Houthi ballistic missiles strike Yemen training camp in Shabwah, killing 58
The Iran-aligned Houthis fired three ballistic missiles on Monday at a government security forces training camp in Yemen's Shabwa province, killing 58 people, wounding more than 200 and leaving 14 missing, Governor Awad al-Wazir said. The strike hit the Martyr Ahmed al-Sulaimani Training Centre at al-Alam camp as recruits lined up for a drill — the deadliest single incident since the civil war resumed. The Houthis acknowledged the attack, saying they targeted 'Saudi enemy' forces, while Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council chairman Rashad al-Alimi condemned the strike and pledged a 'firm response'. A government spokesman denied the Houthi claim that the camp was run by Saudi officers.
The Wall Street Journal reported on October 18 that Vladimir Putin floated the idea of a trilateral summit next month with Donald Trump and Xi Jinping to negotiate an end to the four-year-old Ukraine conflict, a plan described as favoring Moscow. The proposal came in an October 9 phone call with Trump; the Kremlin suggested holding it on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Shenzhen on November 18–19. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed discussions were taking place, though "there is no clear understanding yet regarding the meeting itself or its potential agenda." Trump said Monday he would attend: "Anything I can do to end the war, whether somebody's there or not." Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed in Samarkand that talks were ongoing. Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that warming US-Russia ties would embolden Putin and prolong the war.
Background: The proposal follows Trump's October 16 executive order waiving key Russia sanctions and a US deal to buy Russian diesel, part of a rapid thaw in US-Russia ties; Zelenskyy has complained of repeated US intelligence-sharing blackouts ahead of Russian missile strikes.
Sources: Wall Street Journal (first report), Reuters, The Times, NY Post (4 outlets)
France Imposes Curfews in Paris and Other Cities as Macron Flies to Gulf, Drawing Criticism
🐱 Scout France anchor · Curfews imposed across French cities
After France's worst rioting in years, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu asked cities on Monday to impose "partial, limited" curfews. Overnight curfews took effect in parts of Paris — Place de la République (11 p.m.–6 a.m.) and Les Halles (10 p.m.–6 a.m.) — as well as Lyon, Nice, Lille and several northern towns, while Marseille banned all gatherings until 8 p.m. The weekend unrest left around 2,400 people arrested, nearly 1,000 police officers injured and some 1,500 shops looted; Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez admitted police had "lost control" at points, and Macron refused his offer to resign. Macron departed Monday for a three-day visit to Kuwait, the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar, saying the trip was needed to bring down petrol prices — a move commentators called out of touch. Unions have called for new strikes and rallies on November 5.
Background: Weekend protests by 550,000–800,000 people over living costs and school conditions spiraled into the country's worst street violence in decades; Macron addressed the nation on Sunday night blaming "ultra-left" agitators.
Sources: CNN, BBC, AP, Reuters, The Times (5 outlets)
A court in Mombasa on Monday found doomsday cult leader Paul Mackenzie and 29 co-accused guilty of 191 counts of murder — 190 of the victims children — in the Shakahola forest starvation tragedy. Lady Justice Diana Kavedza ruled the deaths resulted from "an organised system in which religious teachings and an established hierarchy were used to direct and enforce deadly fasting," with guards preventing followers from escaping; postmortems showed some victims died of suffocation or head injuries rather than starvation alone. Authorities have recovered 429 bodies since April 2023. The defense said it would appeal; sentencing is scheduled for November 6.
Background: Mackenzie's Good News International Church ordered followers to starve themselves and their children to death to "meet Jesus" before the end of the world; prosecutors called it one of Kenya's most consequential criminal cases ever, with 123 witnesses testifying.
Australian MP Helen Haines Critically Injured in Deliberate Vehicle Attack; Counter-Terrorism Team Investigating
🐱 Scout anchor · Australian MP critically hurt in deliberate attack
Independent MP Helen Haines, 65, is in critical condition after being deliberately struck by a Toyota Land Cruiser outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, Victoria, on Monday afternoon. The 43-year-old driver was detained by bystanders; police found a knife inside the vehicle. Haines was airlifted to a Melbourne hospital. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called it a "deliberate act," though police have yet to establish a motive. The Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police, intelligence agency ASIO and the Joint Counter-Terrorism Team are jointly investigating; political violence is extremely rare in Australia, though reports of harassment and threats against politicians have risen sharply in the past year.
Background: Haines represents the federal seat of Indi; Albanese urged the "temperature" of political discourse to be turned down, pointing to anonymous online abuse.
