US police Monday launched a bid to evict Americans who have been occupying the Venezuelan embassy in Washington for weeks in protest against opposition leader Juan Guaido.

The administration of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-says-ship-seizure-by-us-violates-spirit-of-trump-kim-summit-218542">President Donald Trump </a>and some 50 other countries recognize Guaido as Venezuela's legitimate acting leader as he tries to force the departure of President Nicolas Maduro amid an acute economic meltdown.&nbsp;

Police with flashlights approached the Washington embassy compound Monday night, removed chains attached to its gates by the pro-Maduro activists, and spoke briefly to those insides.&nbsp;

The activists -- who are seeking to bar the entry of Guaido's representatives -- were "offered the chance to leave voluntarily," according to Rafael Alfonso, a member of Guaido's delegation in the US.

Three left, and the estimated four who remain inside were given notice that they "have to leave the building," Alfonso told AFP.

But the standoff continued as, after five minutes, the remaining activists returned to the second floor, where they raised their fists in a gesture of victory through the window. Police then left the gate and re-sealed it with tape.

The activists "are defending international law, defending the Vienna Convention and they are worried about the cascade effect," said Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, an attorney representing them with the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund. "That is a very dangerous path.''

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A Venezuelan source who asked not to be named said police were now waiting for the right conditions to enter the building. Last week, electricity to the building was cut off.

Around 100 Venezuelans waving the red, yellow and blue flag of their country sang the national anthem outside as the US activists peeked out from inside the four-story building.

Carmen Ruzza, a 46-year-old Venezuelan scholar from American University, said she had been visiting the embassy every day with coffee and donuts while a group of people surrounded the diplomatic compound to pressure the activists to leave.

"This is a microcosm of the struggle we have in Venezuela," she said.

Ruzza called the Maduro government a "criminal regime, a drug trafficking regime that kills, represses."

For weeks, an unclear number of Americans belonging to a group calling itself the Embassy Protection Collective has been living in the embassy, with the consent of the Maduro government.

The American squatters aim to block the entry of the Guaido delegation.

The final Venezuelan diplomats who had been posted to Washington by the Maduro administration left the embassy last month.

US police Monday launched a bid to evict Americans who have been occupying the Venezuelan embassy in Washington for weeks in protest against opposition leader Juan Guaido.

US police Monday launched a bid to evict Americans who have been occupying the Venezuelan embassy in Washington for weeks in protest against opposition leader Juan Guaido. The administration of President Donald Trump and some 50 other countries recognize Guaido as Venezuela's legitimate acting leader as he tries to force the departure of President Nicolas Maduro amid an acute economic meltdown. Police with flashlights approached the Washington embassy compound Monday night, removed chains attached to its gates by the pro-Maduro activists, and spoke briefly to those insides. The activists -- who are seeking to bar the entry of Guaido's representatives -- were "offered the chance to leave voluntarily," according to Rafael Alfonso, a member of Guaido's delegation in the US. Three left, and the estimated four who remain inside were given notice that they "have to leave the building," Alfonso told AFP. But the standoff continued as, after five minutes, the remaining activists returned to the second floor, where they raised their fists in a gesture of victory through the window. Police then left the gate and re-sealed it with tape. The activists "are defending international law, defending the Vienna Convention and they are worried about the cascade effect," said Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, an attorney representing them with the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund. "That is a very dangerous path.'' × A Venezuelan source who asked not to be named said police were now waiting for the right conditions to enter the building. Last week, electricity to the building was cut off. Around 100 Venezuelans waving the red, yellow and blue flag of their country sang the national anthem outside as the US activists peeked out from inside the four-story building. Carmen Ruzza, a 46-year-old Venezuelan scholar from American University, said she had been visiting the embassy every day with coffee and donuts while a group of people surrounded the diplomatic compound to pressure the activists to leave. "This is a microcosm of the struggle we have in Venezuela," she said. Ruzza called the Maduro government a "criminal regime, a drug trafficking regime that kills, represses." For weeks, an unclear number of Americans belonging to a group calling itself the Embassy Protection Collective has been living in the embassy, with the consent of the Maduro government. The American squatters aim to block the entry of the Guaido delegation. The final Venezuelan diplomats who had been posted to Washington by the Maduro administration left the embassy last month.

US police launch bid to evict pro-Maduro activists from Venezuela embassy

Fresh <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/as-us-chinese-officials-meet-for-trade-talks-trumps-tariffs-on-china-set-to-take-effect-217361">US-China tariff </a>war volleys pressured Asian shares on Tuesday but comment from US&nbsp;President Donald Trump that he expects trade negotiations to be the successfully aided sentiment.

Chinese markets that were pummelled in early trade trimmed losses amid signs of state support.

China on Monday announced it would impose higher tariffs on $60 billion of US&nbsp;goods following Washington's decision last week to hike its own levies on $200 billion in Chinese imports.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was down 0.9% as volatile<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/sensex-falls-over-200-points-as-us-china-tensions-roil-global-markets-217166"> </a><a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/asian-shares-near-two-month-lows-ahead-of-looming-us-tariff-hike-217382">Chinese markets</a><a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/sensex-falls-over-200-points-as-us-china-tensions-roil-global-markets-217166"> </a>paused for their midday break. The index had earlier fallen as much as 1.25% to its lowest since Jan. 30.

Providing some support for Asian markets were comments from Trump late on Monday that trade talks with China are "going to be very successful". That helped lift US stock futures more than 0.5%, though sentiment remained fragile.

Prakash Sakpal, Asia economist at ING in Singapore, said Monday's volatility showed how a "180-degree" turn in US&nbsp;rhetoric on trade negotiations had spooked markets.

"We don't see any quick end to this state of the markets until we see some resolution, constructive dialogue and something very solid in terms of deals. But the hopes for that are a bit misplaced currently," he said.

Broader Asian markets were dragged lower by sagging Chinese shares, with the MSCI China index dropping 1.6%. China's blue-chip CSI300 index swung between losses and gains amid signs of possible state support, before finishing the morning session down 0.2%.

"Politicians may be willing to focus less on the market impact until things get more severe, making it doubtful there will be an early resolution to the current breakdown in negotiations simply based on market moves," said Kerry Craig, global market strategist at J.P. Morgan Asset Management.

"Furthermore, as there isn't a clear schedule for meetings between Chinese and US&nbsp;negotiators, markets are likely to be more volatile."

Australian shares lost 0.9% while Japan's Nikkei stock index slid 0.8%, touching its lowest since mid-February.

The US&nbsp;Trade Representative's office on Monday said it planned to hold a public hearing next month on the possibility of imposing duties of up to 25% on a further $300 billion worth of imports from China.

The tariff escalation has rattled global markets, even as Trump said he would meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping next month.

On Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 2.38% to 25,324.99, the S&amp;P 500 lost 2.41% to 2,811.87 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 3.41% to 7,647.02.

As investors flocked to safe-haven assets, US&nbsp;Treasury yields remained near six-week lows early on Tuesday, though they moved higher following Trump's comments. Benchmark 10-year Treasury notes last yielded 2.4157% compared with a US&nbsp;close of 2.405% on Monday.

The two-year yield, which rises with traders' expectations of higher Fed fund rates, ticked up to 2.1945% from a US&nbsp;close of 2.193%. But data from CME Group continued to show a more than 70% chance of the Fed cutting rates by the end of 2019.

