Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

What We're Watching

Xi presses Trump on Taiwan stance, Starmer’s ally hangs him out to dry, Russia launches largest aerial attack on Ukraine

US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping talking in Beijing, China.

China's President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump visit the Temple of Heaven in Beijing on May 14, 2026.

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Pool via REUTERS
Make us preferred on Google

Xi warns Trump on Taiwan despite friendly start to meetings

US President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday exchanged friendly toasts and reiterations of commitment on the first day of a Beijing summit flush with pageantry. The friendly tone suggests that both sides hope to maintain the current status quo of fragile detente in a relationship marked by deep differences over trade, technology, and China’s regional ambitions in the Pacific. The only moment of slight tension so far came on the topic of Taiwan – Xi warned of a “clash” if the issue was “handled poorly.” Ahead of the meeting experts had wondered whether Trump might soften long-standing US support for the self-governing island, which Beijing considers its own, in exchange for Chinese concessions on trade. So far there is no indication that this has happened. Trump, accompanied by a delegation of CEOs and business leaders, will continue meetings in China until Friday afternoon, including another working lunch with Xi.


Et tu, Streeting? UK leader faces challenge from an ally

One of embattled UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s closest allies has turned against him, as Health Secretary Wes Streeting quit on Thursday and called on the PM to follow suit. Streeting, who said he had “lost confidence” in Starmer’s leadership, hasn’t yet triggered a formal leadership challenge, but enough Labour MPs have already indicated that they’d support one. Should Streeting pull the trigger and win, he would become PM (and the first openly-gay man to hold that job). But there are major risks: in a vote among Labour members, Starmer, unpopular as he is, could still count on the traditional “incumbency boost” as party leader. What’s more, Streeting might have company: former Deputy PM Angela Rayner (cleared of wrongdoing over a tax issue on Thursday) may enter the race. Rayner is to the left of both Starmer and Streeting, and so is more aligned with the Labour base.

Putin unleashes massive Ukraine attack

Russia over the past 30 hours has launched one of the largest aerial attacks to date on Ukraine, deploying at least 1,500 drones and dozens of missiles against targets across the country. One of the attacks flattened an entire residential complex in the capital, Kyiv, leaving at least eight dead, including a child. The attack comes – perhaps not coincidentally – during Trump’s visit to China. The US president has so far failed to fulfill his promise of ending the largely stalemated war in Ukraine, while Beijing continues to be a key Kremlin ally, purchasing Russian oil and supplying Moscow with technologies banned by the West. Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to visit China again soon to reinforce their “no limits” friendship.

More For You

Rohingya refugees gather in front of the office of the U.N. refugee agency after being evicted from their homes, at Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.

Rohingya refugees gather in front of the office of the U.N. refugee agency after being evicted from their homes, at Kuala Lumpur Malaysia July 27, 2026.

REUTERS/Hasnoor Hussain
Malaysia sends Rohingya back to Myanmar despite security concernsThe Malaysian government started repatriating Rohingya refugees to Myanmar today with the goal of sending about 5,000 home over the next few weeks. Since 2017, millions of Rohingya, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority, have fled Myanmar amid widespread persecution under both [...]
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic waves to citizens outside the Presidency of Serbia moments before formally submitting his resignation, ending his second and final five-year term in office, in Belgrade, Serbia.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic waves to citizens outside the Presidency of Serbia moments before formally submitting his resignation, ending his second and final five-year term in office, in Belgrade, Serbia, September 27, 2026.

REUTERS/Djordje Kojadinovic
Serbia’s Vucic resigns, but isn’t going farSerbian President Aleksandar Vučić officially resigned on Sunday, but he’s not trying to go far. Vučić, constitutionally barred from seeking a third presidential term, is now running for prime minister in next month’s snap elections, which could let him extend his 14-year-long grip on power. Vučić and his [...]
France to send troops to Saudi Arabia, “Cockroaches” in India mobilize against elections chief, Xi to send pandas to Atlanta

The President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, received the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saoud, at the Elysee Palace on 21 March 2022.

Julien Mattia via Reuters Connect
France offers troops to help secure Saudi Arabia’s energy sitesFrench President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that the country plans to help Saudi Arabia protect energy infrastructure from escalating Houthi attacks. Macron said he would send soldiers, radars, and defense systems, but that they would not “engage in” any direct conflict with [...]
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a toast-raising event hosted by his Likud party, in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a toast-raising event hosted by his Likud party, in Tel Aviv, Israel, September 17, 2026.

REUTERS/Amir Cohen
Netanyahu to address the UN today with Israeli elections in mindIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the UN today during a whirlwind eight-hour trip to New York. As some of Israel’s traditional allies – including many European countries – distance themselves from the country over the war in Gaza and rising settler violence in the [...]