Geopolitics & Policy
Geopolitics & Policy news — Wednesday 21 October 2026
37 stories from 5 sources, every one in English. Each links to its publisher.
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To Import or Build? Southeast Asia’s Rolling Stock Dilemma
Some of the region's governments are moving toward manufacturing their own rolling stock – but this comes with trade-offs.
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Prabowo Accuses MSCI of Attempting to ‘Intimidate’ Indonesia After Downgrade Threat
"We possess strength, we have courage, we are willing to make sacrifices, and we refuse to surrender," said the former general.
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US orders diplomats to leave Saudi Arabia amid Houthi strikes
South China Morning Post Tech
The US State Department has ordered some diplomats and family members to depart from its missions in Saudi Arabia and plans to withdraw family members from a number of other US missions in the region, US officials said. The order came as…
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Ramaswamy faces firestorm over US political ad featuring Democrat rival’s estranged mother
South China Morning Post Tech
Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican candidate for Ohio governor, faced a firestorm of criticism Wednesday over an ad featuring Democratic rival Amy Acton’s estranged mother, whose husband was charged with raping Acton when she was a child…
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Websites go dark worldwide as AI exposes critical security flaws
South China Morning Post Tech
Government agencies and companies around the world shut down websites as they raced Thursday to protect themselves from hacks after artificial intelligence uncovered critical flaws in a widely used programming language called PHP. Wiz, one…
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Pakistan and the US factor as China looks to sell its J-35 stealth jets
South China Morning Post Tech
Last month, the US published the fine print of a US$686 million upgrade deal for Pakistan’s F-16 fighter jets. The deal is for data link systems, new encryption gear and a refit that keeps the jets flying until 2040. The notice says…
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Pope Leo doesn’t need further treatment for lung cancer, doctors say
South China Morning Post Tech
Pope Leo needs no further treatment for lung cancer after follow-up tests confirmed the disease was localised, the Vatican said in a statement on Wednesday. Leo, 71, had the lower lobe of his right lung removed last week in the first major…
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UNDP Asia-Pacific Director Kanni Wignaraja on the Necessity of Redefining Security
“If governments are serious about security in the fullest sense, investment in development is non-negotiable.”
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Meta to pay New Mexico a historic US$25 billion in Cambridge Analytica case
South China Morning Post Tech
Meta Platforms was ordered to pay a groundbreaking US$25 billion civil penalty to the state of New Mexico in a consumer deception case spurred by the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The fine issued by state court Judge Francis Mathew is among…
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Inaccessible by Design: AIIB’s Complaint Mechanism
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has yet to approve a single complaint involving its projects for dispute resolution or compliance review.
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Fighting in Ethiopia and the Risk of Regional Spillover
War on the Rocks
In September, fighting broke out in Ethiopia’s Tigray region between Ethiopian government forces and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), effectively collapsing the 2022 peace deal. In October, Ethiopian forces recaptured an…
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Trump faces fresh questions over ties to ‘humanitarian’ Putin
South China Morning Post Tech
US President Donald Trump’s pivot away from Ukraine has triggered fresh questions about his attachment to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, the man a top American envoy flattered on Wednesday as a “humanitarian”. Trump has cast his dealings…
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Why the China-US Naval Encounter at Sabina Shoal Is Different
It’s a new kind of close encounter. Will it become a new normal?
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New Zealand’s Climate Report Tests Its Pacific Leadership
Wellington’s latest environmental assessment highlights the growing economic risks of climate change, raising questions about whether government policy can keep pace.
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China’s AI Industry Brings Both Gains and Challenges for Its Fragile Economy
China’s exports are surging, driven by AI-related technologies. National security-driven export bans could change that.
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The China-US Quantum Computing Contest
Insights from Matt Kinsella.
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MOFCOM's New Rules and the Future of Chinese AI
ChinaTalk
In the AI race thus far, openness has been China’s secret sauce. As fast followers to the frontier, Chinese AI companies have gained trust by publicizing their weights and architectures. And at the cost of revenue, they have achieved…
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Riots unnerve France’s US$80 billion tourism sector: ‘it’s catastrophic’
South China Morning Post Tech
The images of France’s riots posted and broadcast around the world have cast a pall on the country’s important tourism sector, with many fearing worse consequences if violence returns. “The surge of violence in the centres of Nice, Paris…
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The Indian Government’s Job Statistics Are Misleading
Behind the surge in EPFO numbers lies an uncomfortable question: is Delhi measuring new jobs or merely recording existing workers differently?
