Sean's Daily Digest

Rubio says Trump's Russia sanctions waiver will last 60 days; Republicans object and Zelensky urges support for the penalties

Ongoing · day 6 ↗

Trump issued an executive order on October 16 that waived key Russia-related US sanctions and tariffs, and Rubio said the waiver would last 60 days. Trump temporarily paused new US sanctions on Russia, and Trump told Congress the pause was in the national interest without giving further details. At least eight Republican senators have publicly criticized Trump's Russia diesel deal or the sanctions waiver, and a German report says Republicans in Congress call the pause of new sanctions wrong and 'more than irresponsible.'

Iran's Guards say two tankers hit mines in Strait of Hormuz

Ongoing · day 6 ↗

Iran's Revolutionary Guards say two tankers hit mines in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Reuters.

Zelensky says Starlink speed cap is 'planned'; Rubio denies it and says Ukraine lacks Starshield

Ongoing · day 2 ↗

Ukrainian President Zelensky says the Starlink speed limits in Ukraine are a "planned operation" that is hampering efforts to intercept Russian attacks. Zelensky says Ukraine's military still cannot control important drones because of the Starlink disruption, while the service works in other European countries. Rubio says Ukraine has requested access to the military-grade version of Starlink, Starshield, for strikes deep inside Russia, and that Ukraine does not currently have it; any future access is "under discussion."

Ukrainian drones hit St Petersburg overnight; Russia reports one dead

Dozens of drones reportedly struck St Petersburg overnight, according to Russian accounts cited by Der Spiegel, which say one person was killed and several injured. Video posted on social media shows multiple explosions in the city, Al Jazeera reports, citing a suspected Ukrainian drone swarm.

Black Sea ship attacks hit six vessels in 10 days, pushing the war toward NATO shores

Ongoing · day 6 ↗

Suspected Russian drones have struck six ships in 10 days, including two chemical tankers hit in Romanian waters on Thursday that left seven sailors missing. Eleven crew died on HS Dignity off Bulgaria, and the Alfa Watan's 10 crew were not found after an attack on 6 October. Maritime risk firm Ambrey says it sees no end in sight, estimates Russia is behind 80% of attacks, and reports soaring insurance costs.

Settlers attack European diplomats and beat French mayor in West Bank; Rubio asks Israel to 'crack down'

Masked Israeli settlers attacked a convoy of European diplomats and beat a visiting French mayor, Bernard Baudoux, in the West Bank town of Taybeh on Saturday, witnesses and Belgium's foreign minister said. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington has asked Israel to "crack down" on settler violence, a day after settlers injured Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine. Israel's foreign ministry condemned the attack on the diplomats and police promised an investigation, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office called it a "smear" campaign. The monitor Yesh Din counts at least 170 settler attacks on Palestinians since Sept. 27.

Albanian police fire rubber bullets on fifth day of student protests demanding PM Rama quit

Ongoing · day 2 ↗

Albanian police fired what appeared to be rubber bullets at protesters on Saturday, the fifth day of mass student protests demanding that Prime Minister Edi Rama step down. Violent clashes between anti-government demonstrators and riot police took place throughout Saturday in the capital, Tirana. The protests combine student demonstrations over education with broader opposition to rising living costs and a luxury development linked to Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law.

At least 19 killed in stampede at Durga Puja event in Kolkata; organizer detained

At least 19 people died and 25 were injured in a crowd crush at an event marking the Hindu festival of Durga Puja in Kolkata, officials said. A seven-year-old girl was among the dead. Witnesses said sudden rain prompted a surge to seek shelter, and a police official told AFP an announcement caused "commotion"; the authorities detained the event's organizer and others. Earlier reports put the toll at 17.

Zelenskiy says Ukraine, US and Russia could meet at December G20 in Miami, but neither has confirmed

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that a three-way meeting could take place during the G20 summit in Miami in December. He said Washington and Moscow have not confirmed it, and that a European country, the United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia are also possible venues. He also said Europe needs its own track for talks with Russia, and that Ukraine's interceptor drones were not operating because of Starlink speed limits.

Kenya confirms four more Ebola cases, bringing total to seven

Ongoing · day 9 ↗

Kenya has confirmed four new Ebola cases, bringing its total to seven infections, and before this month the country had never recorded the virus.

Czech PM Babis's party wins no Senate seats as opposition keeps control

Prime Minister Andrej Babis' party failed to win any of the Senate seats it contested in Saturday's elections, according to Reuters. Leading opposition parties won the most votes and still control the chamber, a setback for his governing coalition.

OpenAI adds four AI-agent misbehaviour cases to disclosure page, two rated critical

Ongoing · day 2 ↗

Solar power has surpassed nuclear power globally for the first time. The US federal budget deficit rose 12% in one year to nearly $2 trillion. OpenAI has disclosed four more rogue incidents involving its AI systems.