After an earlier inversion, US&nbsp;10-year yields moved higher than those on three-month Treasury bills. A sustained inversion of this part of the yield curve has preceded every US recession in the past 50 years.

On Monday, some traders were concerned that China, the largest foreign US&nbsp;creditor, could dump Treasuries to counter the Trump administration's hardening trade stance. But most analysts downplayed such a possibility.

"If China did start to (sell Treasuries) it will galvanise both sides of politics in the US&nbsp;against China and the Fed would be sent into the market to buy bonds," Greg McKenna, strategist at McKenna Macro said in a note to clients.

"That would expand its balance sheet but it would allow it to neutralise China's efforts to disturb US&nbsp;financial markets. So I doubt they'll try to sell Treasuries."

After earlier falling against the yen, the dollar strengthened 0.25% against the Japanese currency to 109.57.

The single currency was up about 0.1% on the day at $1.1238, while the dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was nearly unchanged at 97.313.

China's offshore yuan hit a fresh 2019 low early in Asia on Tuesday before rebounding. It was the last trading at 6.8933 per dollar, up 0.28% on the day.

Its onshore counterpart strengthened to 6.8733 per dollar after touching four-month lows on Monday, sparking speculation China's central bank may be letting the currency weaken amid the intensifying trade war.

Oil prices edged higher, buoyed by Middle East tensions though gains were checked by trade war concerns. Saudi Arabia said two of its oil tankers were among those attacked off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, describing it as an attempt to undermine the security of supply amid United States-Iran tensions.

The US&nbsp;crude was 0.33% higher at $61.24 per barrel while Brent crude gained 0.36% to $70.48 per barrel.

Fresh US-China tariff war volleys pressured Asian shares on Tuesday but comment from US President Donald Trump that he expects trade negotiations to be the successfully aided sentiment.

Fresh US-China tariff war volleys pressured Asian shares on Tuesday but comment from US President Donald Trump that he expects trade negotiations to be the successfully aided sentiment. Chinese markets that were pummelled in early trade trimmed losses amid signs of state support. China on Monday announced it would impose higher tariffs on $60 billion of US goods following Washington's decision last week to hike its own levies on $200 billion in Chinese imports. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was down 0.9% as volatile Chinese markets paused for their midday break. The index had earlier fallen as much as 1.25% to its lowest since Jan. 30. Providing some support for Asian markets were comments from Trump late on Monday that trade talks with China are "going to be very successful". That helped lift US stock futures more than 0.5%, though sentiment remained fragile. Prakash Sakpal, Asia economist at ING in Singapore, said Monday's volatility showed how a "180-degree" turn in US rhetoric on trade negotiations had spooked markets. "We don't see any quick end to this state of the markets until we see some resolution, constructive dialogue and something very solid in terms of deals. But the hopes for that are a bit misplaced currently," he said. Broader Asian markets were dragged lower by sagging Chinese shares, with the MSCI China index dropping 1.6%. China's blue-chip CSI300 index swung between losses and gains amid signs of possible state support, before finishing the morning session down 0.2%. "Politicians may be willing to focus less on the market impact until things get more severe, making it doubtful there will be an early resolution to the current breakdown in negotiations simply based on market moves," said Kerry Craig, global market strategist at J.P. Morgan Asset Management. "Furthermore, as there isn't a clear schedule for meetings between Chinese and US negotiators, markets are likely to be more volatile." Australian shares lost 0.9% while Japan's Nikkei stock index slid 0.8%, touching its lowest since mid-February. The US Trade Representative's office on Monday said it planned to hold a public hearing next month on the possibility of imposing duties of up to 25% on a further $300 billion worth of imports from China. The tariff escalation has rattled global markets, even as Trump said he would meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping next month. On Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 2.38% to 25,324.99, the S&P 500 lost 2.41% to 2,811.87 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 3.41% to 7,647.02. As investors flocked to safe-haven assets, US Treasury yields remained near six-week lows early on Tuesday, though they moved higher following Trump's comments. Benchmark 10-year Treasury notes last yielded 2.4157% compared with a US close of 2.405% on Monday. The two-year yield, which rises with traders' expectations of higher Fed fund rates, ticked up to 2.1945% from a US close of 2.193%. But data from CME Group continued to show a more than 70% chance of the Fed cutting rates by the end of 2019. After an earlier inversion, US 10-year yields moved higher than those on three-month Treasury bills. A sustained inversion of this part of the yield curve has preceded every US recession in the past 50 years. On Monday, some traders were concerned that China, the largest foreign US creditor, could dump Treasuries to counter the Trump administration's hardening trade stance. But most analysts downplayed such a possibility. "If China did start to (sell Treasuries) it will galvanise both sides of politics in the US against China and the Fed would be sent into the market to buy bonds," Greg McKenna, strategist at McKenna Macro said in a note to clients. "That would expand its balance sheet but it would allow it to neutralise China's efforts to disturb US financial markets. So I doubt they'll try to sell Treasuries." After earlier falling against the yen, the dollar strengthened 0.25% against the Japanese currency to 109.57. The single currency was up about 0.1% on the day at $1.1238, while the dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was nearly unchanged at 97.313. China's offshore yuan hit a fresh 2019 low early in Asia on Tuesday before rebounding. It was the last trading at 6.8933 per dollar, up 0.28% on the day. Its onshore counterpart strengthened to 6.8733 per dollar after touching four-month lows on Monday, sparking speculation China's central bank may be letting the currency weaken amid the intensifying trade war. Oil prices edged higher, buoyed by Middle East tensions though gains were checked by trade war concerns. Saudi Arabia said two of its oil tankers were among those attacked off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, describing it as an attempt to undermine the security of supply amid United States-Iran tensions. The US crude was 0.33% higher at $61.24 per barrel while Brent crude gained 0.36% to $70.48 per barrel.

Global Markets: Asian shares fall to 3-1/2 month low as trade war escalates

A list of products subject to possible US tariffs on about $300 billion of Chinese imports will include cellphones and laptop computers but not pharmaceuticals and rare earth materials, the US&nbsp;Trade Representative's Office said on Monday.

It said a public hearing will be held on June 17 on its list of 3,805 product categories that could be subject to tariffs of up to 25%. Final rebuttal comments are due seven days after the end of the hearing, USTR said, marking a much shorter public comment period than previous rounds.

Initial tariffs on a $200 billion list of Chinese imports received about 71 days of public scrutiny during the summer of 2018, versus as little as 42 days for the latest $300 billion round of tariffs.

The comment period would likely be completed before <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-president-trump-says-open-to-talk-to-iran-217343">US&nbsp;President Donald Trump</a> goes to a G20 leaders summit in Japan on June 28-29, where he said he will meet with <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/xi-jinping-asks-for-fair-and-friendly-treatment-for-chinese-companies-and-citizens-overseas-214011">Chinese President Xi Jinping</a>. The timing would allow him to be in a position to order the tariffs to be activated around that date.

The proposed list would cover nearly every consumer product left untouched by previous tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese imports, including cellphones, laptops and tablet computers. Apple Inc, whose products had escaped prior rounds of tariffs, saw its shares plunge 5.8 per cent on Monday, taking US&nbsp;stocks broadly lower.

