Sean's Daily Digest

Saudi coalition says it downed Houthi drone over Mecca region; Houthis deny it

Ongoing · day 22 ↗

The Saudi-led coalition said on Friday it intercepted and destroyed a drone it said the Houthis launched over the Mecca region, a claim the Houthis denied. One report says Saudi Arabia wants Iran to call off the Houthis and make a deal with America, while noting that a summit meant to pressure Iran achieved little.

Tanker hit near Strait of Hormuz; oil heads for fourth monthly gain

A tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz was attacked by a small boat carrying two explosive devices, the UK Maritime Trade Operations said Friday. Der Spiegel reported an unidentified projectile hit a ship leaving the strait. Oil prices rose and are set for a fourth straight monthly gain, according to Reuters and the Wall Street Journal. QatarEnergy is buying U.S. and other LNG to hedge against future Hormuz disruptions, Reuters reported, and the U.S. military runs near-daily missions to protect Gulf shipping in a conflict the Journal says has dragged on since February.

Greek container ship sinks off Bulgaria after drone strikes; Greek PM urges maritime truce

A Greek-owned container ship chartered by Israel's ZIM sank in the Black Sea off Bulgaria after being hit by three naval drones, destroying 421 containers; all 18 crew were evacuated safely. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, speaking at the UN Security Council, called for an international maritime truce to protect shipping. It is the latest in a series of strikes on ships in the western Black Sea this month; Ukraine has blamed Russia, which denies involvement. Mitsotakis also told Reuters that the Turkey-Libya maritime deal approved by Libya's eastern parliament is "null and void".

Machado, back in Caracas, backs 2027 election timetable as Rodríguez promises vote with 'renewed' electoral authority

Ongoing · day 3 ↗

The US has proposed holding Venezuelan elections in 2027, and María Corina Machado said after her return that elections should be held next year. Interim President Delcy Rodríguez promised elections in Venezuela under a 'renewed' electoral authority. Machado said she will not leave Venezuela again and backed the electoral timetable, while favoring negotiation of a full transition that provides guarantees.

Russia's Novaya Gazeta says it will close on Nov. 9, citing pressure from 'special services'

Novaya Gazeta, one of the last independent newspapers in Russia, announced on Friday that it is shutting down. Editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov said the authorities had forced the editorial team to end its work, and that the staff will turn off the lights on Nov. 9. The paper was added to Russia's "foreign agent" register in September. It was ordered to leave its building, and its reader donation system was reportedly switched off, according to Der Spiegel. Sokolov's home was searched this month over a criminal case against colleague Oleg Roldugin. Former editor Dmitry Muratov shared the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize.

Nvidia's Huang calls ties to Megaspeed executive 'normal' after report she was a suspected Chinese spy

The New York Times reported, citing people briefed on classified intelligence, that US agencies concluded Alice Huang, a Chinese executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed, was passing information to Beijing and had a close relationship with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. The two are not related. The report offered no evidence that he knew of her alleged activities. Jensen Huang said Nvidia's dealings with Megaspeed were normal and that it checked Megaspeed was not illegally sending its chips to China. The Times also reported that President Trump was briefed about a year ago and took no action, reportedly wary of disrupting Nvidia's chip sales and US-China trade ties. The Chinese embassy called the accusations baseless.

Big Tech sheds nearly $900bn as Amazon and Alphabet results deepen AI spending fears

Ongoing · day 2 ↗

Big Tech companies shed nearly $900 billion in market value in a rout over soaring AI spending, with cash burn at Google, Amazon and Meta leading Wall Street to question the price of the AI boom. Wall Street ended lower after Alphabet reported a revenue miss, which revived investor concerns about AI capital expenditure. Amazon shares sank as AI spending overshadowed its fastest cloud growth in five years, and Amazon's results disappointed investors.

French economy shrinks 0.1% in third quarter as inflation hits 3.4% and new protests loom

France's GDP fell 0.1% in the three months to September, statistics office Insee said, after stagnating in the second quarter and shrinking 0.2% in the first. Inflation rose to 3.4% in October, the fastest rate since January 2024, and Finance Minister Roland Lescure warned the economy is "headed for a wall" if parliament does not pass a deficit-reducing budget soon. Growth in the wider eurozone beat expectations, and France faces nationwide protests on Saturday, with 70,000 police to be deployed.

China's party expels record 33 Central Committee members as Xi closes discipline-focused plenum

Ongoing · day 2 ↗

China expelled a record number of officials from the Communist Party, and the unprecedented number of empty seats at the fifth plenum has become a symbol of the scale of Xi Jinping's purges. China confirmed the expulsion of 33 officials as Xi's purge deepens, and among those removed was former diplomat Liu Jianchao. The general who led a military anti-graft purge was promoted to the Politburo, about a year before Xi is expected to secure a fourth five-year term.

US sanctions Rwanda's defence ministry and a bank over support for M23 rebels in Congo

The US Treasury sanctioned Rwanda's defence ministry and the Zigama Credit and Savings Society, accusing Kigali of sending thousands of troops, weapons and training to the M23 rebel group in eastern DR Congo. The NYT says the move accuses Rwanda of undermining a US-brokered peace deal that President Trump had declared the conflict "ended". Rwanda denies backing M23 and says Congo has not met its own commitments under the accord. Earlier US sanctions hit Rwanda's army and four commanders in March, and a gold refinery and three mining firms in June.

Spain train crash toll hits 69 as leaked audio shows one train cleared to move despite stalled train ahead

Ongoing · day 2 ↗

At least 69 people were killed in a high-speed train collision near Toledo, Spain, which is one of the deadliest rail accidents in the country's history. Leaked audio of exchanges between a control centre and train drivers appears to show one high-speed train was cleared to move at normal speed even though another train ahead had stalled on the track. Spanish reports say one train was travelling at 160 kph when it smashed into the second train, according to Reuters.