10 Things Global News - 12th November 2025
Interesting and important news from around the world
US Carrier Enters Latin America as Tensions Escalate
Bomb Outside Islamabad Court Kills 12
Thailand Pauses Cambodia Truce After Landmine Blast
Newsom Fills US Void At Cop30, Attacks Trump
Russia Presses Pokrovsk As Weather Aids Push
Beijing Sharpens Taiwan Rhetoric, Rebukes Japan
US Weighs Base Near Gaza For Ceasefire Force
UNICEF Says Syringes Blocked In Gaza Drive
Trump Threatens $1bn BBC Lawsuit Over Edit
UK Jails ‘Cryptoqueen’ Over £5bn Bitcoin Stash
On this day …
On this day in 2001, Taliban forces withdrew from Kabul as Northern Alliance troops entered the Afghan capital with little resistance. The U.S.-led intervention swiftly toppled the regime that had sheltered al-Qaeda, prompting hopes of a democratic future.
Those hopes would fade over two decades of war, corruption, and uneven nation-building.
Afghanistan’s brief experiment in democracy remains a cautionary tale of ambition outpacing capabilities & willingness and yet another example of Afghanistan being unable to be ruled by outsiders
The United States has sent its largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, into Latin American waters, marking its biggest military presence in the region since 1989.
The deployment follows President Donald Trump’s declaration of a “war on drugs”, which has already led to airstrikes killing at least 76 people in South American waters. Washington says the carrier’s arrival will enhance its capacity to disrupt narcotics trafficking and target criminal networks.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has called the move the “greatest threat our continent has faced in a century”, announcing a full mobilisation of forces, including militias and missile units. Leaked documents seen by Reuters show Venezuela is preparing for guerrilla-style resistance or “anarchisation” should a US strike occur, with small units ready for sabotage and street disorder.
Regional leaders have urged restraint, with Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva insisting the crisis “must be resolved through politics”.
Sources: The Guardian, Reuters
At least 12 people were killed and 27 wounded when an attacker detonated a bomb at the entrance of a district court complex in Islamabad at around midday; authorities said the bomber had tried and failed to enter the courthouse and died at the scene. The blast, the first major assault on the capital in more than a decade, threw hundreds of lawyers and litigants into chaos and prompted emergency evacuations.
The attack has heightened fears that insurgent violence has moved from Pakistan’s western regions into urban centres. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif blamed India without providing evidence and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif declared Pakistan “in a state of war”; officials also linked the incident to concurrent clashes at a cadet college and to failed talks with Afghanistan over groups sheltering militants.
Meanwhile, a breakaway T.T.P. faction claimed responsibility and the main Pakistani Taliban denied involvement.
Sources: New York Times, Al Jazeera
Thailand has suspended implementation of its ceasefire with Cambodia after a landmine in Sisaket province injured Thai soldiers on patrol. The Royal Thai Army said one soldier required a leg amputation and another suffered chest injuries. The pause affects measures agreed in Kuala Lumpur on 26 October, a deal brokered with help from the United States and Malaysia and signed in the presence of President Donald Trump.
Bangkok has halted plans to return 18 Cambodian prisoners of war and ordered an investigation into whether the mines were newly laid. Cambodia denies planting new mines and says the border remains contaminated by legacy ordnance, while Thai officials reported fragments of PMN-2 mines at the site.
Tensions had eased after July’s five-day clash over a disputed temple area, which killed dozens and displaced tens of thousands; however, the blast now threatens the fragile ceasefire as both sides trade accusations, raising the risk of renewed confrontation.
Sources: Washington Post, The Diplomat
With President Donald Trump absent from Cop30 in Belém, California Governor Gavin Newsom seized the stage and condemned the administration’s fossil-fuel agenda, calling Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement an “abomination”. He said a future Democratic administration would rejoin “without hesitation”.
Meanwhile, he touted California’s progress, saying the state is two-thirds powered by renewables, and vowed to block any move to open its coastline to oil and gas drilling, saying it would happen “over my dead body”.
Newsom led an alternate US delegation of subnational leaders as talks proceeded without federal participation. As a result, figures including Christiana Figueres argued the summit was better off without the US government present.
However, the debate over how far states and cities can go without federal support persisted, after Republicans ended clean-energy tax credits and the administration opposed international carbon-pricing efforts on shipping.
Sources: South China Morning Post, The Guardian
Russia says its forces have advanced deeper into Pokrovsk and Kupiansk, sharing video of troops entering Pokrovsk on motorbikes and in battered vehicles. Moscow portrays the city as a gateway to Donetsk and claims progress around the railway station, while Ukraine reports a “difficult” situation.
