Geopolitics & Policy
Geopolitics & Policy news — Friday 09 October 2026
39 stories from 6 sources, every one in English. Each links to its publisher.
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Trump picks Truth Social’s Katie Zacharia as White House press secretary
South China Morning Post Tech
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he has appointed Katie Zacharia, a communications adviser for his Truth Social platform, to serve as White House press secretary following Karoline Leavitt’s departure in August. He said…
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Panama rocked by 2 powerful earthquakes, multiple aftershocks
South China Morning Post Tech
Two powerful 7.7 and 6.6 magnitude earthquakes and a series of aftershocks struck Panama on Friday afternoon, collapsing buildings near the epicentre and prompting evacuations across the country, the US Geological Survey said. The earlier…
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The EU is its own worst enemy
South China Morning Post Tech
Another day, another hardline statement from the European Union. This week, the European Parliament voted by a landslide for a significantly tougher China position, despite long-standing Beijing lobbying. The report labels China a…
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Trump says US to get diesel from Russia in stunning bid to ease prices
South China Morning Post Tech
President Donald Trump said that he has struck a deal to obtain diesel from Russia, a stunning reversal of years of US pressure on Moscow over its war with Ukraine and an attempt to address high fuel prices ahead of the US midterm…
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Why Afghanistan’s Neighbors Have Not Backed Pakistan’s Strikes on the Taliban
China, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan are less exposed to the impact of cross-border terrorism – and less willing to risk smooth relations with Kabul over the issue.
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Shows of Strength and Signs of Strain
War on the Rocks
Welcome to The Adversarial. Every other week, we’ll provide you with expert analysis on America’s greatest challengers: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and jihadists. Read more below.***IranIn late September, U.S. and Iranian negotiators…
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The US and China Cannot Slow the AI Race, But They Can Make It Safer
The United States does not need to trust China, share frontier models with China, or slow its own AI development to have a national security interest in AI safety cooperation.
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Omani Flydubai co-pilot planned to crash plane into Israeli airport, UAE says
South China Morning Post Tech
An Omani Flydubai co-pilot had intended to seize a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight and crash it into a terminal at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport on September 30 in a suicide attack before he was thwarted by the captain, the UAE attorney general said…
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Myanmar’s Leaders Tried to Erase My Rohingya Identity 11 Years Ago
The repression of Rohingya identity is connected to Myanmar’s broader failure to establish an inclusive political order. It's time for ASEAN to realize that.
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Why Kim Jong Un Should Want a 4th Summit With Donald Trump
Here’s what Pyongyang’s Foreign Ministry might be telling Kim about a possible summit.
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US slaps sanctions on ICC, hours after ex-judge wins Nobel
South China Morning Post Tech
US President Donald Trump’s administration imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court on Friday, hours after one of its former judges won the Nobel Peace Prize, putting Washington on a diplomatic collision course with European…
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New Governor, Old Problem: Koja Confronts US Base-Related Crimes in Okinawa
Whoever is governor, waves of Okinawan anti-base sentiment and protest will continue in the wake of every violent crime.
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Central Asia’s Leaders Gather in Turkmenistan for 8th Consultative Meeting
Grand outcomes aren't necessary at every meeting to prove the value of a format. But at a certain point, the lowest hanging fruit has been picked.
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Debunking Alarmist Narratives on the ‘China Air Base’ in Laos
The most widespread narratives regarding the Laos-China Support and Training Center lack evidence and demonstrate a limited understanding of air power.
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Xinjiang’s “Blue Miracle”
The Wire China
Fish farming in Xinjiang is being sold as proof that technology can overcome geography. The reality is more complicated: a desert seafood boom built on political control, imported feed and a food system that masks its real burdens. The…
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The Daily Roundup
The Wire China
October 9th, 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…
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Why Is China Proposing Reciprocal Nuclear Laboratory Visits?
While China and the U.S. still disagree on the size of nuclear forces and the path of arms control, can they exchange meaningful information on certain technical issues?
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With war project, US tech ecosystem is beginning to look a lot like China’s
South China Morning Post Tech
The world’s wealthiest man has just been appointed to a Pentagon commission that will help decide what the future of warfare looks like. Elon Musk, alongside Anduril Industries co-founder Palmer Luckey and former House speaker Newt…
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India’s Energy Transition Is Complicated, But Progressing
While coal continues to dominate India’s power supply, the country is also building clean energy at one of the fastest rates in the world.
