10 Things Global News - 27th October 2025
Important and interesting news from around the world
US and China Reach Trade Truce Framework
Trump Brokers Cambodia–Thailand Peace Accord
Milei Secures Congressional Majority in Argentinian Midterms
Russia Tests Nuclear-Powered Burevestnik Missile
RSF Pushes Into El Fasher, Raising Atrocity Fears
Netanyahu Sets Terms For Gaza Security Force
US Warship Docks in Trinidad, Pressuring Venezuela
Mellon Named As $130m Donor For Troop Pay
HSBC Takes $1.1bn Madoff Litigation Charge
Arrests Made Over €88m Louvre Jewel Heist
On this day …..
On this day in 1962 a Russian man saved the world.
As U.S. warships dropped depth charges near a submerged Soviet submarine off Cuba, its crew believed nuclear war had already begun. Protocol required the consent of all three senior officers to launch the sub’s nuclear torpedo.
Two agreed — but Second Captain Vasili Arkhipov refused. His dissent prevented what could have been the first nuclear strike of the Cold War, likely triggering global catastrophe.
Arkhipov’s restraint, little known at the time, later earned him posthumous recognition as the man who quietly saved the world.
How differently might history have unfolded if he had agreed with his colleagues and launched?
The United States and China have reached a preliminary framework for a new trade deal, easing fears of renewed tariffs ahead of a long-anticipated meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. The agreement, forged on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Malaysia, follows months of escalating tensions over rare earth exports, agricultural trade, and technology restrictions.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the framework would delay China’s planned export controls on critical minerals for a year and extend the existing tariff truce beyond its November expiry. Beijing, he added, had agreed to revive large-scale purchases of American soybeans. China’s negotiators described the talks as “constructive and far-reaching”, with both sides now set to seek domestic approval before finalising the terms.
The understanding lowers the risk of a broader trade war that had threatened manufacturing supply chains across Europe and Asia. It also restores momentum to diplomatic channels between the world’s two largest economies.
Sources: The Guardian, FT
President Donald Trump presided over the signing of a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia at the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur, formalising a truce he helped broker in July. The Kuala Lumpur Accord aims to end months of fighting along the two countries’ shared border, which left more than 40 people dead and displaced thousands.
The United States also announced new trade and critical minerals deals with Cambodia and Thailand, part of Trump’s broader push to link diplomacy with economic partnerships across Southeast Asia. Malaysia mediated multiple rounds of talks and hosted the signing ceremony, with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim praising Trump’s unconventional approach.
The agreement, which includes the release of 18 Cambodian prisoners of war and the deployment of Southeast Asian observers, follows US threats to suspend trade negotiations unless the violence stopped. While the ceasefire has been welcomed, some regional officials still dispute whether the accord amounts to a full peace treaty.
Sources: Washington Post, Bangkok Post
President Javier Milei’s party, La Libertad Avanza, won Argentina’s midterm elections on Sunday, giving the libertarian leader a stronger foothold in Congress to push through his economic reforms. With more than 90 percent of votes counted, the party captured over 40 percent nationwide — around nine points ahead of its main Peronist rival — and prevailed in 16 of 24 provinces, including Buenos Aires, where it reversed a 14-point loss last month.
The result secures Milei’s control of 101 seats in the lower house and 10 in the Senate, enough to sustain veto power and advance tax, labour and pension reforms aimed at reviving Argentina’s struggling economy. His victory follows strong financial support from Washington, including a $20 billion currency swap line and direct purchases of pesos to stabilise the currency.
Milei hailed the vote as a “turning point” and “confirmation of the mandate” for change. Analysts said the win restores his political capital and could boost investor confidence after months of volatility in Argentine markets.
Sources: Bloomberg, Buenos Aires Times
Russia has successfully tested its nuclear-powered, nuclear-capable Burevestnik cruise missile and is preparing to move toward deployment, President Vladimir Putin said. Chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov told Putin the missile flew about 14,000km for roughly 15 hours during a test on 21 October, underscoring Moscow’s claim of near-unlimited range and an ability to evade missile defences.
Putin, appearing in military fatigues at a meeting with commanders overseeing the war in Ukraine, framed the system as unique and linked its development to past US moves on missile defence.
The announcement followed a strategic nuclear forces drill and was presented as a signal that Russia would not bow to Western pressure, as Washington adopts a tougher stance on Moscow. Gerasimov said preparations were needed to classify the weapon and ready infrastructure for its deployment.
