UK set to recognize Palestinian statehood today

• The UK is set to recognize a Palestinian state later today after Israel failed to meet conditions set out by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, including agreeing to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

• The announcement will come despite pressure from US politicians and the families of hostages held by Hamas. Israel says recognizing a Palestinian state is tantamount to rewarding terror.

• Canada and France also plan to recognize a Palestinian state at next week’s UN General Assembly as international pressure builds on Israel over the ongoing war and starvation crisis in Gaza.

• Elsewhere today on the ground, dozens of people have been reported killed as the Israeli military presses on with operations in the Gaza City area.

-CNN

Canada recognizes Palestinian state

 

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during a press conference in Berlin on August 26.

Annegret Hilse/Reuters

Canada has announced that it recognizes the State of Palestine, in a move expected to be mirrored by the United Kingdom later today, and France and others at the UN General Assembly this week.

“Canada recognises the State of Palestine and offers our partnership in building the promise of a peaceful future for both the state of Palestine and the State of Israel,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a post on X.

Carney had said in July that his country intended to recognize the State of Palestine at the UN General Assembly. At the time the plan drew condemnation from Israeli officials, who painted the decision as a “reward to Hamas.”

“The Palestinian Authority has renounced violence, has recognized Israel and is committed to the two-state solution,” a senior Canadian government official told CNN shortly before Sunday’s announcement. “We are recognizing the State of Palestine in order to empower those who seek peaceful coexistence and marginalize Hamas.”

Ahead of Carney’s statement, senior Canadian officials pushed back on Israel’s negative reaction to the decision, telling CNN that recognizing Palestine is “not being done to confront or punish Israel.”

“Our sincere communication efforts are to explain this and do everything in our power to prevent the voices that are trying to make this a confrontational gesture from gaining the day,” one senior Canadian official said.

Canadian officials added that they believe recognition keeps a two-state solution in play despite Israel’s open opposition to the prospect of a Palestinian state.

Carney’s announcement in July also provoked criticism from US President Donald Trump, who promptly suggested that the move would hurt Canada in any trade talks with the United States.

UK set to recognize Palestinian statehood today

• The UK is set to recognize a Palestinian state later today after Israel failed to meet conditions set out by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, including agreeing to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

• The announcement will come despite pressure from US politicians and the families of hostages held by Hamas. Israel says recognizing a Palestinian state is tantamount to rewarding terror.

• Canada and France also plan to recognize a Palestinian state at next week’s UN General Assembly as international pressure builds on Israel over the ongoing war and starvation crisis in Gaza.

• Elsewhere today on the ground, dozens of people have been reported killed as the Israeli military presses on with operations in the Gaza City area.

-CNN

Britons react to PM's plans to recognize Palestinian statehood

Britons split over Palestinian state recognition

01:07

As British Prime Minister Keir Starmer looks set to recognize a Palestinian state later today, Brits in London appeared split over the move.

Peter, a 70-year-old retired police officer, said the recognition is “rewarding Hamas.”

“I’m very sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinian people. But I don’t think this is the way forward. I think it emboldens them and will only lead to further trouble on the world stage,” Peter, who declined to give his surname, told Reuters today.

Michael Angus, a 55-year-old charity director, disagreed. “I think it’s acknowledging that there’s a people here who are suffering the most awful genocide. And actually, it’s time for the rest of the world to say enough is enough and give them a place to call home,” he said.

Trump goes into UN General Assembly isolated but defiant

 As we’ve reported, US President Donald Trump “disagrees” with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer over recognition of Palestinian statehood.

When Trump delivers the first address of his second term to the annual gathering of global leaders at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, he will also be at odds with more than half of the member nations, including key allies, over the war in Gaza.

The Trump administration has become increasingly isolated on the issue as the conflict nears its two-year mark. As a growing number of countries have denounced Israel’s actions in the enclave, the US has not only stood by its ally but provided it with consistent political cover and military support.

One of the clearest examples of the US’ isolation will come tomorrow, when France and Saudi Arabia co-host a two-state solution conference, supported by 142 of the 193 UN Member States.

The US is not participating in the conference and was one of only 10 countries who voted against the General Assembly resolution backing the high-level gathering.

President Emmanuel Macron is expected to announce that France is recognizing a Palestinian state during the conference, saying in recent days that the move would isolate Hamas. It is a largely symbolic move that some nations have taken in recent months or plan to take in the weeks ahead, and one that Trump administration officials have condemned as counterproductive to peace efforts.

The UK is set to announce its recognition of a Palestinian state this weekend, and Canada, Australia and Belgium expect to join France in making the same announcement during the UN gathering.

-CNN

Taiwan unveils first missile jointly with American

 

A low-cost autonomous cruise missile is displayed during the Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition in Taipei on September 17, 2025. 

I-Hwa Cheng/AFP/Getty Images

Taipei, Taiwan — 

Taiwan has unveiled a prototype cruise missile, developed jointly with a US arms maker and set to be manufactured on the island, as it tries to build up its weapons industry to deter any possible military threats from China.

