10 Things Global News - 31st October 2025
Interesting and important news from around the world
10 Things Global News is now just over three months old and we are seeing solid support from our subscriber base. If you do like what we are doing there are a few things that you can do to help us continue to consolidate and build:
If you like an edition of the newsletter please remember to press Like or even better, if you are reading on the Substack app then please Restack the post
If you read something in the newsletter that sparks a reaction, then please leave a Comment and lets start a conversation
Finally, if you think you have a friend or friends who would get some value out of 10 Things Global News then please forward it to them and suggest they subscribe too
Thank you it really does make a difference
Revealed: Trump Scrapped Summit After Russia’s Hardline Memo
Draft Protest Strains Israel’s Coalition
King Strips Andrew’s Titles; Royal Lodge Exit
Study Links Melissa’s Strength to Human Warming
Asia Emerges As Decarbonisation Driver
UN Decries Mass Killings as RSF Seizes El-Fasher
Lebanon Orders Army To Repel Border Incursions
UN Flags Iran Crackdown, Executions Spike
Trump Urges Senate to Scrap Filibuster - End Shutdown
Pentagon Unit to Overhaul U.S. Drone Program
On this day ….
On this day in the year 2000 humanity moved into orbit.
The crew of Expedition 1—Bill Shepherd, Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev—boarded the International Space Station, beginning continuous human presence in space. Built by fifteen nations, the ISS turned Cold War rivalry into orbital cooperation, serving as both laboratory and diplomatic outpost.
More than two decades later, it remains a fragile testament to what shared ambition can achieve above earthly divisions. As new players race toward the Moon and Mars, the station circles silently below.
Can humanity carry that same spirit of collaboration into deeper space or indeed can some of that collaboration in space rub off on us here on terra firma?
The United States cancelled a planned Budapest summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin after Moscow reaffirmed uncompromising demands to end its war in Ukraine. A Russian foreign ministry memo repeated calls for territorial concessions, demilitarisation of Ukraine, and a Nato ban—conditions Washington deemed unacceptable.
The cancellation followed a tense call between foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and US secretary of state Marco Rubio, during which Moscow showed “no willingness to negotiate,” according to officials familiar with the exchange.
The reversal marked a sharp shift in US policy less than a week after Trump had appeared to lean toward Moscow by shelving plans to send Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv. He later imposed sanctions on Russia’s top oil producers and criticised Putin’s nuclear tests as the Kremlin blamed Ukraine and its allies for derailing progress made at an earlier Alaska meeting.
Sources: FT, Times of India
Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox men blocked Jerusalem’s main entrance to oppose plans to draft them into the military, chanting that they would rather go to jail. Police shut the highway and deployed more than 2,000 officers as crowds paralysed roads and public transport. Police said a teenager died after falling from a nearby construction site during the largely peaceful rally.
The dispute over exemptions has become the most serious threat to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, which relies on ultra-Orthodox parties. Their push for a permanent exemption could trigger early elections.
The immediate spur was a move to bring enlistment legislation to a Knesset committee next week. Community leaders argue that full-time Torah study should take precedence; the military says it issued 80,000 draft notices to haredi men this year, while fewer than 3,000 enlisted last year.
Sources: Al Jazeera, France 24
King Charles has begun a formal process to remove Prince Andrew’s style, titles and honours, Buckingham Palace said, and the King’s brother will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. Formal notice has been served to surrender the lease on Royal Lodge; he will move to private accommodation on the Sandringham estate, understood to be funded by the King.
The move follows mounting concerns over reputational risk linked to Andrew’s association with Jeffrey Epstein and allegations by Virginia Giuffre, which he denies; he settled a civil case without admitting liability. The government was consulted and supports the decision.
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie keep their titles, while Sarah Ferguson will also leave Royal Lodge and arrange separate accommodation. Palace officials said the Prince of Wales supports the step and Andrew did not object. The removal covers the Duke of York and related peerage titles, and the HRH style that had not been formally withdrawn.
Sources: The Guardian, BBC
Hurricane Melissa, one of the most powerful storms on record, was made four times more likely by human-caused climate change, a rapid analysis by Imperial College London found.
The study says warming increased both likelihood and intensity: at today’s ~1.3°C, wind speeds rose by about 19 kph. In a cooler world, a Melissa-type landfall in Jamaica would occur roughly every 8,100 years; now about every 1,700. Melissa brought up to 76 cm of rain and sustained winds of about 295 kph as it struck Jamaica.
After lashing Jamaica and Cuba, the storm moved toward Bermuda with maximum sustained winds near 100 mph, the US National Hurricane Center said. Authorities reported at least 19 deaths in Jamaica and 30 in Haiti. Cuba evacuated about 735,000 people as communications and power lines were hit. A preliminary estimate put direct infrastructure damage near $7.7bn, around 40% of Jamaica’s GDP. Researchers could not assess rainfall impacts due to a US government shutdown.
