Europe energy crisis
The International Energy Agency warns that Europe is entering winter with the lowest level of natural gas reserves since 20-13, which can extend pressure on the international market into the next year. The agency said in its report that Europe's natural gas reservoirs were 75 percent full at the end of October. It added that the figure is well below the minimum target of 80 percent set by the European Union, and at its lowest level in more than a decade. The International Energy Agency said the main reasons behind Europe’s gas shortage include the damage done to natural gas facilities in the Persian Gulf region as a result of the US-Israeli aggression against Iran, and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz. It added that the amount of gas injected into natural gas reservoirs this season was about four percent below the average of the past five years. The agency noted that this situation makes European nations more dependent on securing additional supplies of LNG to meet their peak demand.
US midterm elections
Polls are closing and vote counting is underway in US midterm elections, which are seen as a referendum on President Donald Trump's policies. A potential win by Democrats can wrest control of Congress from Republicans and impose major restraints on Trump's remaining years in office. Most surveys conducted recently indicated that Democrats will win a majority in the House of Representatives and possibly seize Senate due to voters’ resentment over soaring energy costs and the ongoing aggression against Iran. If Republicans lose the House, Democrats will have the power to stall Trump's legislative agenda and launch sweeping investigations of his administration. Meanwhile, losing Senate majority would threaten the president’s ability to appoint Supreme Court justices and senior officials, and effectively end Trump's dominance of US politics. All 435 House seats and 35 of the one-hundred Senate seats are at stake, along with governorships in 36 states. A major concern after the votes close is whether the results will be accepted by Republicans. Trump, who tried to overturn his 2020 presidential election defeat, has repeatedly alleged widespread voter fraud and accused Democrats of cheating without offering any evidence.
Israel crimes in Lebanon
A French court has opened a judicial investigation into a war crimes complaint against Israel over the regime’s strike on a residential building in Lebanon. The complaint has been filed by French-Lebanese artist, Ali Cherri, whose parents were killed in the Beirut strike in 2024. He has filed the complaint as a civil party with the International Federation for Human Rights. Subsequent to his lawsuit, the Paris Judicial Court has appointed two investigating judges to the case. The lawsuit said seven civilians, including Cherri's parents, were killed in the bombing of their 12-storey apartment building in central Beirut in November 2024, which totally destroyed three floors. Cherri hoped this case would help break the impunity enjoyed by Israeli officials responsible for attacks against civilians in Lebanon and Palestine. France's National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office has also opened an investigation into allegations of torture and war crimes related to the Israeli forces' interception of humanitarian flotillas bound for Gaza in 2025 and 2026.
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