Saudi Arabia Postpones 'Davos in the Desert' Summit to 2027 as Houthi Attacks Rattle Kingdom
Saudi Arabia postponed its flagship Future Investment Initiative conference — the "Davos in the Desert" — until 2027, organizers announced, only the second cancellation since its 2017 debut (the first was COVID-19 in 2020). The 10th edition had been scheduled for October 26–29 in Riyadh. The Wall Street Journal reported that JPMorgan and Citigroup bankers had already canceled trips over security concerns. The Intersec Saudi Arabia exhibition and Saudi Retail Forum were also postponed, the Six Kings Slam tennis tournament moved to late December, and doubts surround the November 7 WWE Crown Jewel event. The US State Department issued a new security alert for American citizens in the Middle East.
Background: The Houthis have launched 20 attacks on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport since October 1, keeping it shut; the coalition says the strikes have killed more than a dozen people and wounded hundreds.
Sources: Wall Street Journal (first report), NY Post, Washington Examiner (3 outlets)
Political developments and international relations
Egypt Delays Vote on Military Backing for Saudi Arabia Until October 26
Egypt's parliament adjourned a second closed-door session on Monday and delayed until October 26 a vote on authorizing the armed forces to support Saudi Arabia if requested. The Egyptian Social Democratic Party instructed its lawmakers to abstain, saying parliament had not received sufficient information about the mission's objectives, scope, duration, cost or risks to Egyptian troops; the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar called for urgent Arab and Muslim mediation. Under Article 152 of the constitution, sending troops abroad requires National Defence Council consultation and two-thirds parliamentary approval. A $5.3 billion Saudi deposit at Egypt's central bank due this month looms large over Cairo's decision; the EGX30 index fell early on Monday before closing 0.4% higher.
Background: President Sisi said on October 17 that Egypt would take "any measure" necessary to defend Saudi Arabia and asked parliament for authorization; the Houthis warned Cairo against intervention.
Lavrov Wraps Up Tehran Visit: Araghchi Blames US for Hormuz Insecurity as Trump Warns of 'Finishing the Job'
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov concluded his first visit to Iran since the Middle East war began, holding a joint press conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday. Araghchi said the war forced on Iran by the US and Israel, along with the economic blockade, was the main cause of insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz; Lavrov said Russia's mediation aimed at "preventing the return of a large-scale war," and the two sides signed a 2026–2028 foreign-ministry consultation program. No new mediation initiative was publicly announced. On October 18, Trump warned on Truth Social that unless Tehran changes course quickly, "we will soon finish the job"; Araghchi replied on X: "Want to try your luck again? Be our guest. But be careful; we have unfinished jobs too." Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Iran the region's "number one driver of instability."
Background: This was Lavrov's first trip to Iran since US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February; talks between Tehran and Washington on reopening the Strait of Hormuz are stalled, with 12 attacks reported in its waters over the past week.
Sources: The National (via Lavrov remarks), AFP (via Arab News), Iranian Foreign Ministry (3 outlets)
Indonesia's Record Two-Day Rout: Exchange Meets MSCI, Announces New Index Rules
Indonesian stocks suffered their deepest two-day sell-off on record, falling intraday by more than 5% on Monday to a six-year low after Friday's 11.6% plunge — the biggest single-day drop since the 1998 Asian financial crisis. The trigger was MSCI's warning that it was considering shifting Indonesia from "emerging market" to "standalone" status over opaque ownership and suspected coordinated trading; Goldman Sachs estimated full removal could trigger $5.6 billion in passive outflows. After an online meeting with MSCI executives on Monday, exchange CEO Jeffrey Hendrik announced two new rules, including excluding stocks with highly concentrated ownership from the benchmark index to improve price discovery. The rupiah weakened to 18,048 per dollar, near its record low, and the 10-year bond yield rose to 7.4%; President Prabowo was expected to convene top financial officials.
Background: MSCI first flagged concerns in January over market manipulation and ownership transparency; Indonesian equities have fallen about 40% this year, the world's worst-performing major market.
Tech companies, research breakthroughs and digital policy
OpenAI Accelerates $30 Billion Round at Over $1.4 Trillion Valuation, Racing Ahead of Anthropic IPO
OpenAI is racing to secure investor commitments before rival Anthropic's expected public market debut in mid-November, in an unusually fast fundraising that could value the ChatGPT maker at over $1.4 trillion, Reuters reported on October 19, citing two people familiar with the matter. SoftBank Group, Abu Dhabi-based MGX and other existing backers are in talks to join the roughly $30 billion round; OpenAI held meetings with long-only funds and sovereign wealth funds last week. The rapid timetable reflects a desire to lock in capital from funds that might otherwise devote more resources to Anthropic's IPO, and to fund OpenAI's substantial infrastructure commitments ahead of a planned 2027 listing.