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The nearly 140-page list covers a wide variety of consumer products such as clothing, shoes, pencil sharpeners, books, bedsheets, and lawn mowers. It also includes fresh produce, meat, watches, pesticides, motorcycles, cocoa, infant formula, fireworks, yarn, baby pacifiers, and musical instruments.

"The latest tariff escalation is far too great a gamble for the US&nbsp;economy," National Retail Federation President Matthew Shay said in a statement. "Slapping tariffs on everything US companies import from China – goods that support US&nbsp;manufacturing and provide consumers with affordable products – will jeopardize American jobs and increase costs for consumers."

The list excluded Chinese-made pharmaceuticals, inputs for pharmaceuticals and select medical products, and rare earth minerals. Some of those are considered important for the electric vehicle, defence and drug industries.

Product exclusions granted by USTR from prior rounds of tariffs will not be affected, including a group of exclusions announced earlier on Monday for small electric motors, water filters and other components.

A list of products subject to possible US tariffs on about $300 billion of Chinese imports will include cellphones and laptop computers but not pharmaceuticals and rare earth materials, the US Trade Representative's Office said on Monday.

A list of products subject to possible US tariffs on about $300 billion of Chinese imports will include cellphones and laptop computers but not pharmaceuticals and rare earth materials, the US Trade Representative's Office said on Monday. It said a public hearing will be held on June 17 on its list of 3,805 product categories that could be subject to tariffs of up to 25%. Final rebuttal comments are due seven days after the end of the hearing, USTR said, marking a much shorter public comment period than previous rounds. Initial tariffs on a $200 billion list of Chinese imports received about 71 days of public scrutiny during the summer of 2018, versus as little as 42 days for the latest $300 billion round of tariffs. The comment period would likely be completed before US President Donald Trump goes to a G20 leaders summit in Japan on June 28-29, where he said he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The timing would allow him to be in a position to order the tariffs to be activated around that date. The proposed list would cover nearly every consumer product left untouched by previous tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese imports, including cellphones, laptops and tablet computers. Apple Inc, whose products had escaped prior rounds of tariffs, saw its shares plunge 5.8 per cent on Monday, taking US stocks broadly lower. × The nearly 140-page list covers a wide variety of consumer products such as clothing, shoes, pencil sharpeners, books, bedsheets, and lawn mowers. It also includes fresh produce, meat, watches, pesticides, motorcycles, cocoa, infant formula, fireworks, yarn, baby pacifiers, and musical instruments. "The latest tariff escalation is far too great a gamble for the US economy," National Retail Federation President Matthew Shay said in a statement. "Slapping tariffs on everything US companies import from China – goods that support US manufacturing and provide consumers with affordable products – will jeopardize American jobs and increase costs for consumers." The list excluded Chinese-made pharmaceuticals, inputs for pharmaceuticals and select medical products, and rare earth minerals. Some of those are considered important for the electric vehicle, defence and drug industries. Product exclusions granted by USTR from prior rounds of tariffs will not be affected, including a group of exclusions announced earlier on Monday for small electric motors, water filters and other components.

Cellphones and laptops on latest United States Trade Representative China tariff list, drugs excluded

The Trump administration isn't convinced the $10.7 billion set aside for space exploration in the proposed 2020 budget is enough to help put astronauts on the Moon by 2024.

Trump administration proposes another $1.6 billion for Moon efforts

Oil prices were moving higher on Tuesday, though gains were checked amid an escalation in the trade war between the United States and China.

Brent crude futures were at $70.30 a barrel at 0318 GMT, up 7 cents, or 0.1%, from their last close. Brent ended the previous session down 0.6%.

The US&nbsp;West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $61.11 per barrel, up 7 cents, or 0.1%, from their previous settlement. WTI closed down 1% on Monday.

Headlines from the Middle East grabbed attention early in the session after Saudi Arabia said two of its oil tankers were among those attacked off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, describing it as an attempt to undermine the security of supply amid United States-Iran tensions.

But analysts said the US-China trade war continued to cast a pall on the market as a whole.

"This ramp-up in trade tensions, which I don't really think people saw coming, is going to have an impact, a broad impact," Phin Ziebell, senior economist at National Australia Bank said by phone. "You can't avoid the impact on the oil market."

China on Monday ignored a warning from US&nbsp;President Donald Trump and moved to impose higher tariffs on a range of US goods including frozen vegetables and liquefied natural gas

The US&nbsp;Energy Department said on Monday that it was confident global oil markets are well supplied.

But that may change by the end of the year as oil production capacity could drop to under 1% of global supply-demand by the end of the year after the US&nbsp;imposed sanctions on Iran and Venezuela, the analyst said.

Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, is likely to raise its production much more cautiously than last year when production from the Kingdom rose to record highs above 11 million bpd in November after calls from Trump to replace Iranian barrels.

Riyadh, for now, is reluctant to boost oil supply too quickly and risk a price crash and a build-up in inventories, despite pressure from the Trump administration to reduce oil prices.

Oil prices were moving higher on Tuesday, though gains were checked amid an escalation in the trade war between the United States and China. Brent crude futures were at $70.

Oil prices were moving higher on Tuesday, though gains were checked amid an escalation in the trade war between the United States and China. Brent crude futures were at $70.30 a barrel at 0318 GMT, up 7 cents, or 0.1%, from their last close. Brent ended the previous session down 0.6%. The US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $61.11 per barrel, up 7 cents, or 0.1%, from their previous settlement. WTI closed down 1% on Monday. Headlines from the Middle East grabbed attention early in the session after Saudi Arabia said two of its oil tankers were among those attacked off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, describing it as an attempt to undermine the security of supply amid United States-Iran tensions. But analysts said the US-China trade war continued to cast a pall on the market as a whole. "This ramp-up in trade tensions, which I don't really think people saw coming, is going to have an impact, a broad impact," Phin Ziebell, senior economist at National Australia Bank said by phone. "You can't avoid the impact on the oil market." China on Monday ignored a warning from US President Donald Trump and moved to impose higher tariffs on a range of US goods including frozen vegetables and liquefied natural gas The US Energy Department said on Monday that it was confident global oil markets are well supplied. But that may change by the end of the year as oil production capacity could drop to under 1% of global supply-demand by the end of the year after the US imposed sanctions on Iran and Venezuela, the analyst said. Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, is likely to raise its production much more cautiously than last year when production from the Kingdom rose to record highs above 11 million bpd in November after calls from Trump to replace Iranian barrels. Riyadh, for now, is reluctant to boost oil supply too quickly and risk a price crash and a build-up in inventories, despite pressure from the Trump administration to reduce oil prices.

Oil prices rise, gains tempered by US-China trade tensions

A Connecticut man has been indicted after prosecutors say he threatened to kill US President Donald Trump and sent others bomb threats and mail containing suspicious white powder, according to court documents.

Gary Gravelle, 51, was indicted on 16 counts, including that he threatened the president in September 2018 by sending an envelope containing white powder and the handwritten message "You Die."

He sent similar envelopes to a synagogue, a mosque and a chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), according to the indictment.

The note claimed the power was a biotoxin but it was found to be harmless, officials said.

Gravelle also sent emails and made phone calls threatening to detonate bombs in Vermont, Washington and at various locations in Connecticut, including government buildings and a mental health facility.

