10 Things Global News - 21st August 2025
The news from around the world
US Raid Kills Senior IS Figure in Syria
Israel Pushes Into Gaza City Amid Ceasefire Calls
Meloni Pushes NATO-Style Guarantee for Ukraine
ICC Condemns New US Sanctions on Its Officials
Gabbard Unveils Sweeping Intelligence Overhaul and Cuts
Bolsonaro Drafted Asylum Request to Argentina
Judge Rejects Request To Unseal Epstein Records
Mediators Urge Aid Access in Sudan Crisis
Poll: Majority Backs UN Recognition of Palestine
India Test-Fires Agni-5 Nuclear-Capable Missile
A predawn U.S. military raid in Atmeh, in Syria’s Idlib province, killed a senior Islamic State member on Wednesday. A U.S. official said he was seen as a potential candidate to lead IS in Syria. Syrian sources said the man, an Iraqi national married to a French national, was killed while trying to flee.
No U.S. troops were killed or injured. The operation began around 2 a.m., with helicopters and drones providing air cover. Local Syrian forces established a cordon, while U.S. troops conducted the raid. A nearby resident said armed personnel occupied rooftops for hours and issued commands in English.
Residents also reported nearby Arabic voices in an Iraqi accent. The Pentagon has not yet commented publicly. It was the second known U.S. raid in northern Syria since the ouster of former president Bashar al-Assad in December.
Sources: France 24, Japan Times
Large numbers of Palestinians are fleeing Gaza City as Israeli forces began what officials described as the first stages of a ground assault. Troops have established positions on the city’s outskirts after days of air and artillery strikes. Gaza City, home to more than a million people, faces an intensifying crisis as the UN and aid agencies warn of catastrophic consequences.
An Israeli military spokesperson said operations had started in the Zeitoun and Jabalia areas, with brigades locating tunnels and weapons caches. Around 60,000 reservists are being called up to support the offensive, approved this week by Defence Minister Israel Katz. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was “shortening timelines” to capture what he called the “last terror strongholds.”
Hamas accused Netanyahu of rejecting a ceasefire proposal from mediators and continuing a “brutal war against civilians.” International reaction has been strong: the UN and Red Cross called for an immediate ceasefire, while French President Emmanuel Macron warned the plan risked plunging the region into “permanent war.”
Sources: BBC, Times of India
European leaders are considering new security guarantees for Ukraine that would trigger collective action within 24 hours if Russia attacked again. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has put forward a proposal resembling NATO’s Article 5, though without granting Ukraine alliance membership.
The plan would use bilateral agreements as a model, obliging signatories to quickly decide whether to provide military, economic or sanctions support. It follows a White House meeting where U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and seven European leaders discussed Ukraine’s future after Trump ruled out sending troops but suggested possible air support.
The proposal underscores efforts to reassure Kyiv after Trump’s recent meeting with Vladimir Putin raised concerns of U.S. alignment with Moscow. European leaders described their united presence in Washington as a rare show of diplomatic force. While details remain unsettled, officials said Meloni’s “NATO-light” mechanism is being actively studied as an alternative to full NATO accession.
Sources: Bloomberg, The Guardian
The International Criminal Court has strongly criticized new U.S. sanctions targeting its judges and prosecutors, calling them a “flagrant attack” on judicial independence. On Wednesday, the U.S. State Department imposed penalties on four ICC officials — French judge Nicolas Guillou, Canadian judge Kimberly Prost, and deputy prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji and Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the ICC of acting as “an instrument of lawfare” against the U.S. and Israel, labeling it a national security threat. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the measures, while France denounced the move as undermining judicial independence, noting that Guillou was among those sanctioned.
The sanctions follow ICC arrest warrants issued against Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza, and investigations into U.S. actions in Afghanistan. The UN and ICC warned that such measures threaten international justice and undermine protections for millions of victims of atrocities worldwide.
Sources: BBC, UN
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced a sweeping restructuring of her agency that will eliminate nearly half its workforce and consolidate intelligence centers under a program dubbed “ODNI 2.0.” Officials said the overhaul is the largest since the office was created in the wake of the September 11 attacks and is projected to save more than $700 million annually.
The plan dissolves the Foreign Malign Influence Center, the National Counterproliferation and Biosecurity Center, and the Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center, with functions folded into other ODNI offices. The National Intelligence University will be moved to the Defense Department’s National Defense University.