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Is China Getting Involved in the Japan-Russia Territorial Dispute?
Amid deepening China-Russia ties, a Chinese delegation visited one of the disputed Southern Kuril Islands.
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The Daily Roundup
The Wire China
October 21st, 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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Afghanistan’s Wakhan Transit Road Is a Long Shot to Connect with China
The road has been officially inaugurated, but China and the Taliban have very different views of its function.
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The US Army Looks to the Pacific – and Space – for Future Relevance
Army leadership has focused on developing tools to contribute to a potential fight against China, a fight in which space assets will be critical.
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The EU will ‘pull its punches’ on China despite growing trade war talk: analysts
South China Morning Post Tech
The European Union is likely to avoid a full-blown trade confrontation with China due to internal divisions in the bloc and fear of retaliation, according to a prominent research firm. The projection comes amid speculation that the two…
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Macron takes veiled shot at Trump, Netanyahu over ‘stupid’ France riot remarks
South China Morning Post Tech
President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday criticised world leaders for making “stupid” comments about the rioting on the sidelines of protests in France, in an apparent swipe at US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin…
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Saudi Arabia Executes Two Bangladeshi Nationals
Dhaka says it learned of their execution only after it happened. Its diplomacy is under scrutiny
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Putin holds Ukraine peace talks with Trump’s envoy Witkoff, frees American Hubbard
South China Morning Post Tech
Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to resume US-mediated peace talks with Ukraine as soon as next month, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, after Putin met US envoy Steve Witkoff in Washington’s latest push to stop Europe’s bloodiest…
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Can China turn national power into world leadership?
South China Morning Post Tech
As turbulence grows in many countries, it is tempting to ask if there is a global hegemon that can sort everything out fairly. US President Donald Trump has threatened that his country would not defend Nato allies if they failed to spend…
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Establishing Battery Supply Chain Resilience for Drones
War on the Rocks
Militaries have spent more than a century operating with fuel and ammunition as limits of combat endurance. They are only beginning to treat batteries with the same operational seriousness, as small unmanned systems move from niche…
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Liberty, equality, tear gas: no nation does mass protests quite like France
South China Morning Post Tech
When the French fight high fuel taxes, they don yellow vests and march. When angry farmers want better pay, hundreds of them drive tractors down the Champs-Elysees. And when museum workers want better tourist management, they strike and…
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Tehran is a Different Beast Now
War on the Rocks
The Tehran that the world knew is gone. It died in the fires with former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war in February. His son and new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei — wherever he is and in whatever physical…
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Drone strike on market in disputed Sudan border region kills at least 153
South China Morning Post Tech
A drone strike on a market in Abyei, a border region disputed by Sudan and South Sudan, hit a nearby fuel depot, killing at least 153 people, a local official said on Tuesday. Yohanna Akol Ngor, the Abyei administration’s caretaker…
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Days before Brazil’s run-off, Lula and Bolsonaro seek to disqualify each other
South China Morning Post Tech
In the latest showdown from Brazil’s increasingly rancorous presidential race Tuesday, both candidates called for the disqualification of their rivals over allegations of social media malfeasance, according to court filings and campaign…
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Russian satellite’s close approach to European spacecraft highlights orbital risks
South China Morning Post Tech
A Russian satellite moved within just 100 metres of a European commercial spacecraft that supports Ukraine’s military at the weekend, orbital tracking data showed, raising concerns about Moscow’s activities in space. Russia launched the…
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BBC slashes 100 jobs, pulls channels amid ‘immediate cost pressures’
South China Morning Post Tech
The BBC announced more than 100 job cuts and the closure of two channels Tuesday as the cash-strapped UK broadcaster aims to save £500 million (US$668 million) over the next two years. BBC News announced the “net closure of just over 100…
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Burnham’s Britain can learn from Trump in engaging with China
South China Morning Post Tech
Getting relations with China right is widely seen as Britain’s epoch-defining challenge. It is also one it is woefully unprepared to face. So concluded a recent audit by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), which highlighted…
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Christina Applegate says she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis
South China Morning Post Tech
Christina Applegate, who has candidly shared raw details about her journey with multiple sclerosis for years, revealed on Monday her doctor says she does not have the autoimmune disease and was misdiagnosed. “I’m back at square one where I…