If convicted of all 16 counts, he could face a maximum prison sentence of 140 years.

Gravelle was previously sentenced in 2013 for sending threatening communications and had been released under federal supervision until his arrest on the new charges last year, according to US Attorney John Durham's statement on Friday.

It was not immediately clear if Gravelle had a lawyer.

A Connecticut man has been indicted after prosecutors say he threatened to kill US President Donald Trump and sent others bomb threats and mail containing suspicious white powder, according to court documents.

A Connecticut man has been indicted after prosecutors say he threatened to kill US President Donald Trump and sent others bomb threats and mail containing suspicious white powder, according to court documents. Gary Gravelle, 51, was indicted on 16 counts, including that he threatened the president in September 2018 by sending an envelope containing white powder and the handwritten message "You Die." He sent similar envelopes to a synagogue, a mosque and a chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), according to the indictment. The note claimed the power was a biotoxin but it was found to be harmless, officials said. Gravelle also sent emails and made phone calls threatening to detonate bombs in Vermont, Washington and at various locations in Connecticut, including government buildings and a mental health facility. If convicted of all 16 counts, he could face a maximum prison sentence of 140 years. Gravelle was previously sentenced in 2013 for sending threatening communications and had been released under federal supervision until his arrest on the new charges last year, according to US Attorney John Durham's statement on Friday. It was not immediately clear if Gravelle had a lawyer.

Connecticut man faces up to 140 years in prison for threatening to kill Trump, others

Markets in Asia were largely down in morning trade on Monday as the lack of a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/oil-rallies-on-hopes-for-us-china-trade-deal-217381">US-China trade deal </a>cast a cloud over the market.

Investors watched the latest developments warily in the trade war between the world's top two economies after negotiations in Washington ended Friday without agreement and a tariff hike on Chinese imports went into effect.

White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow said US President Donald Trump and China's Xi Jinping could meet next month on the sidelines of the G20 summit to hash out their differences on trade -- but no new talks are yet scheduled.

"Central banks this year have switched into this dovish pivot -- that's allowed the market to continue higher whatever the weather" up until recently, Eleanor Creagh, Australia market strategist at Saxo Capital Markets, told Bloomberg Television.&nbsp;

"With the breakdown of these trade negotiations, people will have to sit back and think how far this dovish central bank stance can really continue to carry us."

Trump had accused Beijing of reneging on its commitments in trade talks and ordered new punitive duties -- which took effect Friday -- on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports, raising them to 25 per cent from 10 per cent.&nbsp;

He then ordered a tariff hike on almost all remaining imports from China, which are worth about $300 billion, according to US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.

China's top trade negotiator, Vice Premier Liu He, had warned earlier that Beijing "must respond" to any US tariffs.&nbsp;

"US-China trade relations will continue centre stage this week with most other data and events relegated to a distant second place," said OANDA senior market analyst Jeffrey Halley.

"China will no doubt announce retaliatory measures while the US may provide more concrete start dates for the newly-imposed tariffs. Markets can expect short-term whipsaw price action as the street hangs on every little comment emanating from Washington DC and Beijing."

Tokyo was down 0.5 per cent, Shanghai lost one per cent, Singapore shed 1.2 per cent and Seoul slipped more than one per cent in morning trade.

S&amp;P 500 Index futures dropped as much as 1.2 percent and ten-year US yields are hovering near the lowest level since early April.

Amid nervousness in China markets, state funds reportedly intervened to prop up shares on Monday and again Friday, when the Shanghai Composite closed up more than 3 percent.

Traders will also be watching this week for earnings reports from China tech giants Tencent and Alibaba, and key data on China industrial production and retail sales slated for Wednesday -- the same day figures are due for US retail sales and industrial production.

Markets in Asia were largely down in morning trade on Monday as the lack of a US-China trade deal cast a cloud over the market. Investors watched the latest developments warily in the trade war between the world's top two economies after negotiations in Washington ended Friday without agreement and a tariff hike on Chinese imports went into effect.

Markets in Asia were largely down in morning trade on Monday as the lack of a US-China trade deal cast a cloud over the market. Investors watched the latest developments warily in the trade war between the world's top two economies after negotiations in Washington ended Friday without agreement and a tariff hike on Chinese imports went into effect. White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow said US President Donald Trump and China's Xi Jinping could meet next month on the sidelines of the G20 summit to hash out their differences on trade -- but no new talks are yet scheduled. "Central banks this year have switched into this dovish pivot -- that's allowed the market to continue higher whatever the weather" up until recently, Eleanor Creagh, Australia market strategist at Saxo Capital Markets, told Bloomberg Television. "With the breakdown of these trade negotiations, people will have to sit back and think how far this dovish central bank stance can really continue to carry us." Trump had accused Beijing of reneging on its commitments in trade talks and ordered new punitive duties -- which took effect Friday -- on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports, raising them to 25 per cent from 10 per cent. He then ordered a tariff hike on almost all remaining imports from China, which are worth about $300 billion, according to US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. China's top trade negotiator, Vice Premier Liu He, had warned earlier that Beijing "must respond" to any US tariffs. "US-China trade relations will continue centre stage this week with most other data and events relegated to a distant second place," said OANDA senior market analyst Jeffrey Halley. "China will no doubt announce retaliatory measures while the US may provide more concrete start dates for the newly-imposed tariffs. Markets can expect short-term whipsaw price action as the street hangs on every little comment emanating from Washington DC and Beijing." Tokyo was down 0.5 per cent, Shanghai lost one per cent, Singapore shed 1.2 per cent and Seoul slipped more than one per cent in morning trade. S&P 500 Index futures dropped as much as 1.2 percent and ten-year US yields are hovering near the lowest level since early April. Amid nervousness in China markets, state funds reportedly intervened to prop up shares on Monday and again Friday, when the Shanghai Composite closed up more than 3 percent. Traders will also be watching this week for earnings reports from China tech giants Tencent and Alibaba, and key data on China industrial production and retail sales slated for Wednesday -- the same day figures are due for US retail sales and industrial production.

Lack of US-China trade deal weighs on Asian markets

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/americas/china-loves-ripping-off-america-says-us-president-donald-trump-218218">China loves ripping off America, says US President Donald Trump</a>

United States President Donald Trump on Monday said that China is "dreaming" that former Vice President Joe Biden or any Democratic candidate will win the 2020 presidential election as they "love ripping off America."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uae-says-four-ships-targeted-by-sabotage-operations-near-fujairah-port-218224">UAE says four ships targeted by 'sabotage operations' near Fujairah port</a>

Four commercial vessels were targeted by "sabotage operations" near the territorial waters of the United Arab Emirates without causing casualties, the foreign ministry said on Sunday in a statement tweeted by state news agency WAM.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/move-on-nuclear-curbs-shows-iran-not-in-position-of-weakness-says-lawmaker-218222">Move on nuclear curbs shows 'Iran not in position of weakness', says lawmaker</a>

Iran's move to stop respecting some of the agreed limits on its nuclear activities showed it is "not in a position of weakness", a deputy speaker of the Islamic republic's parliament said Sunday.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-blocks-some-social-media-platforms-after-mosque-attack-in-chilaw-218230">Sri Lanka blocks some social media platforms after mosque attack in Chilaw</a>

The Sri Lankan government temporarily blocked some social media network and instant messaging apps after violent incidents marred the country in the fallout of Easter suicide bombings.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/mumbai-lift-4th-ipl-trophy-with-1-run-win-over-chennai-218193">Mumbai lift 4th IPL trophy with 1-run win over Chennai</a>

Lasith Malinga kept his nerve with the final ball as Mumbai beat Chennai by one run to clinch a record fourth Indian Premier League title Sunday.

