Monday SITREP: Global Ratings

Happy Monday.

🇨🇦 Deadly Attack in Canada Upsets Final Day of Campaigning

Canada's federal election campaign took a somber turn as party leaders responded to a deadly incident where an SUV rammed into a Filipino festival in Vancouver, killing 11 people. Prime Minister Carney cancelled major rallies while continuing smaller events, Conservative Leader Poilievre held a moment of silence before resuming campaign activities, and NDP Leader Singh—who had left the festival minutes before the attack—cancelled multiple events to attend a Filipino mass. More - CBC

Recent polls suggest Liberals are favored to win Monday's election. CBC Polls

🇨🇳 China Seizes Disputed Sandbank in Spratlys

China's coastguard has seized Sandy Cay, a tiny sandbank in the disputed Spratly Islands, with state media releasing images of officers planting the Chinese flag on the reef. The Philippines responded by landing on three sandbanks themselves, releasing mimicking photos while reporting Chinese vessels nearby, all amid ongoing US-Philippine military exercises involving 17,000 personnel. The White House called China's actions "deeply concerning if true." More - BBC

🇮🇷 Port Blast Rocks Iran

A massive explosion at Iran’s Shahid Rajaee port killed at least 40 people and injured about 1,000. The blast occurred at a hazardous materials storage depot, with authorities declaring national mourning while Russia sends aircraft with specialists to help extinguish the fire. Port operations have partially resumed with officials claiming only one zone was impacted. More - Al Jazeera

🇱🇧 Israel Strikes Beirut Suburb

Israel conducted an airstrike on a Hezbollah precision missile storage facility in a Beirut suburb, claiming it posed a "significant threat" despite the November ceasefire agreement. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called on the US and France to "force Israel to stop its aggression immediately," while the UN special coordinator urged all sides to respect the cessation of hostilities. The strike is part of Israel's intensified military operations on multiple fronts following a period of relative calm earlier this year. More - Bloomberg