10 Things Global News - 3rd November 2025
Important and interesting news from around the world
Nigeria Pushes Back After Trump Threatens Strikes
Remains Of Three Hostages Returned Amid Fragile Ceasefire
Belgium Probes Drone Incursions Over NATO Air Base
Trump: Xi Gave Assurances on Taiwan During Term
Sanctions Squeeze Russian Oil in China and Turkey
Trump Puts Tomahawk Transfers to Ukraine on Hold
Ukraine Hits Tuapse As Russia Pounds Power Grid
Trump Doubts War With Venezuela, Signals Pressure
Afghanistan Hit by 6.3 Magnitude Earthquake
US Says Nuclear Tests Won’t Involve Blasts
On this day ….
On this day in 1957 the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2, carrying a stray Moscow dog named Laika and marking the first time a living creature orbited Earth.
The capsule had no recovery plan—Laika died within hours—but the mission proved that life could endure launch and brief weightlessness. It intensified the Cold War space race and spurred new U.S. investment in science and technology.
The ethics of the experiment remain contested, but its scientific impact was lasting.
Does man justifiably see himself as a creature apart from others - whose death is justified in the advancement of humankind?
Nigeria has rejected US President Donald Trump’s threat of military action over what he called mass killings of Christians, insisting there is no “Christian genocide” in the country. Officials said armed groups such as Boko Haram and al-Qaeda affiliates target people of all faiths, not only Christians. Trump said he had asked the Pentagon to map possible attacks and was considering “fast” action if the violence continued.
Nigeria’s government said it welcomed cooperation against terrorism, but only if its sovereignty were respected. President Bola Tinubu’s spokesman, Daniel Bwala, said the two leaders could meet soon to discuss the situation. Analysts and rights groups warned that claims of anti-Christian persecution distort Nigeria’s complex security crisis, which involves overlapping ethnic, political, and economic tensions.
Trump’s remarks followed his decision to return Nigeria to a US list of countries accused of violating religious freedoms.
Sources: Al Jazeera, South China Morning Post
Israel announced the remains of three hostages were handed over from Gaza and will be examined by forensic experts, with official identification to be given to families first. US President Donald Trump said one was Omer Neutra, an American-Israeli who served as an IDF tank platoon commander; families have reacted with mixed relief and grief.
The transfers form part of the US-brokered ceasefire that began on 10 October; militants had released the remains of 17 hostages before Sunday’s handover, with 11 previously remaining in Gaza. Israel has released the remains of 15 Palestinians in parallel.
Gaza health officials say only 75 of 225 Palestinian bodies returned since the ceasefire have been identified.
Meanwhile the ceasefire remains in place while pockets of Hamas fighters remain at large in Rafah and Khan Younis.
Sources: South China Morning Post, Euronews
Belgium is investigating reported drone incursions over the Kleine-Brogel air base after a weekend sighting triggered a failed interception attempt. Defence Minister Theo Francken said a helicopter and police vehicles pursued the device but lost it, and a military jammer could not neutralise the target. He called it “a clear command targeting Kleine-Brogel”, and ministers will discuss the incidents this week as police lead the probe.
The base overflight comes amid wider European alerts. NATO countries have heightened vigilance after recent drone activity and other air incursions, including at airports in Copenhagen and Munich and in the Baltic region. Belgian authorities note it is illegal to fly drones over military areas.
The European Commission recently proposed defence projects including a counter-drone system and plans to fortify the eastern border with Russia, while Francken has urged more spending on anti-drone defences.
Sources: Kyiv Post, Reuters
US President Donald Trump said China’s President Xi Jinping has given assurances that Beijing would take no action on Taiwan while he is in office. Trump added that Taiwan did not come up in their talks last week in South Korea, which he said focused on trade.
He maintained strategic ambiguity on whether the US would defend Taiwan, saying viewers would “find out if it happens”. The White House did not provide details on when the assurances were conveyed.
Beijing’s embassy said China would never allow Taiwan to be separated and called the issue an internal matter. Trump’s remarks came in an excerpt of a CBS interview taped on Friday. The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act makes it US policy to ensure Taiwan can defend itself without committing Washington to deploy forces, a position both parties have long maintained.