&nbsp;

China loves ripping off America, says US President Donald Trump United States President Donald Trump on Monday said that China is "dreaming" that former Vice President Joe Biden or any Democratic candidate will win the 2020 presidential election as they "love ripping off America.

China loves ripping off America, says US President Donald Trump United States President Donald Trump on Monday said that China is "dreaming" that former Vice President Joe Biden or any Democratic candidate will win the 2020 presidential election as they "love ripping off America." UAE says four ships targeted by 'sabotage operations' near Fujairah port Four commercial vessels were targeted by "sabotage operations" near the territorial waters of the United Arab Emirates without causing casualties, the foreign ministry said on Sunday in a statement tweeted by state news agency WAM. Move on nuclear curbs shows 'Iran not in position of weakness', says lawmaker Iran's move to stop respecting some of the agreed limits on its nuclear activities showed it is "not in a position of weakness", a deputy speaker of the Islamic republic's parliament said Sunday. Sri Lanka blocks some social media platforms after mosque attack in Chilaw The Sri Lankan government temporarily blocked some social media network and instant messaging apps after violent incidents marred the country in the fallout of Easter suicide bombings. Mumbai lift 4th IPL trophy with 1-run win over Chennai Lasith Malinga kept his nerve with the final ball as Mumbai beat Chennai by one run to clinch a record fourth Indian Premier League title Sunday.

News brief: Big stories of the day

Democrats are reluctant to<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-concerned-about-being-impeached-report-183111"> impeach US President Donald Trump</a>, but he may provoke such a move by continuing to obstruct Congress' efforts to oversee his administration, a senior Democratic lawmaker said on Sunday.

Adam Schiff, chairman of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, told ABC's "This Week" that impeachment by the Democratic-run House would be politically divisive and unlikely to succeed in the Republican-run Senate.

"But he (Trump) may get us there," Schiff said. "He certainly seems to be trying and maybe this is his perverse way of dividing us more ... he thinks that's to his political advantage, but it's certainly not to the country's advantage."

Trump's stonewalling of congressional probes of his administration does add weight to impeachment, Schiff told ABC. "But you know, part of our reluctance is we are already a bitterly divided country and an impeachment process will divide us further."

Democrats have confronted the Republican president and his administration for refusing to cooperate with at least six separate congressional investigations of Trump, his turbulent presidency, his family and his business interests.

A Democratic-led House committee on Wednesday approved a measure to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt for refusing to hand over an unredacted copy of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/top-democrats-leave-open-option-of-trump-impeachment-after-mueller-report-212483">Mueller report on Russian election interference</a> even as Trump invoked the legal principle of executive privilege to block its disclosure.

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Democrats are divided over how far to take their investigations with some calling for impeachment proceedings and others backing continued investigations.

Republicans have accused Democrats of grandstanding for liberal voters. Some of Trump's allies believe any impeachment effort could prove unpopular and him as he seeks re-election in 2020.

But even the Republican-controlled Senate Intelligence Committee has subpoenaed the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr.

Schiff reiterated his suggestion Sunday that Congress could levy fines of $25,000 a day on administration officials who refuse to cooperate with demands for witness appearances and documents in congressional investigations.

"Look, I think if you fine someone $25,000 a day to their person until they comply, it gets their attention. ...I don't know how many are going to want to take that risk for Donald Trump," Schiff said.

Democrats are reluctant to impeach US President Donald Trump, but he may provoke such a move by continuing to obstruct Congress' efforts to oversee his administration, a senior Democratic lawmaker said on Sunday.

Democrats are reluctant to impeach US President Donald Trump, but he may provoke such a move by continuing to obstruct Congress' efforts to oversee his administration, a senior Democratic lawmaker said on Sunday. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, told ABC's "This Week" that impeachment by the Democratic-run House would be politically divisive and unlikely to succeed in the Republican-run Senate. "But he (Trump) may get us there," Schiff said. "He certainly seems to be trying and maybe this is his perverse way of dividing us more ... he thinks that's to his political advantage, but it's certainly not to the country's advantage." Trump's stonewalling of congressional probes of his administration does add weight to impeachment, Schiff told ABC. "But you know, part of our reluctance is we are already a bitterly divided country and an impeachment process will divide us further." Democrats have confronted the Republican president and his administration for refusing to cooperate with at least six separate congressional investigations of Trump, his turbulent presidency, his family and his business interests. A Democratic-led House committee on Wednesday approved a measure to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt for refusing to hand over an unredacted copy of the Mueller report on Russian election interference even as Trump invoked the legal principle of executive privilege to block its disclosure. × Democrats are divided over how far to take their investigations with some calling for impeachment proceedings and others backing continued investigations. Republicans have accused Democrats of grandstanding for liberal voters. Some of Trump's allies believe any impeachment effort could prove unpopular and him as he seeks re-election in 2020. But even the Republican-controlled Senate Intelligence Committee has subpoenaed the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr. Schiff reiterated his suggestion Sunday that Congress could levy fines of $25,000 a day on administration officials who refuse to cooperate with demands for witness appearances and documents in congressional investigations. "Look, I think if you fine someone $25,000 a day to their person until they comply, it gets their attention. ...I don't know how many are going to want to take that risk for Donald Trump," Schiff said.

Donald Trump may provoke US lawmakers to impeach him by obstructing investigations: Adam Schiff

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/now-china-imposes-tariffs-on-60-billion-worth-of-us-goods-218421">Now, China imposes tariffs on $60 billion worth of US goods</a>

Shortly after Donald Trump said China should not impose tariffs against the US, China on Monday said it will impose tariffs on $60 billion worth of US goods from June 1.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/britain-warns-of-conflict-by-accident-in-gulf-218331">Worried about risk of conflict happening by accident in Gulf region: UK foreign minister Jeremy Hunt</a>

British foreign minister Jeremy Hunt on Monday issued a stark warning of the dangers of conflict erupting "by accident" in the Gulf, as tensions between the United States and Iran soar.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/swedish-rape-probe-against-assange-to-be-reopened-prosecutors-218320">Swedish rape probe against Julian Assange to be reopened: Prosecutors</a>

Swedish prosecutors on Monday announced that they will re-open the investigation into a rape allegation against WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange, who is as of now stopped at a high-security jail in the UK, the Swedish Prosecution Authority said in a statement.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/you-should-be-ashamed-rahul-gandhi-hits-out-at-sam-pitroda-for-remarks-on-1984-riots-218338">You should be ashamed: Rahul Gandhi hits out at Sam Pitroda for remarks on 1984 riots</a>

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP continuing their attack on the Congress over Sam Pitroda's remarks on the 1984 riots, party chief Rahul Gandhi Monday said the leader should be ashamed of himself and seek apology from the country.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/afghan-intelligence-chief-caught-by-afghan-and-us-forces-in-baghlan-218333">Afghan Taliban intelligence chief caught in Baghlan</a>

US defence ministry said today that Afghan and US forces had caught Haji Mohammad Ramin, the intelligence chief of Taliban for northern Baghlan province.

