{"id":73186,"date":"2026-10-18T02:50:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T06:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/global-markets-update-ukrainian-drones-strike-st-petersburg-infrastructure-tokyo-rental-demand-surges\/73186\/"},"modified":"2026-10-18T02:50:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T06:50:08","slug":"global-markets-update-ukrainian-drones-strike-st-petersburg-infrastructure-tokyo-rental-demand-surges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/global-markets-update-ukrainian-drones-strike-st-petersburg-infrastructure-tokyo-rental-demand-surges\/73186\/","title":{"rendered":"Global Markets Update: Ukrainian Drones Strike St. Petersburg Infrastructure; Tokyo Rental Demand Surges"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Ukrainian drones struck Russia\u2019s largest Baltic oil terminal<\/strong> and a major <strong>Ozon (<a href=\"\/stock\/OZON\">OZON<\/a>)<\/strong> logistics hub in St. Petersburg, causing significant fires but no reported casualties.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tokyo\u2019s rental housing starts are outpacing owner-occupied homes<\/strong> as rising costs and shifting demographics drive young people toward long-term renting.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu<\/strong> emphasized national identity ahead of the <strong>October 27 elections<\/strong>, framing the vote as a choice for the nation-state of the Jewish people.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pope Leo XIV is recovering<\/strong> following successful surgery to remove an early-stage cancerous nodule from his right lung.<\/li>\n<li><strong>German film funding debates<\/strong> continue as a minor \u20ac0.09 price gap in media services is dismissed as a &quot;price war&quot; by industry experts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Ukrainian Drones Target St. Petersburg Energy and Logistics<\/h2>\n<p>A massive overnight drone attack by Ukrainian forces targeted critical infrastructure in <strong>St. Petersburg<\/strong> and the surrounding Leningrad region. The <strong>St. Petersburg Oil Terminal<\/strong>, the largest facility of its kind in the Baltic region with an annual capacity of <strong>125 million tons<\/strong>, caught fire after being hit. Russian authorities claimed to have shot down between <strong>126 and 144 drones<\/strong> during the raid, though debris caused further damage to civilian buildings and power substations.<\/p>\n<p>The strike also hit a 79,000-square-meter logistics hub belonging to <strong>Ozon (<a href=\"\/stock\/OZON\">OZON<\/a>)<\/strong> on Sofiyskaya Street, sparking a major fire. Additionally, a data center for the social media giant <strong>VK (<a href=\"\/stock\/VKCO\">VKCO<\/a>)<\/strong> was targeted, leading to reported service disruptions for users of the VKontakte platform. These attacks represent a significant escalation in Ukraine&#39;s strategy to disrupt Russian supply chains and energy exports following the resumption of strikes on energy infrastructure.<\/p>\n<h2>Tokyo Real Estate Shifts Toward Rental Dominance<\/h2>\n<p>In Japan, the housing market is seeing a distinct shift as rental housing starts continue to outpace owner-occupied home starts in <strong>Tokyo<\/strong>. Data for August 2026 shows that while overall housing starts rose <strong>6.1% year-on-year<\/strong>, growth in the rental sector remains the primary driver of new construction. Investors are increasingly targeting the rental market as fewer young people can afford to buy homes due to stagnant wages and rising material costs.<\/p>\n<p><em>Market analysts suggest that this trend reflects a long-term structural change in Japanese demographics.<\/em> With the <strong>Bank of Japan<\/strong> maintaining a cautious stance on interest rates, the cost of borrowing remains a factor, but the sheer volume of rental starts indicates that developers are prioritizing the &quot;generation of renters.&quot; This shift is also impacting the office sector, where <strong>Grade A office rents<\/strong> in Tokyo\u2019s central wards have surged by over <strong>17%<\/strong> annually.<\/p>\n<h2>Netanyahu Frames Election Around National Identity<\/h2>\n<p>With the Israeli general election scheduled for <strong>October 27<\/strong>, Prime Minister <strong>Benjamin Netanyahu<\/strong> has intensified his campaign rhetoric. He recently declared that &quot;Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people,&quot; asserting that the country\u2019s national identity must combine nationality and religion through its symbols and holidays. The election is widely viewed as a referendum on Netanyahu\u2019s leadership following the events of October 7, 2023, and the subsequent regional conflicts.<\/p>\n<p>The political landscape remains highly fractured, with polls indicating a tight race between Netanyahu\u2019s <strong>Likud<\/strong>-led bloc and a diverse alliance of rivals. <em>The outcome will likely depend on complex coalition-building among more than a dozen parties vying for seats in the 120-member Knesset.<\/em> Critics argue that the focus on religious-nationalist identity is a move to solidify support among Orthodox voters amid ongoing investigations into security failures.<\/p>\n<h2>Pope Leo XIV Recovers from Lung Cancer Surgery<\/h2>\n<p>The Vatican has released positive updates regarding the health of <strong>Pope Leo XIV<\/strong> after he underwent surgery at Rome\u2019s <strong>Gemelli Hospital<\/strong>. The 71-year-old pontiff had the lower lobe of his right lung removed to treat <strong>pulmonary adenocarcinoma<\/strong>, a common form of lung cancer. Doctors described the Pope as an &quot;ideal patient&quot; and noted that the cancer was discovered &quot;entirely by chance&quot; during a routine checkup.<\/p>\n<p>The Pope has already resumed limited duties, including celebrating Mass from his hospital room and reading official documents. He is expected to be discharged on <strong>October 20<\/strong>. This health event has highlighted the importance of early cancer detection, as the Vatican emphasized that the nodule was caught at a &quot;very early and well-localized&quot; stage, significantly improving the prognosis for the first U.S.-born Pope.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Ukrainian drones struck Russia\u2019s largest Baltic oil terminal and a major Ozon (OZON) logistics hub in St. Petersburg, 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