Relations

US president calls UK prime minister ‘a natural businessperson’ as leaders meet at UN assembly in New YorkDonald Trump has asserted his relationship with the UK is “more up” with Andy Burnham than under Keir Starmer despite tensions between the two countries on a range of thorny issues including regulation of artificial intelligence, the Chagos islands and the war in Iran.At their first face-to-face meeting, the US president praised Burnham, who sat nervously alongside him, as a “natural businessperson”, saying he thought he had “lots of assets on his side” and would be a “great” prime minister. Continue reading...

Republican congresswoman rejects ethics complaint and says allegations part of ‘politically motivated’ hit campaignLauren Boebert, the firebrand Republican subject of a House ethics complaint that she had sex with three staff members, and paid one to keep quiet, has said the allegations are untrue – and part of a “politically motivated” campaign against her.Boebert’s denials came through a formal statement from her office, which said “the congresswoman rejects the claims as utterly false”. She also published a verbose video rant on social media in which she accused the person who filed the document as a “sloppy, desperate, obsessive hack” – and journalists who reported the story as falling victim to a “scam”. Continue reading...

• Tüyap will host the 35th edition of Plast Eurasia in Istanbul from December 2 to 5. • The event will showcase plastics machinery, raw materials, and chemicals for buyers from the Middle East. • This trade show provides a direct marketplace for professionals to source industrial equipment and chemical supplies.

• China Media Group attended the 2026 Arab Media Summit in Dubai, which concluded on Thursday. • The event brought together 250 media organizations representing 23 different countries. • This participation aims to strengthen media ties and cooperation between China and Arab nations.

• Moscow Fashion Week will host emerging designers from around the world from September 26 to October 1, 2026. • The event will feature more than 70 fashion shows. • This gathering provides a global platform for new designers to showcase their work to international markets.

• Moscow will host Moscow Fashion Week from September 26 to October 1, 2026, to showcase emerging designers from around the world. • The event is scheduled to run for six days starting in late September 2026. • This gathering provides a global platform for new fashion talent to gain visibility and enter the international market.

• Republicans and Democrats largely agree that the relationship between the Trump administration and the U.S. news media is currently poor. • This consensus reflects a broader tension between elected officials and journalists that exists despite the Constitution's vision of a free press. • The widespread perception of a bad relationship suggests a decline in the perceived stability of the democratic link between the government and the press.

• British buyers became the top group purchasing real estate in Dubai during March and April 2024, according to data from LEOS Developments. • The company highlighted that these buyers led the market in property acquisitions over this two-month period. • This trend indicates a strong appetite for Dubai's property market among UK investors seeking diversification or residency.

• Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the second session of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, India, on Sunday. • President Xi delivered a speech during the session to address the member nations. • The event brings together leaders of the BRICS bloc to coordinate economic and political strategies among emerging markets.

• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold talks on September 12 during the BRICS summit. • The meeting occurs on the sidelines of the summit to address the ongoing relations between the two nations. • This diplomatic engagement represents a cautious thaw in relations following a period of conflict between the two countries.

• India and China are experiencing a cautious diplomatic thaw following a period of tension that began with a deadly border clash in 2020. • The Chinese leader is making his first official visit to India in seven years to help stabilize relations between the two Asian powers. • This shift toward stability reduces the risk of military escalation and opens potential for renewed economic cooperation between the two markets.

Chinese president’s arrival in Delhi seen as step towards reconciliation after deadly 2020 military clashThe Chinese president, Xi Jinping, has received a red-carpet welcome in India for a summit of Brics developing nations, as regional rivals Beijing and Delhi make a public display of thawing relations while quietly competing to lead at a time of shaky US global dominance.As Xi stepped off the plane, he was walked past an honour guard of Indian soldiers and traditional dancers in colourful dresses. Continue reading...

• The Russian Embassy in the United States called for the two nations to cooperate within a new geopolitical environment to avoid further confrontation. • The embassy stated that this partnership is necessary to prevent a "globalist elite" from provoking new conflicts between the countries. • This diplomatic appeal signals a desire to shift the current state of high tension and military standoff between the two nuclear powers.

• The Supreme Court issued several landmark judgments and legal updates during August 2026, including new training requirements for civil judges and expanded legal protections for live-in relationships. • The court extended the application of Section 498-A of the IPC, which deals with cruelty toward women, to include partners in live-in relationships. • These rulings establish new legal precedents for domestic partnerships and create standard operating procedures to prevent "digital arrests," where scammers trick victims into staying on video calls.

• Social media platforms have changed how governments, diplomats, and citizens communicate and share information during international relations events. • During a conflict in West Asia that began in February 2026, several accounts circulated old video clips and falsely presented them as current footage. • The spread of such misinformation creates information challenges for diplomats and media organizations trying to report accurately on global conflicts.

A visual look at how Washington’s relationship with Caracas has gone from cordial to ‘predatory’Written in the middle of the last century, the US Department of State memo conveys its message in a curt and undiplomatically honest tone: the glue that binds Washington to Caracas is, and is always likely to be, oil.“All US policies toward Venezuela are affected in greater or less degree by the objective of assuring an adequate supply of petroleum for the US,” the 1950 document reads. Continue reading...

• At the 2026 SCO Summit, member states issued the Bishkek Declaration, which explicitly rejects unilateral sanctions and the application of "double standards" regarding global terrorism. • The declaration supports a negotiated two-state solution for the Israel-Palestine conflict, though it contains less detailed language on Gaza's humanitarian crisis and ceasefires compared to the 2025 Tianjin declaration. • Prime Minister Narendra Modi utilized the summit to advance India's core strategic priority of combating cross-border terrorism within the region.

