How Japan’s new leader plans to woo Trump.

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Daily Briefing

Daily Briefing

By Kate Turton

Hello. We have two exclusives on Japan's new prime minister and her plans for wooing Trump and tackling inflation.

Elsewhere, US aviation safety staff face financial strain due to shutdown, and Russia and Ukraine launch overnight missile strikes.

Plus, a special report on the ‘dark fleet’ that helped a Mexican cartel build a fuel-smuggling empire.

 

Today's Top News

 

Residents of an apartment building damaged by a Russian drone strike, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine October 22, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer

  • Russia and Ukraine pounded each other with heavy overnight missile attacks as diplomatic efforts to end the war faltered, with the White House saying there were no imminent plans for presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to meet.
  • The US increased pressure on Hamas to disarm in the next phase of an already fragile Gaza ceasefire as President Donald Trump pushed to cement an end to the devastating conflict.
  • Anxious to bolster its air power, Turkey has proposed to European partners and the US ways it could swiftly obtain advanced fighter jets as it seeks to make up ground on regional rivals such as Israel, sources familiar with the talks say.
  • Nearly a year after a truce was meant to bring calm to Lebanon's border with Israel, tens of thousands of people have not yet returned to ruined towns in the south, kept away by deadly Israeli strikes and slim prospects of rebuilding.
  • The US government shutdown is now rapidly approaching the time when the tens of thousands of employees who keep security lines moving and air traffic safe will miss a full paycheck.  David Shepardson tells the Reuters World News podcast when that happens, it could finally force action in Washington.
  • Trump's nominee to lead a federal watchdog agency, Paul Ingrassia, withdrew following a report that he described himself as having a "Nazi streak."
  • North Korea fired what appeared to be multiple short-range ballistic missiles, South Korea's military said, a week before a key Asia-Pacific leaders' meeting in South Korea.

Japan

  • As Japan's new premier Sanae Takaichi got to work, her government began finalizing a purchase package, including US pickups, soybeans and gas, to present to Trump in trade and security talks next week, two sources said.
  • Takaichi is preparing an economic stimulus package that is likely to exceed last year's $92 billion to help households tackle inflation, government sources familiar with the plan said.
 

Business & Markets

 

Parts for the ongoing construction of the Revolution Wind offshore wind turbine farm, staged on the State Pier, Connecticut. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo

  • US shipbuilders and port operators are getting hit in the fallout from Trump’s campaign to wipe out the offshore wind industry, suffering hundreds of millions of dollars in lost government support, vanishing vessel orders, and an uncertain future for the billions of dollars' worth of investments.
  • British inflation unexpectedly held steady in September, raising the prospect of a Bank of England interest rate cut this year and offering some relief to finance minister Rachel Reeves ahead of her budget in November.
  • China overtook the US as Germany's largest trading partner in the first eight months of 2025, regaining the top spot as higher tariffs weighed on German exports to the US, preliminary data from the German statistics office showed.
  • OpenAI unveiled ChatGPT Atlas, a long-anticipated artificial intelligence-powered web browser built around its popular chatbot, in a direct challenge to Google Chrome’s dominance.
  • Warner Bros Discovery's board rejected a nearly $60 billion offer from Paramount Skydance, a source said, and the company announced it would explore its options for the sale of the company.
  • The hack of Jaguar Land Rover, owned by India's Tata Motors, cost the British economy an estimated $2.55 billion and affected over 5,000 organizations, an independent cybersecurity body said in a report.
  • Gold and silver prices remained jittery after the sharpest pullback in over five years, while global equity and bond markets were taking a breather from recent rallies. For more on global markets, watch our daily rundown.
  • Fans of Netflix's runaway hit "KPop Demon Hunters" will only be able to get their hands on branded toys well after the holiday shopping season, a missed opportunity for Mattel and Hasbro that have won licensing deals from the streaming giant.
 

A ‘dark fleet’ of tankers helped a Mexican cartel build a fuel-smuggling empire

 

Illustration: John Emerson, Photo: REUTERS/Hans Deryk

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel has mastered the use of tankers to smuggle fuel to Mexico. US oil players are helping them.

Reuters traces one ship's brazen journey.

Read our special report
 

And Finally...

A person carries a bag with a Labubu doll attached, outside Pop Mart's flagship store in Shanghai, China June 13, 2025. REUTERS/Go Nakamura

Labubu resale prices worldwide have dropped since their summer peak, raising questions about the longevity of demand for Chinese toymaker Pop Mart's cash cow.