China’s clean tech exports. The country’s clean tech exports reached a record $20 billion in August, according to a report from consultancy Ember. While the United States has pressed countries to buy more U.S. fossil fuels this year, China’s green tech exports have surged. From January to July 2025, China exported $120 billion in green technologies while the United States exported $80 billion worth of oil and gas, Bloomberg reported.
Trump’s latest industrial policies. The United States will impose 25 percent tariffs on imports of medium and heavy trucks beginning November 1, President Donald Trump wrote on social media yesterday. The White House also announced the U.S. government is taking a 10 percent stake in Canadian mining company Trilogy Metals, Inc., which aims to mine in northwest Alaska.
ICC conviction over Darfur. The International Criminal Court (ICC) ruled yesterday that Sudanese militia leader Ali Kushayb, one of the leaders of the government-backed Janjaweed militia, was guilty of twenty-seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. It is the court’s first conviction related to the 2003-2020 conflict in Darfur and its first for gender-based persecution. Some of the Janjaweed later helped form the militia Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which is currently battling Sudan’s government in an ongoing civil war.
Madagascar’s new PM. Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina appointed a military general as the country’s new prime minister following widespread youth-led antigovernment protests. Rajoelina came to power in a coup in 2009 before later winning elected office. Some demonstrators have called for Rajoelina’s removal and vowed to continue protesting.
Paraguay sanctions relief. The United States lifted sanctions on former Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes that were imposed in 2023. At the time, Washington accused Cartes of obstructing a probe of transnational organized crime in order to protect himself. A State Department spokesperson said yesterday that the sanctions “were no longer required to incentivize changes in behavior.” Since Trump’s election, Paraguay has closely aligned with his administration’s priorities, moving its Israeli embassy to Jerusalem and agreeing to accept third-country deportees.
Trump-Lula call. Trump yesterday held his first call with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva since the United States imposed 50 percent tariffs on Brazilian goods in July. Both described the call as positive, and Trump said the leaders would soon meet in person. Bilateral relations had soured because of the tariffs and U.S. sanctions on judges who tried former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro for a coup attempt, but Trump did not mention Bolsonaro in his readout.
Egyptian UNESCO nominee. The executive board of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) yesterday nominated former Egyptian tourism and antiquities minister Khaled el-Anani to be its next director. He is expected to be confirmed next month and would be its first director from the Arab world. He has overseen projects including the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo and the renovation of a historic synagogue in Alexandria. El-Anani vowed to try to re-engage Washington following the Trump administration’s recent move to withdraw from the organization.
Physics prize. Researchers John Clarke, Michel Devoret and John Martinis won this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics for discoveries in the field of quantum mechanics. They conducted experiments that showed phenomena in the small-scale quantum world can be replicated in larger systems. “Quantum mechanics is the foundation of all digital technology,” the prize chairman said.
