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U.S. diplomatic missions across the Middle East tightened staffing and security measures Saturday after U.S. intelligence warned that Iranian plots targeting Americans had reached "advanced stages." A memo from Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton said that U.S. agencies collected intelligence indicating Tehran has stepped up efforts to go after U.S. personnel, with the threat picture also touching "certain other countries," according to a report by CNBC. The alert comes as the Pentagon is weighing options for potential strikes on Iran after the midterms , with U.S. Central Command reportedly having follow-on strike options ready if the White House authorizes them. Diplomatic Tensions Signal Rising Oil Prices Energy markets have been reacting to the risk of a wider conflict, with Brent crude closing at $116.93 a barrel Friday and U.S. benchmark WTI at $103.44. Fuel costs have also stayed elevated, with diesel averaging $6.3374 a gallon, about 2.9% below its Sept. 22 peak of $6.5276, based on AAA data. Regular gasoline averaged $4.2957, up roughly 40% from a year ago. U.S. officials have also taken steps to thin staffing in the region, ordering non-emergency government employees to depart Saudi Arabia earlier this week. In fighting linked to the Houthis, the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted two ballistic missiles fired by the group that were headed toward Taif and Yanbu, according to the report. Are US Military Strikes Imminent? The Trump administration has previously said the U.S. would not launch another attack on Iran before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, but Trump on Friday suggested Washington could resume military action if Tehran fails to reach a deal. At the same time, CENTCOM has prepared additional strike packages and has briefed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on multiple paths forward. President Donald Trump has publicly kept the pressure on, telling supporters Friday at a rally in Fort Myers, Florida, "We may do another little epic fury." Earlier in the week, Trump also said the U.S. is not negotiating with Iran and suggested a resolution could come after the election. Iran’s Mixed Signals On Diplomacy Even as embassy security was tightened, an Iranian official told The Associated Press on Saturday that Tehran remained open to discussions with the U.S. under a deal framework agreed in June and brokered by Pakistan. Reza Amiri Moghadam , Iran’s ambassador to Islamabad, said Iran would be ready to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the Trump administration lifted a naval blockade, but said Washington rejected the idea. Iranian state media later disputed that account. Separately, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X that Iran is willing to restart talks, contrasting with Trump’s public message that negotiations are not underway. Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Read Also: Obama Says Trump’s Iran War Gave Tehran ‘Veto Power’ Over Strait of Hormuz, Urges Voters to ‘Flip the Circuit Breaker’ Photo courtesy: Shutterstock

SThree commissioned a survey conducted by YouGov, which examined the impact of artificial intelligence on STEM professionals in Germany. The research indicates that 38.4% of respondents reported team members leaving their jobs due to AI-related factors over the past year. Among those who left, 52.2% cited significant changes to their job profiles, while 46.5% pointed to a lack of development prospects. Despite these departures, the survey also found that 66.8% of AI users believe their team's productivity has increased compared to two years ago, with many employees repurposing saved time toward strategic tasks and further training.

Savills Property Management Limited was identified as a winning organization at the RICS Hong Kong Awards 2026, which celebrate excellence in the real estate and construction sectors. The company was specifically recognized for its contributions to the Kingston International Centre and for its 'Smart Control Hub' project, which was awarded in the Proptech Innovation of the Year category. The awards, announced on October 25, 2026, highlight outstanding achievements and corporate excellence within the Hong Kong built environment.

