News brief: Big stories of the day

US President Donald Trump on Friday said that the tariffs on Chinese goods will bring more wealth to America "that even a phenomenal deal of the traditional kind". "We have lost 500 billion dollars a year, for many years, on Crazy Trade with China. NO MORE!," his tweet read.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party is bound to protect India and its citizens.

Answering a series of questions during his interaction with media in Haryana's Rohtak, the prime minister said that action will be taken against "any threat to the nation, be it by people or any system".

Speaking exclusively to WION, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said that he does not harbour prime ministerial ambition and that he is confident that the BJP will form the next government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Talks with the Taliban on ending Afghanistan's war are making steady but slow progress, the chief US envoy involved in the negotiations said on Friday while signalling growing frustration with relentless militant violence.

A Sri Lankan court has ordered a DNA test before May 15 to verify the death of Mohamed Cassim Zahran, the ring leader of the local Islamist extremist group NTJ which the government blamed carried out the devastating Easter Sunday bombings killing over 250 people.