On Monday, Hamas released twenty Israeli hostages from the 7 October 2023 attack, and Israel released Palestinian detainees. This is the first step of President Trump’s twenty-point plan, which Trump has hailed as an “historic dawn” in the Middle East. The rest of the plan, including the disarmament of Hamas, has not been negotiated and settled.
On Tuesday, China said it would “fight to the end” in a trade war with the United States after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused China of wanting to “pull everyone else down with them.” Bessent told the Financial Times: “If they want to slow down the global economy, they will be hurt the most.” China has set export restrictions on rare earth exports. In response, President Trump has threatened to raise tariffs by 100 percent on November 1.
On Wednesday, NATO members met in Brussels to discuss Russia’s incursions into NATO territory and the alliance’s support for Ukraine. U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth promised that “firepower” is coming to Ukraine as NATO countries have purchased American military equipment. No mention was made of Tomahawks. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the alliance would implement additional counter-drone measures.
On Thursday, the head of MI5, Sir Ken McCallum, warned that Chinese state operatives pose a daily threat to the security of the United Kingdom. MI5 assessed that China is carrying out “large-scale espionage” activities against the UK, which present the greatest threat to the country’s economic security. Conservatives and Labour are blaming each other over the collapse of a case against individuals accused of spying on behalf of China.
On Friday, China purged its second-most senior general and eight other high-ranking military commanders. Gen. He Weidong, the lower-ranking of the two vice chairmen on the Communist Party’s top military decision-making body and a member of the 24-man Politburo, has been dismissed from the party and the military for severe disciplinary violations and abuses of power, a spokesman for China’s Defence Ministry said. Gen. He is the most senior active-duty military officer that Xi has purged, and the first incumbent vice chair of the Central Military Commission, or CMC, to be ousted in nearly four decades.
On Saturday, the U.S. warned that Hamas was planning attacks against Palestinians in Gaza that would violate the terms of the cease-fire already under stress from strikes Israel has carried out against militants. Two Israeli soldiers were also killed in southern Gaza, leading to dozens of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza on Sunday. Israel also halted humanitarian aid to Gaza.
On Sunday, the Louvre was robbed by four individuals who broke into the museum using a furniture elevator and angle grinders. They cut into display cases containing Napoleonic and royal jewelry. In the seven-minute heist, eight pieces of jewelry were successfully stolen. Fortunately, the thieves dropped the crown of Empress Eugénie, with nearly 1,400 diamonds, before they sped away. The crown was recovered, though it was damaged.
