10 Things Global News - 30th October 2025
Interesting and important news from around the world
Trump and Xi Strike Trade Deal to Ease Tensions
Hurricane Melissa Devastates Jamaica and Cuba
Russia Tests Nuclear-Powered Poseidon Drone
Trump Orders U.S. Nuclear Tests, Backs Seoul Sub
Ukraine Fights to Hold Pokrovsk as Russia Presses
WHO Reports Mass Killing At El Fasher Hospital
Ceasefire Tested As Gaza Strikes Kill 104
US Scales Back NATO Rotation In Romania
Rio Raid Death Toll Rises to 132, Questions Mount
Fed Cuts Rates, Signals Caution Ahead
On this day …
On this day in 1938 Orson Welles’ radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds interrupted dance music with “news bulletins” describing a Martian invasion of New Jersey. Many listeners missed the opening disclaimer, and reports of panic followed, revealing the power—and peril—of mass media.
Though later accounts exaggerated the hysteria, the broadcast became a lasting study in public trust and manipulation.
In an age of viral misinformation, deep fakes and synthetic voices, Welles’ experiment feels prophetic.
When the next “invasion” comes through our speakers, will we recognise it as fiction?
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping have announced a limited trade deal following their meeting in Busan on the sidelines of the APEC summit, marking their first in-person talks in six years.
The agreement includes a US decision to halve tariffs on fentanyl-related Chinese goods and a one-year suspension of China’s rare-earth export licensing regime. Both measures take effect immediately and will be reviewed next year.
The deal also covers China’s resumption of soybean purchases and a joint commitment to cooperate on Ukraine and maritime shipping tariffs. Trump described the meeting as “a 12 out of 10,” calling it “an outstanding group of decisions.” Market reactions were mixed, with gold rising 1.2% while US and Asian equity futures slipped slightly.
Trump said he plans to visit China in April, with Xi expected to travel to the United States later in 2026, signalling cautious optimism after months of tariff brinkmanship between the world’s two largest economies.
Sources: Bloomberg, NDTV
Hurricane Melissa has swept through the northern Caribbean, leaving Jamaica shattered, Cuba battered and Haiti flooded. The Category 5 storm — the most intense to strike Jamaica in nearly two centuries — tore across the island with winds of 185 mph, destroying homes, crippling power lines and forcing more than 25,000 people into shelters. Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared a national disaster and appealed for aid.
Cuba evacuated over 735,000 residents before landfall in Santiago province, yet President Miguel Díaz-Canel said the country still suffered “extensive damage”. At least 241 Cuban communities remain isolated. In Haiti, severe flooding killed 25 people and displaced thousands. Across the region, leaders urged richer nations to fund climate-reparation mechanisms after scientists linked the hurricane’s rapid intensification to warming seas.
Melissa weakened to Category 1 as it passed into the Bahamas, but its destruction and economic toll — estimated at $22 billion in Jamaica alone — underline how climate extremes are tightening their grip on the Caribbean.
Sources: The Guardian, Reuters
Russia says it has successfully tested Poseidon, a nuclear-powered and nuclear-capable underwater drone. President Vladimir Putin said the device was run on nuclear power for the first time on Tuesday and described it as “unmatched in speed and depth” and impossible to intercept. He added that Poseidon’s reactor is “100 times smaller” than those on submarines and claimed the warhead’s power exceeds that of Russia’s Sarmat intercontinental missile. There was no independent confirmation of the test.
The announcement comes three days after Moscow hailed a successful trial of the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile. Russian media have long said Poseidon is designed to detonate near coastlines, while Kremlin messaging casts the new systems as responses to US pressure.
The latest declaration follows stalled talks with Washington and is widely seen as a further signal to the United States amid the war in Ukraine.
Sources: Euronews, The Independent
President Donald Trump said he has ordered the Department of Defense to “immediately” resume U.S. nuclear weapons testing “on an equal basis” with other powers. He posted the decision shortly before meeting China’s Xi Jinping in South Korea, citing “other countries’ testing programs.” It was not clear whether he meant flight tests of delivery systems or nuclear-explosive testing.
Trump also said he had approved U.S. support for South Korea to build a nuclear-powered submarine at a Philadelphia shipyard run by Hanwha. After talks this week, President Lee Jae Myung pressed for changes to the nuclear energy pact to secure submarine fuel, stressing conventional armament rather than nuclear weapons.
Trump did not specify how propulsion technology would be provided; the U.S. has shared it only once before, with the U.K. in the 1950s. The testing order followed Russia’s recent announcements on Burevestnik and the Poseidon underwater drone.