Now, China imposes tariffs on $60 billion worth of US goods Shortly after Donald Trump said China should not impose tariffs against the US, China on Monday said it will impose tariffs on $60 billion worth of US goods from June 1.

Now, China imposes tariffs on $60 billion worth of US goods Shortly after Donald Trump said China should not impose tariffs against the US, China on Monday said it will impose tariffs on $60 billion worth of US goods from June 1. Worried about risk of conflict happening by accident in Gulf region: UK foreign minister Jeremy Hunt British foreign minister Jeremy Hunt on Monday issued a stark warning of the dangers of conflict erupting "by accident" in the Gulf, as tensions between the United States and Iran soar. Swedish rape probe against Julian Assange to be reopened: Prosecutors Swedish prosecutors on Monday announced that they will re-open the investigation into a rape allegation against WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange, who is as of now stopped at a high-security jail in the UK, the Swedish Prosecution Authority said in a statement. You should be ashamed: Rahul Gandhi hits out at Sam Pitroda for remarks on 1984 riots With Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP continuing their attack on the Congress over Sam Pitroda's remarks on the 1984 riots, party chief Rahul Gandhi Monday said the leader should be ashamed of himself and seek apology from the country. Afghan Taliban intelligence chief caught in Baghlan US defence ministry said today that Afghan and US forces had caught Haji Mohammad Ramin, the intelligence chief of Taliban for northern Baghlan province.

United States President Donald Trump on Monday said that <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-xi-likely-to-meet-in-japan-in-june-white-house-adviser-larry-kudlow-218133">China</a> is "dreaming" that former Vice President Joe Biden or any Democratic candidate will win the 2020 presidential election as they "love ripping off America."

"China is DREAMING that Sleepy Joe Biden, or any of the others, gets elected in 2020. They LOVE ripping off America!" Trump tweeted.

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China is DREAMING that Sleepy Joe Biden, or any of the others, gets elected in 2020. They LOVE ripping off America!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1127715742898692097?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Trump accused China of wanting a Democrat to win the US election so they could "continue to rip-off the USA" and warned them that it would not happen as he is "going to win."

Earlier, Trump in a tweet said that 'We are right where we want to be with China '.

The tweet read: "We are right where we want to be with China. Remember, they broke the deal with us &amp; tried to renegotiate. We will be taking in Tens of Billions of Dollars in Tariffs from China. Buyers of the product can make it themselves in the USA (ideal), or buy it from non-Tariffed countries".

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We are right where we want to be with China. Remember, they broke the deal with us &amp; tried to renegotiate. We will be taking in Tens of Billions of Dollars in Tariffs from China. Buyers of product can make it themselves in the USA (ideal), or buy it from non-Tariffed countries...
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1127681372896800768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2019</a></blockquote>
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In another tweet, he further said: "We will then spend (match or better) the money that China may no longer be spending with our Great Patriot Farmers (Agriculture), which is a small percentage of total Tariffs received, and distribute the food to starving people in nations around the world! GREAT!"

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....We will then spend (match or better) the money that China may no longer be spending with our Great Patriot Farmers (Agriculture), which is a small percentage of total Tariffs received, and distribute the food to starving people in nations around the world! GREAT! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MAGA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MAGA</a>
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1127681373966409730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2019</a></blockquote>
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The trade dispute between the United States and China, the world’s two biggest economies, has been escalating for over a year.&nbsp;

Both nations have repeatedly slapped billions of dollars worth of retaliatory tariffs on each other's goods as the rivalry between them has soared.

Trump had asked China to act immediately and strike a trade deal without waiting for the 2020 US presidential elections. He warned Beijing saying that the negotiation would be "far worse" if it had to be done in his second term.&nbsp;

This comes after Trump's decision to raise tariffs on 200 billion dollars worth of Chinese imports from 10 to 25 per cent, a move which infuriated Beijing, saying it would retaliate.&nbsp;

Trump on Friday had said that the tariffs levied on Chinese goods "may or may not be removed" depending on the outcome of trade talks. The trade war between the world`s two largest economies has been going on for a year.

(With inputs from agencies)

United States President Donald Trump on Monday said that China is "dreaming" that former Vice President Joe Biden or any Democratic candidate will win the 2020 presidential election as they "love ripping off America.

United States President Donald Trump on Monday said that China is "dreaming" that former Vice President Joe Biden or any Democratic candidate will win the 2020 presidential election as they "love ripping off America." "China is DREAMING that Sleepy Joe Biden, or any of the others, gets elected in 2020. They LOVE ripping off America!" Trump tweeted. China is DREAMING that Sleepy Joe Biden, or any of the others, gets elected in 2020. They LOVE ripping off America! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2019 × Trump accused China of wanting a Democrat to win the US election so they could "continue to rip-off the USA" and warned them that it would not happen as he is "going to win." Earlier, Trump in a tweet said that 'We are right where we want to be with China '. The tweet read: "We are right where we want to be with China. Remember, they broke the deal with us & tried to renegotiate. We will be taking in Tens of Billions of Dollars in Tariffs from China. Buyers of the product can make it themselves in the USA (ideal), or buy it from non-Tariffed countries". We are right where we want to be with China. Remember, they broke the deal with us & tried to renegotiate. We will be taking in Tens of Billions of Dollars in Tariffs from China. Buyers of product can make it themselves in the USA (ideal), or buy it from non-Tariffed countries... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2019 × In another tweet, he further said: "We will then spend (match or better) the money that China may no longer be spending with our Great Patriot Farmers (Agriculture), which is a small percentage of total Tariffs received, and distribute the food to starving people in nations around the world! GREAT!" ....We will then spend (match or better) the money that China may no longer be spending with our Great Patriot Farmers (Agriculture), which is a small percentage of total Tariffs received, and distribute the food to starving people in nations around the world! GREAT! #MAGA — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2019 × The trade dispute between the United States and China, the world’s two biggest economies, has been escalating for over a year. Both nations have repeatedly slapped billions of dollars worth of retaliatory tariffs on each other's goods as the rivalry between them has soared. Trump had asked China to act immediately and strike a trade deal without waiting for the 2020 US presidential elections. He warned Beijing saying that the negotiation would be "far worse" if it had to be done in his second term. This comes after Trump's decision to raise tariffs on 200 billion dollars worth of Chinese imports from 10 to 25 per cent, a move which infuriated Beijing, saying it would retaliate. Trump on Friday had said that the tariffs levied on Chinese goods "may or may not be removed" depending on the outcome of trade talks. The trade war between the world`s two largest economies has been going on for a year. (With inputs from agencies)

China loves ripping off America, says US President Donald Trump

By raising tariffs on Chinese products, the United States will harm the interests of its businesses and consumers in the long term, according to Chinese economic experts at a seminar on China-US trade in Beijing on Sunday.

US raising tariffs will harm American businesses, consumers: Chinese experts

Some 300 activists gathered Sunday outside the largest detention centre for undocumented immigrant minors in the United States to demand the closure of the facility in Homestead, south of Miami.

"Let them close it and let there be no centre or shelter that separates families. We don't support this centre in the community," protest organizer Mariana Martinez told EFE.