Background: OpenAI was last valued at $852 billion in March 2026; Anthropic reported $16.8 billion in Q3 revenue, up 45% quarter over quarter, though some investors are weighing cutting its IPO target valuation from about $2 trillion to $1.5 trillion.
Military developments, security situations and conflicts
US-Japan 'Keen Sword 27': China Holds Simultaneous Live-Fire Drills in Response, Releases Rare DF-26 Night Footage
The United States and Japan kicked off Keen Sword 27 on Monday, their largest-ever joint exercise, running 11 days through October 29 with about 45,000 Japanese troops and 11,000–12,000 US personnel, plus seven partner nations — Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the Philippines, the last five joining for the first time. For the first time, US Marines deployed the NMESIS anti-ship missile system and MADIS air-defense system to Yonaguni, Japan's westernmost island just 110 kilometers from Taiwan, with HIMARS on nearby Ishigaki; Japan deployed its new Type-25 long-range anti-ship missile (range over 1,000 km) outside its home base for the first time, and the USS Theodore Roosevelt departed Yokosuka on Monday to join. In response, China held simultaneous live-fire drills in multiple waters and released rare nighttime footage of DF-26 missiles on alert. (China's response is single-source, unverified.)
Background: Keen Sword is the allies' largest biennial exercise; the concentration of new missile systems on the southwestern islands is widely seen as a deterrence signal toward the Taiwan Strait.
Sources: Japan's Joint Staff Office, The Formosan (citing Taiwan's PTS/UDN/SET on China's response)
Storm Adam: Four Dead as Floods Devastate Eastern Spain, Army Helicopters Join Rescues
Storm Adam unleashed torrential rain across eastern Spain and the Balearic Islands on October 19, with some areas recording more than 700 liters per square meter in 48 hours — among the most extreme rainfall episodes the region has seen in decades. Four people died: a 79-year-old woman with reduced mobility found in her flooded home in Oliva, a 64-year-old man who suffered cardiac arrest at a flooded campsite, and two women who drowned earlier near Barcelona and Sagunto. About 2,000 people were evacuated from seven campsites in Oliva; Spain's Military Emergencies Unit and more than a dozen helicopters joined rescue operations, with over 400 rescues carried out. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the situation in Valencia "very difficult" and urged residents to avoid all travel.
Background: The disaster revives memories of the October 2024 Valencia floods that killed more than 230 people; scientists say human-driven climate change is intensifying Mediterranean autumn storms.
Twelve Migrants Drown in Two Aegean Shipwrecks; Greece Vows 'Zero Tolerance' for Smugglers
Twelve migrants drowned in two separate incidents off the Greek islands of Lesbos and Samos on Monday. Off Lesbos, a speedboat carrying migrants from Turkey collided with a Greek coast guard vessel and overturned, killing six people including an infant; eight survived, and a 37-year-old Turkish national was arrested as the suspected smuggler. North of Samos, another speedboat capsized during a coast guard chase about four nautical miles offshore, killing six more; 14 survived and an Iranian national was arrested on smuggling suspicion. Shipping Minister Vassilis Kikilias said evidence indicated the Lesbos boat struck the coast guard vessel with its bow and vowed "zero tolerance" for traffickers.
Background: Greece has long been a gateway to Europe for migrants from the Middle East, Africa and Asia; nearly one million people landed on its islands in 2015–2016.
China-related news (international media coverage only)
China to Hold Loan Prime Rates Steady for 17th Month, Reuters Poll Shows
China is set to leave its benchmark lending rates unchanged for a 17th consecutive month at Tuesday's review, a Reuters survey of 22 market participants showed, after better-than-expected third-quarter GDP data lessened prospects for near-term easing. All respondents predicted the one-year and five-year loan prime rates would stay at 3.00% and 3.50%, respectively. Third-quarter growth of 4.5% beat expectations, but analysts warn the growing reliance on exports is deepening structural imbalances; new home prices fell again in September, extending a more-than-three-year slump. Investors are watching a Beijing financial forum on Tuesday afternoon, where central bank governor Pan Gongsheng is due to speak, for clues on the monetary path.
Background: China's economy is running at two speeds — strong factory output and exports masking weak consumption and a property investment slump; January–September growth of 4.6% sits within the full-year 4.5%–5.0% target.