Sources: Reuters, New York Times
Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces have entered the centre of El Fasher, the last major Darfur city held by the army and allied groups, according to an RSF adviser who said the force had taken the military headquarters. Two Sudanese army officers said the RSF had entered the city and that troops had redeployed, though it was unclear if the RSF held full control.
The city has been under RSF siege since April 2024, with repeated strikes on civilian sites and hospitals. Around 600,000 people have fled since the siege began, while about 260,000 remain trapped amid acute hunger. A UN-mandated mission has said the RSF committed multiple crimes against humanity during the siege of El Fasher.
Nationwide, the war that erupted in April 2023 has displaced about 12 million people and left some 30 million in need of aid. Residents fear a bloodbath akin to El Geneina’s reported mass killings.
Sources: Washington Post, Al Jazeera
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would not seek approval to strike in Gaza or Lebanon and would decide which foreign troops are acceptable for a planned international force in Gaza under a ceasefire plan. He told ministers that Israel controls its own security and that this approach was acceptable to the United States.
Officials said the United States has ruled out deploying its own soldiers but is discussing contributions from Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and Azerbaijan. Separately, Israel allowed Egyptian and Red Cross teams to enter Gaza to search beyond the “yellow line” for the bodies of hostages; the government said Hamas has yet to return 13 remains under an agreement that also covers deceased hostages in addition to earlier releases.
Meanwhile, strikes in southern Lebanon killed four people as Israel continued operations despite a ceasefire with Hezbollah.
Sources: Reuters, China Daily
A US Navy destroyer, the USS Gravely, has docked in Port of Spain for joint exercises until Thursday, as Washington steps up military pressure on neighbouring Venezuela. The deployment accompanies the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier moving closer to Venezuela, a shift Caracas condemned as a bid to “fabricate a new eternal war.”
US officials said the visit will focus on tackling transnational crime, humanitarian missions and security training. The stop follows a US Embassy warning last week for Americans to avoid government facilities after a reported threat. Reaction in Trinidad and Tobago is mixed:
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar backs the US presence, while protesters outside the US Embassy criticised hosting a warship so close to Venezuela. A senior T&T military official said the port call was scheduled recently.
Sources: PBS, South China Morning Post
Timothy Mellon has been identified as the anonymous donor who gave $130 million to the US government to help pay troops during the federal shutdown, according to two people familiar with the matter. President Donald Trump announced the gift but declined to name the donor, calling him a “patriot” and a friend.
The Pentagon said it accepted the donation under its general gift acceptance authority, with a condition that it offset service members’ salaries and benefits. The sum, roughly $100 per active-duty service member, comes as the shutdown enters its fourth week; about 670,000 federal workers have been furloughed and around 730,000 continue working without pay.
The donation appears to be a potential violation of the Antideficiency Act, which prohibits spending in advance or in excess of appropriations and accepting voluntary services.
Sources: New York Times, The Guardian
HSBC will set aside $1.1bn for litigation linked to investors’ losses in Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, recognising the provision in third-quarter results. The bank said the charge will reduce its common equity tier one capital ratio by about 0.15 percentage points.
The move follows a Luxembourg ruling that denied an appeal on restitution of securities — while accepting one on cash — in a 2009 claim by Herald Fund SPC seeking $2.5bn plus interest, or $5.6bn plus interest in damages.
HSBC will pursue a second appeal and warned the eventual financial impact could differ. The case adds to exceptional items ahead of results, after the bank recorded a $2.1bn impairment on its stake in China’s Bank of Communications and set aside $1.1bn for bad loans, including $400mn tied to Hong Kong commercial property.
Sources: FT, Bloomberg
French police have arrested multiple suspects linked to the daylight robbery of royal jewels worth €88 million from the Louvre museum in Paris.
The Paris prosecutor said the arrests took place on Saturday evening, with one suspect detained at Roissy airport as he prepared to leave the country. Investigators from the Banditry Repression Brigade and the Central Office for the Fight against Trafficking in Cultural Property are leading the probe.
The theft, carried out on 19 October, saw four masked thieves use a mechanical lift and power tools to break into the Gallery of Apollo.
They escaped on scooters after stealing eight pieces, including an emerald-and-diamond necklace once given by Napoleon to Empress Marie-Louise. Authorities say DNA evidence helped identify one suspect. The robbery has reignited debate over museum security, after officials admitted that key cameras were ageing or misaligned.