NEED TO KNOW
EU Protests and violent clashes escalate: Protests over the cost of living, housing, education and other grievances escalated across Europe this week, culminating in large demonstrations on Saturday. In France, authorities estimated around 410,000 people took part (unions claimed 800,000), with over 1,300 arrests, over 50 police officers and protesters injured, and heavy security including 70,000 officers deployed. Major Paris museums including the Louvre were closed as a precaution after last week’s widespread looting and arson. In Italy, thousands marched in Rome, Milan and other cities. Protesters briefly forced their way into the Colosseum before being removed, while police reported nine arrests and over 370 temporary detentions. Similar unrest hit Barcelona, with 128 arrests after looting and fires, as well as Portugal, and Belgium.
IR Hormuz tensions rise: This week Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed to have struck multiple commercial vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, including four ships and others that hit mines, though President Trump accused Tehran of exaggerating the incidents to drive up oil prices ahead of the US midterms. Oil from one earlier-struck tanker has since washed up on UAE beaches, prompting closures in Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain and parts of Sharjah. Brent crude rose above $113 a barrel amid the heightened tensions. US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said the conflict could last another year, while reports indicated the US and Israel have been discussing possible joint strikes after the midterms. Iranian officials warned that any renewed US-Israeli attacks would face “zero red lines,” with threats to target oil facilities, undersea cables, data centres and AI infrastructure across several Gulf countries.
KSA US diplomats, Aramco staff evacuated: Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi rebels continued intensive exchanges this week, with the Houthis launching multiple ballistic missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports (including Dammam and Riyadh) and Aramco facilities, killing several people and prompting the US to order some non-essential diplomats to leave the kingdom. Saudi Aramco also instructed staff to evacuate its headquarters and work remotely amid the heightened threat. Britain announced it would deploy RAF Typhoon fighter jets to help defend Saudi cities and infrastructure from further Houthi attacks, while Saudi forces intercepted additional missiles and drones over Riyadh and southern areas. Inside Yemen, Houthi strikes on government positions continued, including attacks near Aden.
RU Oleshky ceasefire and prisoner release offer hope for peace: Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a temporary ceasefire in the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky, brokered with the involvement of US First Lady Melania Trump, to allow humanitarian aid deliveries and civilian evacuations. Separately, President Vladimir Putin met US envoy Steve Witkoff on 21 October to discuss proposals for ending the wider war, and agreed to resume US-mediated trilateral peace talks with Ukraine as early as November. Russia also released Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American retired teacher who had been detained since 2022, as a goodwill gesture. Major obstacles remain, including Russia’s territorial demands and Ukraine’s insistence on security guarantees.
JO Nine killed in church shooting: Gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Jordan’s Karak governorate on Friday, killing nine people and wounding around 40, according to updated reports. Jordanian authorities described the attack as an act of extremist terrorism, though no group has claimed responsibility. King Abdullah vowed a forceful response, while security forces continued searching for the attackers. The rare attack has shocked a country generally regarded as one of the more stable in the region.
US Major internet vulnerability triggers global site shutdowns: A critical pair of vulnerabilities in PHP, the programming language that powers roughly 70% of websites, were publicly disclosed this week after AI tools helped US-based researchers turn a long-known theoretical flaw into practical remote-code-execution exploits in just days. Patches were released on October 21, but millions of exploit attempts followed almost immediately. As a precaution, numerous government sites, services and platforms across Europe and elsewhere temporarily went offline, including Dutch government portals, Finnish public services, French Interior Ministry sites, and several Japanese online services. Experts describe it as a wake-up call that AI has made previously impractical vulnerabilities suddenly easy to weaponize.
UK Government issues stockpiling advice: The UK government has launched its “Be Ready” campaign, urging households to keep three days’ worth of essential supplies, including bottled water, tinned food, a torch, a radio and a first-aid kit, in case of emergencies such as extreme weather, cyberattacks or infrastructure disruption. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting separately warned that Britain and its NATO allies have a little over 1,000 days to prepare to fight and win a war, saying Russia could have the military capacity to attack by 2030. Officials say the advice is intended to strengthen national resilience, not to signal that war is imminent.
SV Bukele sends troops to Haiti to retrieve hostages: El Salvador has deployed troops to Haiti to help rescue four Salvadoran aviation technicians serving with a UN-backed international security force who went missing after a gang ambush on 18 October. President Nayib Bukele announced a military operation and warned Haitian gangs of a stronger response if the men were not returned alive and unharmed: “Do not take our word for empty threats. We have already finished with the gangs in El Salvador, and we can finish with you too”, he said in a statement on X. On Thursday, 100 Salvadoran special forces troops arrived, with another 100 expected, as clashes continued in gang-controlled territory near Port-au-Prince.