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China and EU reach ‘understanding’ on hybrid vehicles after crunch trade talks
South China Morning Post Tech
The European Union and China have “reached an understanding” that will cut Chinese hybrid car shipments to the bloc by “more than a half”, in a temporary salve to trade tensions that have threatened to boil over into a full-blown trade…
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UK’s ex-prince Andrew gets US$399,000 compensation on his mansion lease
South China Morning Post Tech
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of Britain’s King Charles, has benefited from £302,000 (US$399,000) in compensation after he was forced to end his mansion lease early over revelations about his ties to the late sex…
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EU removes Panama from tax haven blacklist
South China Morning Post Tech
The EU removed Panama from its tax havens blacklist on Friday after the country made progress on sharing tax information and reformed a “harmful” regime of exemptions for foreign-source income. Vietnam was also removed after undertaking a…
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Saudi Arabia says 3 killed at Riyadh airport as Yemen war expands
South China Morning Post Tech
Saudi Arabia said on Friday that three people were killed including a pilot, in attacks on Riyadh’s international airport, after Yemen’s Houthis claimed a series of attacks targeting the facility. The conflict between the Houthis and…
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The AGI Chronicles
ChinaTalk
Kevin Roose , formerly of Hard Fork and author of the frankly brilliant The AGI Chronicles , with an assist from Jasmine Sun , who is a researcher on the book, joins us. We’re going through his recent history of OpenAI, Anthropic…
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As U.S. blocks DJI, Insta360 races to win American creators
Rest of World
On a Saturday morning in September, dozens of people lined up in New York City’s Times Square to check out pocket-sized cameras made by Chinese camera maker Insta360. YouTubers flew... © Insta360 Insta360 co-founder Max Richter at the…
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Navanethem ‘Navi’ Pillay wins the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize
South China Morning Post Tech
Former UN human rights chief Navanethem “Navi” Pillay has won this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. The South Africa-born jurist was recognised for her efforts to promote peace and international law. The announcement was made by the Norwegian…
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Polish police arrest teens over ‘Bloody Friday’ school attack threats
South China Morning Post Tech
Thousands of Polish police officers visited schools nationwide on Friday in an effort to reassure pupils after two teenage stabbing sprees in as many days sparked rumours of a “Bloody Friday” of attacks. Social media in Poland has been…
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US-Japan-Poland strategic triangle can encourage a ‘peaceful war’
South China Morning Post Tech
As Russian President Vladimir Putin watched the final stage of the massive Tsentr-2026 military exercise in the Urals recently, Chinese troops were training alongside forces from Russia, Belarus and other countries. More than 47,000…
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What Pakistan Will and Won’t Do in Yemen
Operationally, it would make little sense for Pakistan to send in large conventional ground forces to Yemen simply to put the brakes on Houthi advances.
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The Last Mile of Pentagon Reform Runs Through the Brigade
War on the Rocks
A kill chain measured in seconds cannot depend on processes measured in weeks or months. The Pentagon recognizes that drone proliferation and AI-enabled lethal targeting are reducing decision cycles and increasing the premium on speed. The…
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Fornication in America: Trump’s Arch, Rome’s Emperors, and the Meaning of Victory
War on the Rocks
In 79 A.D., Gaius Plinius Secundus, known today as Pliny the Elder, was the supreme commander of the Roman imperial fleet, permanently stationed at Misenum near Naples. He died during the eruption of Vesuvius, after sailing across the bay…
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Japan angry after Russia seeks extradition of ICC chief targeted by US
South China Morning Post Tech
A senior Japanese government spokesperson said it was regrettable that the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office had requested that Dutch authorities extradite International Criminal Court president Tomoko Akane and eight other officials…
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The Bangsamoro’s New Government Faces a Test of Public Trust
The main challenge of the incoming administration will be to sustain the peace process with Manila while representing the interests of local residents.
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Former Philippine President Duterte Fit to Stand Trial, ICC Says
An independent panel of experts said that the 81-year-old "has the capacity to understand the charges" and "the purpose and consequences" of the trial proceedings.
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China warned Myanmar syndicates, Trump urged Xi to talk to Takaichi: 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…
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New York mayor urges Trump to remove ICE after driver with child in car is shot
South China Morning Post Tech
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Thursday he would ask US President Donald Trump to remove federal immigration agents from the city as tensions flared over the latest shooting involving ICE. The New York Police Department said a man had…
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Xi Jinping meets foreign leaders: tracker, September 2026
South China Morning Post Tech
Chinese President Xi Jinping was busy travelling abroad last month. In September, he paid a historic state visit to the United States, his first to the country in more than a decade. He also made his first visit to India in seven years…
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Ukraine’s Zelensky accuses US of inaction as Russian strikes kill nearly 80 in 2 days
South China Morning Post Tech
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the US of being unwilling to help Ukraine after a Russian bomb attack on Thursday killed at least 35 people in the east, sending the two-day death toll from Russian strikes to over 70. Hours…
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3 dilemmas on keeping AI under control are converging
South China Morning Post Tech
In March, artificial intelligence agents powered by leading Chinese models reportedly displayed deception, concealed failure and pushed against imposed limits in controlled tests. In July, OpenAI’s internal research model circumvented…