Shortest Government in History

Hi Global Recap readers,

Although somewhat expected, it’s still hard to imagine what it feels like to be appointed prime minister, form a government, and then wake up to find it all fallen apart—only to resign.

• The awkwardness of people congratulating you one day, then watching you call it quits almost right after…

• The swings of French politics have become so wild now, I feel more uneasy if nothing happens.

What’s not an everyday occurrence, though, is Russia literally pointing its weapons at NATO and Trump cursing at Netanyahu. 👇🏼

🌐 WORLD
Fast Scroll News

🇩🇰 Denmark Confronts Russia

Denmark says Russian warships repeatedly pointed weapons at its helicopters and naval vessels in the Danish straits, a choke point for Baltic Sea access.

• Incidents: Thomas Ahrenkiel, head of the Danish Defense Intelligence Service, reported multiple cases where Russian ships tracked Danish aircraft with targeting radars and physically aimed weapons.

• Presence: A Russian destroyer anchored in Danish waters for over a week, raising fears it could interfere with Denmark’s attempts to disrupt Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of oil tankers evading sanctions.

• Assessment: The Danish intelligence report described Russia as conducting hybrid warfare, including cyber attacks, airspace violations, and naval provocations, while judging the risk of direct invasion as zero.

• Objective: Analysts believe Russia aims to weaken NATO’s cohesion by creating constant uncertainty and testing alliance responses without crossing into open war. As we discussed two weeks ago, some believe this is the old Soviet tactic called reflexive control.

🇮🇱 Israel-Hamas Talks Begin

Fortunately, Israel and Hamas just opened indirect negotiations in Cairo on a US-brokered ceasefire plan, raising cautious hopes that the nearly two-year Gaza war could finally slow.

• Plan: The 20-point proposal from President Trump calls for a ceasefire, a hostage-prisoner exchange, and a phased Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza.

• Hostages: Hamas holds 48 hostages, with 20 believed alive, while Israel has nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners slated for release under the deal.

• Mediators: Egypt and Qatar are shuttling between delegations, while US special envoy Steve Witkoff oversees progress. The International Committee of the Red Cross has offered to handle transfers too.

• Politics: Israeli PM Netanyahu faces pressure from allies like Itamar Ben-Gvir, who threatened to quit if Hamas survives politically after the deal.

Something interesting: A US official who is aware of the call between Netanyahu and Trump, after Hamas accepted the framework of the deal if certain conditions were met, said…

🇫🇷 French Government Collapses (Again)

France’s Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu just resigned less than 24 hours after forming his cabinet, making his government the shortest-lived in modern French history.

• Timing: Lecornu stepped down on October 6, 2025, only a day after announcing his cabinet lineup.

• Reason: He cited an inability to secure conditions for passing a 2025 budget, blaming what he called "partisan appetites" in Parliament.

• Coalition: His cabinet tried to unite centrists and conservatives, but conservatives revolted over the appointment of Bruno Le Maire as Defense Minister.

• Pressure: Opposition parties on the left and right immediately demanded snap elections, arguing Macron had lost legitimacy.

• Markets: The CAC 40 index (benchmark French stock market index) dropped 2%, and French-German debt spreads widened to near-record highs as investors reacted to the uncertainty.

🇧🇷 Lula Presses Trump

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva just pressed Donald Trump in a 30‑minute video call to scrap tariffs and sanctions that have been squeezing Brazilian exports since April.

• Tariffs: Trump imposed a 50% duty on a large share of Brazilian goods, stacking a 40% surcharge on top of an existing 10% levy. 😬

• Reason: The White House framed the move as retaliation for what Trump called a "witch hunt" against his ally, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who was sentenced to 27 years in prison for allegedly leading a plot to overturn Brazil’s 2022 election result.

• Tone: However, Lula’s office described the call as "friendly" and "positive," with both leaders recalling their "good chemistry" at the UN General Assembly in New York.

• Next: Lula proposed an in‑person meeting at the ASEAN summit in Malaysia on October 26, and both men exchanged personal phone numbers to keep a direct line.

• Follow‑up: Trump tasked Secretary of State Marco Rubio with handling negotiations, signaling the talks will continue at the cabinet level.

🇸🇩 SUDAN
ICC Finally Convicts Janjaweed

After two decades of waiting, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has finally convicted Janjaweed commander Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, a.k.a Ali Kushayb, for his role in the ethnic cleansing against non-Arab communities in Darfur.

This is the court’s first conviction tied to Darfur.

The Long Road to The Hague

After years of delay, the trial finally came to a conclusion.

• Abd-Al-Rahman was a senior Janjaweed commander during the Darfur conflict in 2003–2004.

• He was transferred to ICC custody in 2020 after surrendering in the Central African Republic.

• His trial opened in April 2022, where he pleaded not guilty and even denied being this "Kushayb" figure, a claim judges rejected after video evidence showed him using the nickname. Not sure how he thought he could get away with that claim… 👆️ 

The Crimes Laid Bare

The court did not mince words about what happened.

• Out of 31 counts of various crimes, judges found him guilty on 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including mass executions, rape, and destruction of villages.

• Witnesses described him ordering the summary execution of scores of prisoners in March 2004.

• He was also convicted of personally killing two men with an axe.

• Between 2003 and 2004, the Darfur conflict killed up to 300,000 people and displaced 2.7 million.

Voices From Darfur

• Darfur rights defender Enaam al-Nour called it “finally a victory for justice, and justice for the victims of Darfur.”

• ICC Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan said it sends a “resounding message” that perpetrators of atrocities in Sudan will be held accountable.

• Human Rights Watch’s Liz Evenson described it as a “long-awaited landmark conviction.”

The Shadow of Bashir

The conviction also raises the question of unfinished business.

• The ICC has long indicted former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for genocide and crimes against humanity, but Sudan has not handed him over yet.

• He remains in a military-run detention facility in northern Sudan, while other ICC-wanted figures have been released.

• Activists like Khalid Omar are now urging Sudan to surrender Bashir and others to The Hague as well.

Darfur Then and Now

The timing of this verdict is ironic because Darfur is once again engulfed in conflict.

• Since 2023, Sudan’s military and the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group descended from the Janjaweed, have been fighting for control.

• The World Health Organization estimates at least 40,000 killed and 12 million displaced in this new war.

• The World Food Program says more than 24 million Sudanese face acute food insecurity.