QA Qatar signs historic deal to import US natural gas: QatarEnergy has signed a long-term deal with US producer Cheniere Energy to buy 4 million tonnes of LNG per year through 2054, its first major offtake agreement from American terminals. The volumes will come from Cheniere’s Sabine Pass and Corpus Christi plants, with deliveries expected to start in the early 2030s. The move is driven by war-related damage to Qatar’s own Ras Laffan LNG complex and ongoing disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which have sharply cut the country’s export capacity and forced it to declare force majeure on many existing contracts.
US Amazon withdraws data center plans after local backlash: Amazon has abandoned plans to build four new AI data centers on a 122-acre site in Loudoun County, Northern Virginia, after facing strong local opposition. The company, which paid about $427 million for the former George Washington University campus land, will instead rezone most of it for mixed-use and residential development. Amazon is also donating 25 acres for a community arts center and recreational facilities and contributing $5 million to the county’s affordable housing fund. The decision marks a rare retreat by a major tech firm in the face of community pushback over data-center expansion.
CH Burglaries on the rise: Burglaries in Switzerland have risen steadily since 2020, according to an analysis by Swiss insurance company AXA, which recorded 4% more cases in 2025 than the previous year and 15% more than in 2022. Thefts spike sharply with the switch to winter time, with 45% more incidents between October and March than in summer, and December being the peak month. French-speaking cantons are hit hardest, as Geneva’s rate is more than double the national average. Average claim costs also reached a record of over CHF 7,000 per incident in 2025. Last year, AXA paid out more than CHF 22 million for burglaries, 9% more than the previous year and a 60% increase compared with three years earlier.
GOOD TO KNOW
Protests in Tel Aviv ahead of Tuesday’s general election
Thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv yesterday for a large anti-government demonstration three days before the country’s general election. The rally, organized by the October Council of families of victims and hostages from the October 7 attacks, demanded an independent state commission of inquiry into the security failures that allowed the assault. Leading opposition figures, including Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu’s main centre-right rival, joined the protesters.
Polls published before the pre-election gag period showed a tight race, with neither Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc nor Eisenkot’s projected to win a clear majority in the Knesset. However, the latest Polymarket data show Eisenkot has a 52% chance of becoming the next PM, well ahead of Netanyahu with 28%.
A key battleground is disenchanted traditional Likud voters: only about 55% of those who backed the party in 2022 say they will do so again, with some shifting toward Eisenkot’s camp or other right-wing alternatives. Arab citizens of Israel, who make up about 21% of the population and are projected to win 13–15 seats, could prove decisive if their turnout rises as expected, as their parties may hold the balance in any coalition talks, even if formal partnerships remain unlikely.
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US Startup raises $200m to develop military super-dogs: Warhound, a new defence technology startup co-founded by Colossal Biosciences CEO Ben Lamm and Anduril founder Palmer Luckey, has raised $200 million at a $1.2 billion valuation to develop genetically enhanced military working dogs. The company plans to use gene editing and cloning to improve dogs’ health, longevity, strength and abilities, including detecting explosives, while reducing US reliance on European dog breeders. Anduril will equip the dogs with protective gear, sensors and technology to improve battlefield awareness and communication with handlers. The first births expected in early 2027 and the company aims to deploy them within two years.
FI Google's illegal deforestation sparks anger: Google has been ordered to halt work at two Finnish sites after illegally clear-cutting around 250,000 trees near Muhos (and tens of thousands more at Otanmäki) for a major data-centre project without completing the required environmental impact assessments. The destruction has sparked widespread anger, with local residents and conservationists describing the company’s actions as “pure arrogance.” In Otanmäki, the loss of forest cover drove wolves into the nearby village as wildlife fled the area. The scandal has intensified national debate over Finland’s rapid embrace of data centres to power AI growth versus the cost to its forests and environment.
US “Internet of Smells” breakthrough: Researchers have developed “Scentronic,” a technology that can detect and recreate smells remotely, potentially allowing people to share aromas over the internet. It uses a portable electronic nose and machine learning to identify an odor, then sends digital information to a separate device that releases matching scent molecules. The prototype currently recognizes five smells: beer, cake, coffee, oranges and red wine, with potential applications in virtual reality and online shopping. The technology remains experimental and cannot reproduce arbitrary smells, as the receiving device needs the appropriate scent ingredients.
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