10 Things Global News - 16th October 2025
Interesting and important news from around the world
Madagascar Suspended by AU After Military Coup
Trump Says Modi Will Halt Russian Oil Imports
UK Sanctions Rosneft, Lukoil and Shadow Fleet
Aid Enters Gaza as Rafah Set to Reopen
US Hardens China Trade Stance as Truce Floated
EU Drone Defence Plan Faces Hurdles as NATO Acts
BofA and BNY Sued Over Epstein Ties
Trump Authorises CIA Covert Ops in Venezuela
El Fasher Siege Deepens Amid Starvation and Strikes
Record CO₂ Jump Spurs WMO Warning on Extreme Weather
On this day ….
On this day in 1964, China conducted its first successful nuclear test at Lop Nur, becoming the world’s fifth nuclear power. The breakthrough transformed Beijing’s global position, ensuring it could not be excluded from the strategic balance of the Cold War and laying the foundation for its modern deterrent posture.
Six decades on, China’s nuclear modernisation — once a symbol of sovereignty and survival — remains central to questions of power parity and arms control in an increasingly multipolar world.
Do you see China’s nuclear arsenal as merely defensive or as a tool for the projection of regional or global power?
Madagascar has been suspended from the African Union after its military seized power and installed Colonel Michael Randrianirina as transitional president. The coup followed weeks of youth-led protests over corruption, poor services and economic stagnation, which escalated when parliament impeached President Andry Rajoelina and he fled the country. Soldiers from the elite Capsat unit quickly took control, pledging a transition lasting less than two years.
Randrianirina, a long-time critic of the government who was previously jailed for plotting a coup, said elections would be held within 18 to 24 months and that key institutions would be restructured.
The United Nations voiced deep concern over the “unconstitutional” change of power, while France, Germany and Russia urged restraint. Although the capital remained calm, many protesters welcomed the military’s intervention, seeing it as a chance for systemic change.
Sources: The Guardian, Al Jazeera
President Donald Trump says Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has agreed to end purchases of Russian oil as part of US efforts to cut Moscow’s wartime revenue. Trump told reporters Modi had “assured” him India would stop buying oil “within a short period”, calling it a “big stop”, though he admitted the shift would take time. The United States has imposed steep tariffs on Indian goods in retaliation for its continued energy trade with Russia.
The announcement provoked sharp criticism at home, with opposition leader Rahul Gandhi accusing Modi of capitulating to US pressure and undermining India’s foreign policy.
New Delhi has long argued that Russian crude — which accounted for 34% of India’s oil imports in September — is vital to its economy. India’s shipments from Russia have dipped slightly this year, but analysts attribute this to market dynamics rather than sanctions pressure.
Sources: BBC, Times of India
Britain has sanctioned Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, and designated 44 tankers from the “shadow fleet” in a bid to tighten energy curbs and cut Kremlin revenues. The government said both firms are strategically significant and subject to measures including asset freezes and transport restrictions. Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the UK is also stepping up pressure on companies in third countries, including India and China, that facilitate Russian oil reaching global markets.
The package also targets seven LNG tankers and China’s Beihai LNG terminal, alongside India’s Nayara Energy, a Rosneft-linked refiner. Officials say the steps will reduce access to shipping and insurance for Russian cargoes, potentially pushing more trade towards non-Western services.
Russia’s embassy in London argued the move would backfire by destabilising energy markets and would not alter Moscow’s policy. Rosneft accounts for around 40% of Russia’s output, with Lukoil the second-largest producer.
Sources: Reuters, BBC
Aid trucks entered Gaza as Israel prepared to reopen the Rafah crossing after a dispute over the return of deceased hostages threatened a fragile ceasefire. Officials said an EU mission is set to deploy and preparations are under way to allow Gazan citizens to cross.
Israel had warned it would keep Rafah closed and curb supplies because Hamas was returning bodies too slowly; the group delivered more bodies overnight, though one was later found not to be a hostage.
Under the truce, 600 aid trucks are slated to enter, with deliveries also moving via other crossings. Longer-term phases require Hamas to disarm and cede power, which it has so far refused, while launching a security crackdown that included public executions condemned by Mahmoud Abbas. Israeli forces have pulled back to a “yellow line” outside main cities, and ministers remain split over aid flows.
Sources: South China Morning Post, France 24
President Donald Trump said the United States is in a trade war with China and touted a 100% tariff, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested extending a 90-day tariff pause if Beijing drops planned rare-earth export controls.