Sources: Japan Times, France 24
Global emissions are set to peak next year, according to a new Rystad analysis, with Asia playing the pivotal role in the shift. The region now dominates low-carbon deployment, drawing the majority of 2025 investment in solar, wind, hydrogen and batteries, while eight of the top 10 most electrified economies are in Asia. Because electrification reduces losses, demand for useful energy can grow even as primary energy declines.
Investment is tilting toward clean systems: by 2030, low-carbon sources are projected to attract 46% of all energy spending versus 30% for fossil fuels, with grids taking nearly a quarter to enable integration.
Oil demand is still expected to peak only in the 2030s; therefore, faster renewables build-out is urged to keep a path near 1.9°C. Asia’s lead reflects both energy-security goals and rapid adoption in emerging markets, though progress ultimately depends on grid modernisation to absorb intermittent supply.
Sources: South China Morning Post, Rystad Report
UN officials told the Security Council that El-Fasher has “descended into an even darker hell” after Rapid Support Forces took the North Darfur capital, forcing Sudan’s army to withdraw. The UN Human Rights Office received credible reports of mass killings, summary executions and house-to-house searches as civilians tried to flee. Communications were cut, with “no safe passage for civilians to leave the city”.
Aid workers warn conditions are deteriorating as food and medical supplies dwindle. More than 36,000 people have fled since Saturday, largely on foot, to Tawila, which already shelters roughly 650,000 displaced people. Survivors describe shelling, drone attacks and assaults.
UN humanitarian leadership said the situation is “simply horrifying”, while agencies report continuing flight from the city amid extreme trauma.
Sources: Al Jazeera, The Guardian
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has ordered the army to confront any Israeli incursion in the south, following an overnight raid in the border town of Blida in which a municipal worker, Ibrahim Salameh, was killed.
The presidency framed the move as defending territory and citizen safety, condemning a pattern of violations after a ceasefire committee meeting. The Israeli military said its forces operated in Blida and opened fire after identifying “an immediate threat”, adding the incident was under review.
Hezbollah welcomed the order. The National News Agency reported Israeli air strikes on the areas of Jarmak and Mahmoudiyeh, alongside frequent drone activity over Beirut. UN peacekeepers said they were seeking more information. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called the Blida raid a “blatant attack” on state institutions and sovereignty, while the army labelled the incident a flagrant breach and rejected Israeli pretexts as baseless.
Sources: The Palestine Chronicle, Al Jazeera
UN fact-finders say Iran’s human rights situation has sharply deteriorated since Israeli airstrikes in June, citing mass arrests and an extraordinary rise in executions.
In its first presentation to the UN General Assembly, the mission noted Iran’s figures that strikes from 13–25 June killed about 1,100 people, including 276 civilians, and injured more than 5,600; it also recorded Iran’s subsequent missile attacks, which Israeli authorities say killed 31 and injured over 3,300. The mission’s preliminary probe says June 23 strikes on Tehran’s Evin prison hit civilian buildings likely not legitimate military targets.
After hostilities, authorities claimed 21,000 arrests, sweeping up lawyers, journalists, human rights defenders and social media users. Parliament expanded the death penalty for “espionage,” and executions reached their highest level since 2015.
The crackdown has fallen heavily on minorities, with hundreds of Kurds and many Arabs detained, mass deportations of Afghans, and Baha’i members targeted in raids.
Sources: France 24, UN Human Rights Office
President Donald Trump called on Senate Republicans to scrap the 60-vote filibuster to bypass Democrats and end a government shutdown that began on 1 October. Republicans hold a 53–47 Senate majority and 219–213 in the House. He urged the “nuclear option” on social media, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune has previously pledged not to change the rule.
Talks remain limited, with the Senate adjourned until Monday. Democrats want negotiations that include extending expiring federal tax credits for Affordable Care Act coverage; Republicans have pushed a stopgap through 21 November.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates the shutdown could cost $7–$14bn, shaving up to 2% from fourth-quarter GDP. About 750,000 federal workers are furloughed; some law enforcement, immigration officers and troops are being paid, while others work without pay.
Sources: NBC News, CBS News
The Pentagon’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is leading an overhaul of the U.S. military drone program aimed at expanding domestic production and rapidly procuring tens of thousands of low-cost drones. The move follows Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s pledge in July to streamline approvals and training in response to lessons from the Ukraine war, where drone warfare exposed U.S. capability gaps.
DOGE’s role, formalised under an executive order by President Donald Trump, extends its influence across defence procurement. The unit—originally created by Elon Musk and known for cutting federal programmes—has sought data from all military branches and plans to deliver its findings to the Office of the Secretary of Defense next week.
Led by former Marine Owen West, the team aims to acquire 30,000 drones within months, offering major gains for U.S. manufacturers such as Red Cat, Skydio and PDW.