Latest news for 17 November 2025

UNITED KINGDOM

Asylum changes.

The UK’s home secretary is today (Monday) expected to announce a series of changes to the British asylum system, including an end to automatic housing benefits, a shift to temporary status, and a 20-year waiting period (up from five years) to apply for permanent residence. (France24)

CHILE

To a runoff.

Chileans will have to vote in a 14 December runoff after nobody won Sunday’s first round election outright. Polls now favour hard-conservative José Antonio Kast to beat the ruling coalition’s Communist Party candidate Jeannette Jara, in an election dominated by crime and immigration. (Al Jazeera)

Comment: As polarised as Chilean politics can be, this is also an illustration of the challenges of a two-round system: the centre fractures itself into irrelevance during round one, leaving voters to pick between more hardline options in round two.

SOUTH KOREA

Investment bonanza.

Several major South Korean corporations like Hyundai and Samsung have used a meeting with President Lee to unveil massive new investment pledges back home. (Reuters)

Comment: Just days after the US and Korea released details of their trade deal (featuring $350B in pledged Korean investments into the US), these new domestic pledges (encouraged by President Lee) look a lot like an attempt to curb criticism back home: ie yes we’re investing in the US, but we’re still committed to Korea.

GREECE

Hit the gas.

Ukraine has signed a deal to buy US-origin gas via Greece to help counter Russia’s continued attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Friday hit on Russia’s Novorossiysk port has halted ~2% of world oil supplies. (EuroNews)

INDONESIA

Troops for Gaza?

During a visit by Jordan’s king, Indonesia’s defence minister has revealed he’s readying 20,000 troops to help with healthcare and construction work as part of the planned international stabilisation force (ISF) in Gaza. (Antara)

Comment: The UN Security Council’s Gaza vote is due in New York today (Monday), proposing that Trump’s Peace Board run Gaza for two years with ISF support. But it’s vague on details, faces a Russian counter-proposal, and was rejected by Hamas overnight — the Palestinian group is now dismissing any foreign military presence plus any talk of disarmament (two key pillars of Trump’s peace plan).

DR CONGO

Signed.

Meeting in Qatar, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has signed a peace framework with the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group. (BBC)

Comment: If you’re feeling deja vu, it’s because the US brokered a ceasefire between Congo and Rwanda back in June, but M23 wasn’t directly involved — the group always favoured these parallel Qatar-brokered talks which have now borne fruit. With M23 now a signatory, there’s hope any ceasefire might hold this time around.

ARGENTINA

Mine that glacier.

President Milei is reportedly planning to tighten the legal definition of Argentina’s glaciers in a way that’d help foreign miners (like Switzerland’s Glencore, Canada’s Lundin and Australia’s BHP) accelerate stalled projects. (Bloomberg $)

Comment: This idea has been around before, but Milei’s success at last month’s mid-terms means he might actually pull the trigger this time. He wants to turn Argentina into a major copper supplier, just as the energy transition ramps up the world’s thirst for the reddish metal.