Plus: Zelensky says he has a "victory plan", and why Brits are so excited about the Oasis reunion ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
|
| Hello. With White House adviser Jake Sullivan visiting China for talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi, our correspondents in Beijing and Washington explain what's in it for both sides. In the Middle East, we hear from Palestinians who say their land is being claimed by settlers in the occupied West Bank. And scroll down to find out why young people never seem to answer the phone. | |
|
|
|
|
GET UP TO SPEED | - President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk region is part of a "victory plan" he will present to the US next month.
| | | |
|
|
|
QUESTIONS ANSWERED | What China and the US want from talks |
|
| | US President Joe Biden last met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in November 2023. Credit: Reuters | US national security adviser Jake Sullivan is in China for talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi. November's US election looms over the meeting, with President Joe Biden having bowed out in favour of Kamala Harris - whose opponent Donald Trump has made clear he would raise tariffs further on Chinese goods. |
|
| | Laura Bicker and Tom Bateman, BBC News |
|
| What does China want from the talks? | Beijing will use this opportunity with Mr Sullivan to clarify its priorities. It will hope all parties in America are listening - China's ministry of foreign affairs has described this as a "critical juncture" between the world's two biggest economies. For China, the red line is and always will be Taiwan. It claims the self-governing island and has repeatedly said it will not tolerate any signs that Washington is encouraging Taiwanese independence. | And what's Washington's view? | The alleged support of Chinese firms for the Russian military is a tricky subject that China keeps trying to bat away, but Washington is insistent, and Mr Sullivan is likely to bring it up again. China's increasing assertiveness in Asia has also made the US wary of the impact of those ties further afield - particularly with Iran, which allies itself with Moscow and also arms Israel's adversaries. | And what are the mutual goals? | Reports of the two sides striking a deal on curbing fentanyl production are a good sign. It seems Jake Sullivan's previous meetings with Wang Yi have quietly laid the groundwork for what both sides call "stable relations". In a recent speech, Mr Sullivan said he and Mr Wang had "increasingly gotten to the point of setting aside the talking points and really having strategic conversations". | | - Support for Russia: After the US imposed sanctions on Chinese companies it said were providing components used by Moscow to fuel its war in Ukraine, Kelly Ng and Yi Ma examined the trade between the allies.
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| Land being seized under cover of war | | Part of Ghassan Olyan's land is being taken for an Israeli settlement. Credit: BBC | Israel began settling the West Bank soon after capturing it from Jordan more than five decades ago. In July, the UN's top court found for the first time this occupation was illegal and said Israel should halt all settlement activity and withdraw. But Israeli authorities have rejected the ruling and announced plans for five new settlements. |
|
| | Yolande Knell and Toby Luckhurst, for BBC InDepth |
|
| | In the Palestinian village of Battir, where ancient terraces are irrigated by a natural spring, life carries on as it has for centuries. Part of a Unesco World Heritage site, Battir is known for its olive groves and vineyards. But now it is the latest flashpoint over settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Israel has approved a new Jewish settlement here, taking away privately owned land for new settler houses, and new outposts have been set up without even Israeli authorisation. "They are stealing our land to build their dreams on our catastrophe," says Ghassan Olyan, whose property is among those seized. Unesco says it is concerned by the settlers' plans around Battir, but the village is far from an isolated example. All settlements are seen as illegal under international law, although Israel disagrees. |
|
| | | - A separate ruling: A UN court has also said Israel must prevent public statements inciting genocide in Gaza. Natalie Merzougui and Maria Rashed examine language used by both Israeli officials and Hamas.
| - In Gaza: A commando operation centred on an underground tunnel in the south of the territory has rescued a Bedouin Arab hostage who was kidnapped by Hamas during the 7 October attack, Israel has said.
|
|
|
|
|
THE BIG PICTURE | Why all the fuss about the Oasis reunion? |
|
| | | The band have announced 14 shows in the UK and Ireland to kick off a world tour. Credit: Getty Images | Oasis may never have lived up to claims of being the biggest or best band in the world but they undeniably fuelled the Britpop buzz. As the combative Gallagher brothers plan their reunion tour, David Sillito revisits the heady days of the 1990s to explain why people care so much. |
|
| |
|
|
FOR YOUR DOWNTIME | La isla solita | El Hierro, the wildest of the Canary Islands, has escaped overtourism | |
|
| |
|
|
And finally... over the phone | It is a common generational gripe: why don't young people pick up the phone instead of texting for hours? My millennial colleague Yasmin Rufo has done some research, speaking to psychologists, phone-averse youth and their text-resistant elders. Here's what she found out. | |
|
|
|
|
|
Football Extra | Get all the latest news, insights and gossip from the Premier League, weekdays to your inbox. | |
|
| |
|
|
MORE BBC NEWSLETTERS | - The Essential List: The best of the BBC, handpicked by our editors, in your inbox every Tuesday and Friday. Subscribe.
| - In History: The past comes to life through the BBC's unique audio, video and written archive, each Thursday. Subscribe.
| - US Election Unspun: Cut through the noise in the race for the White House, every Wednesday. Subscribe.
| |
|
|
|
Thanks, as ever, for reading. Send us what you think of this newsletter. We read everything, even when we don’t have the time to reply. And feel free to send it to your friends and family, who can subscribe by clicking this link.
Also, you can add newsbriefing@email.bbc.com to your contacts list and, if you're on Gmail, pop the email into your “Primary” tab for uninterrupted service. Thanks for reading!
– Andy | | | | |
|
| | You've received this email because you've signed up to the BBC News Briefing newsletter.
Click here to unsubscribe
To find out how we use your data, see the BBC Privacy Policy.
BBC Studios Distribution Limited.
Registered Number: 01420028 England
Registered office: 1 Television Centre, 101 Wood Lane, London, W12 7FA, United Kingdom | |
|
|
|
|
|
|