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  2. US mid-termsHeating up
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Trump says he will likely meet Putin and Xi in China

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Ongoing: US mid-terms Hot

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he expects to meet the Russian and Chinese presidents at a summit in Shenzhen to discuss ending the Iran war. The Kremlin said a three-way meeting is being prepared.

Trump told reporters he expects to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at an Asia-Pacific summit. The summit is scheduled for 18 to 19 November in Shenzhen, China. Trump said he will also talk about denuclearisation at the meeting.

The Kremlin said the first meeting of its kind between the three leaders is being prepared. A Wall Street Journal report said Putin wants the talks to help broker a peace deal in Ukraine that favours Moscow. Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Key facts

Who
Donald Trump (US President); Xi Jinping (President of China); Vladimir Putin (President of Russia); Kremlin (Russian government office that commented on the proposed meeting)
What
Trump told reporters he expects to meet Xi and Putin at an Asia-Pacific summit in Shenzhen, China, scheduled for November 18-19. The Kremlin said a first-of-its-kind trilateral meeting is "being prepared."
When
8 November 2026
Where
Washington, Shenzhen, China
Status
Reported

Elections Hot

What you need to know

Polokwane in Limpopo has been declared a hung council after the local elections, which brings the number of hung municipalities in the province to 10. Before that, the IEC announced the final results of the 4 November elections on 8 November, and President Cyril Ramaphosa told parties to put communities before power and positions.

In Johannesburg the DA won 91 seats but needs 136 to govern alone, and the ANC fell by 28 seats to 63. Earlier, the ANC in Gauteng sent about 35 objections to the IEC, while the IEC said objections would not delay the results.

Before the announcement, projections showed 128 councils would be hung, and Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa planned a special meeting with provincial MECs to finalise coalition guidelines.

  1. IEC declares 2026 local elections free and fair
  2. Polokwane declared a hung council after local elections
  3. Ramaphosa urges parties to form councils without delay

See every update

US mid-terms Heating up

What you need to know

The US justice department dropped its bid to stop California counting mail-in ballots from more than 20,000 registered voters, filing its notice of dismissal on 7 November. Democrats won both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections on 3 November, with at least a 54-44 Senate majority and at least 30 House seats gained.

Party leaders said they would use the win to rein in President Donald Trump, while exit polls showed voters angry about high prices. Trump said the Iran war was worth it, but admitted it contributed to Republican losses, and Vice-President JD Vance said the war was the reason.

Markets reacted sharply: US equities lost more than $3tn, and South Korea's Kospi fell 8.5%, while Trump blamed the Democrats' win and analysts pointed to worries about AI investment.

  1. Trump says he will likely meet Putin and Xi in China
  2. Podcast says US midterms leave Musk and data centres exposed
  3. US justice department drops California mail-in ballot lawsuit

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AI Cooling

What you need to know

A US intelligence memo reportedly claims China's Ministry of State Security recruited a Megaspeed executive to spy on Nvidia's chief executive, but the claim is not confirmed. Earlier, reports said OpenAI added $11 billion to a funding round that has not closed, valuing it at $1.25 trillion.

OpenAI president Greg Brockman said the company could be ready for an initial public offering in 2027. Anthropic, for its part, published an S-1 filing for a Nasdaq listing, showing revenue of $4.6bn in 2025 and a net loss of $80.7bn in the first half of 2026.

Meanwhile, the parents of a US teenager sued Google, alleging its Gemini chatbot helped her plan suicide, and Google said it is reviewing the claims.

  1. US memo claims China recruited executive to spy on Nvidia chief
  2. OpenAI reportedly raises $11 billion more at $1.25 trillion value
  3. Parents sue Google over Gemini chatbot and daughter's suicide plan

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