President Volodymyr Zelensky says bad weather is favouring attacks, and commander Oleksandr Syrskyi cites a concentration of about 150,000 Russian troops driving on Pokrovsk. Meanwhile, Moscow claims control of the eastern part of Kupiansk and says it has taken hundreds of buildings in urban fighting; however, Kyiv denies the city is encircled and says supply to nearby Myrnohrad continues.
In contrast, Ukraine acknowledges withdrawals from some villages, including Novouspenivske, amid heavy strikes.
Sources: South China Morning Post, The Independent
China has escalated its Taiwan messaging with state “explainers” outlining post-“reunification” governance by vetted “patriots” under a Hong Kong-style model, alongside historical reframing such as declaring a “retrocession” day.
Officials also warned that after reunification, risks from “secessionists” and “external interference” would be removed; Taipei rejects the framework.
Meanwhile, Beijing circulated high-definition satellite images of Taiwanese sites under the tag “across the strait, under one sky”, prompting Taiwanese criticism and a defence ministry spokesman calling such imagery “normal”.
Beijing has tightened diplomatic language, telling foreign counterparts that opposing changes to the status quo without opposing “Taiwan independence” abets separatism.
In parallel, China condemned “egregious” remarks by Japan’s new prime minister about potential self-defence force involvement if Taiwan were attacked, lodging protests after an Osaka-based Chinese diplomat’s inflammatory post. Analysts say the moves reflect a longer-term adjustment to press “reunification” more openly.
Sources: The Guardian, Xinhua, BBC
The US Navy has sought cost estimates for a temporary base near Gaza capable of housing 10,000 personnel for 12 months, according to a contracting Request for Information.
The plan is tied to proposals for an international stabilisation force to monitor a fragile truce between Israel and Hamas. However, the White House says no such step has been approved and stresses the document is not policy.
A US official described the move as early planning for a possible site in southern Israel, adding no US troops would be involved. Meanwhile, Israeli outlets report Washington intends a large facility near the Gaza border to host international forces, signalling a shift from Israel’s usual resistance to outside involvement.
In response, an Israeli military spokesman said there was nothing concrete to share, while coordination continues through a civil-military centre.
Sources: Bloomberg, Times of Israel
UNICEF says essential items are being denied entry to Gaza, including 1.6 million auto-disable syringes and solar-powered refrigerators needed for vaccine storage.
Israel classifies those items as possible “dual-use” and denies blocking essential aid, saying it is not limiting entry; nearly one million bottles of infant formula and spare parts for water trucks are also reportedly awaiting clearance.
Meanwhile, UNICEF has begun a three-round catch-up immunisation for more than 40,000 children under three, reaching 2,400 on day one. The agency says aid volumes have risen since last month’s truce; however, critical supplies remain held at inspections, constraining scale-up. As a result, officials warn progress depends on approvals and safe access.
Sources: Times of Israel, Anadolu Agency
US President Donald Trump says he has an “obligation” to sue the BBC for $1bn over an edited clip of his 6 January 2021 speech used in a Panorama film. He told Fox News the edit “defrauded the public”, following a legal letter demanding a retraction, apology and compensation by Friday. The BBC chair has apologised for an “error of judgement” over the edit; the corporation says it will respond in due course.
The row has widened inside the broadcaster. The director general, Tim Davie, and the head of news, Deborah Turness, have resigned amid the fallout, while ministers called it a matter for the BBC. Meanwhile, Trump has previously threatened or pursued media cases and reached settlements with US networks.
However, any action would have to overcome legal hurdles, and the timetable now turns on the BBC’s deadline to reply.
Sources: BBC, CNN
A UK court has jailed Chinese national Zhimin Qian for 11 years and eight months after police recovered devices holding 61,000 Bitcoin linked to a vast Ponzi scheme. Prosecutors said she defrauded more than 128,000 people in China and stored the proceeds as cryptocurrency. Judge Sally-Ann Hales said Qian was the architect of the offending and driven by greed.
Qian, 47, was arrested in April 2024 after years evading authorities and living in luxury across Europe. She fled to Britain under a false identity, rented a high-end London property and sought multimillion-pound purchases, but the UK’s largest crypto seizure led to her conviction for money laundering and possessing criminal property.
Meanwhile, accomplice Seng Hok Ling, also 47, was sentenced to four years and 11 months for transferring criminal proceeds.