Gabbard said the changes aim to eliminate inefficiency, politicization, and abuse of power in the intelligence community, while refocusing on delivering timely and unbiased intelligence. Lawmakers are divided: Senator Tom Cotton praised the reforms as returning ODNI to its original mission, while Senator Mark Warner and others warned the cuts risk undermining national security and damaging intelligence coordination.
Sources: ABC News, Politico
Brazil’s federal police said former President Jair Bolsonaro drafted a 33-page request for political asylum in Argentina in early 2024, citing political persecution and fear for his life. The document, addressed to President Javier Milei, was found on Bolsonaro’s mobile phone two days after police launched a sweeping operation against him and his allies as part of a coup-plot investigation.
Authorities confiscated Bolsonaro’s passport, searched his properties, and placed him under house arrest with restrictions including an ankle monitor and a ban on using phones or contacting allies. The police said the asylum draft underscored plans to evade accountability over accusations he sought to overturn the 2022 election and retain power.
Bolsonaro was formally accused Wednesday of obstructing justice for allegedly violating court orders. He is due to stand trial on September 2 on coup-plotting charges. The Supreme Court is reviewing the obstruction case separately
Sources: New York Times, NPR
A federal judge in New York has rejected the Justice Department’s attempt to unseal grand jury transcripts related to Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking case, marking the third such refusal in recent weeks.
Judge Richard Berman ruled that prosecutors had not met the high legal threshold required to override grand jury secrecy. He said the transcripts consist of about 70 pages covering testimony from a single FBI agent with no direct knowledge of Epstein’s conduct. The material, he wrote, is “merely a hearsay snippet” and far less significant than the 100,000 pages of investigatory files already held by the government.
Berman argued that the responsibility to disclose information lies with the Justice Department, which has pledged to share materials with the public. He also cited the need to protect victims’ privacy. The ruling comes days before the department is due to deliver documents to Congress under subpoena.
Sources: Washington Post, CBS News
A US-led group of mediators has voiced alarm at the worsening humanitarian crisis in Sudan, now in its third year of war, and called on warring parties to protect civilians and allow urgent aid delivery.
The Aligned for Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan (ALPS) Group — comprising the US, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Switzerland, the African Union and the UN — said they were “appalled” by rising levels of malnutrition and famine, with access impediments blocking relief to key areas including North Darfur and Kordofan.
The group urged both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces to lift bureaucratic restrictions, secure supply routes, and honor commitments under the 2023 Jeddah Declaration. The UN estimates nearly 25 million people now face acute hunger, with millions cut off from lifesaving aid. Fighting since April 2023 has killed more than 20,000 and displaced 14 million, while US researchers suggest the death toll could be far higher.
Sources: Al Jazeera, Anadolu Agency
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll found 58% of Americans say all UN members should recognize Palestine as a country, while 33% disagree and 9% did not answer. The six-day online survey of 4,446 U.S. adults closed on Monday and had a margin of error of about two percentage points. The poll was taken within weeks of Canada, Britain and France announcing plans to recognize a Palestinian state.
Views split along party lines: 78% of Democrats support recognition, compared with 41% of Republicans, and a narrow 53% of Republicans oppose recognition.
The poll also found 59% of Americans believe Israel’s military response in Gaza has been excessive, up from 53% in February 2024, while 33% disagreed; in the earlier survey, 42% disagreed. Separately, 65% said the U.S. should take action in Gaza to help people facing starvation, with 28% opposed.
Sources: Reuters, Al Jazeera
India successfully test-fired its Agni-5 intercontinental ballistic missile on 20 August from Chandipur in Odisha, under the command of the Strategic Forces Command. The Ministry of Defence said the launch validated all operational and technical parameters. The missile, equipped with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology, can strike multiple targets with a single launch, strengthening India’s nuclear deterrence.
The Agni-5, with a range of 5,000–5,500 km, places India among a small group of countries with comparable intercontinental capability. Officials said the system enhances credibility of India’s “No First Use” doctrine and provides a second-strike option. India has developed several versions of the Agni series since the 1980s, ranging from short-range to intercontinental, with Agni-VI in development.
The test comes as India faces tense relations with China and Pakistan. Analysts note that the missile could reach any part of China, bolstering India’s strategic posture in Asia.
Sources: Jagran Josh, The Guardian
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