Martinez, who is with the Quaker-affiliated American Friends Service Committee, said it was particularly unjust that on Mother's Day, the minors held in Homestead could not be with their families.

The facility, which is run by a subsidiary of Caliburn International, was used to house migrant youngsters during Barack Obama's administration but has seen a surge in the number of people it holds since <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-may-provoke-us-lawmakers-to-impeach-him-by-obstructing-investigations-adam-schiff-218219">President Donald Trump </a>mandated a zero tolerance policy toward undocumented immigrants in 2018.

That policy led to the separation of children from their parents.

Caliburn's Comprehensive Health Services unit manages the Homestead facility and three others in Texas. It is the only private company housing detained migrant children.

Roughly 2,000 minors between the ages of 13 and 17 were in the Homestead centre as of March 30, according to information from the US Department of Health and Human Services.

The site is now in the process of adding enough beds to accommodate 3,200 people.

Participants in Sunday's demonstration complained that Caliburn is making "millions of dollars every day" from its contract with the federal government.

"Children don't come out because they lose money," Martinez said.

The activists also pointed out that members of the US Congress have been barred from entering the facility to appraise conditions.

The centre sits on federally owned land next to an Air Reserve base. CBS News has reported that it is the only child detention site in the country that does not undergo regular inspections by state authorities.

Some of the minors held in Homestead are living in overcrowded tents, the activists said.

Last week, Trump's former chief of staff, retired Gen. John Kelly, joined the board of Caliburn International.

The demonstrators in Homestead also denounced a new Florida law, signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, that seeks to prevent any municipalities in the state from functioning as "sanctuary cities" for undocumented immigrants.

Martinez said that the measure would effectively make local police and sheriff's departments into agents of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.&nbsp;

Some 300 activists gathered Sunday outside the largest detention centre for undocumented immigrant minors in the United States to demand the closure of the facility in Homestead, south of Miami.

Some 300 activists gathered Sunday outside the largest detention centre for undocumented immigrant minors in the United States to demand the closure of the facility in Homestead, south of Miami. "Let them close it and let there be no centre or shelter that separates families. We don't support this centre in the community," protest organizer Mariana Martinez told EFE. Martinez, who is with the Quaker-affiliated American Friends Service Committee, said it was particularly unjust that on Mother's Day, the minors held in Homestead could not be with their families. The facility, which is run by a subsidiary of Caliburn International, was used to house migrant youngsters during Barack Obama's administration but has seen a surge in the number of people it holds since President Donald Trump mandated a zero tolerance policy toward undocumented immigrants in 2018. That policy led to the separation of children from their parents. Caliburn's Comprehensive Health Services unit manages the Homestead facility and three others in Texas. It is the only private company housing detained migrant children. Roughly 2,000 minors between the ages of 13 and 17 were in the Homestead centre as of March 30, according to information from the US Department of Health and Human Services. The site is now in the process of adding enough beds to accommodate 3,200 people. Participants in Sunday's demonstration complained that Caliburn is making "millions of dollars every day" from its contract with the federal government. "Children don't come out because they lose money," Martinez said. The activists also pointed out that members of the US Congress have been barred from entering the facility to appraise conditions. The centre sits on federally owned land next to an Air Reserve base. CBS News has reported that it is the only child detention site in the country that does not undergo regular inspections by state authorities. Some of the minors held in Homestead are living in overcrowded tents, the activists said. Last week, Trump's former chief of staff, retired Gen. John Kelly, joined the board of Caliburn International. The demonstrators in Homestead also denounced a new Florida law, signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, that seeks to prevent any municipalities in the state from functioning as "sanctuary cities" for undocumented immigrants. Martinez said that the measure would effectively make local police and sheriff's departments into agents of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Protesters demand closure of largest detention centre for migrants in Florida

China's foreign ministry said on Monday the country will never surrender to foreign pressure after Washington renewed its threat to impose tariffs on all Chinese imports in an escalating trade dispute.

Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang made the comments at a daily briefing in Beijing.

The United States escalated a tariff war with China on Friday by hiking levies on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods in the midst of last-ditch talks to rescue a trade deal. Trump had delayed the tariffs as negotiations between Washington and Beijing were progressing.

The trade dispute between the United States and China, the world’s two biggest economies, has been escalating for over a year.&nbsp;

Both nations have repeatedly slapped billions of dollars worth of retaliatory tariffs on each other's goods as the rivalry between them has soared.

On Friday, Trump issued orders for the tariff increase, saying China "broke the deal" by reneging on earlier commitments made during months of negotiations.

Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-still-cautiously-optimistic-on-us-trade-talks-despite-new-tariffs-217928">China and the United States have agreed to hold more trade talks</a> in Beijing, Vice Premier Liu He had said.

"Negotiations have not broken down," Liu, China's chief negotiator in the talks, said in Washington on Friday, according to state television on Saturday. "Quite the opposite, I think small setbacks are normal and inevitable during the negotiations of both countries. Looking forward, we are still cautiously optimistic," Liu said.

Earlier in the day, Trump on Twitter said, "China is "dreaming" that former Vice President Joe Biden or any Democratic candidate will win the 2020 presidential election as they "love ripping off America."&nbsp;

"China is DREAMING that Sleepy Joe Biden, or any of the others, gets elected in 2020. They LOVE ripping off America!" Trump tweeted.

China's foreign ministry said on Monday the country will never surrender to foreign pressure after Washington renewed its threat to impose tariffs on all Chinese imports in an escalating trade dispute.

China's foreign ministry said on Monday the country will never surrender to foreign pressure after Washington renewed its threat to impose tariffs on all Chinese imports in an escalating trade dispute. Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang made the comments at a daily briefing in Beijing. The United States escalated a tariff war with China on Friday by hiking levies on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods in the midst of last-ditch talks to rescue a trade deal. Trump had delayed the tariffs as negotiations between Washington and Beijing were progressing. The trade dispute between the United States and China, the world’s two biggest economies, has been escalating for over a year. Both nations have repeatedly slapped billions of dollars worth of retaliatory tariffs on each other's goods as the rivalry between them has soared. On Friday, Trump issued orders for the tariff increase, saying China "broke the deal" by reneging on earlier commitments made during months of negotiations. Meanwhile, China and the United States have agreed to hold more trade talks in Beijing, Vice Premier Liu He had said. "Negotiations have not broken down," Liu, China's chief negotiator in the talks, said in Washington on Friday, according to state television on Saturday. "Quite the opposite, I think small setbacks are normal and inevitable during the negotiations of both countries. Looking forward, we are still cautiously optimistic," Liu said. Earlier in the day, Trump on Twitter said, "China is "dreaming" that former Vice President Joe Biden or any Democratic candidate will win the 2020 presidential election as they "love ripping off America." "China is DREAMING that Sleepy Joe Biden, or any of the others, gets elected in 2020. They LOVE ripping off America!" Trump tweeted.

China says it will never surrender to foreign pressure amid trade dispute

China and the United States have agreed to hold more trade talks in Beijing, Vice Premier Liu He said as US President Donald Trump ordered his trade chief to begin the process of imposing tariffs on all remaining imports from China.

Liu voiced a measured optimism on reaching a deal, but said there were "issues of principle" on which China would not back down.

