Geopolitics & Policy
Geopolitics & Policy news — Friday 02 October 2026
32 stories from 7 sources, every one in English. Each links to its publisher.
-
Trump expected to name Jay Clayton as AI tsar
South China Morning Post Tech
US President Donald Trump is expected to name Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to be his top adviser on AI, a position the president has called “AI tsar” in the past, according to a source familiar with the decision. Clayton…
-
King Charles to acknowledge ‘darkest days’ of colonial rule on Caribbean tour
South China Morning Post Tech
King Charles will acknowledge the “darkest days” of colonial rule and slavery while touring Caribbean countries on a visit beginning this month, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said on Friday. The king will first visit the Bahamas and Guyana…
-
New York governor attacks handling of Cornell gang rape case, appoints special prosecutor
South China Morning Post Tech
New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Friday faulted police and prosecutors for failing to fully investigate an alleged gang rape in 2024 at Cornell University, saying she was “deeply disturbed” by how the incident was handled. Hochul was…
-
China has cracked down on AI relationships. Is it ahead of the game?
CSET Georgetown
CSET’s Sam Bresnick shared his expert insight in an article published by BBC . The article examines China’s new regulations on AI companions and the country’s efforts to address concerns around emotional dependency, child safety, and the…
-
What America and China Fear Most About AI
CSET Georgetown
CSET’s Helen Toner joined Foreign Affairs for a discussion with Kyle Chan on U.S.-China competition and cooperation in artificial intelligence. To listen to the full interview, visit Foreign Affairs . The post What America and China Fear…
-
US Allied Shipbuilding Gains Momentum, But Ambitions May Collide
Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. appear to have given little thought to which country should build what, or who controls the key technologies that every shipyard depends on.
-
Trump says Europe agrees to release diesel stocks
South China Morning Post Tech
Group of Seven countries agreed on Friday to release 100 million barrels of diesel and crude oil from emergency reserves and pledged to refrain from energy export restrictions after pressure from US President Donald Trump. The US led a…
-
Pakistan’s GSP+ Advantage Is Fading. Competitiveness Must Come Next
Preferential access has taken Pakistan about as far as it can without deeper reforms at home.
-
‘America is back’, AI ‘conspiracy’, China’s Laos deal: 7 global relations reads
South China Morning Post Tech
We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering global relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Trump condemns ‘sick conspiracy’…
-
US job growth slows sharply in September, unemployment rises
South China Morning Post Tech
US job growth slowed more than expected in September, but that likely does not signal a material shift in the labour market, with the weakness likely related to a calendar quirk. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 29,000 jobs last month after…
-
Taiwan’s New F-16s: Why They Still Matter
The Republic of China Air Force waited 20 years for these aircraft. What are they for?
-
The Daily Roundup
The Wire China
October 2nd, 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…
-
Indian pilot hailed as hero recalls Flydubai cockpit attack
South China Morning Post Tech
The Indian airline captain who helped thwart an apparent attempt to crash a Flydubai flight described on Friday how he fought for his life in the minutes after his co-pilot stabbed him and the plane began a steep descent. Captain Smit…
-
Concerns About ‘WWII Allies’ at US-China Summit
How China is weaponizing WWII history
-
Building China’s Two Starlinks
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 2 of his two-part investigation of China’s Starlink challengers! ChinaTalk…
-
India’s Foreign Minister Jaishankar Openly Calls Out the US
Previously, India sorted out its differences with friendly nations quietly. Last week, it aired its grievance with Washington publicly.
-
Who gets to decide if AI is safe? Africa wants a say
Rest of World
African leaders called last week for a greater role in setting global standards for artificial intelligence. Their statements at the United Nations came amid warnings from Silicon Valley executives about... © Rest of World/iStock
-
Hundreds of French high schools shut as new violence erupts
South China Morning Post Tech
French high school students lit fires outside schools and faced off with police on Friday as a protest movement that has forced the closure of some 400 establishments showed no sign of abating. The movement, which began last week in the…
-
How the US went from ‘a position of strength’ to ‘gung-ho’ on China
South China Morning Post Tech
Not so long ago, Washington’s approach to relations with Beijing was anchored by a single assertive phrase: dealing “from a position of strength”. It was rooted in a unipolar mindset: a belief that the United States could dictate terms…
-
How Closed Airspace Threatens U.S. Military Mobility Across Eurasia
War on the Rocks
For much of the modern aviation era, geography was something the global aviation industry learned to overcome. Simply put, unlike a railway, a pipeline, or a highway, an aircraft does not require a continuous physical infrastructure…
-
Cyber Operators Are Deployed in Place. The Pentagon Should Treat Them That Way
War on the Rocks
A cyber operator can spend a shift tracking an adversary halfway around the world, walk to the parking lot, and be home in time for dinner. There is no flight home, no demobilization, and no transition from an operational mission back to…
-
Lula and Bolsonaro clash in final scramble for Brazil presidency
South China Morning Post Tech
Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his election rival Flavio Bolsonaro are leaving no controversy unturned in their last-ditch efforts to discredit each other and win over voters ahead of Sunday’s nail-biter election. A…
-
Indonesia Needs to Do More to Tackle the Region’s Transboundary Haze Problem
Under Prabowo Subianto, leadership on the issue has been lacking – and tens of millions are suffering as a result.
-
Philippines Rejects Chinese Claim to ‘Sovereign Rights’ Over Waters Around Batanes
The Chinese activities around the Philippines' northernmost province represent the opening of a new front in the maritime struggle between the two nations.
-
Japan and Australia: Toward a More Autonomous and Resilient Partnership
As Washington’s reliability wavers, Tokyo and Canberra are learning to depend on each other.
-
Finland on alert after ‘significant’ number of intrusions at MPs’ homes
South China Morning Post Tech
Finland is investigating a slew of suspected break-ins at the homes of members of parliament, which the prime minister said could be linked to a foreign power. Following media reports, speaker of parliament Jussi Halla-aho on Thursday said…
-
China deploys WZ-7 drone, flat dispute in Abby Choi trial: SCMP’s 7 highlights
South China Morning Post Tech
We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting…
-
Ethiopia and Eritrea sever diplomatic ties as northern fighting escalates
South China Morning Post Tech
Ethiopia and Eritrea broke diplomatic ties on Thursday, accusing each other of stoking internal conflicts as fighting continued in northern Ethiopia. Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of backing a rebel group, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front…
-
Christa Pike in ‘life-saving care’ after botched Tennessee execution
South China Morning Post Tech
A condemned female murderer who survived two lethal injections during a botched execution by the US state of Tennessee was in critical condition and receiving “life-saving care”, her lawyer said on Thursday. In an extraordinary chain of…
-
Russia’s Navy Shows Its Reach Around Japan’s Southwestern Islands
Vladimir Putin’s first-ever visit to a northern territory claimed by Japan comes amid a steady uptick in Russian naval activity near Japan’s southernmost islands.
-
‘A Tower of Jelly’
The United Nations, U Thant, and the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.
-
Indonesian President Replaces Foreign Minister With Career Diplomat
The appointment of Arrmanatha Nasir is likely to result in a reassertion of the Foreign Ministry's role in Indonesian foreign policymaking.