Politics

Today, the South Korean and U.S. navies kicked off massive combined drills off the coast of the Korean peninsula amid heightened tensions, a training exercise which North Korea has warned may prompt another ballistic missile launch potentially to coincide with the launch of the Chinese 19th Party Congress on October 18. The two allies plan to continue the Maritime Counter Special Operations Exercise (MCSOFEX) through Friday in the East Sea and the Yellow Sea.

• Iraq forces seize Kirkuk outskirts in advance on Kurdish-held territory (Reuters)
• Iraq-Kurd Fighting Threatens to Undo Anti-ISIS Coalition (WSJ)
• Oil rises as fighting escalates in Iraq's oil-rich Kirkuk (Reuters)
• Madrid moves towards direct rule over Catalonia (Reuters)
• Spain Signals It Will Suspend Catalan Self-Rule This Week (BBG)
• Central Bankers Cling to Stimulus Amid Weak Inflation (WSJ)
• White House pitches corporate tax cut as win for workers (Reuters)

After years of undermining the regime of Syrian leader Bashar al Assad, an effort that has seen Israel countenance ISIS training camps near its borders and launch recurring missile strikes on Syrian territory and its army bases while threatening to bomb Assad's palace, the simmering conflict between the two nations broke out into the open once again overnight.

The Catalan stand-off has been extended until Thursday as both sides hold their ground.

Yet another purported example of Russia-linked hackers infiltrating the email accounts of powerful government officials    has been conclusively debunked.

The Guardian is reporting that a June incident where the accounts of dozens of UK ministers of parliament were infiltrated by shadowy hackers has been traced back to Iran. The UK intelligence community’s initial conclusion – that the attacks originated in Russia – has been refuted by an as-yet-unpublished report on the incident compiled by British intelligence.