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From Africa, the RSF is accused of massacring hundreds in an El Fasher hospital, while protests erupt in Dar es Salaam as President Hassan tightens her grip ahead of Tanzania’s election. In the Middle East, President Aoun urges Washington to halt Israeli attacks as Lebanon’s fragile ceasefire collapses, and Israel resumes airstrikes on Gaza.

Our lead story turns to Busan, where Trump and Xi prepare for a pivotal meeting.

Read more below ⤵️

Top 5 Stories

1️⃣ 🇮🇱 🇵🇸 Israel resumes airstrikes on Gaza, killing over 100 as ceasefire collapses: Israeli warplanes pounded Gaza overnight after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered “immediate and powerful strikes,” marking the most serious breach yet of the fragile ceasefire. More than 100 Palestinians, including 46 children, were killed in the attacks, which struck Gaza City, Khan Younis, and Deir al-Balah.

2️⃣ 🇸🇩 🇶🇦 🇸🇦 🇪🇬 Arab states condemn RSF massacres in Sudan’s El-Fasher as Egypt raises military alert: Arab governments have denounced the atrocities committed by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in El-Fasher after the militia seized the city following a year-long siege. Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt issued statements condemning the mass killings.

3️⃣ 🇳🇱 Dutch election too close to call as D66 and PVV locked in tight race: The Netherlands’ liberal D66 and Geert Wilders’ far-right Freedom Party (PVV) are neck and neck in the national election, according to early exit polls released Wednesday. The Ipsos I&O survey projects D66 to win 27 seats and the PVV 25, followed by the centre-right VVD with 23 and the GreenLeft-Labour alliance with 20.

4️⃣ 🇱🇧 🇮🇱 🇺🇳 Aoun urges Washington to  end Israeli strikes as Lebanon ceasefire unravels: Since the November truce, Israeli forces have continued to target southern Lebanon, killing at least 111 civilians and destroying reconstruction efforts, according to the UN. Despite the agreement requiring Israel’s withdrawal and Hizbollah’s pullback north of the Litani River, Israeli troops remain stationed at five strategic border points, deepening tensions along the frontier.

5️⃣ 🇹🇿 Protests erupt in Dar es Salaam as President Hassan tightens control ahead of Tanzania election: Violent protests shook Dar es Salaam as Tanzanians voted in an election widely seen as cementing President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s hold on power amid an escalating crackdown on opposition. Internet access was cut nationwide as demonstrators clashed with police and set fires in the streets.

Major Story

🇰🇷 🇨🇳 🇺🇸 TRUMP AND XI PREPARE FOR PIVOTAL MEETING IN BUSAN

President Donald Trump’s tour of Asia culminates in a high-stakes meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Busan today. Over the past week, Trump has sealed trade and investment deals across the region — including agreements with Malaysia, Cambodia, and South Korea — while expanding U.S. economic ties with Japan and Vietnam. Yet his encounter with Xi is expected to be the defining moment, as the two powers navigate the most volatile phase in U.S.-China relations since Trump’s return to office.

Rising tariffs and economic brinkmanship

Trump’s administration has pursued a far more aggressive economic stance toward Beijing than during his first term, imposing tariffs averaging 57.6 percent on Chinese goods and adding over 20,000 Chinese firms to the U.S. export blacklist. In response, China has curtailed rare-earth exports vital to global industries, threatening further restrictions that could rattle supply chains from semiconductors to defence manufacturing. Talks in Kuala Lumpur have offered a glimmer of relief: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signalled that Beijing might delay new export limits and increase U.S. soybean purchases, setting the stage for a possible truce.

Xi’s leverage and Trump’s dilemma

Beijing’s economic countermeasures have exposed U.S. vulnerabilities, particularly in agriculture and manufacturing. Trump’s political base — heavily concentrated in farming regions — has suffered from China’s import cuts, forcing Washington to consider costly bailouts. Analysts warn that Trump now needs a deal more than Xi does. China, meanwhile, may use its leverage to seek concessions, including relief from sanctions and a U.S. statement opposing Taiwanese independence — a move that could upend decades of strategic ambiguity in East Asia.

The road ahead

Observers hope the Busan summit will stabilise trade relations and re-establish regular communication between Washington and Beijing. Beyond tariffs, both leaders are expected to discuss security cooperation, AI-related arms risks, and regional stability. Whether the meeting produces a lasting détente or a temporary pause in hostilities will shape the trajectory of global great power politics, and determine if Trump’s second term ends in confrontation or cautious coexistence.

Other News

1️⃣ 🇸🇩 RSF accused of mass killing hundreds in El Fasher hospital massacre: Satellite imagery analysed by Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab shows evidence of mass graves near the hospital and other sites of systematic killing across the city. The assault marks the RSF’s consolidation of control over all five Darfur capitals and echoes previous atrocities in Geneina, where up to 15,000 were killed. Civilians report looting, sexual violence, and executions amid the collapse of El Fasher, once home to over a million people.

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