Latest news

The US-China relationship  

Xi warned Biden: China will reclaim Taiwan  

 

China will incorporate Taiwan back into the country sooner or later. That was the direct message from Xi Jinping to Joe Biden during the presidents' meeting in San Francisco last month, three US government sources told NBC News.  

 

During the meeting, Xi is said to have added that China prefers a peaceful takeover. He is also said to have addressed and denied statements by the US military that China will implement the plan in 2025 or 2027 – no timetable has been set, according to the president.  

 

According to the sources, Xi's language on Taiwan was not out of the ordinary, but the remarks reportedly raised American eyebrows because they were made during a meeting aimed at reducing tensions between the countries.  

 

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The future of the EU  

EU finance ministers agree on new budget rules  

 

The finance ministers of the EU countries have approved new budget rules for the EU after years of tough negotiations, TT reports.  

 

A dispute between France and Germany has made the process protracted, but on Wednesday the two largest EU countries were able to reach a compromise in Paris.  

 

One of the key questions was about the previously tough rules regarding how big the member states' deficits can be in order to keep the euro stable. They were eased during the corona pandemic, and Germany wanted them back while France wanted more flexibility.  

 

The compromise means that the goals remain, but with relaxations regarding how quickly they must be reached and how drastic the reforms must be.  

 

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The 2024 US election  

Biden: No doubt Trump supported insurgency  

 

There is no doubt that Donald Trump supported the violent uprising on January 6, 2021, says US President Joe Biden, according to Reuters.  

 

- It goes without saying. You saw it all. Whether or not the 14th Amendment applies or not, we leave to the court to decide.  

 

Biden was commenting on the Colorado Supreme Court's decision to strike Trump from the state's 2024 presidential ballot. 

 

The court cited the Constitution's 14th Amendment, which prohibits people who have participated in violent rebellion against the United States from holding public office. The verdict will most likely be taken up by the US Supreme Court, which then only has until the beginning of January to come up with a verdict. 

 

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The Israel-Hamas war|The reactions  

The Security Council vote is postponed a third time 

 

The UN Security Council once again postpones the vote on a resolution to demand a pause in the Gaza war, AFP reports.  

 

The new bid from council chairman José Javier de la Gasca Lopez-Dominguez is that the vote will take place on Thursday morning.  

 

It is the third time the vote has been postponed. The US is ready to veto if dissatisfied with the way the resolution is worded, and the words are now weighed on a golden scale, writes TT.