The weekend’s headlines connected military technology, potential U.S. strikes, gasoline costs and campaign politics ahead of the midterm elections. Here are five stories that shaped the conversation. Ukraine Says Starlink Service Has Returned To Normal Ukraine said Saturday that Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ: SPCX ) services Starlink and Starshield were fully operating after more than a week of restrictions disrupted military activity. "The speeds are now at the level we need," President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram. Read the full article here . The Pentagon Develops Possible Iran Strike Plans The U.S. military has reportedly prepared options for potential attacks on Iran after the November midterms, as Tehran signals it would respond more strongly to any renewed assault. U.S. Central Command has follow-up strikes ready if the White House approves them, The Hill reported, citing a source. Read the full article here . Vance Points To Refinery Capacity In Gasoline Debate Vice President JD Vance said 20% of U.S. refining capacity went offline under then-President Joe Biden, adding to current pressure at the pump. At a CBS News town hall, Detroit barber Keyshawn Wheatley said gas costs about $4.33 per gallon and asked how prices could return to first-term levels. Read the full article here . Greene Links A Possible Iran Attack To Michigan’s Senate Race Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said any new U.S. strike on Iran before the midterms would help Democrat Abdul El-Sayed win Michigan’s Senate seat. "It’s a stupid senseless war and America hates it," she wrote on X. Read the full article here . Lee Challenges Sanders Over Billionaire Campaign Spending Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) pushed back on Sen. Bernie Sanders ’ (I-Vt.) criticism of billionaire involvement in politics, arguing that limiting political speech would benefit Democrats and left-leaning media. Sanders had accused Elon Musk and other billionaires of trying to buy influence before the midterms. Read the full article here . Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) defended Republicans’ tax legislation, accusing Democrats of opposing measures designed to provide financial support and savings opportunities for American families. Johnson Highlights GOP Tax Benefits For Families On Saturday, in a post on X , Johnson said, "Congress should make life easier for hardworking families, not harder." Johnson highlighted the Republican tax law’s permanent increase in the maximum Child Tax Credit, a refundable portion of the adoption tax credit, a new federal tax credit for donations to K-12 scholarship organizations and Trump Accounts. "Every House Democrat voted AGAINST all of this!" Johnson wrote, criticizing Democrats for opposing the legislation. Congress should make life easier for hardworking families, not harder. Republicans' Working Families Tax Cuts included: ✅ Permanently increased child tax credit ✅ A new refundable adoption tax credit ✅ An Education Freedom Tax Credit to expand K–12 scholarship… — Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) October 24, 2026 Read Also: Mike Johnson Says 700,000 Louisiana Seniors Could Benefit From ‘No Tax on Social Security’ — Here’s the Catch Democrats Target Trump Over Costs Last week, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) criticized President Donald Trump and his allies for prioritizing their agenda over working families’ financial needs. He called on Congress to hold the administration accountable. Last month, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized Republicans over rising costs , tax breaks for wealthy Americans and taxpayer spending on Trump’s military campaign against Iran. She said working families were bearing the financial burden while Trump and his donors benefited. In August, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) renewed his call for a 5% annual wealth tax on fewer than 1,000 U.S. billionaires, arguing it could raise more than $4.4 trillion to fund universal child care, expanded Medicare coverage, homelessness initiatives and a $60,000 minimum salary for teachers. Trump’s Tax Cuts and Refunds This month, the U.S. Treasury Department and IRS proposed rules to restrict Premium Tax Credit eligibility and strengthen verification requirements beginning in 2027. In July, Trump praised his tax law’s 100% expensing provision , which allowed businesses to immediately deduct qualifying investments and encouraged spending on plants and equipment. The Trump administration previously projected that the 2026 tax season would deliver record-high average refunds , with the Working Families Tax Cuts expected to provide $191 billion in additional tax relief. Disclaimer : This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Read Also: Elizabeth Warren Warns '5 Million People Have Already Lost Food Assistance' as SNAP Changes Take Effect Under Trump’s Law Photo courtesy: Shutterstock

Former President Barack Obama urged voters Saturday to treat the Nov. 3 midterms as a check on President Donald Trump , campaigning for Democrats in Cleveland and Detroit with control of Congress at stake. Midterms Could Reshape Washington Policy Obama called the vote a "circuit breaker" to "bring some accountability to this government." The outcome could shape fiscal, trade and regulatory policy. In Michigan, Obama backed Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed , who faces Republican Mike Rogers , a former U.S. representative. Obama Says Iran Gained Leverage Over Strait of Hormuz During his address, Obama disputed the administration’s claims of victory against Iran. He argued the war has given Tehran more economic leverage by allowing it to threaten shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. "Iran now has veto power over the Strait of Hormuz, where oil goes through to get to the world," Obama said. The strait is a key route for global crude. Obama also accused Trump of corruption, saying he had "never seen a president so intent on selling favors." The midterms are challenging for Republicans looking to defend their majorities, and for Democrats who intend to flip control of a closely divided Congress. Read Also: Pentagon Prepares New Iran Strike Options for Trump as Oil Prices Surge: Report Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Photo Courtesy: Evan El-Amin / Shutterstock.com

