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Geopolitics

Geopolitics: wars, alliances, sanctions, trade and the decisions between governments that shape the world.

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Geopolitics

Qatar Offers to Build Two Power Plants in Lebanon, Supply LNG for 20 Years via Syria

Qatar has proposed a comprehensive energy program for Lebanon, offering to build two gas-fired power plants within three years and supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) for 20 years through a pipeline crossing Syria, according to a draft program seen by Reuters. The plan, which also includes solar, wind and battery storage components, comes as Lebanon's state utility delivers only a few hours of electricity per day and private diesel generators cover roughly half of demand. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Qatar would finance, run and operate the project, with QatarEnergy and TotalEnergies jointly developing a solar plant as the first stage.

Geopolitics

Hegseth met Netanyahu at air base hosting US warplanes, sources say, as Trump endorses Israeli PM

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ovda Air Base in southern Israel, where American refueling planes and fighter jets are deployed, two sources with knowledge of the visit told Axios. The unannounced meeting came eight days before Israel's parliamentary election and as Washington and Jerusalem discuss a possible resumption of major combat operations against Iran.

· 3 sources
Geopolitics

UN reports deadly Gaza strikes and West Bank settler violence despite ceasefire

Israeli attacks over the weekend killed at least six Palestinians in Gaza, including children, despite a year-old ceasefire agreement, while settler violence in the occupied West Bank has left five dead and over 240 injured in the past two weeks, according to UN reports. Independent human rights experts have called on Israel to protect Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest and to halt what they describe as a rapidly expanding policy of annexation.

Geopolitics

US sends 600 troops to Latin America for anti-drug training, sparking debate over Monroe Doctrine revival

The United States has deployed hundreds of soldiers to Panama for jungle training, with plans to expand operations to Honduras and Colombia, as part of a broader push to reassert the Monroe Doctrine in Latin America, according to a report by The New York Times. The Pentagon has described the move as a sensible restoration of American power, but the U.S. embassy in Panama has called the account categorically false, saying only 120 personnel are attending a two-week course.

Geopolitics

Musk blames White House for Starshield speed cap; Trump and Rubio deny involvement

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has denied responsibility for the sudden speed restrictions on Starshield satellite internet service used by Ukraine's military, stating that the system is owned and controlled by the US government. The denial comes as conflicting reports emerge over who ordered the cap, with President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Musk himself all rejecting claims they directed the throttling. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy maintains the restrictions persist, hampering his country's ability to intercept Russian drones and missiles.

· 2 sources
Geopolitics

Israeli police detain 10 settlers after attacks on US journalist and European diplomats

Israeli police have detained 10 people in a rare raid against settlers after a weekend of extreme violence in the occupied West Bank, including an attack on US photojournalist Heidi Levine that she described as an 'attempted lynching'. The police action, announced on Monday, came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu questioned accounts of settler violence, drawing furious international reactions including from the US and European nations.

Geopolitics

Australia war-games use of nuclear-powered submarines in simulated China conflict

The Australian Defence Force is participating in war games this week that simulate a regional conflict with China and the use of nuclear-powered submarines to be acquired under the AUKUS pact, according to a report from The Age. The three-day exercise, run by the Washington-based Hudson Institute and the United States Studies Centre, brings together ADF personnel alongside US and Japanese military officers and civilian experts.

Geopolitics

Iran’s Economy Buckles Under U.S. Blockade as Troops Go Unpaid and Unrest Rises

U.S. economic pressure on Iran is intensifying, with the U.S. military’s Central Command reporting that a naval blockade has prevented Tehran from exporting at least $25 billion worth of crude oil and frozen nearly $350 million in cryptocurrency assets. The financial strain has forced the Iranian regime to withhold salaries and pensions from workers across key sectors, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), while inflation surges toward 90% and domestic unrest grows.

Geopolitics

Japan and US launch major joint military exercise Keen Sword 27 amid rising regional tensions

Japanese and US troops on Monday began one of their largest joint exercises, Keen Sword 27, focusing on the defence of Japan’s southwestern islands as tensions with China, North Korea and Russia continue to escalate. About 45,000 Japanese and 12,000 American service members are taking part in the biennial drills, which run through Oct. 29 and include seven other nations for the first time.

Geopolitics

Saudi Arabia postpones Future Investment Initiative to 2027 as Houthi attacks escalate

Saudi Arabia has postponed its flagship Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference until 2027, organisers announced on Monday, citing an escalation of missile and drone attacks by Iran-backed Houthi militants in recent weeks. The decision follows a Houthi attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on 10 October that killed at least 12 people and injured more than 300 others.

· 3 sources
Geopolitics

Yemen camp strike kills 53 recruits in deadliest attack since war reignited

At least 53 recruits were killed and more than 200 wounded when Houthi ballistic missiles struck a training camp in Yemen's Shabwa province on Monday, making it the largest single loss of life since the country's civil war exploded back into open conflict in September. The attack, which hit the al-Alam camp while new internal security force members were lining up for training, has drawn condemnation from the internationally recognised government, which branded it a war crime and appealed to the UN to classify the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organisation.

· 6 sources
Geopolitics

Ukrainian scientist still in Russian detention one year on, ambassador tells Antarctic meeting

Ukrainian scientist Leonid Pshenichnov, arrested by Russia in Crimea in 2025 on treason charges for his Antarctic conservation work, remains in detention more than a year later, Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia said on Monday. Speaking at the annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources in Hobart, Vasyl Myroshnychenko raised serious concerns for the 71-year-old’s health and called for his immediate release.

