Why the EU is giving Arctic shipping the cold shoulder as China and Russia push ahead

🔮 China nominates Song Li for WHO chief as agency faces funding shake-up from US exit If elected, she would be the first mainland Chinese director general of the United Nations health agency If elected, Song would be the first person from mainland China to head the United Nations health agency.

🔮 US wraps up military mission in Iraq, giving Baghdad room to strengthen China ties Analysts say Beijing will pursue energy and commercial deals after American withdrawal but will not seek to fill a security role But they cautioned that the shift was unlikely to create a power vacuum for Beijing to fill, with China lacking both the ambition and capacity to take on the US security role. The mission, launched in 2014 to fight Islamic State, has been replaced by an Iraqi-led security effort, while Washington has said it will continue targeted training and intelligence support.

🔮 “Today’s Xinjiang enjoys social stability, economic prosperity, ethnic unity and religious harmony,” Guo said, adding that China would provide more opportunities for foreign businesses to invest and operate in the country.

🔮 Observers say a meeting between the three leaders in Shenzhen is possible but would rest on some groundwork A meeting next month between the leaders of the world’s three biggest nuclear powers is possible but hinges on the three sides finding common ground and setting realistic expectations about outcomes, according to analysts. US President Donald Trump is also expected to attend the forum, which will be Putin’s first since 2017.

🔮 The new US-Denmark-Greenland security agreement could narrow China’s room to engage in the Arctic – particularly in resource-rich Greenland – and potentially push Beijing closer to Russia, Chinese experts on the matter said.

🔮 Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia test limits of Mecca regional security pact Turkey and Pakistan are unlikely to intervene despite the deal’s terms, which could hobble its deterrent effect, analysts say Just a month after Saudi Arabia signed a regional mutual defence deal with Pakistan and Turkey, attacks by Yemen’s Houthis against the kingdom’s energy infrastructure and military sites are testing the pact’s limits.

🔮 How Peng Liyuan and Melania Trump opened a parallel track in US-China diplomacy First ladies’ cultural outings and apparently warm conversations a ‘clear signal’ on willingness to advance understanding, analyst says The pair charted a parallel path of soft power diplomacy – sharing conversations, cultural outings and moments of apparent warmth during a visit otherwise shadowed by trade tensions, and artificial intelligence and other strategic issues.

🔮 BreakingChinese President Xi Jinping will pay state visit to US this week, Beijing confirms Rare airport welcome by Donald Trump will precede talks on trade, tech and other areas of friction during second in-person summit of 2026 3-MIN READ3-MIN Listen

🔮 Citing Section 53 of Germany’s Residence Act, the letter said that for applications involving “study, research and similar employment”, particular attention had to be paid to the possibility that knowledge acquired in Germany could be misused in ways that harmed protected legal interests or other significant German interests.

🔮 Advertisement Brics leaders act to hedge – not revolt – against US dollar dominance As New Delhi summit closes, the bloc pushes for a louder voice within global institutions while building parallel machinery, analysts say 4-MIN READ4-MIN Listen The family photograph did the political work the summit’s final declaration could not. Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stood shoulder to shoulder as the Brics summit closed in New Delhi on Sunday – a single frame capturing an 11-nation bloc that now spans four continents and nearly half the world’s population. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres attended the gathering of emerging economies alongside World Trade Organization Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, New Development Bank president Dilma Rousseff and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank president Zou Jiayi. Select Voice Select Speed 1x AI-generated voice

🔮 “China expresses serious concern over this and has lodged solemn representations with the British side,” the embassy said, noting that it would continue to urge Britain to stop the arbitrary detention and questioning of Chinese citizens.

🔮 “China expresses serious concern over this and has lodged solemn representations with the British side,” the embassy said, noting that it would continue to urge Britain to stop the arbitrary detention and questioning of Chinese citizens.

🔮 “I asked the president, ‘Could you get me some for the Rose Garden?’

🔮 Vehicle may have sparked Mongolia wildfire, putting China rescuers on high alert 3,400 emergency personnel deployed to the Chinese side of the border to combat the latest environmental threat from its neighbour The blaze, which erupted on October 8 in the inland country’s easternmost Dornod province bordering Russia and China, advanced rapidly towards China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region, driven by strong autumn winds and drought conditions.

🔮 The New Yalu River Bridge, which was completed in 2014, will be officially opened amid warming relations between the two countries The two countries will hold an opening ceremony to mark the official opening of the New Yalu River Bridge, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported on Wednesday morning.

🔮 The museum, which said the incident occurred on October 4, noted that while the shelf and mount showed no signs of failure, it would continue to investigate how the pieces were damaged.

🔮 Kremlin aide visits China amid speculation about potential Xi-Putin-Trump meeting Nikolai Patrushev will hold maritime talks, but his trip is being watched for signs that a summit is planned for November Leading a delegation that included representatives from government agencies, major logistics firms, shipbuilders and scientific and educational institutions, Patrushev would “hold talks on Russian-Chinese cooperation in the maritime sector”, Russian news agency Interfax quoted the Maritime Board as saying.

🔮 He added that Mexico was willing to strengthen high-level exchanges, advance bilateral mechanisms and deepen pragmatic cooperation, according to a Chinese statement. “I hope that today we can identify new areas of understanding and cooperation between our nations, for the benefit of our people, and lay the foundations for a joint work agenda for the coming years,” Velasco said, according to Mexico’s N+ news agency.

🔮 China marks major tunnel milestone for Central Asia railway bypassing Russia Conceived in 1997, the 500km China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway will offer the shortest land route from China to the Middle East and Europe

🔮 Europe’s concerns are reflected in an updated EU Arctic policy that is expected to be issued later this year.