Sources: Associated Press, South China Morning Post
Chinese refiners are shunning Russian cargoes after new US and allied sanctions on major producers and some customers. State firms cancelled shipments and smaller “teapot” refineries have paused purchases amid fears of penalties, with ESPO prices falling.
One consultancy estimates around 400,000 barrels a day—up to 45% of China’s Russian imports—are affected. Although Russia remains China’s biggest supplier, quota limits and sanctions risk are curbing demand.
In parallel, Turkey’s largest refineries are buying more non-Russian crude. SOCAR’s STAR secured four December cargoes from Iraq, Kazakhstan and others, while Tupras is increasing non-Russian grades and may phase out Russian crude at one plant to keep fuel exports to Europe compliant with incoming EU rules. Turkey is set to receive 141,000 barrels a day of Iraqi crude in November, up from 99,000 in October.
Sources: Bloomberg, Reuters
US President Donald Trump said he is not considering, for now, a deal to provide long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, though he added he could change his mind. He has been cool to proposals for sales via NATO allies and said the idea remains under review after a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on 22 October, noting the decision rests with the United States.
The missiles’ 2,500 km range would enable strikes deep inside Russia, and the Kremlin has warned against any provision to Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has requested the weapons.
Trump’s latest comments, made to reporters while flying to Washington, indicate continued reluctance amid concerns about escalation, even as the option remains open.
Sources: The Independent, Reuters
Nearly 60,000 people lost power in Zaporizhzhia after Russia’s overnight strikes, while two people were killed in Odesa, Ukrainian authorities said. The regional governor reported two wounded and widespread damage in Zaporizhzhia; a separate attack in Dnipropetrovsk raised the death toll to four, including two boys.
Kyiv meanwhile struck back at Russia’s energy infrastructure. A Ukrainian drone attack damaged at least two foreign vessels and terminal infrastructure at the Black Sea port of Tuapse; regional officials said fires were extinguished, with building and facility damage reported.
Ukraine’s SBU said five drone strikes hit an oil tanker, loading infrastructure and nearby port buildings. Russia’s defence ministry said air defences destroyed 283 Ukrainian drones, and the aviation watchdog reported temporary closure of scores of airports in the south and west.
Sources: Arab News, South China Morning Post
Donald Trump said he does not think the United States is going to war with Venezuela, but suggested Nicolás Maduro’s “days are numbered.” In a televised interview, he linked recent actions to counter-narcotics operations, including strikes on alleged drug-running boats and the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford to the Caribbean.
Pressed on whether escalation was likely, he replied “I doubt it,” while also criticising Caracas over drugs and migration. He rejected reports of B-1 bomber activity near Venezuela as “false,” and pushed back on claims he is mulling strikes inside the country, adding he would not disclose such decisions in advance.
A separate analysis noted that Washington’s naval buildup has fuelled regional speculation, even as the White House signals restraint for now.
Sources: The Hill, The Conversation
At least seven people have been killed and more than 150 injured after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck northern Afghanistan near Mazar-e-Sharif. The quake occurred just before 1am local time on Monday at a depth of about 28km, according to the US Geological Survey. Officials warned that the casualty toll could rise as rescue operations continued through the morning.
Authorities reported damage to homes and parts of the Blue Mosque, a historic shrine in Balkh province. Many residents ran into the streets in fear their houses would collapse, while local hospitals treated dozens of casualties from Mazar-e-Sharif and neighbouring Samangan province. The quake triggered an orange alert, indicating that significant casualties and widespread impact were likely.
It was the latest in a series of severe earthquakes to strike Afghanistan, a country lying on multiple fault lines where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.
Sources: BBC, Al Jazeera
The US energy secretary said planned nuclear weapons testing will not involve nuclear explosions, describing upcoming activities as system tests of “other parts” of a weapon. He called them “noncritical explosions,” stating on Sunday that Americans should not expect a mushroom cloud in Nevada.
His clarification followed President Trump’s order last week to resume nuclear testing “immediately” and “on an equal basis” with Russia and China. The secretary added that testing is underway on new nuclear systems and reiterated that the approach focuses on validating components rather than detonations.
While the president has argued the United States must test to ensure reliability, the secretary’s comments narrowed the scope to nonnuclear trials and framed the effort around replacement systems already in development.