Sources: Al Jazeera, Sydney Morning Herald
Ukraine says it is struggling to repel intensified Russian assaults on Pokrovsk, a logistics hub in Donetsk. The 7th Corps reported some 11,000 Russian troops deployed to encircle the wider area, with small enemy groups infiltrating the city and pressing north and northwest. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called the sector “the most difficult” along the 1,250-km front, while noting Kupiansk remains difficult but more controlled.
Moscow claims Ukrainian forces are surrounded in both Pokrovsk and Kupiansk. Kyiv rejects this, calling the Kupiansk claim “fabrications” and saying Pokrovsk is not blockaded and supply lines remain intact.
Open-source analysts warned that Ukraine may need larger formations to block further Russian infiltration. Reuters and the Associated Press said they could not independently verify battlefield claims from either side.
Sources: Reuters, Washington Post
The World Health Organization says it is “appalled and deeply shocked” by reports that 460 people were killed at El Fasher’s Saudi Hospital after the Rapid Support Forces captured the city. Local medical networks and activist groups also reported killings, kidnappings and ransoms as communications outages hampered confirmation. UNICEF warned that roughly 130,000 children in El Fasher face grave risks.
El Fasher’s fall follows an 18-month siege of the army’s last stronghold in Darfur, effectively splitting control, with the RSF now holding most of Darfur and much of Kordofan. Civilians have fled towards Tawila, about 60km to the west, describing extreme violence on the road.
WHO says that, prior to this attack, verified strikes on Sudanese healthcare had already caused 1,204 deaths. Aid agencies are calling for a ceasefire, protection of medical facilities and safe access for relief.
Sources: BBC, UN News
Israel’s military said the Gaza ceasefire is back on after overnight airstrikes killed 104 people, including women and children, according to local health officials. The attacks — described as the deadliest since the truce began on 10 October — targeted what Israel called Hamas sites; Al-Shifa hospital later reported receiving two bodies from a further strike.
Israel said the bombardment followed the killing of an Israeli soldier in Rafah and cited Hamas violations over the return of hostages’ remains. Hamas denied involvement in the shooting and accused Israel of breaching the deal, delaying a planned handover.
The Israeli military said it struck dozens of targets and senior militants, while U.S. pressure to keep the ceasefire on track persists. A subsequent strike and competing statements cast doubt on compliance even as officials insisted the truce holds.
Sources: Associated Press, The Guardian
The United States has told allies it will reduce its troop presence along NATO’s eastern flank, with Romania’s defence ministry saying a rotating U.S. brigade will not be replaced. The U.S. Army confirmed the move but stressed it is not a withdrawal or a diminished commitment to NATO and Article 5. Roughly 1,000 U.S. troops will remain in Romania, down from about 1,700 in April.
Washington frames the change as a posture adjustment amid a broader shift towards the Indo-Pacific and increased European capability. Romania’s minister said allied numbers remain above pre-2022 levels, while U.S. officials noted America’s overall European footprint still exceeds that period.
Some Republican lawmakers opposed ending the rotation, and Polish and Lithuanian officials said they had not been notified of drawdowns on their soil. NATO said such U.S. adjustments are not unusual and that coordination continues to ensure deterrence and defence.
Sources: South China Morning Post, The Independent
Rio de Janeiro’s deadliest police operation has left at least 132 people dead, according to the state public defender’s office, far exceeding initial police figures.
Authorities said the raid targeted Red Command strongholds in the Alemão and Penha favelas, deploying some 2,500 officers with armoured vehicles and helicopters. Residents described “war-like” scenes, as gun battles spread and buses were hijacked to block roads. Four police officers were also killed.
Officials hailed arrests and seizures — 113 people detained, 118 weapons and a ton of drugs recovered — yet acknowledged the main target escaped. The UN human rights office said it was “horrified” by the bloodshed, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva sent ministers to Rio and pledged federal forensic support. As forensics continue, Governor Cláudio Castro said the official toll would change, but defended the operation as a response to “narco-terrorism”.
Sources: New York Times, BBC
The US Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 25 basis points to a 3.75%–4.00% range and said balance-sheet reduction will end this year, with limited Treasury purchases restarting.
Chair Jerome Powell stressed that another move in December is “far from” assured, citing “strongly differing” views among policymakers and the lack of official data during a government shutdown. Bond yields rose and earlier stock gains faded.
The split was visible in two dissents pulling in opposite directions — one for no cut, another for a deeper one. Powell framed the approach as “slowing down” while “driving in the fog,” noting mixed signals: a gradually cooling jobs market, tariff-related price pressures and services inflation moving sideways. Markets trimmed bets on another 2025 cut as the Fed emphasised that policy is not on a preset course.