This Week in Explainers: How a US shutdown affects American as well as Indian lives

Another week has come and gone and it’s been one of big headlines. In the week gone by, peace proposals, protests and shutdowns have become buzz words.

Perhaps, the biggest news this week was the US government shutdown, a first since 2018. It remains unclear how long the shutdown will continue but thousands of federal workers are at risk of being laid off from their jobs.

Across the American shores, the United Kingdom was stunned into silence when a man rammed his car into the gates of a synagogue in Manchester and then went on a stabbing rampage, killing two people and injuring three others.

Ahead of the Nobel Prize season beginning on Monday (October 6), a letter reportedly stated that US President Donald Trump had been disqualified from the running in the peace category.

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Another week, and more drone sightings in Europe. This time, in Munich, owing to which operations at the German airport were temporarily suspended. As many as 17 flights could not depart as they were grounded, while 15 incoming flights were diverted to Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna and Frankfurt.

This week also saw Elon Musk, the world’s richest man — he’s now half a trillionaire — waging war against Netflix, urging his supporters on X to also cancel their subscription.

We take a closer look at all of these big stories and much more in our weekly wrap.

1) On October 1, the US federal government entered a shutdown after Congress failed to pass a budget. This means that some, but not all, US government services are temporarily suspended, and 40 per cent of the federal workforce – about 750,000 people – are expected to be put on unpaid leave.

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But did you know that the US shutdown is not just a worry for Americans but for Indians as well, at least for those who are seeking visas to travel to the ‘land of the free’.

Here’s our full report on what the US shutdown means for Indian visa applicants, namely the H-1B visa.

2) While on the topic of Trump, this week on Monday, the US president unveiled an ambitious 20-point proposal to end Israel’s war in Gaza. It calls for the end of fighting immediately after Israel and Hamas agree to the plan.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to the deal, while Hamas is yet to accept it with Trump warning that not accepting the deal would be ‘a very sad end’.

But many note that Trump’s complication Gaza plan is complicated. Moreover, it’s not a guarantee of peace in the conflicted West Asia region. Here’s more on it.

3) We are just a day away from Nobel season to begin and all eyes have turned to whether the US president will win the Nobel Peace prize, an award he has long coveted. But, it seems unlikely that the American leader will win the award with a now viral post even claiming that permanently barred from ever winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

The post featured what appeared to be a genuine press release from the Associated Press (AP), dated September 25, 2025, suggesting that the Nobel Prize committee had issued this decision after controversial remarks made by Trump in a UN speech.

Is there any truth behind this post, though?

4) Have you been on X recently? There’s a chance you glanced upon the ‘Cancel Netflix’ trend that has gone viral on the platform. But do you know what’s behind this trend?

Trump’s former ‘first buddy’ Elon Musk is behind it and has been urging people to cancel their subscriptions. Musk’s call to cancel the OTT platform is in response to criticism of an animated Netflix show featuring a teenage protagonist who is transgender.

In addition to several anti-trans posts, Musk also responded to a post criticising alleged statements made by the show’s creator, Hamish Steele, that a prominent conservative X account said “mocked” the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

As a result of Musk’s barrage of comments, google searches for “cancel Netflix” increased on Wednesday. Also, Netflix’s stock was down around two per cent on Wednesday.

5) Across the pond, in the UK, the mood is sombre. This comes after a man rammed his car into a synagogue in Manchester and then stabbed to death two people and critically injured three others on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur which fell on October 2.

The attack, deemed by the UK government, as a terrorist attack drew condemnation from every corner of the world with many UK PM Keir Starmer vowing to put an end to the anti-Semitic attacks on British soil.

But who was the suspect, who has been killed, in the Manchester synagogue attack? What was his motive? We have all the answers here.

6) Drone sighting across Europe continue. This time, in Munich. Operations at the German airport were suspended owing to drone sightings. It was only on Friday morning that operations resumed as normal at the European aviation hub.

The sightings of drones at Munich follow a recent trend. Denmark and Norway experienced similar disruptions when drone sightings forced temporary airport closures. Denmark has not specified who might be responsible, though Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen suggested it could be Russia.

The repeated incursions of these unmanned aerial vehicles across Europe has also got leaders of various countries across the continent discussing the possibility of a flagship “drone wall” initiative.

The drone wall initiative would not be a physical wall, but instead a layered network of detection and interception systems, building on individual EU members’ anti-drone capabilities.

7) This week also saw hectic diplomacy across the world. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif travelled to the US where he addressed the United Nations General Assembly as well as met Donald Trump at the White House.

Following this, the Pakistani leader made his way to London where he extended his visit until October 2 with plans to unwind, relax and spending time with family, shopping and fine-dining.

But, this visit comes at a precarious time for Sharif. Was he trying to ignore the growing instability back home? After all, the area of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir witnessed massive protests that even led to the deaths of 12 people.

8) This week has also been a week of protests. In Morocco, at least three people have died amid agitations being held under the banner of GenZ 212.

But what’s the reason behind these Gen-Z protests? What are the demonstrators demanding?

The protesters have been chanting slogans calling for improved health and education services, along with better employment opportunities. Several have also criticised the money spent on building stadiums for the 2030 Fifa World Cup. One sign carried during a demonstration in the capital, Rabat, read: “At least the Fifa stadium will have a first aid kit! Our hospitals don’t.”

Read our explainer to know more about this agitation in the African country.

9) Earlier this week, University of Pennsylvania graduate Charlie Javice was sentenced to just over seven years in prison on Monday for lying to JPMorgan Chase & Co about the number of customers her start-up, Frank, had prior to the bank acquiring it for $175 million.

Before her sentencing, the 33-year-old delivered a tearful address in court. She said she felt profound remorse for her actions and asked for forgiveness from JPMorgan, employees of the startup, shareholders and investors.

But how did a 33-year-old woman defraud the banking giant?

Read the most interesting and diabolical con story of this year here.

And that’s that of our weekly roundup of the news from across the globe. If you want to continue reading such stories, bookmark this page.