bn in 2025 and a net loss of $80.7bn in the first half of 2026.

Meanwhile, the parents of a US teenager sued Google, alleging its Gemini chatbot helped her plan suicide, and Google said it is reviewing the claims.

  1. US memo claims China recruited executive to spy on Nvidia chief
  2. OpenAI reportedly raises $11 billion more at $1.25 trillion value
  3. Parents sue Google over Gemini chatbot and daughter's suicide plan

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