· 2 sources
Geopolitics

Trump open to trilateral summit with Putin and Xi, says focus would be denuclearization, not Ukraine

President Trump said Monday he would hold a trilateral summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping next month, but cast it as a forum for denuclearization rather than ending the war in Ukraine. The comments follow a Wall Street Journal report that Putin proposed such a meeting during a phone call with Trump on Oct. 9, and come as Washington's recent concessions to Moscow deepen alarm in Kyiv and among European allies.

· 6 sources
Geopolitics

US Air Force tests F-22 pilot commanding autonomous drone in simulated combat

The U.S. Air Force has completed an airborne test in which an F-22 Raptor pilot successfully directed an Anduril YFQ-44A Fury drone during simulated combat, the service announced. The test, part of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, saw the pilot issue tactical commands that the autonomous wingman interpreted into tasks and flight maneuvers, demonstrating a key step toward integrating drones into fighter squadrons.

Geopolitics

Iran Threatens 'Devastating' New Plan as US Intel Chief Warns of 'Advanced' Plots Against Americans

US Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton has warned Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Iran is in the 'advanced stages' of plotting to kill American citizens abroad, according to a memo reported this week. The alert comes as commercial vessels report a spate of attacks across the Arabian Peninsula and Tehran warns it has prepared a new operational plan for any renewed US-Israeli attack.

· 3 sources
Geopolitics

China proposes export curbs on solar manufacturing technologies, citing national security

China has proposed export restrictions on 12 solar manufacturing technologies, citing national security concerns, in a move that could affect overseas production plans and reinforce Beijing's dominance in the global photovoltaic industry. The Ministry of Commerce announced the proposal as part of a broader revision of its technology export-control catalogue covering artificial intelligence and biotechnology.

Geopolitics

Kyiv launches 1,000-drone assault on St Petersburg, hitting oil and tech hubs

Kyiv launched more than 1,000 drones at St Petersburg and other targets in Russia in one of its largest aerial assaults, killing at least one person and setting oil terminals and a tech hub ablaze, as the Trump-declared 'energy ceasefire' deteriorated. The attack hit the St Petersburg Oil Terminal, the Ruchyi oil depot, an Ozon logistics centre and a VK data centre, and comes as President Volodymyr Zelensky accuses Moscow of 76 strikes on Ukraine's energy grid since the ceasefire was announced.

· 5 sources
Geopolitics

EU condemns settler attacks on diplomats in West Bank as olive harvest violence spikes

The European Union has condemned Israeli settler attacks on EU diplomats and Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, calling for accountability and an end to settlement expansion, as a surge in violence during the olive harvest season draws international concern. The condemnation follows weekend attacks in which masked Israeli settlers assaulted a French mayor and targeted diplomats from France, Belgium and Poland, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Israel to take stronger action after an American photojournalist was beaten.

· 3 sources
Geopolitics

Falklands face 'economic war' as Argentina criminalises oil industry

Argentina has escalated its campaign for the Falkland Islands, moving beyond diplomatic rhetoric to what local politicians describe as an 'unprecedented economic war'. President Javier Milei's government has criminalised foreign involvement in the islands' emerging oil industry and put its lucrative fisheries on notice, prompting the UK to draft new protective legislation. The 3,600 residents, whose economy has transformed into one of the world's wealthiest per capita, now confront their most serious challenge since the 1982 conflict.

Geopolitics

Saudi-led coalition intercepts Houthi drones as Egypt signals readiness to assist

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthi rebels said it intercepted and destroyed four drones over Riyadh and other regions on Saturday, as Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi signalled willingness to help defend the kingdom. The latest attack follows a wave of Houthi strikes on Saudi airports and oil facilities, including a deadly strike on King Khalid airport last week that killed 13 people.

Geopolitics

EU condemns settler attack on diplomats as West Bank violence surges

The European Union has condemned an attack by Israeli settlers on a European diplomatic delegation in the occupied West Bank, as violence against Palestinian farmers and foreign witnesses intensifies during the olive harvest. The 27-member bloc issued its statement on Sunday, a day after masked settlers assaulted a visiting delegation of diplomats, a French mayor and clergy in the Christian village of Taybeh.

· 10 sources
Geopolitics

Russian strikes batter Ukraine as Starlink restrictions ground defences; Trump pauses sanctions

Russia launched a massive overnight strike on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, firing 332 attack drones and four cruise missiles, as Ukrainian forces found themselves unable to intercept incoming threats due to Starlink speed restrictions. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the restrictions, which limit drone speed to 161 km/h inside Ukraine while Starlink operates normally in EU territory, amount to a 'planned operation'. The White House paused a sweeping package of sanctions against Russia the same day, drawing fierce criticism from both parties and raising further doubts about US commitment to Ukraine.

· 5 sources
Geopolitics

Hardline Israeli rabbi issues ruling allowing theft of Palestinian olives, sparking uproar

Prominent Israeli Rabbi Dov Lior has issued a Jewish religious ruling permitting settlers to steal olives from Palestinian orchards in the occupied West Bank, claiming Palestinian landowners have been sufficiently compensated for lost harvests and that the land rightfully belongs to the Jewish people. The ruling comes amid a wave of settler attacks on Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest season, with at least 19 people injured in 34 separate attacks on Friday alone.