Veteran investor Peter Schiff claimed Google parent Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL ) (NASDAQ: GOOG ) Gemini AI gave him answers that challenged the official account of the investigation into his former bank. Schiff, who founded Euro Pacific International Bank, has long disputed the circumstances surrounding its closure following scrutiny by the IRS and OCIF as part of the J5 investigation. Schiff Claims Gemini AI Challenges Bank Probe Findings On Saturday, Schiff said on X that questioning Google’s AI-powered search responses could lead Gemini to conclude that a bank did nothing wrong. "What is interesting is that in AI mode, if you question Google’s response, Gemini will explain the initial search results and conclude on its own that the evidence actually shows the bank did nothing wrong," Schiff wrote. He alleged that the IRS, Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and OCIF "lied to save face" after a highly publicized investigation allegedly failed to uncover wrongdoing. Schiff also accused the media of reporting the government’s version of events instead of the truth. He wrote that outlets reported "what the governments wanted the public to believe, rather than the truth," and urged users to test Gemini’s responses themselves, adding, "Try it for yourself." What is interesting is that in AI mode, if you question Google's response, Gemini will explain the initial search results and conclude on its own that the evidence actually shows the bank did nothing wrong, that the IRS, ATO, and OCIF lied to save face because their highly… — Peter Schiff (@PeterSchiff) October 25, 2026 Read Also: Peter Schiff Warns Stock Market Crash Before Midterms 'Is Not Outside the Realm of Possibility' — 'This Is October' Google Expanded Gemini’s Reach and AI Ambitions In August, Google announced that Gemini had reached 1 billion monthly active users, with 63% preferring voice interactions and its image-generation tool producing about 150 million images daily. Sundar Pichai called it Google’s 14th product to reach the milestone and its fastest-growing ever. In July, Pichai said Google had begun its " most ambitious pretraining run ye t" for Gemini 4, targeting future AI capabilities without announcing a launch date. He also highlighted coding improvements in Gemini Flash 3.6 and plans to release updated models monthly amid intensifying competition. Last year, Google unveiled Gemini 3, describing it as its most capable and nuanced AI system , with improved multimodal and agentic capabilities to compete with OpenAI’s GPT-5. AI Search Competition Intensified Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ: META ) launched AI-powered Facebook Search using its Muse Spark model , a move an analyst said could generate billions of dollars in annual revenue. Meanwhile, DuckDuckGo reported a 30% week-over-week surge in U.S. installs amid criticism of Google’s AI search features, urging users to switch platforms. Google still held about 90% of the global search market in April 2026. Disclaimer : This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Read Also: Anthropic Expands Claude Into Google Workspace With New AI Tools Photo courtesy: Shutterstock

On October 24, 2026, SEB issued an updated research note regarding Stendörren Fastigheter AB. The firm lowered its price target for the company's shares to 198 SEK, down from the previous target of 212 SEK. Despite the reduction in the price target, SEB reiterated its 'Buy' recommendation for the stock.

Tempest Security AB (publ) reported changes in shareholdings among its leadership team. Board member Thomas Löfving has decreased his ownership interest in the company. Concurrently, CEO Andrew Spry has acquired additional shares in the firm. These transactions reflect shifts in the internal equity positions of key company executives and board members.

Arcoma AB has issued a correction to the previously published notice for an extraordinary general meeting. This announcement serves as an official update to the company's corporate governance proceedings. Shareholders and interested parties are advised to review the corrected documentation for accurate details regarding the meeting's agenda and logistics.