This roundup summarises the most important news stories around the world in the last month (October 2025).

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In Japan, conservative Sanae Takaichi was picked by the ruling party to be its head, as she became the country’s first female prime minister. And in the United Kingdom, the Church of England named Bishop of London Sarah Mullally the Archbishop of Canterbury, making her the first woman to lead the Christian ministry.

Separately, Nvidia became the world’s first US$5 trillion company (S$6.5 trillion).

Electoral victories, expected and unexpected

In Bolivia, almost two decades of socialist rule was ended with the election of a pro-market, centrist president. In Cameroon, its president, the world’s oldest leader, is staying in power after winning an eighth consecutive term in controversial fashion. He will be nearly 100 years old when his new term ends. In the Ivory Coast, the president secured a fourth term with a commanding re-election win.

Unexpectedly, across Latin America, in Argentina, the party of president Javier Milei cruised to a decisive victory in midterm legislative elections, in a stronger-than-expected showing, giving him fresh political momentum after months of unrest. In Peru, the president was impeached and removed from office, following a crime surge and growing public frustration.

In Madagascar, military leaders and armed forces took control, after parliament voted overwhelmingly to impeach the president, who fled after trying to dissolve parliament to block the impeachment.

And in France, the latest prime minister – the third in 2025 – resigned after less than a month in office, prompting fresh calls for the president to hold snap parliamentary elections or resign. He was shortly reappointed, before surviving no-confidence votes after suspending pension reforms. Separately, in the country, within approximately seven minutes, thieves broke into the Louvre and got away with eight items of “priceless” jewelry.

Geopolitical strains and progress

Dozens were killed in border clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan, following non-lethal bombings in Afghanistan. Both countries later reached a ceasefire.

Canada and India agreed to reset relations, approximately two years after Canada accused India of being complicit in the killing of a Sikh activist on its soil. East Timor, Asia’s youngest country, became the 11th member of ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Finally, In Gaza, Israel and Hamas signed the first phase of a peace plan, allowing a ceasefire to come into effect.