Good Morning! Next week at the 5he US presidential election is coming!

• Democratic presidential candidate and US Vice President Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance on the comedy show *Saturday Night Live* three days before the election. In a humorous sketch, she played herself alongside Maya Rudolph, whom she portrayed as Harris. Alluding to their names, the two emphasized that Americans should “stop the drama-la” and “stay calm-ala.” Harris and her Republican rival Donald Trump held parallel campaign events in North Carolina, where both planes were on the same tarmac. Trump again promised to deport millions of immigrants and warned of the consequences of Harris winning the election. Harris, on the other hand, accused him of abusing his power and having a vindictive attitude. More than 75 million Americans have already voted, as evidenced by the high voter turnout.
• The presidential run-off election in Moldova will take place on Sunday between the pro-European incumbent Maia Sandu and the Russia-friendly candidate Alexandr Stoianoglo. Sandu is aiming to join the EU, while Stoianoglo also wants to strengthen relations with Russia. The election is accompanied by accusations of Russian interference, including by the fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor, who is alleged to have bought votes. The result could have a decisive impact on Moldova's geopolitical direction.
  
• An Israeli naval unit carried out a “special operation” in the Lebanese coastal town of Batroun on Friday morning and arrested a person identified as Imad Amhaz, an alleged Hezbollah expert. According to an Israeli military spokesman, Amhaz was taken to Israel and interrogated. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati called for an investigation and instructed the foreign minister to file a complaint with the UN Security Council. A video apparently shows Israeli soldiers taking the detainee away.
  
  
• Rockets from Lebanon injured eleven people in central Israel on Saturday when a missile hit a house. The escalation in fighting between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah group since September continues, and hopes of a US-sponsored ceasefire are fading. Hezbollah claimed to have attacked a military base near Tel Aviv at the same time. Israel responded with air strikes, killing two Hezbollah commanders.
  
  
• Berkshire Hathaway continued to sell shares in the third quarter, including 25% of its Apple shares, and increased its cash reserves to a record 325.2 billion dollars. In total, shares worth 36.1 billion dollars were sold, while only 1.5 billion dollars went into new purchases. This was the eighth consecutive quarter in which Berkshire was a net seller. Operating profit fell 6%, partly due to insurance losses from Hurricane Helene. Despite high cash reserves, a major acquisition has yet to materialize.
  
• Spain is carrying out its largest peacetime disaster relief operation after deadly floods in Valencia claimed the lives of at least 214 people. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez deployed 5,000 extra soldiers to help search for the missing and clean up. One woman was rescued alive from a parking garage after three days, giving rescuers hope.
  
• Bolivian President Luis Arce has accused supporters of ex-President Evo Morales of violently taking over three military posts near Cochabamba and holding soldiers hostage. The attackers are said to have broken into the armory and attacked police with gunfire and dynamite. Meanwhile, Morales is demanding talks with the government and has announced a hunger strike. Tensions between Arce and Morales, once close allies, are escalating ahead of the 2025 elections.
  
• Ukrainian troops are currently repelling one of the strongest Russian offensives since the start of the war, General Oleksandr Syrskyi said. Russian troops made their fastest territorial gains since March 2022 in September, and Moscow recently reported the capture of more settlements in the Donbas region, where fierce fighting is taking place. As Russia advances, President Zelensky is traveling through NATO countries to secure support for long-range missiles. Ukraine is also preparing for a harsh winter, as Russian attacks have destroyed around half of its energy infrastructure.
  
• CDU leader Friedrich Merz has praised FDP leader Christian Lindner's economic paper and emphasized that many of the proposals in it were taken directly from Union proposals. Merz sees major overlaps between the economic policy ideas of the CDU/CSU and the FDP and calls for Germany's competitiveness to be strengthened. In his paper, Lindner advocates an “economic turnaround” with a moratorium on new regulations and the abolition of the solidarity surcharge. However, this contradicts the coalition agreements between the SPD, Greens and FDP. SPD leader Lars Klingbeil was critical, but signaled a willingness to talk.
  
  
• Following the publication of a policy paper by FDP leader Christian Lindner on economic policy, CSU leader Markus Söder is calling for immediate new elections in Germany. He describes the traffic light coalition as incapable of acting and warns that the country is suffering under this government. Söder suggests that Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier should intervene if Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) does not end the coalition himself. Other CDU and CSU politicians are also critical of the traffic light coalition and expect it to collapse soon, while there is disagreement within the coalition over measures to strengthen the economy.
  
  
• Kamala Harris is perceived by many voters as difficult to assess shortly before the 2024 US election. Despite initial enthusiasm, she has not decisively differentiated herself from Donald Trump. Voters do not know her positions well and her main issue, abortion rights, appeals mainly to Democrats. While she adopts Trump's rhetoric on some policy issues, one poll shows Trump clearly in the lead, especially on economic issues. In the final stages of her campaign, Harris is relying on celebrity support to close the gap, but whether this will be enough remains uncertain.
  
• Coalition negotiations between the SPD and BSW begin tomorrow in Brandenburg, just six weeks after the election. The aim is to form a new state government by the end of November. Four working groups are negotiating on topics such as education, home affairs and the economy. One controversial issue regarding military support for Ukraine has already been resolved. The country's financial situation is tense, which is making negotiations more difficult. Both parties emphasize the need for pragmatic solutions.
  
• Donald Trump has sharply attacked Liz Cheney, a former Republican and critic of his policies, calling her a “crazy warmonger”. At an election rally in Arizona, he commented on a controversial remark that Cheney should look into nine gun barrels in a firefight and defended this statement. In Arizona, the judiciary is now investigating whether Trump's remarks can be classified as a death threat. Cheney, who ended her political career after storming the Capitol in January 2021, is now supporting Kamala Harris, who is running against Trump for the presidency. Trump also heavily criticized Harris and called her incompetent. As the election approaches on November 5, polls show a tight race between the two.
  
• Volkswagen is planning to cut anniversary bonuses for over 10,000 long-serving employees in order to ensure competitiveness in the face of weak sales figures. The proposal is part of a cost-cutting plan that also includes a ten percent reduction in collectively agreed wages and possible compulsory redundancies from mid-2025. The crisis at VW, which resulted in a 64% drop in profits in the third quarter, is causing concern in rural regions, while a majority of Germans are against state bailouts for the company.
  
• The Governor of Washington, Jay Inslee, has put the National Guard on standby to be prepared for possible unrest during the presidential election on November 5. The move comes after a ballot box in Vancouver was set on fire by an incendiary device, damaging hundreds of ballots. Inslee is also responding to warnings from the Department of Homeland Security regarding threats to election infrastructure. The activation of the National Guard is seen as a necessary measure to maintain public safety.