A US Army soldier was arrested by British counter-terror police in the UK on suspicion of espionage linked to Russia, a development that underscores the ongoing shadow war playing out on European soil. The arrest comes as Exxon strikes a preliminary deal to return to Venezuela, signaling a major shift in energy geopolitics as the US looks to secure alternative sources amid global instability. That instability is partly driven by the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, which has paradoxically led to a historic drop in global CO2 emissions as oil consumption plummets, accelerating the energy transition even as it rattles markets. Across Europe, Spain’s train drivers walked off the job after 115 people died in two crashes this year, paralyzing rail travel and forcing a reckoning with safety protocols. In France, the presidential race is heating up: Éric Zemmour officially launched his second campaign, judoka Teddy Riner entered the fray with the sports minister calling his candidacy “legitimate,” and author Michel Houellebecq was charged for comments on Muslims and the “great replacement.” Meanwhile, a petition backed by LFI to shut down the CNews channel was dismissed by parliament, sparking debate over democratic limits. On the tech front, new revelations about Anthropic’s AI capabilities have revived fears of an “irreversible” loss of control, as a respected independent lab accuses the company of hiding the exponential acceleration of its research. In response, Microsoft signed an agreement with the French government to help monitor AI risks, while a separate study found that nearly a third of companies that replaced workers with AI have had to rehire for the same roles, a phenomenon dubbed “AI rebounding.” Prince Harry also weighed in, urging social media companies to prioritize child safety in an emotional plea.