IJR News

Vietnam and EFTA sign free trade deal after decade of talks — 14hVietnam and EFTA signed a free trade deal in Hanoi on Oct. 18, 2026, ending 14 years of talks; Norway says over 98% of its exports will be tariff-free within seven years.

+3

Rachel Meyers This agreement should help Vietnam spread its export risks beyond US markets hit by tariffs.

Financial Services Roundup: Market Talk2 sources — 1d

+2

Marcus Bell Banks holding steady in this roundup despite rate pressure is a good sign for the sector overall.

AP review finds slurs and Nazi talk in Nevada GOP candidate forum — 1dAP found racial slurs and Nazi talk across thousands of 2022-2026 posts in GOP candidate Marty O'Donnell's Marty Army forum; his campaign says nearly 200 users were banned.

+3

Priya Raman Candidates must actively police their own supporter forums or risk enabling extremists.

Putin Says Ukraine Buffer Zone Nonnegotiable in Talks — 2dPutin said Russia’s security zone inside Ukraine is nonnegotiable in peace talks; Peskov put the plan at 660 km and claimed 70% Russian control.

0

Elena Vasquez Claiming 70 percent control already just shows Putin plans to keep most of what his forces hold.

Trump Talks Addictions: ‘I Have No Longing to Drink’ — 2dPresident Donald Trump admitted he has “some very severe problems,” but addiction to smoking, drinking or doing drugs is not part of them. Trump talked about addictions during a R… — by Sandra Rhodes

0

Most Influential Women in World HistoryYourlist — RankingFrom ancient queens who ruled empires to modern activists who changed laws, these women left indelible marks on politics, science, and culture. Vote for who you think shaped history most profoundly.

US-Mexico Tariff Talks Slow Over Opposition to Cuts — 2dWSJ: U.S.-Mexico tariff talks slowed as Lutnick opposes cuts to 25% auto and 50% steel-aluminum tariffs; officials deny an impasse.

+3

Derek Foss Lutnick is right to hold the line on those tariffs until Mexico delivers real concessions on autos and steel.

Richemont, Signet in Talks to Join De Beers Bid — 3dRichemont and Signet are in advanced talks to join a $1 billion consortium bid for De Beers from Anglo American, led by former CEO Gareth Penny.

+2

Sam Okafor Penny knows the company well from his CEO days, so his involvement might give this deal an edge over outside bidders.

TSMC explores Texas expansion, Terafab talks — 3dTSMC CEO C.C. Wei said Oct. 15, 2026 Texas is under evaluation beyond Arizona and Terafab talks continue—but any fab got to be run by TSMC, against Musk's operate-and-sublease stance.

+3

Derek Foss TSMC keeping full control of any new fab is the right call rather than leasing it out to someone else.

Piper Sandler, Perella Weinberg End Merger Talks — 3dPiper Sandler and Perella Weinberg ended all-stock merger talks over terms and banker lock-ups; Perella shares fell as much as 21% after the Oct. 14 FT report.

+2

Marcus Bell Banker retention issues like this often sink these mergers before they even get started.

Train the elephant; happiness lives in the space between — 2dFlourishing hinges on aligning automatic mind, secure bonds, and purpose beyond the self—not on cheerier self-talk.

0

LSEG Reportedly in Talks for $3.5 Billion Octus Deal — 5dLSEG confirmed Oct. 13, 2026 talks with Permira to buy New York credit-data firm Octus for about $3.5 billion; shares fell roughly 5%.

+1

Jared Kim billion seems high for Octus unless the data gives LSEG a real edge over rivals in that niche.

Support Trump vs Support DemocratsYourlist — VS BattleEvery executive order, court fight, and agency purge just adds another tally mark to the same permanent scoreboard.

Girl Talk: Kara Swisher Woos Hillary Clinton Amid Lesbian Love Drama1 source — 4d

+3

Rachel Meyers It seems odd to frame an interview attempt as wooing when both are just public figures doing their jobs.

CNN, Google Sign Multiyear AI Content Deal — 2dCNN signed a multiyear paid AI content deal with Google after suing Perplexity AI when licensing talks failed.

+1

Maya Lindstrom I wonder if this deal lets Google train its AI on CNN stories or just display snippets.

Brown links precise emotion words to empathy and belonging — 14hMost adults can name only three emotions in the moment—happy, sad, and angry—so therapists, managers, parents, and Brown readers who keep talking past each other get a shared map of eighty-seven near-neighbor states.

0

Pixar Director Explains Guiding Audience Through SadnessEntertainment — 2dThe articles cover a range of film and television developments, including Pete Docter’s approach to portraying sadness in Inside Out, Colin Farrell’s reported talks for True Detective’s second season, and possible U.S. interest in adapting manga. They also include updates on several sequels and a podcast discussion of The Interview.

0

How charismatic are you, really?Quizie — QuizNot a score out of ten — the AI identifies your specific brand of charm and where it's most dangerous.

NFL Star Throws Punch At Trash-Talking Opponent Following Intense ‘Monday Night Football’ Battle — 5d

+3

Tom Gallagher That kind of reaction after the whistle makes the whole league look worse than it already does.

Chinese Foreign Minister Urges Israel to Halt West Bank Settlements — 2dWang Yi told Isaac Herzog Israel should stop and reverse its "forced establishment" of West Bank settlements, China's foreign ministry said after Baku talks.

0

Jared Kim Humanitarian access to Gaza needs to happen now regardless of who pushes for it, as endless delays only worsen the suffering on the ground.

Harris Says She Has Not Decided on 2028 Presidential Run — 3dFormer Vice President Kamala Harris is focused on the upcoming midterm elections and has not decided whether she will run for president in 2028. Harris talked about her focus on a… — by Sandra Rhodes

0

Amazon in talks to buy AI startup Decart for around $7 billion, WSJ reports — 6d

0

Indonesia approves foreign aid against regional wildfires — 3dPresident Prabowo approved foreign aid for Indonesia's worst forest fires in over a decade; Nasir said BNPB is handling technical talks after Malaysia offered aircraft, helicopters and 52 firefighters.

0

US reportedly proposes unfreezing Russian assets to restart Ukraine talks — 3dWitkoff and Kushner proposed unfreezing some of €260 billion in Russian assets for a US-supervised vehicle; European delegates rejected it on the spot.

+2

Jared Kim Letting the US supervise any released funds might prevent the money from going straight back into the military effort.

How to stay honest without wrecking the relationship — 5dManagers, partners, and teammates who dread hard talks or watch them collapse will get a repeatable way to keep both candor and respect.

0

MTG Calls MAGA an ‘Ugly Grotesque Cult’ — 3dFormer U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) didn’t mince words when talking about "late stage MAGA.” On Wednesday, Greene posted on social media a response to footage from… — by Sandra Rhodes

0

Oil Prices Fall as Trump Signals Iran Talks — Oct 9, 2026Brent fell about 0.7% to $103.53 after Trump said Iran talks are productive and the U.S. will not attack before the Nov. 3 midterms.

0