onsdag 21 oktober 2026
The Ebola Outbreak
Economist: Partly a consequence of US funding cuts
A case of Ebola was confirmed in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, on Tuesday evening, according to international media reports.
This is the first confirmed case in the country in twelve years. Yvonne Mhango, an economist for the region at Bloomberg, notes that this spread serves as a reminder that the epidemic that broke out in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has not yet been contained.
"This failure reflects the limited resources available to health authorities in the DRC—partly a result of US aid cuts in 2025," she says.
Nigeria confirms Ebola case – the same strain as in the DRC
Nigeria has recorded its first confirmed case of Ebola in twelve years. On Tuesday, authorities in the capital, Abuja, confirmed that a woman who had traveled to the country from Uganda tested positive for the virus.
According to the Africa CDC, the woman is infected with the Bundibugyo strain of the virus—the same variant that has been spreading in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo since mid-May. Since then, nearly 10,000 people in the DRC have contracted the disease, according to the latest figures from the CDC.
The Political Situation in the UK
British Government Approves Controversial Drilling
As expected, the British government has given the green light for the drilling and extraction of gas at the Jackdaw field in the North Sea, according to British media. Drilling at Jackdaw has been the subject of intense debate in the country, with both climate activists and several Labour politicians opposing it.
Energy Minister Miatta Fahnbulleh stated on Wednesday that the decision was made following “careful consideration of all relevant factors.” She added that the gas field will provide the UK with additional energy as early as this winter.
The government justifies the decision by noting that it strengthens the country’s energy security, *The Guardian* reports. The drilling is expected, among other things, to allow the country to reduce its fuel imports.
Analysis: If You Ignore the Climate, Jackdaw Is Great
If one disregards the climate and global warming, the UK’s decision to approve drilling at the Jackdaw gas field off the coast of Scotland is entirely logical, writes Tom Clarke, Sky News’s climate and technology editor.
He argues that the UK is in desperate need of its own source of fossil gas to reduce its dependence on other countries. Crucially, this secures British energy supplies at a time of geopolitical instability.
However, Clarke emphasizes that one cannot ignore the fact that the extraction will have negative environmental consequences.
Conversely, Hettie O’Brien of *The Guardian* argues that drilling in the North Sea will not yield as many positive outcomes as the government hopes. She argues, among other things, that the project will not reduce the need for imported gas at all, since Jackdaw can only account for a few percent of the total supply.
According to O’Brien, drilling at Jackdaw will result in neither lower energy prices nor improved energy security.
“Ultimately, approving increased gas production at Jackdaw also means an increase in the global supply of fossil fuels.”
Middle East Crisis
Houthi Rebels
Source: US evacuating personnel from the Middle East
The US is bringing personnel home from embassies in the Middle East, according to international media.
At the embassy in Saudi Arabia, all staff and their families have been ordered to leave the country, AFP reports, citing a diplomatic source.
At the embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar, and Bahrain, family members of staff have been ordered to return home, according to the same source.
Iran Conflict
Sources: Netanyahu pushing for new attacks on Iran
Israel’s Prime Minister wants to carry out new, large-scale attacks against Iran, according to information provided to the Financial Times.
For instance, the Israeli military prepared an operation intended to take place on October 10. It was halted due to American opposition to new attacks occurring before the midterm elections, sources state.
One of the sources suggests it is likely that Israel and the US will attack Iran again in the coming weeks.
“It will either be an agreement or an attack,” the source says.
Reports: US sending diplomats home from Saudi Arabia
TT
Updated 23:08 | Published 21:22
Washington has ordered all its diplomats and their families in Saudi Arabia to leave the country, a diplomatic source told AFP.
Late Wednesday evening, the Saudi Ministry of Energy reported that two people were killed when a drone was shot down.
Family members of staff at US embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar, and Bahrain have also been ordered to return to the US, according to the source who spoke to AFP.
Tommy Pigott, a spokesperson for the US State Department, confirmed in a post on X that most staff in Saudi Arabia have been ordered to leave, but denied that this applies to the other four countries.
Concurrently, the Saudi Ministry of Energy announced at approximately 21:30 that two people had been killed and two others injured when air defenses shot down a drone at an oil facility near the border with the United Arab Emirates. It is not yet clear which party is responsible for the attack.
The attack and the reports regarding embassy personnel come at a time when the Gulf state is under heavy pressure from strikes by the Iranian-backed Houthi movement in Yemen. Earlier on Wednesday, Riyadh’s airport reopened after having been closed since earlier in Octob
Demonstrations Banned in Parts of Paris
TT
Updated 21:07 | Published 20:54
A car was set on fire near Place de la République in Paris during protests on October 17. Photo: Thibault Camus/AP/TT
Demonstrations are being banned in parts of Paris on Thursday, according to the police. The announcement comes as the French government prepares for further protests in the coming days.
The ban, in effect from 08:00 to 20:00 on Thursday, applies to areas including the vicinity of the Élysée Palace, the two parliamentary buildings, and tourist-heavy locations such as the Louvre and the Champs-Élysées.
Over the weekend, France was brought to a standstill by widespread, large-scale demonstrations calling for social justice and protesting the high cost of living—protests that, in several places, descended into violence.
Thousands of people have been taken into custody by the police, who in turn face accusations of widespread excessive use of force.
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