CHINA – UNITED STATES
Chinese and US officials are meeting today for a second day of talks in Madrid, Spain, in an attempt to reach a new agreement on TikTok, for which Washington had requested a new buyer, and on tariffs. President Trump initially banned the app but then revised his position and extended the ban three times, calling security concerns “overblown”.
ISRAEL – GAZA
Israeli forces have destroyed at least 30 residential buildings in Gaza City and forced thousands of people to flee their homes, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Israel yesterday. Today, Qatar is also hosting a summit of Arab countries to discuss next steps after Israel's attack on Doha. Rubio said Washington wants to discuss how to free hostages still held by Hamas and rebuild the Gaza Strip.
MALAYSIA
About 250,000 people were left without electricity over the weekend in the Malaysian state of Sabah due to landslides caused by heavy rains. At least one person was killed and a transmission tower was destroyed, cutting off power to six districts.
VIETNAM
A war film made by the Vietnamese army has become the highest-grossing film in the country, despite the fact that audiences have always favoured comedies and romantic films. The film, “Mua Do” (“Red Rain”), recounts the battle between communist and South Vietnamese forces in which over 10,000 soldiers were killed on both sides. Since its official release on 22 August, the film has grossed 613 billion dong, equivalent to £13 million.
NEPAL
Nepal's new Prime Minister, Sushila Karki, 73, former President of the Supreme Court, has promised to accommodate protesters' demands to “end corruption”, while the death toll following protests by young demonstrators has risen to 72, for which the new Prime Minister observed a minute's silence yesterday. Parliament has been dissolved and new elections have been set for 5 March 2026.
RUSSIA – JAPAN
Japan has increased sanctions against Russia, adding 47 organisations and 14 individuals to its “blacklist”, including the Alabuga economic zone in Tatarstan, where Shahed assault missiles and other military equipment are manufactured, the Chechen foundation named after Akhmad Kadyrov, and the “Movement of the First”, Vladimir Putin's pioneers, also known as the Putlerjugend, as well as Moscow Duma deputies and figures very close to Putin.
GEORGIA
Georgia's Sgb security service has arrested another leader of the opposition National Movement, Levan Khabeišvili, who stated, “I expected this, given that someone like me is capable of defeating the Ivanišvili regime”. The reason for the arrest is the accusation of “publicly promising cash payments to public officials as bribes”, thousands of dollars to law enforcement officers to refuse to carry out orders to disperse demonstrators.