The government-owned National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), Taiwan’s top arms manufacturer, showcased the “low-cost autonomous cruise missile” it developed together with Anduril Industries, a relative newcomer to the ranks of American defense contractors, ahead of the island’s largest defense expo that began Thursday.

China views Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to seize it – by force if necessary. Under leader Xi Jinping, China has intensified military, diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan, regularly sending fighter jets and warships, looking to squeeze its presence on the world stage.

In the face of the China threat, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te recently announced that Taiwan will raise defense spending to 5% of its GDP before 2030.

Adapted from Anduril’s Barracuda-500, an autonomous, low-cost loitering ammunition launched from aircraft that is undergoing tests by the US military, the new land-mobile missile can be used against targets at sea or on land. NCSIST did not give a range for the missile.

Taiwan aims to roll out the production line of the missile in the next year and a half, capping the cost per missile at approximately $216,000, NCSIST President Li Shih-chiang, told reporters on Wednesday.

“The entire supply chain of the missile will be in Taiwan. That is the overall direction of all future cooperation,” Li said.

The NCSIST also displayed a prototype of an underwater drone and an underwater autonomous mobile mine that it aims to jointly develop and produce with Anduril.

Washington is Taiwan’s main international backer and security guarantor and for decades has been the primary supplier of weapons to Taipei. In recent years, however, US deliveries have been slowed as demand for weapons worldwide has surged, straining American manufacturers.

CNN has reached out to the Pentagon and Anduril for comment.

A Chiang-Kong missile and the launcher, a new generation anti-ballistic missile air defense system developed by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), are displayed during the Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition in Taipei on September 17, 2025. 

I-Hwa Cheng/AFP/Getty Images

Li, president of NCSIST, added that the institute will sign two contracts and four memorandums of understanding with six US and Canadian companies during the three-day defense trade show.

During a visit to Taiwan last month, Anduril founder Palmer Luckey hailed the island’s manufacturing capabilities and technological prowess.

“Taiwan is on the verge of a techno industrial renaissance in national defense, one that’s built on top of its techno industrial renaissance in consumer electronics, in industrial electronics, one that’s made Taiwan the envy of the world,” Luckey said.

China warns against interference

Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun lashed out at “external military interference” on Taiwan at an annual defense forum in Beijing on Thursday.

“We will never allow any separatist plot for Taiwan independence to succeed, and we stand ready to thwart any external military interference at any time,” Dong told defense officials, military personnel and scholars gathered at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum.

Dong also condemned “Cold War mentality, hegemonism and protectionism” – phrases that Beijing has long used to criticize the US – and called for countries to stand up against “bullying acts.”

Last week, Dong raised the issue of Taiwan – the reddest of red lines for Beijing – in his first call with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, warning that any attempt to use the island to contain China is “doomed to fail.”

Trump’s showdown with China deepens

President Donald Trump is heading into another volatile week of his trade wars facing an urgent need to de-escalate the clash he ignited with China before it inflicts deep damage on the US economy.Chinese President Xi Jinping is so far declining US pressure to call his American counterpart to seek a “deal” after the United States imposed 145% tariffs on its superpower rival, setting off a long-feared direct confrontation.This leaves Trump repeatedly assuring Americans that his “great relationship” with the Chinese leader will head off a crisis but unable to initiate talks in a standoff that risks tanking stock markets again and imposing real hardships on Americans. 

Despite the uncertainty, Trump is putting on a show of relishing multiple fights he set off, and he lapped up a standing ovation as he took a seat cage-side at a UFC mixed martial arts event in Florida on Saturday night. The president, who styles himself as an ultimate political fighter, told reporters his reception was “somewhat legendary” and showed that “we’re doing a good job.”But the president’s conflict with China is a real-world showdown with far higher stakes.The impasse is so serious because the US and Chinese economies are intricately entwined.

 The US relies on China for consumer electronics; rare earth minerals used in the manufacture of electric vehicles and for military applications and robotics; pharmaceuticals used in lifesaving medicines; and more basic staples of daily life, including clothing and shoes. US exports of produce like soybeans and sorghum to China are vital to the livelihoods of American farmers, but the tariffs imposed by both sides are so prohibitive that trade may effectively grind to a halt.Both sides could suffer terribly in a full-blown trade war, and US consumers could be hit by shortages and surging prices. 

But some experts believe that China, owing to its authoritarian system of government, would be willing to impose more pain on its populace to avoid losing what could be a defining struggle with the US.Trump’s capacity to play the long game was called into question when he suddenly paused reciprocal tariffs on dozens of nations last week for 90 days after bond market sell-offs began to hint at a developing financial crisis. 

