BEIJING: Beijing has agreed to work with Washington on reducing levies affecting tens of billions of dollars in goods, a commerce ministry statement said Wednesday, days after US President Donald Trump visited China. Under the auspices of a newly established trade council, &quot;both sides agreed in principle to discuss a framework arrangement for reciprocal tariff reductions on products of equivalent scale&quot;, covering &quot;$30 billion or more on each side&quot;, the online statement said. US President Donald Trump was in Beijing last week, where he held talks with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, over a variety of issues, especially the trade tariffs.

Americas

Asia

A statement from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said that Beijing and Washington agreed in principle to discuss a framework arrangement for reciprocal tariff reductions on products of equivalent scale.

China says to work with US on reciprocal tariff cuts for $30 billion of goods each

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE: US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he would ask President Xi Jinping to &quot;open up&quot; China to US business when the two meet in Beijing this week for high-stakes talks. &quot;I will be asking President Xi, a Leader of extraordinary distinction, to &#39;open up&#39; China so that these brilliant people can work their magic, and help bring the People&#39;s Republic to an even higher level!&quot; Trump wrote on social media, referring to US business CEOs accompanying him on the trip. US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to meet in Beijing on May 14-15, a summit that was delayed in March following the US and Israeli strikes on Iran.&nbsp; It marks the first state visit to China from a US president since 2017, when Trump was first in office. Geopolitical tensions, particularly trade, Taiwan, the Iran war, and artificial intelligence, loom over the upcoming meeting. Meanwhile, the global economy continues to feel the effects of soaring oil and gas prices from the Strait of Hormuz blockade and the fragile trade truce between the United States and China.

Says that during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 14-15, he would ask his Chinese counterpart to open the country to US business.

Trump says will ask Xi to 'open up' China to US business

FLAT ROCK: US citizens are facing steep increases in home insurance premiums as climate-related disasters become more frequent across the United States, including in regions once considered relatively safe. Tony Dunn, 69, moved from California to the mountains of North Carolina after losing his home in the deadly 2018 Camp Fire wildfire. But six years later, Hurricane Helene devastated his new community, pushing his homeowners&rsquo; insurance premium up nearly 30 percent to about $4,400 annually. &ldquo;It was a bit of a shock when we got the insurance bill last year,&rdquo; Dunn told AFP. Despite the rising costs, Dunn says going without insurance is not an option after insurance payouts helped him and his wife rebuild after the California wildfire. Increasing insurance costs Experts say insurance costs are climbing not only in coastal states such as Florida, but also across inland regions increasingly exposed to flooding, hailstorms, and extreme weather. In Henderson County, North Carolina, average homeowners&rsquo; insurance costs rose 86 percent between 2018 and 2024, according to researchers Benjamin Keys and Philip Mulder. Nationwide, premiums increased 58% over the same period. Scientists say climate change is intensifying hurricanes and other extreme weather events. A 2024 study by the World Weather Attribution network found that climate change worsened conditions linked to Hurricane Helene. North Carolina resident Dee Dee Buckner, whose home was destroyed in flooding caused by Helene, said rising insurance costs are becoming difficult to manage. &ldquo;If they go up any higher, I can&rsquo;t,&rdquo; she said. Buckner said she now carries only a limited homeowners&rsquo; insurance policy, while her flood insurance costs have risen to more than $1,700 annually. Most standard US homeowners&rsquo; insurance policies do not cover flood damage, requiring separate flood insurance coverage. Researchers say insurers are also facing higher reinsurance costs as climate risks grow, contributing to rising premiums for homeowners. Economist Sarah Dickerson of the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise said climate-related losses are no longer confined to traditionally high-risk areas. &ldquo;Climate-related losses are impacting all parts of the state,&rdquo; she said.

Climate

Rising climate-related disasters across the United States are driving a sharp increase in homeowners’ insurance costs, leaving many families underinsured and struggling financially as extreme weather affects both coastal and inland regions.

