Afghanistan – UK – Poland – US
The British and Polish governments have criticized U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, after he appeared to downplay the role fellow NATO members played in the Afghanistan war. No.10 Downing Street joined Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski in pushing back at Hegseth, who told an audience at the University of Tennessee over the weekend that few NATO allies were “actually involved in kinetic operations”. “I was a captain in Afghanistan and we would go to the headquarters in Kabul and there would be 50 flags at the headquarters,” Hegseth recalled. “It was a beautiful thing to see, 50 different countries contributing to the NATO alliance and the ISAF [International Security Assistance Force] mission there.” – by Politico UK and Poland accuse Hegseth of downplaying allies’ role in Afghanistan
Alberta (Canada)
Voters in Alberta head to the polls on Monday in a vote that will ask whether the province should take the next step toward a binding vote on separation from Canada. A “yes” vote would not make Alberta independent, but it could put the province on a path toward separation and test Prime Minister Mark Carney’s ability to keep the country together. Polls show most Albertans want to stay in Canada, but pro-unity organizers fear people may not bother to vote if they think a “stay” side victory is guaranteed. – by Politico Carney warns Alberta not to stumble into ‘Brexit’
Egypt – Saudi Arabia
Egypt’s top security body said Sunday it has agreed to support close ally Saudi Arabia in the major escalation of fighting between the kingdom and Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, which has marked the latest front in the Iran war. Saudi Arabia has been pressing allies for military assistance. The Houthis have repeatedly attacked airports and oil infrastructure across the kingdom with drones and missiles that can change direction during flight, posing a challenge to interceptors. At least 19 people have been killed, thousands of flights have been affected and global markets have been rattled. – by Politico Egypt agrees to help Saudi Arabia defend itself against Houthis
Europe
The EU is already struggling with how to get its largest-ever budget agreed, plug a massive financial hole for Ukraine and navigate geopolitical pressure from the U.S. and China. Now, it also faces being paralyzed by domestic political strife in the countries that collectively make up around 60% of its GDP and population. “Everybody used to understand that we need to finish … a political agreement by the end of the year,” Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides told POLITICO in an interview on the sidelines of last week’s European Council, referring to the bloc’s fraught budget negotiations. But the Spanish election means that will no longer be possible, he said. And next year, “it’s going to be France, Italy” and others going to the polls, Christodoulides added, predicting even more complications for the bloc. The EU is facing an unprecedented dilemma: Its four biggest economies are all heading into elections or political upheaval, potentially hamstringing the bloc’s ability to get anything done. Spain will go to the polls next month, with the center right and far right on track to take power. France is changing presidents in April, with polls favoring far-right figurehead Marine Le Pen. The Alternative for Germany is ascendant, putting Friedrich Merz’s chancellorship in doubt. And Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s unusually long-serving government is also heading to an election in 2027. The consequences are already becoming clear. The bloc’s latest summit offered an early taste of what lies ahead: After two days of talks, leaders failed to make headway on the €2 trillion budget and instead became embroiled in an unexpectedly bitter row on energy policy. The summit’s conclusions notably omitted any mention of finding consensus on the budget before the end of the year, with member countries resisting a push by European Council President Antonio Costa for an end-2026 deadline, although there are summits scheduled for November and December. If those meetings fail to produce a deal, then the already fractious talks will spill over into 2027, when electoral battles are likely to loom even larger over negotiations — and governments may be increasingly reluctant to make the compromises needed to reach agreement. – by Politico The EU heads into a perfect political storm
Europe’s three mainstream political groups must strike a deal to keep out the far right ahead of an election year that could reshape the EU, the head of the liberal Renew Europe group in the European Parliament told POLITICO. “I’m truly convinced that nobody can afford to let the coalition erode from a very practical point of view because this is the only way to deliver an ambitious and a stronger Europe for our citizens,” said Valérie Hayer, a close ally of French President Emmanuel Macron, adding that there’s “no other way”. Since the 2024 EU election shifted the Parliament to the right, the conservative European People’s Party — the largest in the assembly — has passed legislation with right-wing and far-right groups, angering its traditional liberal and social democratic allies. Hayer said Renew’s priority ahead of the next EU election, in 2029, is to rebuild the centrist alliance. – by Politico EU liberal chief urges conservatives to shun far right ahead of big election year
France
The mayors of France’s biggest cities on Monday demanded answers from the government to what they called a lack of preparation by security forces as the country licked its wounds from a weekend of rioting and looting. The protests followed weeks of student demonstrations with occasional bouts of street violence, rocking the country six months ahead of its next presidential election and increasing pressures over a weak economy and surging debt. French assets were underperforming broader European markets on Monday, though moves were more contained than at some other moments of recent political tension. Fears of tensions inside Macron’s fragile government over apparent security shortcomings — coming just as the government needs to pass a much-needed budget bill to rein in its finances — could further unsettle investors. President Emmanuel Macron’s office said on Monday he had turned down his Interior Minister Laurent Nunez’s offer to resign, telling him instead to put an end to barricades and looting