Geopolitics & Policy
Geopolitics & Policy news — Tuesday 20 October 2026
33 stories from 5 sources, every one in English. Each links to its publisher.
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Trump administration says it has revoked over 300,000 visas
South China Morning Post Tech
President Donald Trump’s administration has revoked over 300,000 US visas during his second term, the State Department said on Tuesday as the federal government continues its sweeping immigration crackdown. The number showed an…
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Musk says SpaceX and Tesla are exploring blockbuster merger deal
South China Morning Post Tech
Elon Musk said SpaceX and Tesla Inc have formed special committees to explore a potential merger, a preliminary step towards what would rank as the largest corporate tie-up of all time. “I do think there’s a lot of merit to combining the…
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Musk ordered slowdown of Starlink service Ukraine military relies on, report says
South China Morning Post Tech
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that decisions regarding Ukraine’s access to Starlink were up to SpaceX and Elon Musk, not the White House, comments that suggested Musk may have restricted Kyiv’s access to the service…
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Britain’s ban on pro-Palestinian author Sally Rooney makes it a laughing stock
South China Morning Post Tech
“Actions have consequences,” British Minister of State for Skills and former home secretary Baroness Jacqui Smith said of Palestine Action, the protest group proscribed as a terrorist organisation across the United Kingdom. She was…
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Reading Pyongyang Through the Cracks of the International System
War on the Rocks
In 2023, three North Korea analysts identified what they believe most people studying the country get wrong, and how analysts can avoid those traps. Three years later, we asked them to revisit their arguments and offer fresh insights into…
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Rubio Gets a Medal. Russia Gets Military Drills. Karakalpakstan Gets Silence.
Washington celebrates closer ties as Tashkent strengthens its Russian alliance—and offers no announced relief for Karakalpak political prisoners.
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Shark kills woman swimming off South Africa’s Eastern Cape
South China Morning Post Tech
A 65-year-old woman was killed on Tuesday in a shark attack off South Africa’s southeastern coast, police and municipal authorities said, prompting the closure of two beaches. Officers were called to Orient Beach in KuGompo city, formerly…
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UK rearrests duo on suspicion of aiding Iran in alleged plot at US-run airbase
South China Morning Post Tech
British police said on Tuesday that they had rearrested two men on suspicion of assisting Iran’s intelligence service in a suspected plot at a US-run airbase in England last month. Counter Terrorism Policing said the men, a 24-year-old…
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China Capitalizes on America’s Scientific Brain Drain
For generations, the flow of global talent was almost entirely one directional. Now China is increasingly attracting top researchers from U.S. institutions.
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France to deploy troops in response to protests after violent riots sweep cities
South China Morning Post Tech
France will reinforce police with troops and mount a huge security operation for more protests planned on Saturday, the government said, acknowledging failures in its response to last weekend’s violence. “The deployment next Saturday will…
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Weapons to Russia, Wigs to China: How North Korea Balances Its Allies
A clear division of labor ensures North Korea’s alliances with Russia and China are complementary, not competitive with each other.
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19.2 million Afghans could soon face ‘acute food insecurity’: UN
South China Morning Post Tech
The number of people facing acute food insecurity in Afghanistan is set to rise above 19 million this winter, the United Nations warned on Tuesday. The food crisis gripping Afghanistan is projected to affect millions of young children in…
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Bougainville Needs a Credible Timetable for PNG’s Independence Vote. Australia Can Help.
Canberra should stay out of what Port Moresby decides on Bougainville, but it can push for a concrete timeline for the decision.
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Taiwan’s Tech Diplomacy Has a Labor Problem
Migrant worker recruitment debt threatens the island’s access to Western markets and its ties with Southeast Asia.
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EU unveils Arctic strategy to counter increasing Russia, China influence
South China Morning Post Tech
The European Commission has presented an updated strategy for the Arctic as climate change and rapidly melting ice open up the remote but resource-rich region. “With Russia and China increasing their footprint and ambition, the Arctic has…
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North Korea Wants Security Talks With the US, Not Nuclear Talks
For decades, Washington tried to change Pyongyang’s nuclear policy. Now North Korea is trying to do the reverse: use its nuclear weapons to change U.S. policy.
