Geopolitics & Policy
Geopolitics & Policy news — Thursday 01 October 2026
43 stories from 6 sources, every one in English. Each links to its publisher.
-
Time for ASEAN to Revive its Customs Union Vision
An idea rejected in 1986 deserves a second look.
-
Family of Renee Good, US woman killed by ICE agent, sues Trump administration
South China Morning Post Tech
The family of Renee Good, one of two US citizens fatally shot by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis in January, sued the Trump administration on Thursday, saying there had been “no accountability” for her killing during…
-
US tells European allies to act ‘immediately’ to lower diesel prices
South China Morning Post Tech
EU nations will meet Friday, aiming to develop a unified response to soaring diesel prices, a day after the US called on its European allies to release strategic reserves “immediately” to stem the crisis. The emergency meeting between EU…
-
Putin warns Russia will use ‘all weapons’ in arsenal if any of its territory is attacked
South China Morning Post Tech
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday reiterated Moscow’s long-held position that Russia is not planning to attack European countries but will respond to aggression with “all weapons” in its arsenal. In remarks at a foreign policy…
-
Trump vows to hit Iran ‘very hard’ if linked to flydubai attack
South China Morning Post Tech
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Tehran was likely to be involved in an attack by a pilot on a Flydubai flight to Israel and that Iran would be “hit very hard” if it was. The co-pilot allegedly assaulted the captain before…
-
Canada fast-tracking oil pipeline designed to diversify economy away from US
South China Morning Post Tech
Canada will fast track the approval process for a new proposed crude oil export pipeline to its west coast that could generate over C$20 billion (US$14 billion) a year in GDP, Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Thursday. The pipeline…
-
Trouble in Shangri-La? Why Bruneians Are Going to Australia for Illegal Migrant Work
Unemployed Bruneians are using Australian tourist visas to work as fruit pickers.
-
UK-Iranian man arrested over suspected Fairford airbase plot
South China Morning Post Tech
British counterterrorism police investigating a suspected plot involving an airbase used by the US to target Iran said on Thursday they had arrested a dual UK-Iranian national on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. In an incident…
-
Jaw-Jaw With Belarus, Revisited Amid Ukraine War
War on the Rocks
In 2021, Michael Kimmage wrote, “Belarus and the Ukraine Trap,” where he argued the United States should adopt a realistic diplomatic relationship with Belarus that takes into account its strategic partnership with Russia and learns from…
-
A Tajik Bank Shuts Side Door for Russian Cardholders
Humo Bank's ultimatum to its Russian clients shows how Western sanctions can shape Tajikistan's banking sector.
-
Taiwan’s Local Elections Are Not About China, President Lai, or the United States
Candidates across Taiwan are campaigning on local issues that vary by city – not topics like cross-strait relations. What can we learn from these elections?
-
Can Kashmir Learn From India’s Gen Z Movement?
J&K has lost its statehood, local governance, and even the right to protest. But there is still a way to resist.
-
French school protests spread as fires, blockades deepen unrest
South China Morning Post Tech
A protest by French secondary school students over overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages and crumbling facilities deepened on Thursday, with fires set outside schools and blockades in several cities. More than 160 schools were shut…
-
US jobless claims fall to lowest since mid-July
South China Morning Post Tech
The number of people applying for US unemployment benefits dipped last week to the lowest level since mid-July as lay-offs remain low and most American workers enjoy job security. The Labor Department said on Thursday that initial jobless…
-
Why Are Modi Government Critics Now Targeting India’s Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar?
A recent investigative report strengthens opposition charges that the Modi government is using Kumar to manipulate elections in favor of the BJP.
-
China’s Stake in the Russian Duma Elections
The topic is a controversial one in China due to the obvious parallels between the Russian and Chinese political systems and the stake the Chinese leadership has in the stability of their neighbor.
-
As University of Tokyo Gets Its First Female President, How Far Is Japan From Gender Equality?
Fujigaki Yuko’s selection sparked controversy – and shone a light on Japan’s stubborn gender gap.
-
Australia as an AI Middle Power
As a middle power, with a range of assets and resources, Australia is not powerless in the face of change.
-
Xi-Trump meeting’s takeaways, successes and fallout: 7 US-China relations reads
South China Morning Post Tech
We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering US-China relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Trade, Taiwan and ‘strategic…
-
China backs Cuba, Beijing’s Panama threat, new UN chief: 7 Latin America relations reads
South China Morning Post Tech
We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering Latin American relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China pledges to ‘firmly…
-
Taiwan Can’t Fight Beijing’s History War While Erasing Its Own ROC Legacy
The push to emphasize Taiwanese identity is at odds with the government’s attempt to center the Republic of China in World War II history.
-
The New Development Bank Quietly Delivers During India’s BRICS Year
India is in a unique position as a founding member and one of its biggest borrowers.
-
Iran War Highlights 2 Challenges for Japan in a Taiwan Contingency
Japan can use the Iran war to reexamine its security framework, with particular attention to preparations for a contingency involving Taiwan.
