Walmart on October 20 launched a joint membership with Sam’s Club at $120 per year, further integrating its warehouse-club business and leaning into delivery speed and fuel discounts.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Norway on October 20 for talks in Oslo with the Norwegian and Finnish leaders and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Trump had said waiving sanctions on Russia had put Ukraine on the wrong side of history and that Zelenskyy did not know what he was talking about.
The artificial-intelligence-driven data centre investment boom is showing its first clear signs of cooling. HSBC chief executive Georges Elhedery said AI is a transformative technology worth investing in, but that investors must be selective in the infrastructure underpinning it, focusing on the quality of tenancy agreements and contract pricing rather than assuming every project is sound. At the same time, South Korean data centre builder Elice fell about 30% on its trading debut, a signal that investors are repricing the sustainability of the compute build-out.
Japan’s space agency launched the MMX Mars moon sample-return mission from the Tanegashima Space Center on the afternoon of October 20 local time. The spacecraft rode a 63-metre H3 rocket in a new configuration featuring four strap-on solid boosters, full-throttle main engines and an extended payload shroud. At roughly 4.5 tonnes, two-thirds of its mass is propellant, and it separated from the rocket about 71 minutes after liftoff at more than 24,000 mph, beginning a ten-month journey to Mars. Agency president Hiroshi Yamakawa declared the launch a success.
Oil prices climbed on October 20, 2026 as investors tracked escalating tensions in the Middle East. Front-month US West Texas Intermediate futures rose about 4.2% to around $107.50 a barrel as the contract neared expiry, while December Brent gained roughly 1.9% to $111.42, its highest level since May 19. Shipping security in the Strait of Hormuz has become the central pricing variable, with ship-tracking data showing at least 18 commercial vessels attacked over the past two weeks.
The US Department of Homeland Security on October 19, 2026 published an administrative order requiring federal civilian agencies to remove DeepSeek-related technology from their information systems and prohibiting procurement of the company’s products and services. The order was first issued on July 24, 2026 and covers agencies including the Treasury, State and Justice departments, while explicitly excluding the Department of Defense. China’s Foreign Ministry said it would safeguard the rights and interests of Chinese companies and opposed politicising technology and trade issues.
Apple has begun pulling in delivery dates for the new iPhone Duo, shortening shipment windows for some configurations versus earlier guidance. Analysts see the move as a sign of stronger-than-expected demand for the device.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has pledged to end ‘rip-off parking charges’ under new rules that will bring stricter regulation to private car-park pricing.
A US federal judge publicly criticised a Department of Justice official over their handling of a case linked to a Trump golf-course project, prompting fresh questions about DOJ independence in the matter.
Ukraine said on October 19 that it had used a drone to airlift a wounded soldier from the front line to a rear hospital — its first such battlefield medical evacuation by drone. If repeatable, the approach could shorten casualty evacuation times significantly.