Nine-nation AI partnership. The United States will host a meeting with Australia, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom on December 12 to discuss increasing cooperation on critical minerals, chips, and AI infrastructure, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Hedelberg told Bloomberg. The partnership will help the United States compete with China, he said.
Japan-Saudi ties. Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae called for the two countries to partner on critical minerals development at a Tokyo investment conference cosponsored by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. It marked the first Asia edition of the conference, which is usually hosted in Riyadh. Takaichi’s remarks came at a time of heightened bilateral tensions between Japan and China—which dominates the processing of many critical minerals—over her recent comments on Taiwan.
China-Japan sea confrontation. Japan’s Coast Guard said it intercepted and expelled two Chinese Coast Guard ships near the disputed Senkaku Islands earlier today, which both Japan and China lay claim to. China gave a conflicting report, saying that it expelled a Japanese fishing vessel in the same region.
Arrests after Hong Kong fire. Authorities arrested thirteen people on suspicion of manslaughter following a fire at a Hong Kong apartment building that killed at least 151 people, saying that renovation materials were to blame. The detention of at least one person who called for accountability for the fire has prompted criticism on social media.
Ebola outbreak over. An outbreak that began in September in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) south-central province of Kasai has ended after more than forty-two days with no new cases, the DRC health ministry said. It was the country’s first Ebola outbreak since 2022 and killed forty-five people.
Apple in India. Apple will not comply with Indian government directives to preinstall a government app on iPhones, unnamed sources told Reuters. Apple and the Indian government did not immediately comment on the matter. The government claims the app would help track lost or stolen phones, but privacy advocates say it could be used for surveillance. Samsung and Xiaomi were reportedly also ordered to install it.
Visa-free travel to Russia. Chinese passport holders will be allowed visa-free travel to Russia for up to thirty days, according to an executive order signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday. Beijing took the same step for Russian passport holders in September. Separately, Saudi Arabia and Russia also signed an agreement on mutual visa-free travel yesterday.
Canada-Europe defense ties. Canada will become the first non-European country to join a $170 billion European military loan program, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced yesterday. The program was created following the second Trump administration’s calls for Europe to take more responsibility for its own defense. In May, Carney said that he aimed to diversify Canada’s defense spending in order to reduce its reliance on the United States.
