10 Things Global News - 7th October 2025
The news from around the world
Zelensky Urges Crackdown on Sanctions Loopholes
Drone Strike Halts Major Russian Refinery Unit
Illinois Challenges Trump’s Guard Deployment
7 October Anniversary Spurs Security, Grief And Tensions
Sharm El-Sheikh Talks Test Gaza Peace Plan
ICC Convicts Janjaweed Commander For Darfur Crimes
Macron Gives Lecornu Two Days To Salvage Government
AMD Lands Massive Chip Deal With OpenAI
Nobel Medicine Prize Honours Immune Tolerance Pioneers
Senate Deadlock Extends US Government Shutdown
On this day …..
On this day in 1913, the Ford Motor Company introduced the moving assembly line, cutting production time for a Model T from more than 12 hours to 93 minutes. It transformed industrial labour, creating mass prosperity and an American middle class tied to manufacturing.
Yet the very efficiencies that powered that century of growth—outsourcing, standardisation, and cost compression—eventually hollowed out the system that sustained it.
As the U.S. now tries to rebuild domestic capacity in chips, batteries and steel, the century-old assembly line stands as both the origin and the cautionary tale of American industry.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged allied governments to tighten sanctions after British-made microcomputers and other foreign components were found in Russian drones used to strike Ukrainian cities.
He said hundreds of thousands of parts from the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Japan and others were identified in the weekend’s combined missile and drone assault that killed at least four people, including a 15-year-old, in Lviv and surrounding areas.
Zelensky said partners “already possess detailed data on each company and each product” and must act to end sanction-evasion schemes that allow Russia to keep building weapons.
The British government said it would examine the reports, stressing that its export-control regime is among the world’s most robust and that thousands of items have already been banned from sale to Russia.
Sources: The Independent, BBC
Russia’s Kirishi oil refinery has shut down its largest crude distillation unit, CDU-6, after a Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire on 4 October. The unit, which accounts for about 40% of the refinery’s total output, is expected to remain offline for around a month. The halt comes amid a national fuel shortage and follows multiple Ukrainian strikes this year on Russia’s energy infrastructure.
The refinery, located in Leningrad Oblast and operated by Surgutneftegaz, processed 17.5 million tonnes of crude last year—6.6% of Russia’s total refining volume. While CDU-6 remains out of action, the plant is operating at about 70% capacity by pushing other units beyond normal limits.
Kyiv has confirmed responsibility for the attack, calling oil refineries legitimate military targets that fund Moscow’s war effort.
Sources: Kyiv Independent, Reuters
Illinois and Chicago have filed a lawsuit to block President Donald Trump’s plan to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago, describing the move as unlawful and politically motivated. The legal action came hours after a federal judge in Oregon halted a similar deployment to Portland, intensifying clashes between Democratic-led states and the White House over federal use of the military in domestic law enforcement.
Governor JB Pritzker called the planned deployment an “unconstitutional invasion” and said about 700 troops from Illinois and Texas were being federalised, while Attorney General Kwame Raoul argued the action violated constitutional limits on presidential authority.
A judge declined to issue a temporary restraining order on Monday but cautioned federal lawyers to pause the operation. The next hearing is scheduled for Thursday, though troops from Texas are already en route.
Sources: PBS, CBS News
Commemorations for the second anniversary of the 7 October 2023 attacks have been held across the globe including Australia, where political leaders condemned pro-Hamas graffiti in Melbourne as “deeply wrong” and police opened investigations. Jewish community events in several states reflected grief for the 1,200 people killed, while advocates renewed calls for the release of hostages still held in Gaza.
In the UK, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer urged students not to join pro-Palestinian protests on Tuesday, citing rising antisemitism and heightened security after last week’s deadly synagogue attack in Manchester.
In Israel, bereaved families — not the government — are organising the main memorial as the country remains divided over the war’s conduct.
Meanwhile the war continues in Gaza as “indirect” talks seek a resolution.
Sources: BBC, ABC News, Politico
Israeli and Hamas delegations opened indirect negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh on a U.S. plan to halt the war, with Egypt, the United States and Qatar acting as intermediaries. Both sides have endorsed the plan’s overall principles, but are seeking clarifications on core issues.
A senior Israeli security source said the first phase would focus on releasing hostages, while Gaza residents reported Israel had scaled back operations without halting them; health officials said 19 people were killed in the past 24 hours.
Hamas outlined positions on the scope and timing of an Israeli withdrawal and raised concerns over a permanent ceasefire and comprehensive pullout. Disarmament and Hamas’s future role remain contentious.
The first session ended on Monday, with talks due to resume on Tuesday. From Washington, President Donald Trump said there was “a really good chance” of a lasting deal and urged fast progress.
Sources: BBC, Reuters
The International Criminal Court has convicted Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, known as Ali Kushayb, for his leading role in atrocities in Darfur during 2003–2004. Judges found him guilty on 27 counts, ruling the murders, rapes and attacks on civilians formed part of a government plan to crush rebellion in western Sudan. It is the first ICC conviction arising from the Darfur situation referred by the UN Security Council.
Janjaweed Insurgents - Photo Master Strategist
The court said Abd-Al-Rahman ordered summary executions in March 2004 and personally killed captive civilians. He surrendered in 2020 and denied being Ali Kushayb, but judges rejected that defence.
Sentencing will follow and can include life imprisonment. The judgment was welcomed by rights officials as a step toward justice for victims, while prosecutors said other Darfur warrants remain outstanding.
Sources: Euronews, UN News
French President Emmanuel Macron has asked outgoing Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu to remain in post for 48 hours to seek a solution to France’s escalating political crisis. Lecornu resigned on Monday, less than a month after taking office and just hours after naming his cabinet, citing the unwillingness of rival parties to compromise.
Macron tasked him with negotiating a platform of “action and stability” by Wednesday, warning he would “assume his responsibilities” if efforts failed.
Lecornu’s resignation marked the third prime ministerial exit in a year and deepened tensions within Macron’s own ranks. Former finance minister Bruno Le Maire also quit his new role as defence minister after fierce criticism of the government lineup.
The uncertainty shook financial markets and revived calls from far-right and left-wing leaders for new elections or Macron’s resignation, underscoring France’s deep parliamentary deadlock.
Sources: Le Monde, The Guardian
Advanced Micro Devices has secured a multibillion-dollar agreement with OpenAI to supply six gigawatts of AI chips, in a move expected to generate tens of billions in revenue and challenge Nvidia’s dominance in artificial intelligence computing.
The deal triggered a surge of more than 24% in AMD’s share price to $203.71, its biggest single-day jump in years, lifting its market value to over $330 billion.
The agreement gives OpenAI a warrant to buy up to 160 million AMD shares—around 10% of the company—at $0.01 per share, contingent on stock performance milestones, including a peak target of $600.
The pact is AMD’s largest-ever AI deployment and will begin with a one-gigawatt rollout in 2026. For OpenAI, it diversifies chip supply and reduces reliance on Nvidia as both companies expand massive data-centre projects.
Sources: Bloomberg, Forbes
Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries explaining how the immune system avoids attacking the body.
Their work uncovered peripheral immune tolerance, identifying regulatory T cells as key “security guards” that restrain overactive responses and help explain why most people do not develop serious autoimmune disease.
Sakaguchi’s 1995 research revealed a previously unknown T cell subset. In 2001, Brunkow and Ramsdell traced autoimmune disease in mice to a mutation in the Foxp3 gene and linked it to human disease.
Two years later, Sakaguchi showed Foxp3 controls the development of regulatory T cells. The Nobel Assembly said the findings underpin efforts to improve treatment of autoimmune conditions, enhance transplant success and bolster anti-cancer responses.
The trio will share 11 million Swedish kronor, and this is the first Nobel announcement of 2025.
Sources: Associated Press, Nobel Org
The U.S. Senate failed for a fifth time to advance competing stopgap funding bills, leaving the federal government shut for a sixth day as thousands of employees are furloughed or working without pay. A Democratic measure to extend funding through October failed 45–50, and a Republican bill to fund government until 21 November fell 52–42, short of the 60 votes required.
The standoff centres on health care. Democrats want any funding deal to include a permanent extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies and to curb the president’s power to claw back approved funds; Republicans are pushing a “clean” bill and say health care can be handled later.
President Donald Trump has warned of mass layoffs and said talks on health provisions are under way, while the White House said agencies are preparing for firings if the shutdown continues. Democrats dispute that negotiations are happening.