military options

Hi Global Recap readers,

It’s World Toilet Day (yes, that’s a real thing).

Less funny:

• 3.4 billion people reportedly still live without a safe toilet

• 1.4 million die annually because of poor water and sanitation

Apologies for starting with the dirty detes, but some issues are too big to just flush past. Sorry.

🇬🇧 UNITED KINGDOM
Ready for Military Options

UK Secretary of State for Defence John Healey has put "military options" on the table after a Russian research and intelligence vessel allegedly fired lasers at Royal Air Force pilots tracking it off the coast of Scotland.

This incident centers on the Russian ship Yantar. 👇🏼

• Ship: Yantar is a Russian spy and research ship purpose built to gather intelligence and map undersea cables, the plumbing that keeps global internet and financial data moving.

• Incident: While RAF crews were shadowing the vessel north of Scotland, Yantar allegedly directed lasers at their aircraft, which Healey called "deeply dangerous" for pilots in the air.

• Warning: Healey says Britain has "military options ready" if the ship alters course in a way that looks threatening, and he has already tightened the navy’s rules of engagement so that British ships can follow and monitor Yantar more closely.

• Moscow: The Russian embassy in London rejects what it calls "endless accusations," insists its activities do not undermine UK security, and claims it is "not interested in British underwater communications."

• Pattern: The Royal Navy and RAF now track Russian vessels far more frequently than before 2022, as Western governments watch for any move that might target or even pressure the undersea cable network that NATO states quietly depend on.

🇮🇱 ISRAEL
Israel Strikes,
Hamas Denies

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched fresh airstrikes across Gaza after gunmen opened fire on troops near Khan Younis. The clash marked one of the most serious breaches of a six week ceasefire.

• Trigger: Gunfire hit IDF positions east of the agreed-upon Yellow Line that divides Israeli held zones from Hamas governed areas. No soldiers were wounded.

• Response: Israel targeted Hamas commanders in Gaza Citys Zeitoun area and around Khan Younis. Hamas linked authorities reported 25 killed without distinguishing terrorists from civilians (this has been the case throughout the war).

• Claim: Hamas called the strikes a "dangerous escalation" and accused Israeli PM Netanyahu of trying to reignite the conflict.

• Tension: Additionally, Israel revealed that several terrorists crossed the Yellow Line in the north and that troops killed one who posed an immediate threat.

• UN: After the US-backed UN resolution authorizing a multinational stabilization force passed on November 17, efforts to actually assemble and deploy that force are inching forward, while the EU has floated training up to 3,000 Gaza police officers outside the Strip.

🇪🇺 European Union
EU on the Brink

Lithuania’s foreign minister, Kęstutis Budrys, says Europe is minutes from major casualties as Russia steps up its hybrid campaign, pointing to Sunday's Polish railway sabotage case as a warning light.

• Poland: Investigators say a C-4 charge damaged tracks on a key route near the village of Mika on the Warsaw–Lublin line, with two Ukrainian suspects believed to have fled to Belarus while working for Russian services. No injuries, but Warsaw calls it state terror.

• Signals: In recent weeks, we’ve reported multiple airport shutdowns, from Copenhagen to Belgium, triggered by suspicious drones and airspace incursions. At this point, it seems like these incidents are happening nearly every week.

• Assessment: A GLOBSEC–ICCT study counts more than 110 Russian-linked sabotage and attempted attacks in Europe from January 2022 to July 2025, spread across dozens of incidents in countries including Poland, France, Germany, and Czechia.

• Warning: Kęstutis Budrys says that this pattern of covert operations shows “we are reaching the hot phases of escalation.”

• Response: EU foreign ministers meet Thursday to weigh new Russia sanctions and possible penalties for Belarus, which is accused of enabling incursions involving smugglers and balloons.

🇺🇸 UNITED STATES
Epstein Files: Update

Congress has finally passed a bill telling the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release its Jeffrey Epstein files, and many seem to be celebrating this as a massive win for transparency. However, the text also quietly hands prosecutors a lot of discretion over what the public actually sees.

Now, both sides of the aisle are accusing each other of "sanitizing" the names of the politicians involved, using legality and safety as convenient justifications.

• Basics: The bill orders the DOJ, including the FBI and U.S. attorneys, to put all unclassified Epstein-related records online in a searchable, downloadable format. It covers investigations, prosecutions, and custodial matters tied to the convicted sex offender.

• Timing: Once President Trump signs it, DOJ has up to 30 days to publish the records.

• Victims: The department may withhold or black out the identities and "personal and medical files" of Epstein’s victims. Attorney General Pam Bondi keeps repeating that DOJ will "follow the law" while protecting victims, even as House Speaker Mike Johnson complains the bill still leaves victims too exposed.

• Limits: But that's not all. DOJ can also keep back material that invades personal privacy or depicts child sexual abuse. At the same time, the law explicitly forbids hiding records just to avoid embarrassment, reputational damage, or political fallout for officials, celebrities, or foreign dignitaries.

• Investigations: And there's also this. The attorney general can temporarily conceal anything that would jeopardize an active investigation or ongoing prosecution. That clause likely covers the new probe Trump ordered into possible links between top Democrats and Epstein, which Bondi says involves "new information," though she will not yet give specifics. DOJ must explain any redactions within 15 days of publishing the files.

Remember my bet that the DOJ may use this justification to withhold crucial information? It still holds.

🇨🇳🇯🇵 CHINA / JAPAN
China Freezes
Seafood Imports

China just hit pause on Japanese seafood after Tokyo’s recent Taiwan comments triggered a diplomatic chill. Beijing framed the import halt as a safety measure tied to Fukushima wastewater, but the timing says everything.

• Trigger: Following Japanese PM Takaichi’s recent remark that Japan could intervene militarily if China attacks Taiwan, the Chinese Consul General in Osaka wrote an unhinged post on X on Nov. 8, saying that the "dirty neck that sticks itself out must be cut off." The post has since been deleted.

• Reaction: Beijing blasted the remark as undermining the political foundation of China–Japan ties and insisted there is "no longer a market for Japanese seafood."

• History: China had only recently resumed some imports of Japanese marine products, after imposing a blanket ban in 2023 when Japan began releasing treated Fukushima wastewater.

• Spillover: Both sides moved on travel—China formally warned its citizens against visiting Japan, while Japan urged its nationals in China to take extra safety precautions and avoid crowded places. China postponed two Japanese film releases and summoned Japan’s ambassador.

• Diplomacy: A senior Japanese envoy met his Chinese counterpart in Beijing this week. The talks went nowhere.