The Breakfast Table, 25 Oct

Top Story The Gulf

Oil Reaches Its Highest Price Since April

Saudi Arabia partly reopens its capital's airport as attacks go on.

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📍 Riyadh · Saudi Arabia, Yemen

Oil is a fuel that ships carry all around the world, and its price is quoted per barrel. On Friday, Brent crude, a main world price, closed at $116.72 a barrel. That was its highest closing price since 29 April, and it rose 6.2% over the week.

The price rose because traders were worried. The Houthis, a group in Yemen, keep attacking Saudi Arabia, a giant oil seller. Traders also worried about a reported oil spill near the United Arab Emirates and the chance of new US strikes on Iran.

The attacks have also hit Riyadh, the Saudi capital. Its main airport had been shut for about two weeks. On Sunday, two terminals opened again, one for flights inside the country and one for flights abroad. The same day, Saudi forces said they stopped a missile and a drone aimed at the city. The Houthis called the airport a “military target.”

For grown-ups: sources

World Europe

Serbia Votes as Students Take On Its Leader

A protest movement tries to win power in an election.

ONE POLL BEFORE THE VOTE Percent of the vote, Ipsos poll

47Vucic's party

40Student list

Other polls put the students ahead. Source: Al Jazeera.

Serbia is a country in south-east Europe. In 2024, a roof at a train station in the city of Novi Sad fell down, and 16 people died. Students then began protests against corruption, which means people in power acting dishonestly.

Those protests grew for almost two years. On Sunday, Serbia held an early election for its parliament, the group of 250 lawmakers who make its laws. Students backed a list of 250 candidates, led by a heart doctor, Ilija Srdanovic. Many are teachers at universities or people new to politics.

They faced the party of Aleksandar Vucic, who has led Serbia for many years. He stepped down as president in September so he could run to be prime minister. One poll gave his party 47% and the students 40%, but other polls put the students ahead. The official count is not expected before Monday.

🗺️ Where in the world?

📍 Belgrade · Serbia

For grown-ups: sources

United States Families

The US Birth Rate Falls to a Record Low

Fewer babies were born in 2025, but more came to older mothers.

The birth rate is a way of counting how many babies are born for every 1,000 women of the age to have children. A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a US health agency, says the rate fell to its lowest level ever recorded in 2025.

About 3.6 million babies were born that year. The rate dropped most for women in their early twenties, by 6%, and for teenagers, by about 7%.

Not every group went down, though. Birth rates rose a little for women aged 30 to 45, so the overall drop was only about 1%. It continues a trend of two decades toward fewer children.

🗺️ Where in the world?

📍 United States

For grown-ups: sources

Talk About It

TALK ABOUT IT

Why might attacks on Saudi Arabia change the price of petrol in your town?

Should students try to change their country's government? What are good ways to do it?

Why do you think families today are having fewer children than families 20 years ago?

India Weather

Cyclone Arnab Heads for India's East Coast

Schools close and rescue teams get ready before the storm.

A cyclone is a huge spinning storm that forms over warm sea. One is growing in the Bay of Bengal, the sea east of India. Weather experts expect it to become Cyclone Arnab and reach the coast of Andhra Pradesh on the morning of 28 October.

By then it is expected to be a “very severe” cyclone. Its winds could blow at 115 to 125 km an hour, with gusts up to 140. Heavy rain is forecast on the coast of Andhra Pradesh from 27 to 29 October, and in southern Odisha too.

Both states are getting ready early. Odisha will close schools in five districts on 28 and 29 October. It has put about 60 of its own rescue teams, 17 national rescue teams and 225 fire teams on alert. Andhra Pradesh has kept 25,000 electric poles ready to fix power lines.

🗺️ Where in the world?

📍 Bay of Bengal · India

For grown-ups: sources

Sport

BASEBALL: BREWERS LEAD THE WORLD SERIES 2-0

The Milwaukee Brewers came back to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 in Game 2 on Saturday. The Rays scored four runs in the first inning. Sal Frelick tied it with a home run in the sixth, and Cooper Pratt's hit in the seventh won it. Game 3 is on Monday.

In brief

More news

North Korea: Leader Kim Jong Un crossed a new 3 km bridge into China on Saturday, to boost trade.
Science: Tiny snakes called dwarf reedsnakes roll like wheels to escape, about four times faster than they slither.

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