U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he will sign an executive order classifying fentanyl as a “weapon of mass destruction” as part of his ongoing campaign against drug smuggling.
Speaking at the White House on Monday during a ceremony presenting medals to U.S. troops who have patrolled the Mexico–U.S. border, Trump said, “With this historic executive order I will sign today, we are formally classifying fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, which is what it is.”
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is highly potent and can be lethal in extremely small doses. While it has legitimate medical uses for pain management, illicit fentanyl has been a major driver of the U.S. overdose crisis, claiming nearly 330,000 American lives over the five years ending in April 2025.
The classification could lead to stiffer criminal charges for those involved in trafficking fentanyl, though Trump did not specify immediate legal changes.
Earlier in October, Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who agreed to take steps to limit the illegal export of fentanyl from China, which is the primary source of illicit fentanyl entering the U.S. This followed similar commitments made during Trump’s first term and by the previous president, Joe Biden.
The move reflects growing concern in the U.S. about fentanyl’s impact on public health and national security, framing the crisis as both a law enforcement and a strategic threat.
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Germany’s foreign intelligence service secretly monitored the telephone communications of former U.S. President Barack Obama for several years, including calls made aboard Air Force One, according to an investigation by the German newspaper Die Zeit.
Diplomatic tensions between Tokyo and Beijing escalated as Japan slams China's export ban on dual-use goods. Markets have wobbled as fears grow over a potential rare earth embargo affecting global supply chains.
Open-source intelligence (OSINT) sources reported a significant movement of U.S. military aircraft towards the Middle East in recent hours. Dozens of U.S. Air Force aerial refuelling tankers and heavy transport aircraft were observed heading eastwards, presumably to staging points in the region.
Iran’s chief justice has warned protesters there will be “no leniency for those who help the enemy against the Islamic Republic”, as rights groups reported a rising death toll during what observers describe as the country’s biggest wave of unrest in three years.
Two people have been killed after a private helicopter crashed at a recreation centre in Russia’s Perm region, Russian authorities and local media have said.
Power has been fully restored to a neighbourhood in Berlin after an arson attack triggered a blackout that lasted more than four days — the second such incident in the city since September.
A U.S. immigration agent shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in her car in Minneapolis on Wednesday, local and federal officials said, amid an expanded immigration enforcement operation ordered by President Donald Trump.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on the United States to target Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Russia’s Chechnya region, with an operation similar to the recent U.S. action that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he will stop defence contractors from paying dividends or buying back shares until weapons production speeds up, criticising the industry for delays and high costs.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he will meet Danish leaders next week, signalling that Washington is not retreating from President Donald Trump’s stated goal of acquiring Greenland, despite mounting concern among European allies.
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