Briefing

Albania’s prime minister has refused to resign as protests over university conditions reach their sixth day. The unrest follows months of anti-government demonstrations, first sparked by a controversial resort project in an ecologically protected area linked to US President Donald Trump’s family.

Albaniauniversity conditionsprotestsanti-government demonstrations

Student-led protests over alleged corruption, jobs and education continued for a sixth day in Albania, with demonstrators demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation. Clashes and property damage have been reported, and police said 388 people had been charged with criminal offenses. U.S. lawmakers urged Albanian authorities to respect peaceful protest rights and avoid violence.

Albaniaanti-government protestsTiranaUS lawmakers

Protests continued in Tirana on Sunday for a sixth consecutive day, as Prime Minister Edi Rama ruled out resigning. Thousands are demanding his departure and protesting poor university conditions, high tuition fees and corruption; violent demonstrations have rocked the capital since Tuesday.

AlbaniaTirana protestsEdi Ramauniversity education

Kyiv says the United States has resumed intelligence sharing with Ukraine, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio denies it ever stopped. Alberta voters are deciding whether to break away from Canada. France’s president called for calm after one of the worst outbreaks of unrest in years left one person dead and thousands arrested.

UkraineUS intelligence sharingAlberta referendumFrance unrest

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied that Washington had suspended intelligence-sharing with Ukraine, saying there had been “no pause”. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the flow had been interrupted and later restored. Ukraine relies on US intelligence via Starshield to detect Russian ballistic missiles fired at its cities.

United StatesUkraineintelligence sharingRussia

A Houthi ballistic missile attack on a training camp for Yemeni government forces in Shabwa province killed at least 53 people and reportedly wounded more than 200, mostly young recruits. The government called the strike a disaster and said an inquiry would examine how troops were left exposed; the president vowed an immediate hard response.

YemenHouthismissile attackShabwa

Yemeni military officials said Houthi rebels fired three ballistic missiles at al-Alam camp in Shabwa on Monday, killing at least 50 government forces and injuring more than 100. The Houthis claimed responsibility. The victims were new recruits. The attack followed weekend strikes in Houthi-held areas that the group blamed on Saudi-led forces.

YemenHouthisShabwamilitary attack

A Monday attack by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels on a government security forces training camp in Yemen’s coastal Shabwa province killed 53 people and injured 200, according to the local authority.

YemenHouthisattackShabwa province

France is grappling with its worst rioting in years after nationwide protests over education and the cost of living escalated into deadly violence across the country. The unrest has triggered a domestic blame game and could spread to neighboring European countries.

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Only broken glass and the bare framework of the Haussmannian roof remain at Limoges’s 19th-century town hall as France reels from its worst violence in years and moves toward imposing curfews.

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Monday’s press review looks at how French and international newspapers discuss anti-government protests that turned violent over the weekend and their aftermath across France.

Franceanti-government protestsriotspress review

The World Food Programme says funding shortages are forcing it to reduce the number of people receiving aid in Gaza from 1.6 million to 1.1 million, leaving about 500,000 without support. It says more than two-thirds of Gaza’s population faces acute hunger.

Gazafood aidWorld Food Programme

The World Food Programme says a funding shortage will leave about 500,000 people in Gaza without critical support. It received less than half its previous-year funding for its Palestine operation in 2026 and needs another $450 million for the next six months. Monthly assistance will fall from 1.6 million people to 1.1 million, with smaller food rations and fewer hot meals.

GazaWorld Food Programmefood aidfunding shortfall

Funding has fallen by more than half from 2025 levels, prompting the World Food Programme to cut monthly assistance in Gaza from about 1.6 million people to 1.1 million from October. Two-thirds of the population face crisis-level food insecurity, while 200,000 people are at emergency levels and need immediate aid to prevent deaths from hunger.

GazaWorld Food Programmefood insecurityhumanitarian aid

At a joint Monday press briefing with Russia's Sergei Lavrov, Iran's Abbas Araqchi called for diplomacy on regional matters and blamed Washington for insecurity and tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.

IranUnited StatesStrait of Hormuzdiplomacy

Egypt’s parliament delayed a vote scheduled for Sunday on President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s request to authorize military support for Saudi Arabia if the Kingdom asks for it. Deliberations are due to resume Monday. Gulf State Analytics CEO Giorgio Cafiero offered his analysis.

EgyptSaudi Arabiamilitary supportregional tensions

Egypt’s parliament is expected to vote on Monday on whether to authorize military support for Saudi Arabia if requested. President Abdel Fattah el Sisi called an urgent session to approve aid for the Gulf Arab ally’s defence. Alexandria University’s Amany Soliman offered her perspective.

EgyptSaudi Arabiamilitary supportparliament

French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting Gulf states for three days, with fuel supplies and strategic ties on the agenda. He will go first to Kuwait, followed by the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar. The Élysée says he will seek commitments for additional diesel and petrol deliveries that could boost supplies available to France.

FranceGulf statesEmmanuel Macronfuel supplies

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Kuwait to begin a three-day tour of Gulf countries. He is the first French president to visit Kuwait in more than 17 years. Talks are expected to cover defence and infrastructure, while visits to the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar will include discussions on keeping the Strait of Hormuz open.

Emmanuel MacronGulf tourStrait of Hormuzdiplomacy

A Kuwait meeting on Monday brought together French President Emmanuel Macron and Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Their agenda ranged from France-Kuwait relations and regional conditions to energy security and free passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

MacronKuwaitGulf tourStrait of Hormuz

Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner proposed that EU officials increase purchases of Russian gas and that Ukraine resume transit, presenting the move as part of a peace settlement. Europeans rejected the proposal, according to sources cited by The New York Times.

Russian gasEuropean UnionUkrainediplomacy

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha criticized a proposed summit of the U.S., Russian and Chinese presidents on ending the war, saying it would encourage Vladimir Putin and grant him undeserved stature. The Kremlin is reportedly pushing for a meeting in China, while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said discussions were underway.

Ukraine warsummit proposalUkrainian diplomacyRussia

The Wall Street Journal reports that Putin proposed a trilateral summit with Trump and Xi on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Shenzhen to discuss Ukraine and seek an end to the war on terms favorable to Moscow. Trump has not agreed. The proposed format would exclude Zelensky and European leaders.

Vladimir PutinDonald TrumpUkraine warDiplomacy

Putin is seeking a Ukraine summit with Trump and Xi while refusing to negotiate with Zelenskyy. The proposed talks come as Washington eases economic pressure on Moscow and urges Kyiv to stop strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, prompting concern in Kyiv that the Kremlin is gaining concessions without offering any.

UkrainesummitRussiadiplomacy

Elon Musk says he plans to give one SpaceX share to every child in the US starting next year. CNBC estimates the shares would be worth about $10.5 billion, based on around 72 million US children as of July 2025. Musk called it the first of many giveaways. The story also notes Gwynne Shotwell’s planned gifts to Trump Accounts and Musk’s donations to Republican midterm-election PACs.

SpaceXElon Muskshare giveawayUS children

Billionaire Elon Musk said Monday that he would give one share of SpaceX to “every kid in America.”

Elon MuskSpaceXshare giveaway

Elon Musk says he plans to give every child in America a stake in SpaceX, the $2 trillion aerospace and artificial intelligence company, as scrutiny of technology firms’ social impact intensifies.

Elon MuskSpaceXtechnology companiessocial impact

A group of student protesters blocked the entrance to the Louvre in Paris on Monday, delaying the museum’s opening to the public beyond its scheduled time.

Louvrestudent protestParis

Students blocked the entrance to the Louvre in Paris on October 19, protesting what they described as police repression.

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