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China’s hybrid car exports to EU surge by more than 200% as import cap looms
South China Morning Post Tech
China’s hybrid car exports to the European Union tripled in September from a year earlier, with shipments expected to remain elevated before an import cap agreed during recent trade talks takes effect. The country shipped nearly 100,000…
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Trial by Social Media? The Boundaries of Feminist Teaching in China
A law school professor was dismissed after online controversy over her course on women’s rights.
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The Daily Roundup
The Wire China
October 20th, 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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Expanding the Military Footprint: China’s New Air Base in Laos
Establishment of the Laotian base follows a pattern in China’s growing external military presence and access.
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UK to deploy fighter planes to help Saudi Arabia’s defence against Houthis
South China Morning Post Tech
British fighter planes will be deployed to help Saudi Arabia defend itself against increasing attacks from Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the UK government announced on Tuesday. The defence ministry said the deployment formed part of “additional…
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Japan Has Considered Nuclear-Powered Submarines Since 1958. Why Has It Never Built One?
From a 1958 design study to reported approaches to the U.S. Navy, Japan has repeatedly examined nuclear-powered submarines without making an acquisition decision.
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The MATCH Act
ChinaTalk
Why should you care about lithography exports sold to China? What is Congress thinking about doing about it? And what does it mean for the future of humanity, the lightcone, great power relations — all of the above. Nick Brown is a…
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Ukraine, US to hold Norway peace talks amid rising Zelensky, Trump tension
South China Morning Post Tech
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that Kyiv was once again receiving early warnings from its partners about incoming Russian missiles following recent strikes that he said occurred without enough notice, leaving…
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Night of violence lingers over Paris as one Chinese cafe owner counts the costs of protest
South China Morning Post Tech
Two days have passed since the scenes of chaos and looting on Saturday, but walking down Rue Beaurepaire in Paris on Monday, one can still smell smoke in the air, likely coming from the heaps of burned rubbish and charred bicycles left…
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Energy shock could spark Asia’s next debt crisis
South China Morning Post Tech
A country need not run out of money to find itself in a debt crisis. It only has to run short of US dollars to pay for its energy. At the recent International Monetary Fund-World Bank annual meetings in Bangkok, the IMF, which expects…
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Guns, Growth, and the German Reinvention of Military Keynesianism
War on the Rocks
In March 2025, Germany did more than loosen a fiscal rule. It fused two national emergencies — a deteriorating European security order and a deteriorating industrial model — into a single constitutional bargain. The reform de facto…
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The Proliferation of Illicit Drones in Southeast Asia
The past two years have seen the growing use of off-the-shelf commercial drones for criminal and militant activities.
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From Paris to Tirana, why protests and riots are sweeping across Europe
South China Morning Post Tech
Rising fuel costs, discontent with the state of schools, declining public services and a housing crisis have created perfectly stormy weather for an autumn of protests in Europe. Crowds have taken to the streets for weeks in major cities…
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From Paris to Tirana, why protests and riots are sweeping across Europe
South China Morning Post Tech
Rising fuel costs, discontent with the state of schools, declining public services and a housing crisis have created perfectly stormy weather for an autumn of protests in Europe. Crowds have taken to the streets for weeks in major cities…
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Philippine Senator Files Resolution Seeking Chinese Ambassador’s Expulsion
Jing Quan prompted controversy last week when he told reporters that China could "easily win" a war against the Philippines.
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Saudi Arabia postpones ‘Davos in the Desert’ summit to 2027 after deadly attacks
South China Morning Post Tech
Saudi Arabia has decided to postpone its flagship investment conference until next year, organisers confirmed in a statement on Monday, following deadly attacks which rocked the kingdom in recent weeks as the Middle East conflict widens…
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Saudi Arabia postpones ‘Davos in the Desert’ summit to 2027 after deadly attacks
South China Morning Post Tech
Saudi Arabia has decided to postpone its flagship investment conference until next year, organisers confirmed in a statement on Monday, following deadly attacks which rocked the kingdom in recent weeks as the Middle East conflict widens…