Day: October 22, 2025

U.S. CARIBBEAN OPERATIONS 

U.S. strikes against Venezuela in international waters constitute a dangerous escalation and amount to “extrajudicial executions,” a group of independent U.N. experts said Tuesday. While acknowledging President Donald Trump’s stated justification for the attacks, the experts said that “even if such allegations were substantiated, the use of lethal force in international waters without proper legal basis violates the international law of the sea and amounts to extrajudicial executions.” The experts, appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council, said the strikes violated Venezuela’s sovereignty and the United States’ “fundamental international obligations” not to intervene in another country’s domestic affairs or threaten the use of force. “These moves are an extremely dangerous escalation with grave implications for peace and security in the Caribbean region,” they said in a statement. Jasper Ward reports for Reuters.

Ecuadorian prosecutors have released a man who survived a U.S. military strike on a vessel in the Caribbean Sea last week and will not file charges against him. The man was one of two survivors of a U.S. attack on a semi-submersible boat on Thursday that killed two others. Charlie Savage reports for the New York Times.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – RETURN OF BODIES

Hamas yesterday returned the bodies of 85-year-old Aryeh Zalmanovich – the oldest Israeli hostage, abducted from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz and killed in captivity on Nov. 17, 2023 – and 38-year-old Master Sergeant Tamir Adar, a member of the community’s security squad killed fighting Hamas gunmen during the Oct. 7 attack, Israel confirmed late Tuesday. Billy Stockwell, Tal Shalev, Lauren Izso, and Eugenia Yosef report for CNN. The International Committee of the Red Cross had earlier received the bodies in Gaza in a handover organized by the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing. Hamas has now returned 15 of 28 deceased hostages under the current ceasefire. Lyndal Rowlands reports for Al Jazeera.

Earlier, Israel returned to the ICRC the bodies of 15 Palestinians who died in Israeli detention for identification at Gaza’s Nasser Medical Complex, Lyndal Rowlands reports for Al Jazeera. Separately, Tareq Abu Azzoum reports for Al Jazeera that 54 additional Palestinian bodies recently handed over to the ICRC and “are scheduled to be buried today.” “At the moment, the Health Ministry is continuing ground preparations, and it is possible the burials will take place in the city of Deir el-Balah.”

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – CEASEFIRE 

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in West Jerusalem today to discuss phase two of the ceasefire deal brokered between Israel and Hamas, followed by a broader meeting with senior staff. Later in the day, Vance met Israeli President Isaac Herzog at his official residence to “talk about ways to move forward and how they’re going to implement the next steps of Trump’s 20-point peace plan,” Hamdah Salhut reports for Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera reports.

A Hamas delegation meeting Turkish officials in Qatar on Tuesday said the group remains committed to the ceasefire deal despite what it called Israel’s “repeated violations.” In a statement, the delegation accused Israel of delaying implementation by failing to open the Rafah crossing “for the travel of sick and injured people, and its prevention of the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.” Delegation head Mujahid Muhammad Darwish reaffirmed “the inalienable rights of our people to self-determination and their right to an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.” Lyndal Rowlands reports for Al Jazeera.

Turkey’s role in persuading Hamas to accept President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire deal has turned its once-contentious ties to the group into a geopolitical advantage, Samia Nakhoul, Tuvan Gumrukcu and Ece Toksabay report for Reuters. Two regional sources and two Hamas officials said Ankara’s message urging Hamas to accept the U.S.-backed plan was decisive, prompting Trump to praise Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as “one of the most powerful” and “a reliable ally.” Analysts say the breakthrough has given Turkey new diplomatic leverage in Washington, with officials expected to use the goodwill to push for progress on F-35 fighter jet sales, relief from U.S. sanctions, and support for its security goals in Syria. The effort also reestablished Turkey’s influence in Middle East diplomacy—unsettling Israel and Arab rivals such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE—and capped a reset in U.S.-Turkey relations following Erdoğan’s September visit to the White House.

President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance warned on Tuesday that Hamas will face swift, severe action if it does not comply with the U.S.-backed ceasefire plan, including disarmament. Vance, visiting a military facility in southern Israel where U.S. troops are monitoring the agreement, said the U.S., Israel and Gulf partners all agree that while some fighters could receive clemency, Hamas must disarm. “If Hamas doesn’t cooperate, as the president of the United States has said, Hamas is going to be obliterated,” he warned. Earlier, Trump wrote that an end to Hamas would be “FAST, FURIOUS, & BRUTAL” if the group fails to “do what is right.” Alexander Cornwell and Nidal Al-Mughrabi report for Reuters.

