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Xi’s throwing a party

29 October5 min read
Image of Xi Jinping discipline at the Party Plenum

Imagine one of those awful corporate offsites, but instead of trust-falls and icebreakers, everyone is terrified of being purged by Friday.

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Latest news
  1. 01

    SPAIN

    High-speed tragedy.

    Spain is entering three days of national mourning over yesterday’s horror train collision that left 68 dead in Toledo. (BBC)

  2. 02

    CAMBODIA

    Cruising for a bruising.

    A luxury cruise ship attempting a years-long global voyage (MV Odyssey) has suspended operations and left 203 mostly American passengers stranded in Sihanoukville, after soaring fuel costs crippled its financial model. (Guardian)

  3. 03

    TURKEY

    Another UN contender.

    Ankara is reportedly adding its own name (former foreign minister Feridun Sinirlioğlu) to the list of candidates still hustling to replace UN chief António Guterres when his term wraps the end of this year. (Turkiye Today)

  4. 04

    ISRAEL

    Cliff-hanger.

    The defence minister (Katz) has criticised the opposition leader (Eisenkot) for his post-election speech calling on security chiefs to “stand firm against any attempt to pressure” them. It comes amid continued speculation that Netanyahu (still caretaker prime minister for now) might soon join the US in resuming hits on Iran. (Times of Israel)

  5. 05

    BRAZIL

    Miami viceroy.

    As we flagged yesterday, conservative erstwhile presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro ended up landing in Miami, where he immediately declared himself the “legitimate leader of Brazil”, now operating in exile amid what he insists are politically motivated charges back home. (Miami Herald)

  6. 06

    RWANDA

    Sanctioned.

    The US has imposed sanctions on Rwanda’s defence ministry plus a state-aligned bank over their support for the M23 militia now occupying vast swathes of eastern DR Congo. The sanctions also hit the bank for helping finance arms shipments from China. As ever, Kigali denies it all. (Reuters)

  7. 07

    RUSSIA

    The Starlink proxy trail.

    Turkish authorities have detained 85 suspected members of the “Daltons”, which sounds like the friendly new family who just moved in ‘round the block but is actually an international criminal network. Investigators are tying the arrests to last month’s Russian intelligence arson at a critical Starlink ground station in Poland. (The Insider)

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