Bessent also flagged a coordinated response with allies and said talks on a longer pause were possible in the coming weeks. US equities rose after his remarks; Trump’s comments came after markets closed.
Officials criticised China’s new rules requiring approvals for products containing rare earths and similar curbs on lithium batteries and some graphite. Trump has threatened an additional 100% tariff from next month and has warned of further measures.
The uneasy truce agreed earlier this year has lowered some tariffs, but tensions have intensified ahead of a possible Trump–Xi meeting in Asia. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the controls’ scope “cannot be implemented”.
Sources: Japan Times, BBC
After Russian drones entered Polish airspace and incidents over airports in Denmark and Germany, EU leaders called for stronger protection. The Commission’s “drone wall” idea remains in flux, with European Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius saying capabilities are limited and that the EU will draw on Ukrainian expertise.
To widen support, Brussels has broadened the concept into a continent-wide “European Drone Defence Initiative”, due in a defence policy roadmap to be unveiled on Thursday.
NATO, meanwhile, is testing integrated systems to detect, track and neutralise aerial threats on the eastern flank, according to Secretary General Mark Rutte. The EU will present its roadmap to ministers and hopes for leaders’ sign-off next week;
Brussels wants the project fully up and running by end-2027. Political and technical hurdles persist, and some countries fear overlap with NATO, though EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says the plans are complementary.
Sources: Reuters, Japan Times
Bank of America and Bank of New York Mellon were hit with proposed class-action lawsuits in New York, accusing them of aiding Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking scheme. The complaints, filed on behalf of victims, allege the banks facilitated or processed payments linked to the operation and failed to flag suspicious activity in time.
Both banks declined to comment. The actions follow earlier settlements by JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank with victims represented by similar counsel.
The filings describe accounts allegedly used by Epstein’s associates and victims, and cite congressional scrutiny of banks’ handling of suspicious activity reports. One plaintiff says a Bank of America account was used for rent payments and other transactions over several years. The suits argue Epstein’s trafficking venture relied on financial institutions’ assistance and seeks damages on a class basis in federal court.
Sources: Bloomberg, FT
President Donald Trump said he has authorised the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela, escalating US pressure on Nicolás Maduro’s government. He declined to say whether he had empowered the agency to overthrow Maduro but said he was considering strikes on land targets, following lethal attacks on boats in Caribbean waters.
Current and former officials said CIA personnel are not directly involved in those strikes, which have been carried out by US Special Operations units.
Maduro condemned what he called CIA-orchestrated coups and ordered military exercises, while UN experts have said the boat strikes violated international law. At least 27 people have been killed in the attacks, which have provoked criticism in Congress that the administration is edging toward conflict without authorisation or clear objectives.
Trump said Venezuela was “feeling the heat” and justified the CIA’s role by citing claims of prisoner releases and drug flows, which experts have questioned.
Sources: Washington Post, The Guardian
El Fasher has been declared “uninhabitable” after more than 500 days under Rapid Support Forces siege, with reports of destroyed homes and severe malnutrition among an estimated 250,000 people. The RSF has prevented aid access while intensifying artillery and drone attacks; a strike on a displacement shelter killed at least 57 people, and shelling of al Saudi hospital left 13 dead. A temporary airdrop by the Sudanese military has offered limited resupply, but food remains scarce.
Source: Tomas van Linge
Satellite analysis indicates intentional targeting of civilian sites, which researchers say constitutes prima facie war crimes. The city is now encircled by a 57km earthen wall, further trapping residents as community kitchens shut and local committees warn that food has run out.
The UN human rights chief has condemned continued killings, while testimonies from recent escapees describe widespread violence, displacement and minimal access to water or healthcare.
Sources: The Guardian, BBC
Heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere rose by the largest one-year amount on record, the UN weather agency said, lifting concentrations to levels not seen in human civilisation. The World Meteorological Organization reported that CO₂ growth rates have tripled since the 1960s, driven by fossil fuel use and wildfires, and warned that land and ocean “sinks” appear less able to absorb emissions. Methane and nitrous oxide also reached record concentrations.
The increase from 2023 to 2024 was 3.5 ppm, the biggest annual jump since measurements began in 1957. WMO officials said the “heat trapped by CO₂ and other greenhouse gases is turbocharging our climate and leading to more extreme weather”.
The agency highlighted concern that severe drought and heat have limited the Amazon’s capacity to absorb carbon. WMO also recalled that 2024 was the warmest year on record, underscoring risks to the Paris Agreement temperature goals.