We know what’s coming and we are prepared.
🇺🇸🇵🇭🇯🇵 About US military exercises with partner countries in the Pacific zone
Two weeks after the incident in the South China Sea, which prompted the Philippine government to distance itself from the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, and with Joe Biden issuing a military threat to China, two large-scale exercises have commenced in the region.
🔻Yesterday, the Kamandag-7 exercise began on several Philippine islands and in the South China Sea, with the participation of American Marines, as well as military personnel from the Philippines, Japan, and the Republic of Korea. The primary objective is to test the joint combat capabilities of the navy and marines in the event of a regional escalation. Approximately 2,000 individuals and around 70 units of various equipment will take part in this event.
🔻Today, the Annualex-2023 exercise started off the east coast of Japan and will continue until November 20. It involves up to 6,000 people, 32 ships, and 35 aircraft from the US, Japanese, Australian, Canadian, and Philippine navies. This exercise is more comprehensive in terms of strength, with the involvement of an aircraft carrier strike group led by the Carl Vinson and the possibility of a flight of B-52H strategic bombers from Andersen Air Base on Guam.
🔻It is interesting to note that these simultaneous exercises near the border with China began immediately after the Chinese aircraft carrier group, led by the flagship Shandong, concluded its training in the Philippine Sea and sailed back to China through the Taiwan Strait with 16 warships. However, the US Armed Forces exercises are conducted annually, and there is no indication of any significant escalation. Nevertheless, the White House supports the narrative of the "Chinese threat," justifying the substantial costs of maintaining forces in the region while simultaneously demonstrating support for its allies.
You can find a high-resolution map and an English version here. #China #USA #Philippines #Japan @rybar
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🇺🇸 Teenagers are now facing charges after doing a ding-dong ditch prank with a twist. They showed up in masks, wearing tactical gear and a rifle, or what looks like a rifle.
Two #Delaware teenagers, aged 16 and 17, faced charges after knocking on doors in New Castle while wearing tactical-style vests and carrying what appeared to be a rifle, police said.
This could’ve ended so badly..
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🌆 Market News Digest
[Oct 20, 2026 EST]
🔥 Top Stories
• US–Iran tensions swing markets — Hormuz tanker fire, Israel warns of renewed strikes, Rubio says talks are hard; oil stayed volatile even as Brent eased below $109
• Anthropic’s massive AI spend shock — WSJ says it may spend >$600B on compute, with huge cloud/Nvidia commitments and >$80B H1 loss
• Trump on Ukraine, Iran and trade — says Ukraine must make a deal, India trade is “pretty close,” and he’s weighing Iran action
⛽ Oil & Energy
• Hormuz tanker fire / mine incident — IRGC says a supertanker carrying >2M barrels caught fire after hitting a mine
• Europe gas >€90 — benchmark tops 2022 levels on supply fears; US diesel prices remain elevated
• NATO and EU security push — NATO adds Black Sea assets; EU doubles down on Arctic security and keeping fossil fuels in the ground
📊 Markets & Macro
• US housing weakens further — starts fell 5.2% and pending sales dropped 7.3% to a record low, pressuring ...
📝 🇪🇺 🇫🇷 Mario Nawfal on X: Europe's riots are just the beginning. The real economic shock hasn't even arrived yet.
I spoke with economist Philip Pilkington about the unrest spreading across France, Italy and Albania.
He thinks we're watching the early stages of something much bigger.
One statistic really caught my attention.
According to Pilkington, France's inflation-adjusted household food consumption has fallen roughly 6.4% since 2022. He suspects the poorest households have suffered far steeper cuts.
Now add another surge in energy prices.
Pilkington pointed to rice futures rising 70% this year, wheat and sugar climbing 40%, and fertilizer shortages threatening next year's harvest.
His prediction is that the worst food inflation could arrive this winter or next spring.
And there's a political problem sitting right on top of it.
Governments across Europe are already deeply unpopular. People are struggling to afford basic necessities, and another prolonged energy ...
