ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence Daily Brief - November 18, 2024

ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence Daily Brief - November 18, 2024

ZeroFox physical security experts collect, curate, and analyze information derived from open and proprietary sources for comprehensive context of the circumstances surrounding global events. Here is today’s daily roundup of major developments.

Brief Highlights

• Philippines Evacuates Half a Million People as Super Typhoon Man-yi Makes Landfall
• New Sri Lankan President’s NPP Party Wins Resounding Legislative Majority
• Gazprom Halts Natural Gas Deliveries to Austria

Philippines Evacuates Half a Million People as Super Typhoon Man-yi Makes Landfall

Super Typhoon Man-yi made landfall on the Philippine island of Catanduanes on Saturday night local time, heading toward Luzon, the country’s largest island. Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) warns of widespread incidents of severe flooding and landslides to be expected. With over half a million people seeking shelter, this is the fourth typhoon to hit the Philippines in less than two weeks. Although expected to weaken as it moves across Luzon, the storm still presents life-threatening danger.

New Sri Lankan President’s NPP Party Wins Resounding Legislative Majority

The Marxist-leaning political bloc headed by Sri Lanka’s recently elected president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, won a commanding legislative majority in the country’s November 14 general election. The National People’s Power coalition (NPP) won 159 seats in the 225-member parliament, one of the largest majorities in Sri Lanka’s history. Prior to the election, the NPP controlled only three seats. The victory will give President Dissanayake wide latitude to pursue his promised economic reforms, which will likely include an attempt to renegotiate terms of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout agreement reached last year. Despite the new majority, President Dissanayake will face numerous challenges as he pursues his policy agenda. It is unclear how much leverage he will have to rework the IMF deal, and any sweeping reforms could disrupt Sri Lanka’s fragile recovery following its 2022 economic collapse. At the same time, the country’s cost-of-living crisis has driven a large portion of the population into poverty and expectations are high that the new president will find a way to alleviate financial difficulties faced by many families.

Gazprom Halts Natural Gas Deliveries to Austria

Russia's Gazprom halted natural gas deliveries to Austria. While many European countries reduced their reliance on Russian gas after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Austria remains dependent on Russian supplies. Despite the sudden halt, Austria is unlikely to face acute gas shortages in the near-term. Austria's storage facilities are full and the country has sufficient capacity to source supplies from other countries. However, the shift may lead to price increases for consumers.