AnewZ Morning Brief - 23 October, 2025
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for 23 October, covering the latest developments you need to know....
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to hold his first face-to-face meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, according to the State Department. The meeting will take place during Rubio’s inaugural visit to Asia since assuming office.
Rubio arrived in Malaysia on Thursday to participate in high-level talks with foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as well as bilateral meetings with Malaysian officials and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. His trip is part of a broader push to re-centre U.S. foreign policy on the Indo-Pacific, as attention has largely been dominated by developments in the Middle East and Europe under the Trump administration.
Rubio will take part in the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum, which bring together countries such as China, Japan, Russia, India, Australia, and members of the European Union.
Analysts say Rubio’s mission includes reaffirming that the U.S. is a more reliable and strategic partner in the region than China, especially as tensions between Washington and Beijing intensify over trade and geopolitical influence.
The meeting with Wang Yi comes just as China warns the U.S. against reimposing major tariffs next month. Beijing has also threatened to retaliate against any countries that enter into agreements with Washington aimed at cutting China out of global supply chains.
Currently, China is facing tariffs of more than 100%, with a 12 August deadline to reach a deal to avoid further restrictions. These tariffs stem from tit-for-tat measures taken earlier this year in April and May.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has also signalled plans to impose a 10% tariff on countries aligned with BRICS- an economic bloc originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, and now expanded to include Indonesia, Iran, and others. The bloc is widely viewed as a strategic alternative to Western-led economic systems, largely promoted by China.
Rubio indicated that he would raise concerns with Wang about China’s ongoing support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“The Chinese have clearly been backing Russia and are doing so discreetly to avoid direct accountability,” he said.
Despite these tensions, Trump this week described current U.S.-China relations as positive, noting frequent conversations with Chinese President Xi Jinping and praising what he called China’s fairness on trade matters.
On the sidelines of the summit, Rubio is also expected to meet with the Japanese foreign minister and South Korea’s deputy foreign minister. These meetings come shortly after Trump announced that 25% tariffs on imports from both allies would take effect on 1 August.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
The war in Ukraine has reached a strategic impasse, and it seems that the conflict will not be solved by military means. This creates a path toward one of two alternatives: either a “frozen” phase that can last indefinitely or a quest for a durable political regulation.
A shooting in Nice, southeastern France, left two people dead and five injured on Friday, authorities said.
Snapchat will start charging users who store more than 5GB of photos and videos in its Memories feature, prompting backlash from long-time users.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for 23 October, covering the latest developments you need to know.
European leaders aim to put on a show of support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Brussels on Thursday after a rollercoaster few days that saw Donald Trump announce and then back away from plans to meet Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
The Netherlands will vote on Wednesday, 29 October, after the collapse of the previous coalition, with far-right leader Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party (PVV) leading polls ahead of rivals focused on housing, healthcare and immigration.
Indonesia is aware of the repercussions of its decision to bar Israeli gymnasts from competing in a world championship event in Jakarta, Sports Minister Erick Thohir said on Thursday, stressing that the move aimed to preserve public order.
More than 100,000 New Zealand teachers, nurses, doctors, firefighters and support staff went on strike Thursday, demanding higher pay and better funding for public services, a clear sign of dissatisfaction with centre-right government.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment