(1) Madagascar military coup
The military has seized power in a coup in the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar and ousted President Andry Rajoelina, who has fled the country.
Col. Michael Randrianirina, who seized power in a military coup, was sworn in as Madagascar’s new leader on Friday (October 17, 2025) in a lightning-fast power grab that ousted the President.
Randrianirina, the commander of an elite army unit, took the oath of office to become the new President at a ceremony in the main chamber of the nation’s High Constitutional Court and in front of its nine red-robed judges.
The military takeover — which came after three weeks of anti-government protests by mainly young people — has been condemned by the United Nations and led to Madagascar being suspended from the African Union.
President Andry Rajoelina’s whereabouts are unknown after he left the country, claiming his life was in danger following the rebellion by soldiers loyal to Col. Randrianirina. He reportedly escaped on a French military plane.
Madagascar has high rates of poverty, which affect around 75% of the population, according to the World Bank. It also has a tumultuous history of political instability that has included several coups and attempted coups. Mr. Rajoelina himself came to power as a transitional leader in 2009 after a military-backed coup.
(2) US-China tit-for-tat tariffs
The United States and China on Tuesday (October 14, 2025) began charging port fees on ocean shipping firms that move everything from holiday toys to crude oil, making the high seas a key front in the trade war between the world’s two largest economies.
Early this year, U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration announced plans to levy the fees on China-linked ships to loosen that country’s grip on the global maritime industry and bolster U.S. shipbuilding.
An investigation during former U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration concluded China uses unfair policies and practices to dominate the global maritime, logistics and shipbuilding sectors, clearing the way for those penalties.
Analysts expect China-owned container carrier COSCO to be most affected, shouldering nearly half of that segment’s expected $3.2 billion cost from those fees in 2026.
China hit back last week, saying it would impose its own port fees on U.S.-linked vessels, also starting Tuesday (October 14, 2025). Jefferies analyst Omar Nokta noted that 13% of crude tankers and 11% of container ships in the global fleet would be affected.
“This tit-for-tat symmetry locks both economies into a spiral of maritime taxation that risks distorting global freight flows,” Athens-based Xclusiv Shipbrokers Inc said in a research note.
(3) Pakistan and Afghanistan agree to ceasefire
Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said on Sunday (October 19, 2025). This follows more than a week of fighting that has killed dozens of people and injured hundreds.
The two sides agreed to establish mechanisms to consolidate lasting peace and stability, as well as holding follow-up talks in the coming days to ensure the ceasefire’s sustainability, the Qatari statement said.
Delegations from Afghanistan and Pakistan were in Doha for talks to resolve the deadliest crisis between them in several years, after more than a week of fighting killed dozens of people and injured hundreds on both sides.
The talks were mediated by Qatar and Turkiye. A 48-hour ceasefire intended to pause hostilities expired on Friday (Oct. 17, 2025) evening. Hours later, Pakistan struck across the border.
(4) Bihar Assembly election: NDA names all 243 candidates
The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Thursday (October 16, 2025) completed the announcement of its candidates for all 243 constituencies ahead of the Bihar Assembly election.
On Thursday, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) announced its second and final list of 44 candidates while the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) also announced nominees for their remaining seats.
The JD(U) has fielded turncoats Chetan Anand and Vibha Devi from Nabinagar and Nawada respectively. Both Mr. Chetan Anand, son of strongman Anand Mohan, and Ms. Vibha Devi were earlier associated with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). Besides, the JD(U) has nominated Kaladhar Mandal from Rupauli.
The JD(U) and the BJP are contesting from 101 seats each. The BJP has already announced its 101 candidates and its third and final list was released on October 15. Chirag Paswan’s LJP(RV) and RLM are contesting from 29 and six seats respectively. Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) had released its list of all six candidates on Tuesday (October 14).
(5) Palestinian death toll in Gaza tops 68,000
The Palestinian embassy in Egypt says the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will reopen on Monday (October 20, 2025) for people returning to Gaza. The embassy announced the development in a statement on Saturday (October 18).
“The number of people registering to return to Gaza is very big,” Naji al-Naji, cultural counsellor at the embassy, told The Associated Press without saying how many.
There was no immediate comment from Israel.
The crossing is Gaza’s only gateway to the outside world that wasn’t controlled by Israel before the war. It has been closed since May 2024, when Israel took control of the Gaza side.
Gaza’s ruins were being scoured for the dead on Saturday (October 18), over a week into a ceasefire as newly recovered bodies brought the Palestinian toll above 68,000.
Israel said the remains of a tenth hostage that Hamas handed over the day before were identified as Eliyahu Margalit.
The handover of hostages’ remains, called for under the ceasefire agreement, is among key points — along with aid deliveries into Gaza and the devastated territory’s future — in a process backed by much of the international community to help end two years of war.
Published – October 23, 2025 11:14 am IST
