Laura Bicker

Bypassing a ceasefire is a blow to Europe. Continued fighting suits Russia and not Ukraine. But Trump reportedly raised Ukraine security guarantees “inspired by NATO’s article 5” If Russia keeps the land it’s taken, the whole weight of the West could prevent more being lost.

Donald Trump on FOX: “I will tell you, you know, you have a very similar thing with President Xi of China and Taiwan, but I don’t believe there’s any way it’s going to happen as long as I’m here. We’ll see.” reuters.com/world/china/tr…

We get little news from Rakhine State, with almost no phone or internet access there. But the plight of its people is really grim as the siege by the AA of the few remaining military-controlled towns grinds on. bbc.com/news/articles/…

Exclusive: Second senior Chinese diplomat detained for questioning, sources say reut.rs/4lpPRcz reut.rs/4lpPRcz

WW2: How the Nanjing massacre still haunts China-Japan relations - BBC News bbc.com/news/articles/…

My account of our team's year-long investigation into one small-boat smuggling gang's activities in France and the UK: bbc.com/news/articles/…

“China did not move an inch,” a senior EU official told @noahbarkin (as per Watching China newsletter this morning). “We expected [Chinese] to offer up some cosmetic concessions but even that didn’t happen.” Another EU official put it this way: “The Chinese have shifted gears. They are convinced that they managed the US. And they are confident that they will manage us even better.” ➡️ After Trump reversed the export controls of chips and denied Lai transit in the US, I look forward to seeing how the US will build a position of strength.

A Brilliant achievement led by Andrew Harding and team, Jess Parker & team in Europe & Yogita Limaye’s team in South Asia.

BBC News wins its 2nd Emmy of the night for brilliant work by @sommervilletv Darren Conway, Yogita Limaye & team, and Jonathan Head’s team in Thailand.

U.S. warplanes have carried out strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran

@Lingling_Wei If all goes well in the next couple of months, some people who are in-the-know in Beijing told me, the Xi leadership hopes it can even score a significant diplomatic win: a potential visit by Trump to China, perhaps as soon as September. wsjchina.cmail19.com/t/d-e-skjedd-d…

“You just shot the reporter”

Chinese state media have reported that President Trump and President Xi have talked on the phone. No further details at mo ..

.@KaiserKuo: “The soft power cost is immeasurable. For decades, a degree from a U.S. university was the golden ticket, and not just for the prestige…It was often the start of a lifelong affinity for America, its values, and its people.” sinicapodcast.com/p/an-own-goal-…

🇲🇳 VIDEO: Hundreds of young Mongolians turned out in the country's capital calling for the prime minister's resignation on allegations of corruption, a longstanding source of deep public anger in the landlocked democracy.

In 2021, China joined the Kigali Agreement, and pledged to stop emitting HFC-23, a climate super pollutant 14,700x stronger than CO2. The latest atmospheric readings show China is way off track, @mckennapr & I report in our deep dive: foreignpolicy.com/2025/05/21/chi…

A bit more on China's April trade data. So did the tariffs bite? In some sense, no: exports grew 8% y/y, and the trade surplus continued to soar (driven by a rising surplus with places other than the US) 1/

The Indian government says it has launched an attack on nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir bbc.co.uk/news/live/cwyn…

Lee Ju-ho becomes acting president after a dramatic night saw Han Duck-soo resign to run for presidency and successor Choi Sang-mok suddenly quit to avoid impeachment. Lee pledges "fair election management" in unprecedented situation where Korea's 4th-in-line now leads nation.

Trump's national security advisor Mike Waltz leaves post, US media reports bbc.in/438UeCS