Climate disasters drive sharp rise in US home insurance costs

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar intensified diplomatic outreach on Wednesday, reaffirming Islamabad&rsquo;s commitment to dialogue and engagement as efforts continue to sustain momentum from Iran-related negotiations hosted in Pakistan. In a call with UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Dar discussed the evolving regional situation and reiterated Pakistan&rsquo;s commitment to &ldquo;promoting dialogue, diplomacy and constructive engagement&rdquo; between the parties, according to a statement from Pakistan&rsquo;s Foreign Office. The outreach comes amid continued diplomatic activity following Pakistan-facilitated Iran-US talks earlier this month, which followed a fragile ceasefire after weeks of conflict that disrupted energy routes, unsettled oil markets and raised concerns of broader regional escalation. According to the Foreign Office, Cooper appreciated Pakistan&rsquo;s &ldquo;sustained efforts for peace and stability in the region&rdquo; and its continued engagement in support of diplomacy. Islamabad has since maintained active contacts with regional and international partners to build consensus for continued negotiations. Separately, Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Malki met Dar to discuss recent regional developments. Dar stressed the importance of dialogue for peace and stability and thanked Saudi Arabia for its support and appreciation of Pakistan&rsquo;s peace efforts. The Foreign Office said both sides reaffirmed the &ldquo;enduring and fraternal relationship&rdquo; between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, underscoring Islamabad&rsquo;s broader regional diplomacy as it continues efforts to support a negotiated path toward lasting peace.

Foreign Affairs

Ishaq Dar steps up diplomatic outreach, engaging the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia to support dialogue and sustain momentum in Iran-related negotiations.

Pakistan ramps up diplomacy as regional peace efforts continue

ISLAMABAD: The White House posted two cryptic, unexplained videos on its official social media accounts late on Wednesday, then deleted one without offering any public explanation, prompting a wave of online speculation.&nbsp; People and The Independent reported that the clips appeared on the White House&rsquo;s X and Instagram accounts on the night of March 25.&nbsp;The deleted clip was described as a short phone-style video with the words &ldquo;sound on&rdquo; over the footage. According to People and the New York Post, an unidentified woman could be heard saying, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s launching soon, right?&rdquo; and the clip was later removed.&nbsp; The New York Post said it was posted at about 9:15 p.m. ET and taken down roughly 90 minutes later.&nbsp; A second clip remained online longer.&nbsp; The Independent and the New York Post said it featured a dark or static-like screen, a phone notification sound and a brief image of an American flag.&nbsp; There was no official caption that explained the purpose of the video.&nbsp; The White House did not provide a formal explanation in the reporting reviewed here.&nbsp; People said a White House spokesperson responded only with the remark, &ldquo;I wonder what&rsquo;s launching soon!&rdquo;, a comment that suggested the posts may have been intentional but did not clarify what they referred to.&nbsp;That ambiguity fueled speculation online.&nbsp; The Daily Beast reported that the deleted post triggered conspiracy theories and guesses ranging from a social-media error to a planned teaser, while the New York Post said users floated theories tied to hacking, military signaling, and other possible announcements.&nbsp; None of those explanations was confirmed by the White House. So far, the only firmly established facts are that the White House posted two cryptic clips, deleted one of them, left the other online for longer, and has still not publicly explained what was &ldquo;launching soon.&rdquo;

The White House posted two cryptic messages in video form on its official social media accounts, deleted one, left the other online longer, and offered no clear explanation, fueling online speculation about whether the posts were intentional or mistaken.