• The Takaichi Administration is facing a fiscal squeeze as Japan recorded a 364 billion yen trade deficit for the month, equivalent to roughly 7% of the annual defense budget. • Trade data shows oil imports from the United States now comprise 36% of Japan's total volume, while Chinese tourism remains down over 50% for the eighth straight month. • Tourism has turned fractionally positive overall, though this growth is driven primarily by visitors from Korea and Taiwan rather than China.

President said he was ‘not happy’ with plans for large-scale joint exercises he described as ‘inappropriate and hostile’. Plus, how five obscure horses have ended up at the center of a transatlantic betting mysteryGood morning. Donald Trump has said he is scaling back joint US military drills with South Korea aimed at deterring North Korea, despite military officials from both countries warning that Kim Jong-un’s regime is learning new battlefield tactics from the Ukraine war.The president said he was “not happy” with US participation “based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong-un”. He added that the drills were costly and “send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile, to a country that, as long as Donald J Trump has been president, has been unthreatening and respectful”. Trump added that it was too late to cancel the drills so he had ordered the defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, to “substantially reduce” them.Why are there continuing concerns about USS Abraham Lincoln? Democrats have intensified their demands for answers from the Trump administration over conditions onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln amid concern over crew morale, mental health and living conditions. Ruben Gallego, a Democratic senator from Arizona, said he blamed the carrier’s prolonged deployment on the unresolved war that Donald Trump started in February with Iran as well as lackluster leadership in general from the Republican president’s administration. Continue reading...

President orders Pentagon to scale back ‘inappropriate and hostile’ exercises with South KoreaAndy Burnham exchanged messages with someone impersonating Donald Trump’s chief of staff, the Guardian understands.The UK prime minister was in contact with an unknown individual pretending to be the senior White House aide Susie Wiles before concerns were raised about the incident. No messages of significance were sent and the suspicious activity was quickly reported to the appropriate authorities, it is understood. Continue reading...

• India's Commerce Secretary stated that a potential India-US trade deal is essential to bring predictability and stability to the bilateral trade relationship. • Economic data reveals that India's merchandise trade deficit widened to $31.88 billion in July 2026. • Bank of America (BoA) is set to invest approximately Rs 18,268 crore ($1.9 billion) into Jio Credit, a lending subsidiary of Jio Financial Services.

An Amnesty International report reveals that the country is now a key part of Israel’s weapons supply chain. Plus, Assam floods, student anger spreads and a song to put in rotation• Don’t get This is India delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereHello, and welcome back to This Is India.For this week’s newsletter, I’m looking at India’s evolving relationship with Israel, and how it has deepened as conflict swept across the Middle East. Why is it that India has formed an even closer bond with a country that has faced mounting international isolation and backlash over a military campaign in Gaza that has left the territory in ruins and killed more than 70,000 Palestinians, – many of whom were children? Continue reading...

Exclusive: Hamish Falconer wants ‘sense of renewed pace’ in post-Brexit talks while staying within Labour’s red linesThe UK will move faster and be more ambitious on achieving closer ties with Europe under Andy Burnham’s government, his new chief post-Brexit negotiator has said..Hamish Falconer, the new cabinet minister in charge of the EU reset talks, said there was “room to be ambitious” within Labour’s red lines on Europe, which exclude reopening discussions on the single market and customs union, and he would look at the “art of the possible”. Continue reading...

Dhaka accuses India of giving platform to a ‘convicted genocider’ by allowing Sheikh Hasina to address journalistsBangladesh has lashed out at India for allowing the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina to address journalists in New Delhi, plunging already strained bilateral relations to a fresh low.Dhaka accused India of giving a platform to a fugitive it labelled a “convicted genocider” and of undermining efforts to repair ties, after Hasina vowed to return to Bangladesh in December despite facing a death sentence on charges of “crimes against humanity”. Continue reading...

• The European Council on Foreign Relations warns that a presidency led by Marine Le Pen and the National Rally (RN) would cause significant disruption to European politics. • Such a victory would require intense diplomatic skill from key leaders in Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Britain to manage the resulting instability. • The shift matters because it could fundamentally alter France's relationship with the EU, necessitating new strategies to moderate French policy.

Labour veteran is said to relish role that requires careful negotiation of Trump and impending G20 leadershipExtraordinarily, given the importance of geopolitics, the office of foreign secretary has sometimes appeared a consolation prize in British politics, perhaps reflecting the transfer of responsibility to Downing Street or the Cabinet Office.That is not how Ed Miliband views the job. His allies say suggestions that he nurses resentment after he was deprived of the chance to be chancellor misunderstand his grasp of the policy challenges ahead. “Ed has an immense appetite to get things done and is relishing being in this job,” one says. “Ed will be a policy-driven foreign secretary.” Continue reading...

• The European Council on Foreign Relations proposes a "Team Enlargement" coalition consisting of ten EU member states to accelerate the accession of Ukraine and other candidate nations. • The group includes diverse interests: France, Germany, and the Netherlands focus on rule of law; Austria and Italy lead Western Balkans efforts; Poland, Lithuania, Denmark, and Sweden prioritize eastern security; and Hungary represents a complex outlier. • This coalition is designed to create a unified political front to overcome internal bloc divisions and provide a plausible framework for member states to present to their respective electorates.

John Neal failed to disclose relationship with female colleague that risked triggering conflict of interest concernsLloyd’s of London has ruled that its former boss John Neal breached compliance rules by failing to disclose a “close relationship” with a female colleague that risked triggering conflict of interest concerns at the insurance market.An investigation by the Council of Lloyd’s, which is responsible for the market’s management and supervision, said it could not find any “conclusive evidence” Neal was romantically involved with the company’s then corporate affairs director, nor that there were any process failures relating to her promotion during Neal’s tenure. Continue reading...