PrimeTime | 17 December, 2025

Prime Time opens with the resumption of direct military talks between the United States and China after months of limited contact, as both sides try to manage rivalry and reduce the risk of miscalculation in the Indo-Pacific. The programme examines why communication channels went quiet, what has changed, and how tensions around Taiwan and the South China Sea continue to shape the relationship.

Attention then turns to global business and economy updates, including major developments in the entertainment industry, mixed signals from the U.S. jobs market, shifting inflation trends in the UK, a paused U.S.-UK technology deal, a major data breach investigation in South Korea, and signs of cooling demand in China’s collectible toy market.

The programme also covers growing political pressure in Slovakia, where thousands have taken to the streets to protest proposed legal changes that critics say weaken democratic oversight, with demonstrations expanding to include the country’s Hungarian minority.

Later, the focus moves to Azerbaijan, as President Ilham Aliyev visits the United Arab Emirates for talks on energy, economic cooperation, and investment, alongside his attendance at the Games of the Future in Abu Dhabi. The discussion highlights deepening Azerbaijan-UAE ties, renewable energy ambitions, and broader regional connectivity.

Diplomatic tensions in the Middle East are also in focus, with renewed talks in Paris involving the United States, France, and Saudi Arabia amid rising Israel-Lebanon tensions and concerns over Hezbollah’s role in Lebanon.

The programme concludes with global updates, including tougher U.S. measures against Venezuela, Ukraine’s push for war compensation mechanisms in Europe, worsening humanitarian conditions in Afghanistan, energy cooperation in Central Asia, infrastructure projects linking China to the region, refugee flows from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and developments following the Bondi Beach attack in Australia.

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