NPR · Published October 28, 2026; AP updated October 28, 06:09 UTC
Yesterday Israel voted; today’s partial results reveal the problem the next government must solve. With a majority of ballots counted Wednesday morning, neither Benjamin Netanyahu nor challenger Gadi Eisenkot had a clear route to a governing majority. NPR reports that opposition groups collectively, including two Arab-led factions, outpolled Netanyahu’s bloc. That does not mean they can govern together: cooperation with Arab parties remains contested among prospective opposition partners.
The decisive issue is now coalition membership, not simply who finishes first. Arab citizens constitute about a fifth of Israel’s population, yet resistance to relying on their parties could keep an anti-Netanyahu majority from becoming a government. Final results remain pending; a Netanyahu defeat is not established. The emerging stalemate shows why electoral dissatisfaction need not translate into a transfer of power—or a rapid change in regional policy.
AFP, via France 24 · October 28, 2026
In Tokyo today, Sanae Takaichi and Friedrich Merz agreed to diversify critical-mineral supplies and develop alternatives, while protecting critical technologies. Their joint statement criticised arbitrary export restrictions and efforts to weaponise economic dependencies. China was not named, but its dominance in rare-earth supplies and tighter export controls affecting Japan form the backdrop.
This is economic security becoming industrial policy: access to materials is increasingly treated as a strategic vulnerability, not just a purchasing decision. Merz also urged Japan to support a wider rules-based trade alliance, Reuters reports today. Distinguish the two: mineral cooperation was agreed; the broader alliance remains a proposal. Neither announcement means alternative mines and processing capacity already exist.
Reuters reporting, summarised by Investing.com · Published October 28, 2026, 01:46
CXMT plans limited production of advanced HBM3E memory within two months, despite reported usable yields of only 20–30%, according to people cited by Reuters. Today’s reporting adds yield estimates and a production timetable to previously reported plans. Samples have reportedly reached domestic AI-chip designers; this is not confirmation of mass production.
High-bandwidth memory supplies data to AI processors, making it another bottleneck beyond the processors themselves. U.S. export restrictions give Chinese manufacturers a strategic reason to proceed even at high cost. The important distinction is between making a chip and making enough reliable chips economically: low yields suggest progress toward domestic supply, not that China has eliminated its AI-hardware constraints.