and be transparent over what Macron called “intelligence and foresight failings”. The mayors of Paris, Marseille and Lyon said in a joint op-ed published by the newspaper Liberation that they were used to demonstrations and protests. “But on Saturday … for the first time, we had the feeling that whole sections of our cities had been left without protection,” the mayors — all from the center-left — said. “We now need to patch the wounds of our cities and face up to the anger of our residents, aghast at this level of violence”. French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu on Monday accused the “ultra-left movement” of seeking to “orchestrate deep unrest across the country” in the runup to next year’s presidential election. “There is a whole network that could be mobilized to even call into question the timetable for the presidential election and the holding of t he presidential election itself,” Lecornu told reporters after a crisis meeting. The start of school holidays on Monday looked likely to hand the government some immediate relief, but students were staging more gatherings and blockades in some places, including the Louvre gallery and Sciences Po university in central Paris. Marseille, one of the cities worst hit by the riots, put in place a ban on gatherings and demonstrations. French unions meanwhile called for a new round of national strikes and demonstrations on November 5. – by Agencies France reels from weekend violence as mayors rebuke government for security failings
The cyberattack last week that hit hundreds of French supermarket refrigerators had Europeans wondering if the nonstop warnings about AI risks had finally landed in the real world. They hadn’t — at least, not yet. Experts say the attack, which forced hundreds of retailers to throw away defrosted food and spoiled milk, was mostly a reminder of the importance of old-school cybersecurity in safeguarding essential goods and services. The attack is a “typical example” of how “low-key cyber-enabled sabotage can affect very crucial supply for society,” said Ferdinand Gehringer, hybrid threats lead at FTI Consulting. – by Politico Cyberattack on French supermarkets tells us more about food security than AI safety
Germany – Iran
Germany on Monday summoned the Iranian ambassador after two men were jailed last week over what it called a “malicious” plot to assassinate pro-Israeli public figures on behalf of Tehran. A Hamburg court on Thursday convicted a Danish national and an Afghan national for planning to target the president of Germany’s main group representing the Jewish community and the head of the German-Israeli society. The foreign ministry said on X the Iranian ambassador had been summoned, adding Tehran would not be allowed to “threaten our free society.” – by AFP Germany summons Iran envoy over ‘malicious’ assassination plots
Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Monday that Israel will not hesitate to strike its enemies at a moment’s notice, eight days before a tight election and following his warnings to Iran. – by AFP At airbase, Netanyahu says Israel ready to strike enemies at moment’s notice
Italy
Preparations are underway to hold a March 2027 meeting of EU leaders in Rome, before Italian elections due next year. “Preparations in view of holding the March 2027 EUCO in Rome are ongoing,” an EU official, granted anonymity to speak about the plan, confirmed on Monday. The plan, first reported by Italian newspaper La Stampa, would see EU leaders gather in the Italian capital to mark the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Treaties of Rome in 1957. – by Politico EU eyes Rome for 2027 summit ahead of Italian election
NATO – Russia
NATO is beginning talks this month on the forces and weapons allies would need to defend against a Russian attack — and how they would pay for them. The talks will set capability targets for 2029, requiring each of NATO’s 32 member countries to provide specific forces and equipment. The deadline raises the stakes: European officials have warned that Russia could be ready to attack a NATO country by then. At the same time, the Trump administration is weighing a sharp reduction in U.S. forces in Europe, which could leave the alliance short of troops and critical capabilities with fewer like refueling aircraft, long-range missiles and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets. The negotiations will test how much each country is willing to spend, how much Europe can do without the U.S. and whether NATO’s military plans should make greater use of technologies such as robotics and artificial intelligence. “It’s going to be tough,” said one senior NATO diplomat, who, like others, was granted anonymity to speak freely on the sensitive issue. “Burden sharing, the U.S., how to combine the level of ambition with political priorities … it’s huge”. NATO allies will begin discussing the broad mandate for the new targets — known as Political Guidance — in the coming days. It’s the first step in a five-part effort called the NATO Defence Planning Process. “The ambition … is for this to be a transformation cycle and not one that’s just off the shelf,” said French Adm. Pierre Vandier, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Transformation and the alliance’s chief for future warfare. POLITICO spoke to 15 current and former NATO officials and diplomats to get a sense of the five key debates likely to define the negotiations. – by Politico 5 fights that will shape NATO’s next Russia war plans
Qatar – Iran
Qatari Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi discussed energy cooperation on Monday at a meeting with Iran’s acting oil minister, Hamid Bovard, according to a Qatari statement. – by Reuters Qatar’s energy minister discusses cooperation with Iran’s acting oil minister
Switzerland
A new investigation published on 15 October 2026 by Swiss media outlet Republik and the WAV investigative collective has revealed that Switzerland’s Armed Forces and Federal Office for Defence Procurement (Armasuisse) considered software developed by US technology company Palantir on five occasions between 2020 and 2026 but decided against proceeding each time. According to the investigation, which draws on internal government documents, freedom of information requests and interviews with officials, concerns about data sovereignty and control over sensitive information contributed to at least three of these decisions. – Swiss defence declined to procure Palantir technology.
