Latest news for 6 November 2025

UNITED STATES

Grounded.

Airlines are now reducing their flight schedules from tomorrow (Friday) following a government shutdown alert citing air traffic control staffing shortages. (BBC)

Comment: The longest US shutdown in history has now gone from being a DC problem to a US problem. We wrote about some of those implications here.

CHINA

Chip nationalism.

Beijing has reportedly banned any new state-funded data centres from using foreign semiconductors. (Reuters)

Comment: It’s another move to help China’s chip sector catch up and build insulation against further US chip bans. US Treasury Secretary Bessent recently said China made a mistake when it slapped its rare earths ban on the US, which is now racing to disentangle itself. His Chinese counterpart might well be thinking the same thing about America’s chip controls, though our sense is the US chip lead is still bigger.

PHILIPPINES

Deadly typhoon.

President Marcos has announced yet another state of national calamity after a typhoon made landfall on Tuesday, leaving a trail of destruction and over 100 dead. (Philstar)

EUROPEAN UNION

No space here.

The US has described the EU’s proposed new space law as “unacceptable”, arguing Europe’s regulations would unfairly target US companies. (Politico)

Comment: It’s the same EU-US regulatory story playing out across every dimension, from privacy, tech, and digital markets, to AI, emissions standards, and now space.

MALI

Encircled.

Mali’s military rulers are getting squeezed by advancing jihadis now effectively encircling the capital Bamako after they imposed a fuel blockade in September. The junta has now had to close schools and universities due to a lack of transport. (AfricaNews)

Comment: There’s long been a jihadi resurgence in West Africa, though it’s stumbled over internal ideological and theological rivalries. This Mali group (known as JNIM, or the Support Group for Islam and Muslims) is now emerging as a key player, and just carried out its first known attack in Nigeria last week. It’s also started downplaying its Al Qaeda links, both to forge local alliances against Mali’s reviled junta, but presumably also in hopes of pulling an HTS (the group that toppled Syria’s regime then seemingly moderated in an attempt to gain international legitimacy).

BRAZIL

Dirty gold.

Brazilian authorities and Interpol have destroyed over 270 floating mining dredges worth ~$7M as part of an effort to crack down on illegal gold mining. (AP)

SINGAPORE

Harsher punishment.

The city-state has announced scammers will now cop at least six cane strikes across the butt-cheeks, amid reports citizens have lost $3.9B to scams since 2020. (Yahoo)