Latest news for 20 October 2025

ISRAEL

Ceasefire wobbles.

Israel says the Gaza ceasefire is back on, after launching Sunday’s deadly airstrikes over the death of two Israeli soldiers it’s attributing to Hamas attacks (the group says it’s unaware). Violence also rocked the West Bank over the weekend, with footage suggesting Israeli settlers assaulted olive farmers near Ramallah. (Reuters)

COLOMBIA

The US strikes again.

The US president has vowed to slash US funding to Colombia, and called President Petro an “illegal drug leader”, after Petro labelled the latest US strike on an alleged trafficking vessel an assassination. (France24)

CHINA

Growth stunt.

China’s official stats suggest Q3 economic growth came in at an annualised 4.8%, below its 5% target, and its slowest in a year. (Yahoo)

Comment: It’s interesting timing for China’s leaders, who just kicked off the Communist Party’s latest ‘plenum’ (a key planning meeting due to wrap Thursday), while also resuming US trade talks on a possible de-escalation.

BOLIVIA

Change in leadership.

Pro-business senator Rodrigo Paz has won Sunday’s runoff elections to become Bolivia’s new president-elect, and the third member of his extended family to serve in the top job (after his father and great-uncle). (BA Times)

Comment: There are lazy headlines about a lurch to the right, but Paz himself pushes back on that, instead pledging “capitalism for all” amid Bolivia’s worst economic crisis in decades. Paz takes office on November 8.

SOUTH KOREA

Travel bans.

Seoul has banned outbound travel to parts of Cambodia after gangs reportedly kidnapped ~330 South Korean nationals and forced many to work in the country’s notorious cyber-scam centres during the first eight months of this year. (FT $)

Comment: We wrote here about how these scam centres are affecting the region. Cambodian authorities have turned a blind eye to (and profited from) this kind of organised crime, but Korea’s announcement is an example of how it’s starting to hit Cambodia’s tourism ambitions in parallel.

INDONESIA

Nice jets you have there.

Indonesia’s defence minister has announced his country is set to buy at least 42 China-made Chengdu J-10C fighter jets. (Independent)

Comment: Jakarta is billing this as a normal part of its military modernisation, and this particular jet has been in high demand since Pakistan used it to down some of India’s French-made fighters in May. But as with any major military purchase, Indonesia’s neighbours will be watching for signs it reflects a closer pivot to China.

PERU

New president, old problems.

Just days after taking power, newly-appointed president José Jerí (38) has declared a state of emergency after anti-government protests left one dead. (Guardian)

Comment: Jerí is hardly the ideal interim leader before July’s elections: protestors are angry at corruption, and he’s surrounded by allegations of corruption. Meanwhile, Peru’s rolling political crisis, crime, and community opposition continue to rattle the country’s copper sector, though output still seems to be holding steady.

IRAN

No bounds.

The JCPOA (aka the Iran nuclear deal) officially lapsed on Saturday, prompting Tehran to announce that both a) the deal’s nuclear restrictions no longer apply, but also b) Iran is still committed to diplomacy. (Al Jazeera)

Comment: The JCPOA’s lapse is pretty meaningless given trust and talks already collapsed, and the ‘snap-back’ sanctions already resumed in August. But highlighting its formal expiry (while reiterating a commitment to diplomacy) is probably Iran’s attempt to build a bit of leverage before any talks resume.