GAZA AND THE WEST BANK 

Discussions are under way on deploying international security forces in Gaza, UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said today at the Reuters NEXT Gulf Summit in Abu Dhabi. He added that scaling up humanitarian aid remains a priority and cautioned against “maximalist views” among Israeli right-wing leaders, saying any annexation of Palestinian territory would cross a “red line.” Al Jazeera reports.

Jared Kushner said yesterday in Kiryat Gat, Israel, that the United States and its allies are considering starting reconstruction in parts of Gaza currently held by Israeli forces, which make up about half of the enclave. “No reconstruction funds will be going into areas that Hamas still controls,” he said, describing the proposal as a step toward creating a “new Gaza” that would “give Palestinians a place to go, to get jobs, [and] to live.” Kushner added that the plan remains under discussion and did not clarify whether the area would be overseen by Israeli forces or a future international administration. Aaron Boxerman reports for the New York Times.

Only 986 trucks carrying humanitarian aid have entered Gaza since the ceasefire took effect, according to the Gaza Government Media Office, which said that number represents just 15 percent of the 6,600 deliveries expected by Oct. 20 under the ceasefire agreement. The office warned that the shortfall threatens essential supplies for civilians. Ali Harb reports for Al Jazeera.

The International Court of Justice will deliver an advisory opinion today on Israel’s obligations to ensure humanitarian aid reaches Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. The ruling follows a December 2024 request by the U.N. General Assembly for clarification of Israel’s duties as an occupying power to guarantee “unhindered provision of urgently needed supplies essential to the survival of the Palestinian civilian population,” particularly after Israel’s effective ban on operations by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Molly Quell reports for the Associated Press.

WEST BANK VIOLENCE AND RAIDS

Israeli forces carried out new raids across the occupied West Bank, detaining at least 22 Palestinians this morning, according to Palestine’s Wafa news agency. Sixteen people, including a child, were arrested in Hebron governorate, five in Nablus and the Balata camp, and two people riding a motorcycle were assaulted in Beit Hanina, East Jerusalem, with one arrested. Al Jazeera reporting.

“Destruction and forced displacement persist” in the West Bank, Roland Friedrich, director of UNRWA Affairs in the occupied territory, warned in a statement. Friedrich urged that “a drawdown in Gaza should not become an opportunity to tighten the grip of occupation elsewhere,” stressing that “the future of Gaza and [the] West Bank are one.” Al Jazeera reports.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR 

Russia has restated its previous terms for a peace deal with Ukraine in a private “non-paper” sent to the United States over the weekend, Reuters reports. The document reiterates Moscow’s demand for full control of Ukraine’s Donbas region—effectively rejecting President Donald Trump’s proposal to freeze the frontlines at their current positions—and insists that no NATO troops be stationed in Ukraine under any settlement.

Russian attacks killed four people and left hundreds of thousands without power or water in Ukraine’s Chernihiv region yesterday, according to local officials. The Energy Ministry said that the regional capital, Chernihiv, and northern parts of the province lost all electricity after strikes on power facilities, though power was partially restored by the afternoon. Later in the day, approximately 20 Russian kamikaze drones struck the town of Novhorod-Siverskyi, killing four civilians and wounding at least seven others. Officials “did not specify what the drones had been targeting, but said the town, which is about 20 miles (32 km) from the Russian border, had suffered significant damage,” Anna Voitenko and Max Hunder report for Reuters.

Ukraine’s military said yesterday that it struck a chemical plant in Russia’s Bryansk region deemed vital to Moscow’s war effort, using Franco-British Storm Shadow air-launched missiles. The attack “penetrated Russia’s air defence system” as part of a “massive combined missile-and-air strike,” Ukraine’s General Staff said on Telegram. Reuters reports.

Ukraine’s parliament has approved a budget amendment raising defense spending to a record 2.96 trillion hryvnias ($70.9 billion) for 2025, an increase of about 325 billion hryvnias ($7.7 billion). Yesterday’s amendment marked the second boost to military funding this year, following a July increase of 412.4 billion hryvnias ($9.9 billion) to support the army and weapons production. Government officials said part of the new funding will come from a G7-backed loan secured with proceeds from frozen Russian sovereign assets, under which Ukraine has already received $28 billion this year. Olena Harmash reports for Reuters.

European nations are coordinating with Ukraine on a new ceasefire proposal that would freeze Russia’s war along current front lines, senior diplomats told Reuters. The plan largely builds on ideas already under discussion but emphasizes maintaining a central U.S. role. A senior European diplomat said the proposal envisions creating a peace board, chaired by President Donald Trump, to oversee implementation of the agreement. Three other diplomats confirmed that proposals were being prepared, with one noting that the board would be modeled on the U.S. 20-point plan in Gaza. Once both sides agree to a ceasefire, they would proceed to negotiations on territorial matters, though any areas occupied by Russia would not be recognized as Russian territory, a senior diplomat said.

OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS 

An Israeli drone-fired missile killed a person riding a motorcycle in the southern Lebanese town of Ain Qana, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported. Al Jazeera reports.

Poland warned Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday against flying through its airspace for a planned summit in Hungary with U.S. President Donald Trump, saying it could be obligated to execute the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against him if he did. The ICC issued the warrant in March 2023, accusing Putin of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine—a charge Russia denies and rejects on the grounds that it does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction. “I cannot guarantee that an independent Polish court won’t order the government to escort such an aircraft down to hand the suspect to the court in The Hague,” Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told Radio Rodzina, noting that ICC member states are legally required to arrest Putin if he enters their territory. “And, therefore, if this summit is to take place, hopefully with the participation of the victim of the aggression, the aircraft will use a different route,” Sikorski added. Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev, however, said his country would allow Putin to use its airspace if the summit proceeds. Anthony Deutsch and Toby Sterling report for Reuters.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has nominated former Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo to lead the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP), according to an Oct. 20 letter seen by Reuters. The appointment still requires approval by the U.N. General Assembly at an unspecified date.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed Tzachi Hanegbi from his roles as national security adviser and head of the National Security Council, his office said in a statement. Netanyahu named Hanegbi’s deputy, Gil Reich, as acting head of the council pending a permanent appointment. Al Jazeera reports.

TECHNOLOGY

Amazon plans to automate roughly 75 percent of its operations, replacing more than 600,000 jobs with robots, according to interviews and internal strategy documents from the past year reviewed by The New York Times, including working papers detailing how various divisions are advancing the company’s automation drive and “formalized plans” within a department of more than 3,000 corporate and engineering employees who already oversee Amazon’s robotics and automation operations. The documents indicate the company is preparing for potential backlash by developing plans to bolster its image as a “good corporate citizen,” including participating in community events such as parades and Toys for Tots drives. They also advise avoiding terms like “automation” and “A.I.” in favor of phrases such as “advanced technology” or “cobot,” suggesting collaboration between humans and machines. Karen Weise reports for the New York Times.

The U.N. Convention Against Cybercrime, adopted in December 2024, will be signed by representatives from dozens of states in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Saturday despite mounting human rights concerns. The treaty addresses offences ranging from phishing and ransomware to online trafficking and hate speech and will take effect once ratified by 40 states. The United Nations says the convention will enhance global coordination against cybercrime, but activists, major technology companies, and the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights have warned that its broad and ambiguous language could enable abuses and criminalize lawful online expression. The list of signatories has not yet been released, though the European Union and Canada have confirmed they will sign, citing safeguards for human rights. The U.S. State Department declined to say whether a representative will attend, while U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres is expected to be present at the ceremony. Francesco Guarascio reports for Reuters.

U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS

A planned summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin has been put on hold. A senior White House official told Reuters, saying “there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future.” The decision followed what officials described as a “productive call” between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, after which both sides agreed to forgo an in-person meeting. 

President Donald Trump said yesterday that meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin would be “a waste” and that he plans to reveal his new approach to the war in Ukraine within two days. “I don’t want to have a wasted meeting. I don’t want to have a waste of time till I’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters, adding that he would outline his “new thinking” on Ukraine soon. Alexander Ward, Robbie Gramer, and Alex Leary report for the Wall Street Journal.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is scheduled to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House today, Hans Nichols and Barak Ravid report for Axios.

Spain’s High Court has ordered the extradition of former senior U.N. Office for Project Services (UNOPS) official Vitaly Vanshelboim to the United States, where he faces charges of bribery and money laundering, according to a court document seen by Reuters. Vanshelboim was arrested in Spain in March on an international warrant issued by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Prosecutors accuse him of accepting at least $2 million in bribes from a British businessman in exchange for diverting more than $60 million in UNOPS grants and loans to the businessman’s companies. His defense opposed extradition, citing U.N. immunity, lack of U.S. jurisdiction, double jeopardy, ongoing proceedings elsewhere, and alleged political motives, but the three-judge panel rejected those arguments as unsubstantiated. The court found sufficient grounds for extradition on bribery, wire fraud, and money laundering charges, but denied extradition on three conspiracy counts, as conspiracy is not recognized under Spanish law. The ruling is subject to appeal and final approval by the Spanish government. Reuters reports.

