France had its most violent protest day in years, with 1,200 arrests and the old town hall in Limoges gutted by fire; a deadly incident set off a major fire at Canada’s CFB Wainwright; and Republicans joined Democrats in blasting Donald Trump’s Russia sanctions waiver. Ten stories as of Saturday evening, October 17.
1. Paris and Limoges / France. At least 1,200 people were arrested and 150 police officers hurt as Saturday’s marches over school conditions and the cost of living turned violent in cities across France, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said, BBC News reported. The interior ministry put turnout at 550,000; the CGT union said 800,000. In Limoges, a fire set by masked protesters left the 143-year-old town hall “largely lost,” and the local prefect called it a “catastrophe for heritage,” per The Guardian. Protesters briefly forced their way into Marseille’s town hall, Lyon’s tourist office burned, and dozens of shops were looted in Paris; in Saint-Étienne, the mayor said a young man had his hand blown off by a grenade. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said no state of emergency is planned. President Emmanuel Macron said those who looted and attacked town halls “will be prosecuted and punished.”
2. Tirana / Albania, plus Brussels, Lisbon and Milan. Riot police and protesters fought in central Tirana for a fifth straight day, with masked students throwing rocks and petrol bombs at the education ministry and Prime Minister Edi Rama’s office, BBC News reported. National police chief Skender Hita confirmed rubber bullets were used “in a limited manner” for the first time and said 167 people have been arrested and 132 officers hurt over five days, per Al Jazeera. Rama, in power since 2013, refuses to resign and blamed the opposition and unnamed “foreign actors.” The cost-of-living anger spread elsewhere too: police fired tear gas and water cannon in Brussels, tens of thousands marched in Lisbon over housing and pay, and protesters clashed with officers in Milan and Bologna, Al Jazeera reported.
3. Washington / United States, and Kyiv / Ukraine. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump’s suspension of the new Russia sanctions law is a 60-day pause to study what the sanctions and tariffs would mean for the global and U.S. economies, BBC News reported. Republicans joined the backlash: Sen. Thom Tillis called it “beyond irresponsible” and asked, “What part of enforcing a law passed 86-11 by the Senate does the President and his advisers not understand?”; Sen. John Cornyn said the late Lindsey Graham, who championed the bill, “would be appalled”; and Sen. Ted Cruz said, “I wish the president hadn’t done it,” per Al Jazeera and the BBC. Congress is out until after the November 3 midterms. Zelenskyy told reporters he expects Washington to lift more sanctions, and said Ukrainian and U.S. negotiators could meet next week. Ukrainian officials say at least nine people have been killed in Russian strikes since Friday.
4. Wainwright / Alberta, Canada. People were killed and injured in an “incident” at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, east of Edmonton, that set off a major fire, Defence Minister David McGuinty said late Saturday; he wouldn’t give numbers, calling it “a very active and delicate situation,” CP24 and AP reported. Strong winds pushed the fire across the base fence and into the surrounding district, CBC News reported. Premier Danielle Smith called it “a significant and tragic fire” affecting many military personnel. No cause has been given. It comes two days before Albertans vote on whether to start down the road to leaving Canada. Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the incident on X:
5. Taybeh / occupied West Bank. Belgium demanded justice after masked Israeli settlers attacked its consul general and other envoys from France, Poland and the Catholic Church in the Christian village of Taybeh near Ramallah, and the Israeli military condemned “the severe act of violence” and is investigating, BBC News reported. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned the “Israeli rioters” but said the visit wasn’t coordinated with the army; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office urged “caution” and spoke of a “coordinated campaign to smear Israel.” The injured French mayor, Bernard Baudoux, told AFP settlers kicked him and beat him with iron bars. Separately, U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee called Friday’s beating of Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine, 64, in Abu Falah “a despicable act of terror carried out by masked cowards”; her daughter said she has a broken rib and several broken vertebrae, per Al Jazeera.
6. Strait of Hormuz, and Riyadh / Saudi Arabia. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said two oil tankers, each carrying about two million barrels of crude, caught fire after hitting naval mines in the strait, claiming the ships had switched off their tracking and used a route Iran hasn’t authorised, Al Jazeera reported, citing Iran’s IRNA news agency. The ships weren’t named. Across the Gulf, the Saudi-led coalition said it destroyed four Houthi drones over Riyadh, the Eastern Province and the south; Riyadh’s King Khalid airport has been attacked at least 20 times since July, per Al Jazeera. Egypt’s parliament meets in emergency session Sunday after President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said Cairo would act to protect Saudi Arabia if asked: “We are speaking only about defence.”
7. Kolkata / India. At least 19 people died and 25 were hurt in a crush at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pavilion in north Kolkata on Saturday evening, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said, according to The Hindu BusinessLine; a seven-year-old girl was among the dead, the BBC reported. Police said crowds waiting in the rain surged after an announcement, and Adhikari said the organisers’ loudspeaker announcement set off the rush; organisers, private security guards and on-duty staff were detained for questioning. He promised 2.5 million rupees and a government job for each victim’s family. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called it “saddening,” per Al Jazeera.
8. Nairobi / Kenya. Kenya confirmed four more cases of Bundibugyo-strain Ebola, bringing its total to seven, including the first patient, who died October 5, Al Jazeera reported. Three of the new patients are health workers who treated that man; the fourth is a relative who had been in quarantine since October 6. All four were already in quarantine when they tested positive, 128 of 130 contacts have been traced, and the Health Ministry says there’s no sign of community spread, the Africa CDC said. These are the first known infections passed on inside Kenya, and there is no approved vaccine or treatment for this strain. Next door in Congo, the outbreak has passed 9,000 cases and 4,300 deaths since May.
9. Hagåtña / Guam, and Manzanillo / Mexico. Guam dodged a direct hit from Category 4 Typhoon Champi, which turned west at the last minute and passed about 16 km south of Merizo at 4:26 a.m. Sunday local time (11:26 a.m. Saturday Pacific) with winds of 225 km/h, RNZ Pacific reported. “Certainly, we had a near miss,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Landon Aydlett; airport gusts approached 128 km/h and southern Guam took the worst of it. Across the Pacific, Hurricane Trudy strengthened to Category 2, 100 mph (155 km/h), about 100 miles southwest of Manzanillo at 6 p.m. CST, and hurricane conditions are expected from Manzanillo to Cabo Corrientes tonight, the National Hurricane Center said, with 4 to 8 inches of rain and life-threatening floods and mudslides possible in Michoacán, Colima and Jalisco. And in the Cook Islands, Tropical Cyclone Wati strengthened to Category 2, RNZ reported.
10. Caracas / Venezuela. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said Venezuela expects nearly $76 billion in oil investment over five years under recently signed deals, including a U.S. accord covering 17 oil fields and plans to drill 250 rigs, part of a package of 61 agreements, Reuters reported. “Major investments are coming,” she said on national television. She said output in western Zulia state rose from 70,000 to 370,000 barrels a day and should reach 400,000 by year-end, without saying over what period. Venezuela has been reopening its oil sector to foreign money since Nicolás Maduro’s ouster in January, with the Trump administration’s backing.
Coming Up
Confirmed dates on The Watch: the IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok close October 18. October 19, Alberta’s referendum on whether to move toward a binding independence vote. October 25, Brazil’s presidential runoff (Flávio Bolsonaro vs Lula). October 27, Israel’s election for the 26th Knesset, and the Fed’s two-day meeting opens in Washington (October 27–28). Full board at the link.