That climbdown will have been carefully watched in Beijing. And in seeking to ease one sticky situation, Trump exacerbated another — lashing out at China with his 145% tariffs in an apparent effort to save face.As the chaos worsens, the White House added more confusion Friday night, exempting imports of Chinese-made smartphones and computers from the top tariff rate in an apparent acknowledgment that sky-high levies on those items could hammer the tech industry and US consumers.But on Sunday, the administration insisted that such products would still be subject to new tariffs at a lower level in the coming weeks, raising further questions about its apparently unplanned and knee-jerk stances, which have repeatedly scared markets.

“NOBODY is getting ‘off the hook’ for the unfair Trade Balances, and Non Monetary Tariff Barriers, that other Countries have used against us, especially not China which, by far, treats us the worst!” Trump wrote Sunday on Truth Social. “There was no Tariff ‘exception’ announced on Friday. These products are subject to the existing 20% Fentanyl Tariffs, and they are just moving to a different Tariff ‘bucket.’ The Fake News knows this, but refuses to report it,” he went on.

Focus group: Trump voters in Michigan have buyers' remorse

Most Michigan swing voters in our latest Engagious/Sago focus groups said that although they voted for President Trump in November, they have objections, frustrations and fears about his behavior since he returned to power.

Driving the news: Ten of 13 participants from this battleground, auto-industry state bordering Canada said what they're seeing isn't what they thought they were voting for — and they're worried Trump's approach may hurt their pocketbooks.

"Erratic," "frightening," "disruptive" and "dictator" were among the words they used to describe their concerns.

Zoom in: A focus group is not a statistically significant sample like a poll, but the voters' reactions suggest that Trump risks overplaying his mandate to reshape government, trade and international alliances.

• The online panels, conducted Tuesday night, were made up of Michigan voters who backed former President Biden in 2020 but switched to Trump last November. Eight were self-described independents, four were Republicans and one was a Democrat.

The big picture: The voters' responses stand in stark contrast to last month's focus group with Arizona swing voters, all of whom said they approve of Trump's earliest actions.

The Michigan voters felt differently after more exposure to Elon Musk, DOGE, large-scale federal worker firings, tariffs and no relief on prices.

Trump entered his second term with a higher approval rating than he had during his first term, but polls indicate his honeymoon has begun to fade as Americans' concerns over the economy rise.

What they're saying: "I don't feel like he was this aggressive last time because I don't think anyone would've voted for him if they expected to see what we're seeing now," said Shannon B., 27, of Livonia, Mich.

Sheryl M., 44, of Chesterfield, said of Trump: "He's so erratic, and it's getting to the point where I'm almost scared to watch the news. I mean, it's a little bit frightening 'cause each day is something new, so you get a little anxious."

"I mean, Canada? When have we ever had issues with Canada?" asked Phil L., 45, of Dearborn Heights. "We barely have a border. You can go in and out of the country and a lot of places, a lot of states. I think we're just barking up the wrong tree with this."

Another voter, Therese L., 55, of Commerce Township, bristled at the viral image of a crowned Trump, the president's "long live the king" comment and or Trump saying, "He who saves his country doesn't violate any law. "

• "He is acting like a dictator," she said.

One participant who does home remodeling, worried about tariffs raising the price of wood and causing clients to drop their remodeling plans.

Another voter, who owns a health and weight loss business, said most of her clients are in the auto industry — ; if they're hit it could devastate her. One said she works in the auto industry and just got furloughed because "we are not building any cars right now."

Michael L., 43, of Commerce Township, said Trump "campaigned on lowering prices and making things more affordable for working-class people. He's moving in the opposite direction." He conceded that Trump had previewed tariffs during the campaign, but said "we didn't necessarily think it would be this much, this fast."

"I was voting for him based off of the economy the first time around and I'm seeing a significant decline," said Samantha S., 31, of Birmingham.

"I was expecting him to do things to better our country and I'm not seeing that," said Katelyn D., 26, of Woodhaven.

Several of the voters said they want Congress to push back.

Malea H., 34, of Clinton Township, said she fears "that this will eventually turn into a dictatorship... if the people that we elected to be his checks and balances don't check and balance him, then what are they there for?

They disagreed with Trump freezing out Associated Press journalists from coverage in the Oval Office and Air Force One because the independent news organization hasn't gone along with his insistence that the Gulf of Mexico should be called the Gulf of America.

"It's just so childlike," said Shannon B.

On the other hand: Only of one the 10 Trump voters-turned-critics said they'd choose Kamala Harris for president if they could do it over.

"Trump, we've gone through four years with him before — and it's just kind of just grin and bear it for another four," said Malea H., 34, of Clinton Township.

"Just because these swing voters discovered they don't like the taste of wheatgrass juice, it doesn't mean they long to swallow castor oil," said Rich Thau, president of Engagious, who moderated the focus groups.

The three voters who did approve of Trump's earliest actions say that while they may not agree with him on everything, on balance they at least feel he is getting things done.

"He said that he would get busy as soon as he got in office, and I feel like he has," said Kara B., 39, of DeWitt.