Thing

Donald Trump is preparing to meet China's Xi Jinping at a summit, with the Wall Street Journal flagging three key issues business leaders should monitor. Observers expect trade tariffs, technology restrictions and supply-chain policy to dominate the agenda. Analysts say the outcome could shape market sentiment and corporate planning across both economies, making the encounter one of the most closely watched diplomatic events of the moment.

The Guardian's First Thing briefing reports that the 'counting window' — the days after midterm voting as ballots are tallied — is seen as a high-risk period for Donald Trump to cast doubt on the results. Observers warn he could use slow counts or shifting tallies to question the legitimacy of outcomes, echoing disputes that followed previous US elections.

AI agents are being pitched as assistants that can handle tasks for users end to end, but a major obstacle may stand in the way of that vision. The report highlights a significant wrinkle in the plans of companies racing to deploy autonomous AI assistants, tempering expectations around the technology.

The Wall Street Journal profiles the 'doomers' — researchers and commentators who warn that advanced artificial intelligence could pose existential risks to humanity — and their influence on the broader AI safety debate. Their warnings have helped push concerns about unchecked AI development into mainstream political and public discussion.

Elon Musk, in a new interview with CCTV Finance, said he generally recommends people visit China as much as they can, citing the many things to see. He described taking the bullet train from Beijing to Xi'an as a great experience and praised the train stations. The remarks are drawing wide attention given Musk's business ties to China and his political prominence in the United States.

Attention is turning to Ethiopia amid warnings that the country risks sliding into a wider war. Coverage lays out five key points to understand the situation, amid concern that renewed fighting could draw in additional forces and destabilise the wider Horn of Africa region.

Mike Waltz says Iranian negotiators asked for 'everything up front' in concessions before any ceasefire, and that President Trump rejected the proposal. The comments shed light on stalled diplomacy around the conflict, suggesting the US side viewed Iran's terms as excessive and walked away rather than trade sanctions relief or other major concessions for a halt in fighting.

French President Emmanuel Macron sharply criticised Israel during his address at the United Nations, in what French media describe as a scathing attack. The remarks have drawn wide attention as diplomatic tensions grow over the war in Gaza and France's shifting stance on Israel's conduct.

Deutsche Welle has published a feature on ultra-fast fashion, examining the environmental and social legacy of clothing made to be worn briefly and discarded. The piece traces how rapid production cycles and cheap, short-lived garments add to textile waste and pollution, and weighs the industry's responsibility for the growing piles of discarded clothing worldwide.

SpaceX is preparing another test flight of its Starship rocket from its launch site in Texas on Monday. The upcoming launch has drawn attention as the company continues developing the massive vehicle intended for deep-space missions, including eventual trips to the Moon and Mars. Coverage focuses on what to expect from the flight, launch timing, and how the test fits into SpaceX's broader Starship programme.

Anthropic says its biology lab has already made a significant discovery, according to a TechCrunch report. The company, best known for AI research, has not detailed what the finding is, leaving observers to speculate about how its technology contributed to the result and what implications it may have for biology and drug research.

Republican concern is mounting that Donald Trump's attention is drifting away from issues that matter most to voters. The worry, reported in US media coverage, centers on the party's economic standing and whether the president's priorities are hurting Republicans politically. The debate within the party comes as lawmakers weigh how to respond publicly to the White House's agenda.

Early reports are circling details on Apple's iPhone 18 lineup, gathering everything known so far about the company's next generation of handsets. Coverage so far consists mainly of rumor roundups, with no official announcements from Apple about features, design or release timing. Readers are following the story to see how the next iPhone will differ from current models.

A new television series based on Mary Poppins is reportedly in development, and it is being described as much darker than the classic Disney musical. Producers are said to be taking the project in a direction far removed from the cheerful 1964 film, leaning into the stranger, more ominous aspects of the original P.L. Travers books. Details on casting, network and release timing have not been announced.

Music startup Thoughtful Things has launched a Kickstarter campaign for Engram, its first instrument, a sampler and groovebox that uses AI to mangle incoming audio and even hallucinate entirely new sounds. Early commentary stresses that it is not a generative music tool like Suno in a box, but a hands-on instrument aimed at producers, and the campaign is drawing attention among electronic music fans.

Australia's Labor party is defending its response to a data breach, describing its actions as 'the right thing'. The comments come amid scrutiny over how the party handled the incident and protected affected people's information. Further details about the breach, its scale, and who was affected have not been made clear in the available reporting.

A security breach at RAF Fairford, a key UK airbase used by US forces, is being framed as a turning point for American and British defense planning. The incident has prompted discussion about base security, vulnerabilities at joint installations, and what stronger protections might mean for future US-UK military cooperation.

British newspapers are reporting the discovery of an alleged bomb plot targeting RAF Fairford. Commenters note the story broke alongside war-related coverage involving Iran and the UK, with one observer highlighting how different tabloids handled the day's front pages. The airbase has been linked to US operations during the Iran conflict, making any threat to it a matter of national security interest.

Samsung is reportedly working on a new type of fitness wearable that could go beyond existing smartwatches and bands. The report suggests the device may offer capabilities that substantially boost users' athletic performance and health tracking, described in unusually ambitious terms. Details remain scarce, with no confirmed launch date, specifications, or official announcement from Samsung so far.

Denver Broncos held off the Los Angeles Rams in week three of the NFL season, while the Seattle Seahawks also suffered a defeat. BBC Sport's roundup of five storylines from the weekend highlights the Broncos' defensive stand and the struggles of two NFC West sides, with fans debating the early-season form of both teams.

Coverage is circulating on what has leaked so far about Grand Theft Auto 6 and what may come next, with reports compiling everything known about the so-called Cyberleak and what new details might emerge. Fans of the Rockstar Games title are following the updates closely as anticipation for the game continues to build.

Mike Leigh's new film 'Tender Loving Care' is being screened at the New York Film Festival 2026, where it is being described as possibly the veteran British director's final work. Reviews from the festival are drawing attention to what may mark the closing chapter of Leigh's decades-long career in British social realism.

Researchers have built a robotic hand capable of walking on its fingers, an invention being compared to the crawling disembodied hand, Thing, from 'The Addams Family'. The device demonstrates advances in robotic dexterity and locomotion, showing that a hand-like robot can move autonomously without an attached arm. Footage of the walking hand has drawn attention for its uncanny, pop-culture-reminiscent appearance.

Lucid has set a new world record, but the achievement reportedly has nothing to do with the metrics electric vehicle makers usually compete on, such as charging speed or driving range. The claim, reported by InsideEVs, has drawn attention from EV watchers curious about what the electric vehicle maker managed to accomplish outside its usual areas of technical marketing, and what it signals about the company's broader ambitions.