International news

At the Root of K-Pop’s Controversies, a Restrictive Business Model

Labels exert extraordinary control over performers because only a few acts turn a profit.

CIIE 2026 | Eating our way around the world at CIIE

At the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, lunch comes a toothpick at a time. There's hand-carved Spanish ham, Australian steak and beef jerky from China's Taiwan region. Bulgarian yogurt comes by the spoonful, and Indonesian coffee beans are on hand for the trip home. That leaves just enough room for a scoop of New Zealand ice cream.(Photos via CGTN)

No humans and no remote control, just two robots playing table tennis!

Two humanoid robots. One table tennis match. No human control! At the 9th China International Import Expo (CIIE), two full-sized humanoid robots are going head-to-head, independently perceiving, predicting and reacting to every shot through AI-powered decision-making.The demonstration is part of Hitch Open, a global open-source platform focused on physical AI. With a previous world record of 17 consecutive hits, the robots are now aiming to push the limits even further at CI…

Bomb threats disrupt several flights across Europe

At least a dozen commercial flights made either unscheduled or high-alert landings in Austria, France, Italy, Belgium, Czechia, Spain, Serbia and Bulgaria, according to authorities in the various countries. Planes made unscheduled landings in Evreux, France; in Vienna, Austria; and in Bulgaria. A flight from Finland landed in Rome as scheduled but with a military escort, and various others touched down at their scheduled destinations across the continent but amid security al…

Midterm Election Losses Complicate Trump’s Options on Iran War

The midterm results laid bare the deep unpopularity of the war of choice that President Trump started and is now struggling to end.

Three ways Democrats could reshape U.S. foreign policy after the midterms

On Morning Edition, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Anne Applebaum breaks down what a Democratic Congress could change about Trump's foreign policy and what remains beyond its power.(Image credit: Saul Loeb)

South Korea tests Arctic shipping route amid Russia-West row

A South Korean container ship completed a voyage to Western Europe through the Arctic Ocean off the northern coast of Russia in October, fueling Seoul's hopes of exploiting the route as a shortcut for trade. The ship made the round trip from Busan to Rotterdam in just 50 days, saving at least 10 days compared to the fastest travel times along the more commonly used Suez Canal route. The Northern Sea Route (NSR) is not only around 7,000 kilometers (4,350 miles) shorter, it al…

Troops deployed to secure Jakarta trial as tensions remain high over wiretap scandal

Indonesian authorities have tasked thousands of police and military personnel to secure a court appearance of former President Joko Widodo, as tensions remain high in the capital over a wiretapping scandal involving senior police officers JAKARTA, Indonesia -- JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian authorities tasked thousands of police and military personnel to provide security Thursday for a trial involving former President Joko Widodo, as tensions in the capital remained hi…

How Ningbo Zhoushan Port connects China with the world

Every day, thousands of containers pass through Ningbo Zhoushan Port, carrying goods to destinations around the world. But what makes a port a major player in global trade? And what does it take to stay competitive as the shipping industry evolves? A port's competitiveness depends on more than how much cargo it handles. It also comes down to operational efficiency, innovation and the ability to adapt to new demands.At the 2026 Global Mayors Dialogue · Ningbo, CGTN's Wang Tao…

The leader of a German conservative party is found dead at a Berlin hotel

Hubert Aiwanger, leader of a conservative party influential in Bavarian politics, has been found dead in a Berlin hotel BERLIN -- Hubert Aiwanger, the leader of a conservative party that has become a mainstay of Bavarian politics and sought to expand its influence across Germany, has been found dead at a Berlin hotel. Berlin police and prosecutors said the body of Aiwanger, who was Bavaria's deputy governor and the southern state's economy minister, was found in his hotel ro…

A still-recovering pope will head home to Latin America and his beloved Peru for a 12-day trip

Pope Leo XIV is embarking on the longest and farthest trip of his pontificate three weeks after lung cancer surgery VATICAN CITY -- Three weeks after lung cancer surgery, Pope Leo XIV is embarking on the longest and farthest trip of his pontificate: a 12-day, three-nation tour of Latin America that carries more personal and historic weight than any of his voyages to date. The U.S.-born Leo is returning home to Peru, where the former Robert Prevost lived for two decades as a…

The New Zealand Election That Could ‘Flip the Table’

Support for the major parties — led by two men called Chris — is cratering, thanks to dissatisfaction with the economy. Minor parties stand to benefit from a desire among voters for change.

Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong sentenced to 10 years in prison in national security case

Wong, 30, in prison since 2020, is only activist in Hong Kong prosecuted twice under national security lawExclusive: Joshua Wong laments city’s fate from inside maximum security prisonThe Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after earlier pleading guilty to “foreign collusion”, his second conviction under a national security law critics say has been used to silence political opposition in the city.Wong, who rose to prominence as the teenage…

Lured into an online scam network, an African man spent almost a year in Cambodia trying to go home

In Cambodia, workers carried out online scams against people worldwide from inside massive fortified buildings they weren't allowed to leave PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- The 33-year-old man, lured to Cambodia with the offer of a receptionist job, endured daily beatings for a month, locked in a dark room somewhere in the Southeast Asian country. He didn't know where he was, but he knew the price of his freedom: $6,000. He had arrived from Ghana in November 2025 with the promise of…

Bob Dylan comes knockin' on pope's door as Leo welcomes legend to Vatican

The American singer-songwriter and poet visited with the American pope at the Vatican during a break between concert dates in Italy. The Vatican said the encounter was brief.(Image credit: Vatican Media/LaPresse)

Former Chinese Politburo member Ma Xingrui charged with taking bribes

China's state media say a former member of one of China’s top decision-making bodies has been formally charged with accepting bribes a week after Communist Party leaders confirmed his expulsion from the party BEIJING -- A former member of one of China’s top decision-making bodies has been formally charged with accepting bribes, state media reported Thursday, a week after Communist Party leaders confirmed his expulsion from the party. Prosecutors in Yichang, a city in the cen…

Joshua Wong, Hong Kong Democracy Activist, Is Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison

Mr. Wong, one of the most high-profile members of a movement that was quashed in 2020, was accused of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces, a national security offense.

Japan's LDP faces opposition over push for constitutional revision

House of Councillors' Commission on the Constitution is held at the National Diet Building in Tokyo, Japan, November 4, 2026. /VCG Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Wednesday renewed its call for accelerating discussions on constitutional revision, drawing criticism and opposition from some opposition parties, Jiji Press reported. At a meeting of the House of Councilors' Commission on the Constitution on Wednesday afternoon, LDP lawmaker Tsuneo Kitamura referr…

CGTN Social Edits | For anyone who zooms in on the hardware

The gold Tesla Cybercab gets the wide shot. The tech people in your group chat will want a second angle. At the ninth China International Import Expo in Shanghai, we got both, plus a close look at a jet engine model and a car conveniently taken apart for anyone who’s ever wondered what’s under the hood. A lime-green Kawasaki Ninja sport bike is on display at the ninth China International Import Expo in Shanghai, China, November 5, 2026. /CGTN A front view of a Kawasaki motor…

Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong is sentenced to 10 more years in prison

Voters Are Turning Out in Droves to Cut Autocrats Down to Size

In country after country stricken by democratic decay, overwhelming turnout in elections is making a difference.

UK found to be ‘dangerously’ reliant on China for critical minerals needed for defence and AI

Delivering net zero also at risk, say MPs as they call for centralised policy and funding for mines and diversification The UK is “dangerously” dependent on China for critical raw materials needed for the military, renewable energy infrastructure and AI, a parliamentary investigation has found.MPs on the business select committee called for an urgent centralised policy and the creation of a “critical minerals finance facility” to help fund rare earth and other critical miner…

9th China International Import Expo opens in Shanghai

The 9th China International Import Expo (CIIE), the world's first national-level exhibition dedicated to imports, opened on Thursday in Shanghai, drawing thousands of international companies seeking opportunities in the Chinese market.Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony.Running from November 5 to 10, this year's expo has attracted 4,142 overseas exhibitors, with a total exhibition area exceeding 440,000 square meters, accordi…

Sheng Lihao, Wang Zifei retain title at ISSF World Championships

L-R: Silver medalists Du Yuchen and Zhang Changhong of China, gold medalists Wang Zifei and Sheng Lihao of China, bronze medalists Ban Hyo-jin and Park Ha-jun of the Republic of Korea pose for a photo after competing in the 10-meter air rifle mixed team final at the ISSF World Championships in Doha, Qatar, November 4, 2026. /Xinhua Sheng Lihao and Wang Zifei defended their 10-meter air rifle mixed team title at the ISSF World Championships in Doha on Wednesday as China compl…