Syria hopes that U.S. sanctions will be fully lifted in the coming months and has begun restructuring billions of dollars in debt accumulated under President Bashar al-Assad, Economy Minister Mohammad Nidal al-Shaar told Reuters on Tuesday at the Future Resilience Forum in London. “We have to do some push and some lobbying to continue with this path that started in the right direction, and we’re hoping by the end of the year the bill [to scrap the act] will reach the president [Trump], and hopefully he’ll sign it,” al-Shaar said, adding, “And once that happens, then we are sanctions-free.” Marc Jones reports for Reuters.

U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS

Paul Ingrassia yesterday withdrew his nomination to lead the Office of Special Counsel, a day after POLITICO reported a series of inflammatory text messages he sent to fellow Republicans in a group chat and two days before he was set to testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The report said Ingrassia had made offensive remarks and described himself as having a “Nazi streak,” according to the messages. Ingrassia, who remains the White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security, announced on Truth Social and X that he was withdrawing because he did “not have enough Republican votes” to secure confirmation, adding that he would “continue to serve President Trump and this administration to Make America Great Again.” Daniel Lippman reports for POLITICO.

Pentagon personnel must now obtain prior approval before sharing any information with Congress and other elected officials, according to a five-page Oct. 15 memo from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg. The directive applies to all Defense Department personnel—including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff but excluding the inspector general’s office—and requires all correspondence to be routed through the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs for coordination. Josephine Walker reports for Axios; Julie Tsirkin and Courtney Kube report for NBC News.

President Trump has filed administrative claims seeking about $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for federal investigations into him, raising ethics concerns because any settlement would ordinarily require approval from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche—Trump’s former defense lawyer—or Stanley Woodward Jr., the head of the department’s civil division, who previously represented Trump’s co-defendant Walt Nauta in the classified documents case. The first claim, submitted in late 2023, alleges violations of Trump’s rights stemming from the FBI and special counsel investigations into Russian election interference and possible links to his 2016 campaign. A second claim, filed in summer 2024 and seeking $100 million, accuses the FBI of violating Trump’s privacy during its 2022 search of Mar-a-Lago and accuses the Justice Department of “malicious prosecution” for charging him with mishandling classified records. Devlin Barrett and Tyler Pager report for the New York Times.

House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan has asked the Justice Department to prosecute former CIA Director John Brennan for allegedly lying to Congress more than two years ago. In a letter sent to Attorney General Pam Bondi yesterday, Jordan claimed Brennan “knowingly made false statements” during a May 2023 transcribed interview with the committee. Brennan, who led the CIA during the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, is accused of misleading lawmakers about his knowledge of the so-called Steele dossier — a collection of largely discredited memos by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele that alleged ties between Trump’s campaign and the Kremlin. Hailey Fuchs and Kyle Cheney report for POLITICO.

President Donald Trump on Oct. 15 fired Parisa Salehi, the inspector general for the Export-Import Bank of the United States, citing only a “vague line about the administration’s changing priorities,” Luke Broadwater reports for the New York Times. The Export-Import Bank facilitates U.S. exports by providing loans, loan guarantees, and credit insurance to support businesses when private financing is unavailable.

Christopher Moynihan, a Jan. 6 rioter pardoned by Trump, has been charged with threatening to kill House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries in text messages, according to a felony complaint dated Oct. 18. While at least 10 other Jan. 6 participants have been re-arrested, charged or sentenced for crimes ranging from child sexual abuse to plotting to kill FBI agents and reckless homicide, Moynihan appears to be the only pardoned rioter known to face a charge directly involving an elected official since receiving a pardon. Reuters reports

U.S. IMMIGRATION

As part of the Trump administration’s overhaul of the U.S. refugee resettlement system—including a sharp reduction in overall annual admissions—the government is preparing thousands of White South Africans, primarily Afrikaners, for relocation to the United States, according to documents reviewed by The Washington Post. Under the plan, nearly all refugees admitted this year—up to 7,000 from a maximum pool of 7,500—could be Afrikaners, a group not traditionally eligible for refugee resettlement, and the remainder could be chosen based on their ability to speak English or their views on “free speech.” Adam Taylor and Teo Armus report for the Washington Post.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION

The Trump administration has agreed to extend a federal judge’s temporary block on deploying National Guard troops to Chicago, while the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether to stay the order. In a filing yesterday—two days before U.S. District Judge April Perry’s 14-day temporary restraining order was set to expire—Justice Department attorneys said in a joint status report that they had consented to a 30-day extension. The administration appealed the case to the Supreme Court late last week, and it remains unclear when the justices will rule. Reuters reports.