UK – France
Britain’s government on Monday said there was no excuse for the violent protests seen across France at the weekend, branding them “unacceptable”. More than 2,500 people were arrested after demonstrations on Saturday saw some half a million people turn out across France to protest against the cost of living. Town halls and shops were looted and set on fire in what was some of the country’s worst violence in years. – by AFP UK condemns protest violence in France
US – Russia – Ukraine
President Trump’s moves to avoid new penalties on Russian energy sent shockwaves through Washington, sparking diplomatic tensions and political turmoil. Trump’s push to lower energy prices ahead of the midterms could provide Russia an economic lifeline and is exposing divisions within his own party. Oil, gas and petroleum product exports help finance Russia’s war on Ukraine. Late Friday, Trump waived new sanctions against Russia and tariffs on top buyers of Russian energy that would have taken effect under the bipartisan Graham Act he signed last month. That came just days after the administration waived certain sanctions as part of a deal aimed at enabling higher exports of Russian diesel after high prices have become a political millstone for Republicans. – by Axios The fallout from Trump’s Russia energy moves
Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied on Monday that the United States had paused some intelligence sharing with Ukraine, contradicting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who said Washington had briefly done just that. Speaking to NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Zelenskyy had said intelligence sharing had been interrupted, but later “de-blocked”. “We are very thankful for this,” he said. “Now it works.” – by Reuters Rubio denies US paused intelligence sharing with Ukraine
Yemen
A Houthi attack killed more than 50 people and wounded dozens on Monday when three ballistic missiles struck a military camp in Yemen’s oil-rich Shabwa province, AFP reported, citing a government official. The government sources said the missiles hit the al-Alam camp, used by forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized government, amid renewed fighting with the Iran-backed Houthis after the collapse of a truce that had largely held since 2022. – by AFP Houthi attack on Yemen govt camp kills over 30: Military sources
Cybersecurity and Surveillance
At a landmark meeting on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund gatherings in Bangkok, G7 finance ministers and central bank governors formally approved a coordinated initiative to conduct simulated tabletop exercises targeting AI-enabled cyber threats, as confirmed by Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama, chair of the IMF-World Bank Joint Development Committee. Rather than treating artificial intelligence merely as a tool for financial optimization or conventional threat detection, global financial leadership is now explicitly treating frontier AI models as potent force-multipliers for hostile actors aiming to destabilize the international banking ecosystem. – fonte Digital Watch Observatory G7 to simulate AI cyberattacks on global financial systems
A Serbian prosecutor investigating alleged corruption surrounding a Trump real estate project in Belgrade was targeted with Israeli-made Pegasus spyware after speaking out about political interference and abuses of power, according to research made public Monday. Rade Bajić, a member of Serbia’s Public Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime, is reported to be the latest target identified in a growing spyware scandal that has engulfed the country’s political opposition, civil society and institutions. The research is the latest by Toronto University’s Citizen Lab in collaboration with Serbian digital rights organization, SHARE Foundation, including the discovery that Bajić received an Apple Threat Notification iMessage on Aug. 13. – Politico Serbian prosecutor probing Trump Tower in Belgrade targeted with spyware