-
Central Asia’s Diplomatic Balancing Act on Display from Bishkek to New York
Central Asia aligns rhetorically with Beijing and Moscow in regional group settings, materially with Washington in bilateral deals, and with no one in particular at the United Nations.
-
Investigators probe why co-pilot stabbed captain of flyDubai flight to Israel
South China Morning Post Tech
Investigators worked on Thursday to determine why an Omani pilot stabbed the captain of a flight to Israel, causing the plane to plummet dangerously before others on board landed it in Saudi Arabia. Passengers on the Flydubai plane – which…
-
Whatever Trump claims, weaponisation of space makes losers of us all
South China Morning Post Tech
When the US Space Force announced on September 14 that “the US has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action”, I thought of Isaac Newton’s well-known declaration that he could not…
-
Officials Detained as Kazakhstan Mourns Soldiers Perished at Sea
Five military officials were arrested in connection to the deaths of 14 servicemen lost at sea during a combat exercise in southwestern Kazakhstan, as a day of national mourning is observed.
-
The Daily Roundup
The Wire China
October 1st, 2026 | Welcome to The Wire’s daily news roundup. Each day, our staff gathers the top China business, finance, and economics headlines from a selection of the world’s leading news organizations. The post The Daily Roundup…
-
China Responds to Starlink
ChinaTalk
Paddy Stephens writes about space, security, and energy for The Wire China , Resilience Media and others. He’s based between London, Nice and Taipei. This is Part 1 of his two-part investigation of China’s Starlink challengers! The test…
-
Elon Musk returns to US government for Pentagon war study
South China Morning Post Tech
Tech billionaire Elon Musk will make a return to officially advising US President Donald Trump’s government by co-leading what the Pentagon called a study on the future of war. Musk served as the head of the Department of Government…
-
Awkward: Saudi Arabia’s new EV brand takes on the U.S. rival it already controls
Rest of World
Saudi Arabia’s first homegrown electric-vehicle maker is set to take on a U.S. rival the kingdom already controls. Ceer Motors, majority-owned by the sovereign Public Investment Fund, revealed two electric... © Ceer Motors The Exobot SUV…
-
MacGyver at Scale: Winning Future Air Wars of Rapid Technological Adaptation
War on the Rocks
During a recent training exercise in the western Pacific, a small group of engineers single-handedly saved the day.In the scenario, adversary covert forces used first-person view drones to intercept American helicopters that were shuttling…
-
School of War or School of Battle? Educating for an Uncertain Future
War on the Rocks
In 1901, military analyst Jan Bloch declared that new military technologies had changed war so radically that the study of history had become useless. He castigated military officers who prepared for future war based on “musty precedents”…
-
Ukraine scrambles as Russia’s jet drones breach Kyiv’s defences
South China Morning Post Tech
Russia’s new class of jet-powered drones rip across the night sky in Kyiv at hundreds of kilometres per hour, leaving Ukrainian air-defence units only moments to intercept them. It’s rarely enough time. With many of the drones getting…
-
The Lingering Shadow of Rodrigo Duterte’s Drug War in the Philippines
The former Philippine president is on trial in The Hague, but the ghosts of his presidency and the system he put in place continue to haunt a deeply divided society.
-
UN Refugee Agency Expresses Concerns About Malaysia’s Deportation of Asylum Seekers to Myanmar
The statement came as Kuala Lumpur confirmed plans to deport a further 3,500 people as part of its "voluntary repatriation program" with Myanmar.
-
Tennessee fails to execute Christa Pike after 2 doses of lethal drug
South China Morning Post Tech
Tennessee officials were unable to put Christa Pike to death on Wednesday for a 1995 murder after administering two doses of a lethal drug. A death penalty expert said it was an unprecedented failure, and Tennessee’s governor halted the…
-
Expert gives grim warning after Swiss glaciers shrink 20% in 5 years
South China Morning Post Tech
Switzerland’s glaciers, which are disproportionately impacted by climate change, have lost nearly 20 per cent of their mass in five years, experts said on Thursday, with 2026 registering the second biggest melt on record. Swiss glaciers…
-
Trump touts US$200 billion South Korean energy deal ahead of US midterms
South China Morning Post Tech
US President Donald Trump has announced US$200 billion in energy investments from South Korea, including US$54 billion towards a long-discussed liquefied natural gas project in Alaska and more than US$100 billion in planned longer-term…
-
Can Myanmar’s New Government Revive the Stalled Dawei SEZ Project?
The flagship project struggled even during Myanmar’s decade of opening. Attempting to revive it amid conflict and sanctions will test its economic and strategic rationale.
-
China’s Military Open New Logistics and Training Facility in Laos
The center north of Vientiane, a counterpart to a similar naval facility in Cambodia, marks a further extension of Beijing's security presence in mainland Southeast Asia.
-
Japan Has Been Here Before: The 1987 Persian Gulf Crisis
When the Gulf was last closed to tankers, Tokyo faced the same dilemma it faces today.
-
The Woman Who Held Mahathir’s Hand For 70 Years
Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, who died this week aged 100, was a close companion of Mahathir throughout his long and tumultuous political career.