U.S. Senate fails to approve spending bill as government shutdown begins

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday failed to approve a short-term spending bill, as the federal government entered its first shutdown in nearly seven years.

The Senate voted on the same two bills that it failed to pass Tuesday night -- one from Democrats and the other from Republicans.

Healthcare benefits remain a key sticking point in the latest negotiations, with Democrats advocating stronger healthcare funding, while Republicans accuse them of seeking to provide free healthcare to undocumented immigrants.

EU leaders discuss "drone wall" at informal summit in Copenhagen

European Union (EU) leaders held an informal summit in Copenhagen on Wednesday, discussing issues including the advancement of an EU-wide "drone wall" and continued support for Ukraine, according to remarks made at a late-evening press conference.

During the informal meeting, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the Commission had been given the green light to continue work on the "drone wall" and a rearmament roadmap.

She described the "drone wall" as an anti-drone system designed to "quickly detect, intercept and, if necessary, neutralize drones."

Ukraine receives 4 bln euros in EU loan from frozen Russian assets

Ukraine on Wednesday received 4 billion euros (about 4.7 billion U.S. dollars) in a European Union loan sourced from frozen Russian assets, according to the country's Ministry of Finance.

The funds were transferred to Ukraine's state budget under the Group of Seven's Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration for Ukraine initiative, the ministry said.

The funds will be used to support Ukraine's social sector, defense needs and recovery efforts, it added.

Hamas says Trump's Gaza peace plan needs "substantial amendments"

The Gaza ceasefire plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump requires "substantial amendments," a source close to the movement said on Wednesday.

The source told Xinhua that Hamas' response is likely to depend on "substantial amendments and clarifications," particularly on issues of ending the war, Israeli withdrawal, and the future of resistance weapons.

According to the source, the plan was drafted "in close cooperation with Israel" and contains "some superficial positives," but also "serious risks that undermine the core of the Palestinian cause."

Trump signs executive order pledging U.S. security guarantees to Qatar

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order pledging to guarantee Qatar's security, saying that any armed attack on the Gulf state will be considered a threat to the peace and security of the United States.

The executive order, shared by the U.S. Embassy in Qatar, highlights the long-standing cooperation between the two countries, noting that Qatar has hosted U.S. forces, enabled critical security operations, and acted as a steadfast ally in the pursuit of peace, stability and prosperity, including by mediating to help resolve regional and global conflicts.

Iran's proposal for direct talks rejected by U.S. in New York: spokeswoman

Iran's government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said in Tehran Wednesday that the United States had rejected Iran's recent proposal for direct talks during the 80th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

On the sidelines of a cabinet meeting, Mohajerani said the Iranian team attending the UNGA session proposed a meeting with U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, to be attended by the foreign ministers of France, Britain and Germany, collectively known as the E3, along with the representative of the International Atomic Energy Agency. However, Witkoff did not attend any joint meeting.

China's AI industry thrives with over 5,300 enterprises

China's artificial intelligence (AI) sector has seen robust growth, with the number of enterprises exceeding 5,300 as of September, accounting for 15 percent of the global total, according to the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology.

The industry's scale exceeded 900 billion yuan (about 126.7 billion U.S. dollars) in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 24 percent, the data showed.