What happened
Buckingham Palace has confirmed that the King and Queen will continue with their planned trip to the US today despite the shooting in Washington. The palace said the King was “greatly relieved” that Donald Trump and other administration figures were safe.

Who said what
A palace statement said the decision to go ahead with the visit followed discussions “on both sides of the Atlantic”, with only minor schedule changes expected. Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche said he was “very confident” the visit would be secure, arguing the response to the weekend incident demonstrated that the system was working effectively.

The King’s visit comes at a tense time, but he can be a “bridge over troubled water for the US and UK”, said The Times’s editorial board. “The state visit this week is an opportunity to prevent a temporary rupture in the special relationship from becoming permanent estrangement.”

What next?
The four-day visit begins today under heightened security. Some events will be adjusted – although details remain unclear – as planners balance diplomacy with an elevated threat environment.

What happened
Iran has stepped up its diplomatic efforts by sending its top envoy, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, to Moscow after a series of meetings in Pakistan and Oman aimed at keeping dialogue with Washington alive. The trip comes as hopes for direct negotiations between Iran and the US continue to fade, with no new talks scheduled. While mediation efforts persist, including messages passed indirectly via Pakistan, both sides remain entrenched.

Who said what
Araghchi (pictured above) described recent discussions as “very fruitful”, but expressed doubt about US intentions, saying he had “yet to see if the US is truly serious about diplomacy”.

As a “permanent settlement remains elusive”, the “economic shockwaves of the war continue to reverberate around the globe”, said Al Jazeera. Meanwhile, Pakistan is “scrambling to reignite talks”, according to the Associated Press, with mediators “working to bridge significant gaps” between the two sides.

What next?
Donald Trump said he had cancelled a planned envoy visit over the weekend, arguing that there was little value in continuing the talks and adding that “if they want to talk, they can come to us”.

Japan could soon be selling more weapons overseas after it lifted a ban on their export, including fighter jets. It’s the country’s biggest overhaul of defence export rules for decades and a “major shift” for Japan’s “post-World War II constitution”, said Al Jazeera.

“Pacifist restraints” have “shaped” Japan’s post-war security policy, said Reuters. Now, instead of banning exports of lethal arms outright, ministers and officials will assess the merits of each proposed sale. They will be subject to strict screening, controls on transfers to third countries, and a ban on sales to countries involved in conflict.

It’s thought that the nations interested in buying Japanese-made weapons include Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines and Indonesia. Sources told Reuters that warships for the Philippines may be among the first exports.

“With this amendment, transfers of all defence equipment will, in principle, become possible,” Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi posted on X, adding that “recipients will be limited to countries that commit to use in accordance with the UN Charter”.

Takaichi’s government feels that the regional environment has become significantly more dangerous and wants to deepen military co-operation with friendly countries in order to share the burden of regional security, instead of relying almost entirely on Washington. There’s also an economic dimension: Japan hopes to scale up production, attract revenue, innovation and investment.

“Over the last few decades, Japan has been secluded from the global defence and arms supplies markets,” William Yang, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group think tank, told The Telegraph. “We “shouldn’t underplay how important this will be.”