Newshour

US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping have exchanged warm words at a lavish White House state dinner but gave little indication of progress on pressing issues. Xi stressed that they should ensure artificial intelligence remains "under human control", while Trump toasted a future of "harmony, peace and success" for both nations.

Also in the programme: As the Tigrayans go on the offensive in Ethiopia, where is that conflict headed? And a new test for brain tumours that can slash diagnosis time to just two hours.

(Photo: Presidents Xi and Trump in Washington DC. Credit: Reuters)

Xi Jinping -- on a visit to Washington -- has called for China and the United States to cooperate despite their differences, and to ensure AI remains under human control. Newshour hears from Republican Congressman Michael Baumgartner.

Also in the programme: the FBI investigates a major cyber hack; and a new study on the origin of bats.

(Picture: US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping walk back to the White House in Washington, D.C., US, September 24, 2026. Credit: Reuters)

A OpenAI agent has hacked an Australian government website, its prime minister Anthony Albanese said.

The agent hacked a statistics portal containing private data from Australia's universal healthcare scheme, Medicare. We'll be looking at why OpenAI took so long to notice. The Australian government has launched an urgent review into the situation

Also in the programme: A US judge has overturned a White house ban on several media organisation by the Trump administration; today sees the launch of a new version of Meta's controversial glasses - this time, they're audio-only; and a veteran of Poland's jazz scene on emerging from behind the "Iron Curtain".

(Photo shows the OpenAI logo at the Dreamforce 2026 technology summit in San Francisco, California, US on 17 September 2026. Carlos Barria/Reuters)

Could there be a return to full-scale civil war in the Horn of Africa, where fresh fighting has broken out in Ethiopia?

Also in the programme: President Trump's Board of Peace for Gaza announces a $2.45bn recovery plan for the territory. We speak to one of the board's members and get the view of a Palestinian; and French archaeologists find new evidence of the origins of the city of Paris.

(Picture: Rickshaw taxis and motorists drive along the street near the Tigray Martyrs monument in Mekelle, Tigray Region, Ethiopia, September 23, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Stringer)

The White House is rolling out the red carpet for a rare state visit by the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping. The two leaders are expected to discuss a number of issues, including the development of artificial intelligence.

Also in the programme: President Trump has signed a new defence agreement with Denmark and Greenland after months of crisis; the rare first edition that turned up at a charity shop in London; and we'll hear from the tennis champion Andre Agassi on getting to the top, despite hating the sport.

[Photo shows US president Donald Trump at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City on 22 September 2026. Credit: Kylie Cooper/Reuters]

Donald Trump says his officials have had a long meeting with senior Iranians on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, while in his speech the US president threatened Iran with "annihilation".

Also in the programme: Mahmoud Khalil, the Syrian-Palestinian graduate student detained by ICE agents at Columbia University for leading pro-Palestinian protests on campus, speaks to Newshour; and a 6-year-old Chinese girl has broken the women's world record for solving a Rubik's cube - does the skill come from innate genius or practice?

(Photo: US President Donald Trump addresses the 81st United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City, US, 22 September 2026. Credit: Reuters/Mike Segar)

A report from the UN's Independent International Scientific Panel AI on says the developments are now outpacing safety - and that it's vital that we slow down.

Also on the programme: What do the Saudis want from their allies in their fight against the Houthis? A major report on the crimes of the Nicaraguan regime - and did the Dutch invent golf?

(Photo shows a logo of Ai at a conference in Taipei, Taiwan on 2 September 2026. Credit: Ritchie B Tongo/EPA)

American television networks have stopped providing joint coverage of Donald Trump's official events, after the president banned some news organisations from the White House. Also in the programme: the Yemeni refugees seeking refuge in Djibouti; and Star Wars creator George Lucas is about to open a new art gallery to house his huge art collection.

(Photo: Poster of solidarity with the US networks barred from the White House outside AP's White House booth. Credit: Reuters)

Fighting on Yemen's west coast has prompted thousands of people to flee by boat across the Bab al-Mandab Strait to Djibouti over the last ten days.

The crossings were sparked by an offensive by the Iran-backed Houthi movement to take control of a key island and seize the strategically important port of Mokha. We have a report from a refugee camp in a small port town where officials are preparing for the arrival of up to 10,000 refugees.

Also in the programme: Germany's chancellor admits the latest elections were a disaster for his party; artificial intelligence expected to be a core part of talks at Xi Jinping's state visit to the United States later this week: and a raft of potential medical breakthroughs for Alzheimer's disease.

(Photo shows Yemeni people fleeing clashes in their country gather to receive supplies from the International Organization for Migration at the Markazi refugee camp after arriving in Djibouti on 18 September 2026. Abdourahim Arteh/Reuters)

In the north-eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the party was initially projected to only just scrape through, with its worst ever election result. A few hours later, however, it had dipped below the 5% threshold needed to stay in parliament. Meanwhile, the far-right AfD was on track to win the most votes in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, but it is unlikely to govern as other parties refuse to work with it.

Also on the programme: Ukraine fires a new weapon for the first time, in a major assault on Moscow; and President Trump's plans for a triumphal arch filled with munitions. 

(Photo: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz gives a statement at the CDU headquarters in Berlin. Credit: Reuters/Christian Mang)