Cryptic messages on White House accounts trigger speculation

HAVANA: US President Donald Trump vowed Monday to &quot;take&quot; Cuba as the communist island plunged into darkness under a total power blackout linked to a crippling oil embargo imposed by Washington. After nearly seven decades defying the United States, Havana&#39;s communist authorities are under massive pressure from a Trump administration determined to make history. &quot;You know, all my life I&#39;ve been hearing about the United States and Cuba. When will the United States do it?&quot; Trump told reporters at the White House. &quot;I do believe I&#39;ll be...having the honor of taking Cuba,&quot; Trump said. &quot;Whether I free it, take it -- think I could do anything I want with it, you want to know the truth. They&#39;re a very weakened nation right now.&quot; It was one of Trump&#39;s most explicit threats and came as the Caribbean island of 9.6 million people grappled with yet another major power cut. The blackout resulted from a &quot;complete shutdown of the national grid,&quot; Union Nacional Electrica de Cuba (UNE) said in a statement, adding that work had begun to restore electricity flow. Cuba&#39;s aging electricity generation system is in shambles, with daily power outages of up to 20 hours the norm in parts of the island. But since the US ouster of Cuba&#39;s top ally, Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, on January 3, the island&#39;s economy has been hammered further as Trump maintains a de facto oil blockade. No oil has been imported to the island since January 9, hitting the power sector while also forcing airlines to curtail flights to the island, a blow to the all-important tourism sector. In a bid to relieve economic pressure -- and meet US demands -- a senior economic official in Cuba announced Monday that Cuban exiles would now be able to invest and own businesses there. &quot;Cuba is open to having a fluid commercial relationship with US companies&quot; and &quot;also with Cubans residing in the United States and their descendants,&quot; Oscar Perez-Oliva, who is foreign trade minister and also deputy prime minister, told NBC News. The New York Times reported Monday, relying on anonymous sources, that Trump administration officials have signaled to Cuban officials that the US wants President Miguel Diaz-Canel to be removed from power. Popular unrest&nbsp;The blackouts, as well as regular shortages of food, medicine and other basics, are spurring frustrations. In a rare moment of violence, demonstrators vandalized a provincial office of the Cuban Communist Party last weekend. It was part of a new trend of protests in which people bang pots and pans at night, at times yelling &quot;Libertad,&quot; or freedom. Fourteen people have been arrested after the office assault in Moron, a town of around 70,000 people east of Havana, the regional party chief told state-run newspaper Invasor. The violence prompted Diaz-Canel to acknowledge in an X post &quot;the discontent our people feel because of the prolonged blackouts&quot;, including a major outage in early March. &quot;What will never be comprehensible, justified, or admitted is violence,&quot; Diaz-Canel said. The government has also rationed gasoline sales and some hospital services due to the fuel shortages. Diaz-Canel confirmed last week that his government had held talks with the United States. Trump has alleged the fuel blockade is a response to an &quot;extraordinary threat&quot; posed by Cuba to the United States. Trump said Sunday that Cuba &quot;wants to make a &quot;deal&quot;, which could come quickly after his administration has finished the war against Iran. &quot;I think we will pretty soon either make a deal or do whatever we have to do,&quot; Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.

US President Donald Trump signs an executive order during a ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House on March 16, 2026, in Washington, DC (AFP)

Donald Trump escalated pressure on Cuba amid a deepening energy crisis, threatening to “take” the island as US policies choke oil supplies, trigger blackouts, fuel unrest, and push Havana toward negotiations and economic concessions.

Trump vows to 'take' Cuba as island reels from oil embargo

PARIS: France moved on Monday to block US envoy Charles Kushner from having access to government ministers, after he failed to show up to explain comments about a killed far-right activist. The move is the latest instance of diplomatic friction between Paris and the United States under President Donald Trump, with Paris bristling at what it sees as repeated interference by Washington in domestic matters. Kushner, whose son Jared is married to Trump&#39;s daughter Ivanka, has already been summoned once before over his criticism of France&#39;s handling of antisemitism. He skipped that meeting as well, sending another official instead. Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot summoned Kushner after the US embassy in Paris reposted comments by the Trump administration in Washington about slain far-right activist Quentin Deranque. Deranque, 23, died from head injuries following clashes between radical-left and far-right supporters on the sidelines of a February 12 protest against a politician from the left-wing France Unbowed (LFI) party in Lyon. Barrot denounced on Sunday any attempts to exploit the killing &quot;for political ends&quot; and summoned Kushner for a meeting at 7:00 pm (1800 GMT) the following day. But a diplomatic source told AFP the ambassador cited &quot;personal commitments&quot; and sent a senior embassy official instead. &ldquo;In light of this apparent failure to grasp the basic requirements of the ambassadorial mission and the honor of representing one&#39;s country, the minister (Barrot) has requested that he (Kushner) no longer be allowed direct access to members of the French government,&rdquo; the foreign ministry said. Kushner would, however, be permitted to continue his diplomatic duties and have &quot;exchanges&quot; with officials, it added in a statement. Washington has not commented on this development. On edge<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/french-farright-leader-accuses-macron-allies-of-strengthening-hardleft-after-activist-killed" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Deranque&#39;s death has put France on edge</a>, igniting tensions between the left and right ahead of a 2027 presidential vote. More than 3,000 people marched in Lyon on Saturday in tribute to Deranque, with authorities deploying heavy security for fear of further clashes. On Friday, Sarah Rogers, the State Department undersecretary for public diplomacy, said Deranque&#39;s killing showed &ldquo;why we treat political violence &mdash; terrorism &mdash; so harshly.&rdquo; &ldquo;Once you decide to kill people for their opinions instead of persuading them, you&#39;ve opted out of civilization,&rdquo; she wrote on X. The State Department&#39;s bureau of counter-terrorism separately posted: &ldquo;Violent radical leftism is on the rise, and its role in Quentin Deranque&#39;s death demonstrates the threat it poses to public safety.&rdquo; The US embassy shared a French translation of the post on its account. Italy&#39;s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has also weighed in, triggering a war of words with French President Emmanuel Macron, who urged her to stop &ldquo;commenting on what happens in other countries.&rdquo; Kushner, who took up his post in Paris last year, was previously summoned to the foreign ministry at the end of August, after the French government took exception to his criticism that Macron was not tackling antisemitism. The US charge d&#39;affaires &mdash; the ambassador&#39;s de facto deputy &mdash; attended that meeting.

