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Pascale Harter introduces dispatches from Argentina's midterm elections; US-China trade talks in South Korea; Japan; and the occupied West Bank.

For decades, Argentina's cycles of boom, bust and bailout seemed endless - but two years ago, a chainsaw-wielding, self-styled 'anarcho capitalist' called Javier Milei promised a way out of all that. His policies as President have shown some signs of being able to shrink the state – but are voters happy? Ione Wells watched on at the recent mid-term elections.

The meeting between China’s President, Xi Jinping and US President, Donald Trump this week in South Korea was analysed intently for any signs of a breakthrough on the two countries' trade stand-off. Our China correspondent Laura Bicker followed the encounter between superpowers.

Earlier on his East Asia tour, the US President met Japan’s first female Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi. He lavished praise on Ms Takaichi, whose politics many have compared to Margaret Thatcher's. Shaimaa Khalil examines the balance she has to strike between 'a beautiful friendship' with the United States, a Japanese electorate moving rightwards, and China's growing clout in the region.

The annual olive harvest is a major cultural event for Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank – but farmers there have come under increased attack by Jewish settlers this year. Tom Bennett travelled to the village of Turmus Ayya to see families trying to bring in their crop.

(Image: President Javier Milei sings in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on October 6, 2025. Credit: Matias Baglietto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)