US Ambassador to France Charles Kushner delivers a speech for the official launch of America 250, to celebrate the 250th birthday of the US in 2026, at the US ambassy in Paris, on December 4, 2025.

Europe

The move is the latest instance of diplomatic friction between Paris and the United States under President Donald Trump, with Paris bristling at what it sees as repeated interference by Washington in domestic matters.

France to revoke US envoy's govt access after summons no-show

ISLAMABAD: US Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) for South and Central Asian Affairs John Mark Pommersheim on Saturday concluded a five-day visit to Pakistan aimed at strengthening cooperation on economic growth and shared security interests, according to a statement issued by the US Embassy. &ldquo;The United States is forging new partnerships, championing innovation, and defining a new era of diplomacy that will carry us forward for the next 250 years,&rdquo; the statement said. &nbsp; The visit comes as both countries seek to deepen engagement in trade, investment, and emerging technology sectors. During his stay, Pommersheim met senior Pakistani civilian and military representatives, including Director General of Military Operations Major General Kashif Abdullah and Director General of Military Intelligence Major General Wajid Aziz Khan. He also held meetings with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik and Minister of IT and Telecommunications Shaza Khawaja. &ldquo;DAS Pommersheim recognized Pakistan&rsquo;s ongoing economic reforms efforts under the IMF program,&rdquo; the statement added. In Islamabad, the US official attended the launch of Pakistan&rsquo;s Indus AI Week, where he expressed support for expanding partnerships in the digital and IT sectors. Later in Lahore, Pommersheim attended Basant celebrations, &ldquo;experiencing Pakistan&rsquo;s rich cultural heritage firsthand&rdquo; according to the US Embassy. &nbsp; He met Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb to discuss U.S. business engagement with Punjab and promote Pakistani investment in the United States. &nbsp; The statement concluded that his discussions with Pakistani officials underscored &ldquo;the importance of expanding trade and investment, including the AI, IT, energy, and critical minerals and mining sectors&rdquo; between both countries.

Culture

US Deputy Assistant Secretary John Mark Pommersheim concludes a five-day Pakistan visit, meeting civilian and military leaders, supporting AI and IT partnerships, encouraging economic reforms, and promoting expanded trade and cooperation between both countries.

'US wants ties with Pakistan for next 250 years’

GENEVA: A senior US official on Friday criticised the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-urges-new-nuclear-treaty-after-russia-agreement-ends" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">last nuclear treaty </a>between Russia and the United States for <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/last-usrussia-nuclear-treaty-ends-in-grave-moment-for-world" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">failing to include Beijing</a>, speaking at the United Nations a day after the New START deal expired.&nbsp;&quot;In a nutshell, New START was flawed,&quot; said Thomas G. DiNanno, US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, pointing out that it had not covered all nuclear weapons, &quot;and it didn&#39;t include China&quot;.&nbsp;Speaking to reporters in Geneva before addressing the Conference on Disarmament, he said US President Donald Trump &quot;has been pretty clear that he wants a better agreement&quot;, and &quot;clarified again last night that he wants a new treaty&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;He&#39;s been crystal clear. He&#39;s been consistent on it too, since his first administration,&quot; DiNanno said.&nbsp;&quot;So we&#39;ll see how it plays out.&quot;&nbsp;Asked if China had agreed to anything, DiNanno said: &quot;We&#39;re always willing to talk to them.&quot;&nbsp;China said on Thursday it would not join nuclear talks &quot;at this stage&quot; after the treaty&#39;s expiry that day triggered fears of a new global arms race.&nbsp;Campaigners have warned that the expiry, which ended decades of restrictions on how many warheads Russia and the United States deploy, could encourage China to expand its own arsenal.&nbsp;The New START treaty ended at the turn of the calendar on February 5, after Trump did not follow up on Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin&#39;s proposal to extend warhead limits in the agreement for one year.&nbsp;Russia and the United States together control more than 80 percent of the world&#39;s nuclear warheads, but arms agreements have been withering away.&nbsp;New START, first signed in 2010, limited each side&#39;s nuclear arsenal to 1,550 deployed strategic warheads -- a reduction of nearly 30 percent from the previous limit set in 2002.&nbsp;It also allowed each side to conduct on-site inspections of the other&#39;s nuclear arsenal, although these were suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic and have not resumed since.&nbsp;The Conference on Disarmament negotiating forum, which is comprised of 65 member states and meets in Geneva.

China

A senior US official says the expired New START nuclear treaty is flawed for excluding China, as Washington pushes for a new deal and Beijing refuses talks, raising fears of a renewed global arms race.

New START nuclear treaty 'was flawed': senior US official

BRUSSELS: NATO chief <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/nato-chief-cannot-negotiate-for-denmark-on-greenland-danish-govt" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mark Rutte</a>&nbsp;warned Monday Europe cannot defend itself without the United States, in the face of calls for the continent to stand on its own feet after tensions over Greenland.&nbsp;US President Donald Trump roiled the transatlantic alliance by threatening to seize the autonomous <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/eu-leaders-take-stage-in-davos-as-trump-rocks-global-order" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Danish territory </a>-- before backing off after talks with Rutte last week.&nbsp;The diplomatic crisis sparked gave fresh momentum to those advocating for Europe to take a tougher line against Trump and break its military reliance on Washington.&nbsp;&quot;If anyone thinks here again, that the European Union, or Europe as a whole, can defend itself without the US -- keep on dreaming. You can&#39;t,&quot; Rutte told lawmakers at the European Parliament.&nbsp;He said that EU countries would have to double defence spending from the five percent NATO target agreed last year to 10 percent and spend &quot;billions and billions&quot; on building nuclear arms.&nbsp;&quot;You would lose the ultimate guarantor of our freedom, which is the US nuclear umbrella,&quot; Rutte said. &quot;So hey, good luck.&quot;&nbsp;The former Dutch prime minister insisted that US commitment to NATO&#39;s Article Five mutual defence clause remained &quot;total&quot;, but that the United States expected European countries to keep spending more on their militaries.&nbsp;&quot;They need a secure Euro-Atlantic, and they also need a secure Europe. So the US has every interest in NATO,&quot; he said.&nbsp;The NATO head reiterated his repeated praise for Trump for pressuring reluctant European allies to step up defence spending.&nbsp;He also appeared to knock back a suggestion floated by the EU&#39;s defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius earlier this month for a possible European defence force that could replace US troops on the continent.&nbsp;&quot;It will make things more complicated. I think (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will love it. So think again,&quot; Rutte said.&nbsp;On Greenland, Rutte said he had agreed with Trump that NATO would &quot;take more responsibility for the defence of the Arctic&quot;, but it was up to Greenlandic and Danish authorities to negotiate over US presence on the island.&nbsp;&quot;I have no mandate to negotiate on behalf of Denmark, so I didn&#39;t, and I will not,&quot; he said.&nbsp;Rutte reiterated that he had stressed to Trump the cost paid by NATO allies in Afghanistan after the US leader caused outrage by playing down their contribution.&nbsp;&quot;For every two American soldiers who paid the ultimate price, one soldier of an ally or a partner, a NATO ally or a partner country, did not return home,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;I know that America greatly appreciates all the efforts.&quot;

Mark Rutte warns Europe cannot defend itself without the US, dismissing calls for strategic autonomy. He urged defence spending, reaffirmed NATO’s nuclear umbrella and Article Five, rejected a European army, and said Washington remains committed.

Articles tagged with "USA"

China says to work with US on reciprocal tariff cuts for $30 billion of goods each

Trump says will ask Xi to 'open up' China to US business

Climate disasters drive sharp rise in US home insurance costs

Pakistan ramps up diplomacy as regional peace efforts continue

Cryptic messages on White House accounts trigger speculation

Trump vows to 'take' Cuba as island reels from oil embargo

France to revoke US envoy's govt access after summons no-show

'US wants ties with Pakistan for next 250 years’

New START nuclear treaty 'was flawed': senior US official

'Keep dreaming': NATO chief says Europe can't defend itself without US

China says to work with US on reciprocal tariff cuts for $30 billion of goods each