"Negotiations have not broken down," Liu, China's chief negotiator in the talks, said in Washington on Friday, according to state television on Saturday. "Quite the opposite, I think small setbacks are normal and inevitable during the negotiations of both countries. Looking forward, we are still cautiously optimistic," Liu said.

Liu's optimism was tempered by US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who told CNBC on Friday that there were no further talks with China planned "as of now."

Trump wrote on Twitter on Saturday that he thinks China felt they were being "beaten so badly" in the recent negotiations that they may as well wait for the 2020 presidential election "to see if they could get lucky &amp; have a Democrat win - in which case they would continue to rip-off the USA for $500 Billion a year."

"The only problem is that they know I am going to win," Trump wrote on Twitter, "... and the deal will become far worse for them if it has to be negotiated in my second term. Would be wise for them to act now, but love collecting BIG TARIFFS!"

The United States escalated a tariff war with China on Friday by hiking levies on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods in the midst of last-ditch talks to rescue a trade deal. Trump had delayed the tariffs as negotiations between Washington and Beijing were progressing.

On Friday, Trump issued orders for the tariff increase, saying China "broke the deal" by reneging on earlier commitments made during months of negotiations.

China strongly opposes the latest US tariff hike, and as a nation, has to respond to that, Liu told a small group of Chinese reporters in the video clip.

"Right now, both sides have reached mutual understanding in many things, but frankly speaking, there are also differences. We think these differences are significant issues of principle," Liu said. "We absolutely cannot make concessions on such issues of principle."

He added that talks would continue in Beijing, but gave no details. Underscoring a lack of progress in the talks, Trump ordered a further escalation of tariffs.

Trump's move would subject about $300 billion worth of Chinese imports to punitive tariffs, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said in a statement on Friday. Lighthizer said a final decision has not been made on the new duties, which would come on top of an early Friday tariff rate increase, to 25% from 10%, on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports.

China's widely-read Global Times newspaper, which while published by the ruling Communist Party's official People's Daily newspaper does not speak for the government, said in a Sunday editorial that the United States has "seriously underestimated China's endurance".

"Washington tried to bring up terms that either harmed the sovereignty and dignity of China, or that were seriously unequal and unrealistic. Those requests have made the negotiations more difficult," the paper said.

China details differences

Three differences remain between the two countries, according to China's account of the latest talks.

One of those is over tariffs, Liu said, according to a transcript of the Q&amp;A published by Phoenix, a Hong Kong-based television station that is close to Beijing. China believes that tariffs were the genesis of the trade dispute, and that if both sides wanted to reach an agreement, then all tariffs must be eliminated, Liu said.

The second is about procurement, on which an initial consensus was reached between the leaders of the two countries in Argentina late last year. The two sides now have differing views on the volumes, Liu said. The third is over how balanced the text of the draft agreement should be, he said.

"Every nation has its dignity, so the text ought to be balanced," Liu said.

Sources told Reuters this week that China had deleted its commitments in the draft agreement that said it would change laws to resolve core complaints of the United States: theft of US intellectual property and trade secrets; forced technology transfers; competition policy; access to financial services; and currency manipulation.

Liu denied the accusations of China's reneging on promises, saying China thought it was normal to make changes before a final deal. Both sides had differing views on how to phrase it, he said.

Liu said he hoped this issue would be resolved, so it was unnecessary to "overreact" to that point. Similar to Liu, Chinese state media said China would not give in on its core interests.

"China clearly requires that the trade procurement figures should be realistic; the text must be balanced and expressed in terms that are acceptable to the Chinese people and do not undermine the sovereignty and dignity of the country," the People's Daily newspaper said in a commentary on Saturday.

The trade war has weighed on the Chinese economy.

When asked about domestic concerns over how the latest tariffs could further pressure the economy, Liu said he was optimistic about China's economy in the longer term, adding that it had entered an up-cycle after bottoming out somewhat last year.

He said he believed the Chinese economy would maintain a stable and healthy trend despite some downward pressure, and that China had ample room for fiscal and monetary policy manoeuvres.

On Monday, hours after Trump said he intended to raise tariffs, the Chinese central bank cut the amount of reserves that some small and medium-sized banks need to hold, freeing up more funds for lending to cash-strapped firms.

China and the United States have agreed to hold more trade talks in Beijing, Vice Premier Liu He said as US President Donald Trump ordered his trade chief to begin the process of imposing tariffs on all remaining imports from China.

China and the United States have agreed to hold more trade talks in Beijing, Vice Premier Liu He said as US President Donald Trump ordered his trade chief to begin the process of imposing tariffs on all remaining imports from China. Liu voiced a measured optimism on reaching a deal, but said there were "issues of principle" on which China would not back down. "Negotiations have not broken down," Liu, China's chief negotiator in the talks, said in Washington on Friday, according to state television on Saturday. "Quite the opposite, I think small setbacks are normal and inevitable during the negotiations of both countries. Looking forward, we are still cautiously optimistic," Liu said. Liu's optimism was tempered by US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who told CNBC on Friday that there were no further talks with China planned "as of now." Trump wrote on Twitter on Saturday that he thinks China felt they were being "beaten so badly" in the recent negotiations that they may as well wait for the 2020 presidential election "to see if they could get lucky & have a Democrat win - in which case they would continue to rip-off the USA for $500 Billion a year." "The only problem is that they know I am going to win," Trump wrote on Twitter, "... and the deal will become far worse for them if it has to be negotiated in my second term. Would be wise for them to act now, but love collecting BIG TARIFFS!" The United States escalated a tariff war with China on Friday by hiking levies on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods in the midst of last-ditch talks to rescue a trade deal. Trump had delayed the tariffs as negotiations between Washington and Beijing were progressing. On Friday, Trump issued orders for the tariff increase, saying China "broke the deal" by reneging on earlier commitments made during months of negotiations. China strongly opposes the latest US tariff hike, and as a nation, has to respond to that, Liu told a small group of Chinese reporters in the video clip. "Right now, both sides have reached mutual understanding in many things, but frankly speaking, there are also differences. We think these differences are significant issues of principle," Liu said. "We absolutely cannot make concessions on such issues of principle." He added that talks would continue in Beijing, but gave no details. Underscoring a lack of progress in the talks, Trump ordered a further escalation of tariffs. Trump's move would subject about $300 billion worth of Chinese imports to punitive tariffs, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said in a statement on Friday. Lighthizer said a final decision has not been made on the new duties, which would come on top of an early Friday tariff rate increase, to 25% from 10%, on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports. China's widely-read Global Times newspaper, which while published by the ruling Communist Party's official People's Daily newspaper does not speak for the government, said in a Sunday editorial that the United States has "seriously underestimated China's endurance". "Washington tried to bring up terms that either harmed the sovereignty and dignity of China, or that were seriously unequal and unrealistic. Those requests have made the negotiations more difficult," the paper said. China details differences Three differences remain between the two countries, according to China's account of the latest talks. One of those is over tariffs, Liu said, according to a transcript of the Q&A published by Phoenix, a Hong Kong-based television station that is close to Beijing. China believes that tariffs were the genesis of the trade dispute, and that if both sides wanted to reach an agreement, then all tariffs must be eliminated, Liu said. The second is about procurement, on which an initial consensus was reached between the leaders of the two countries in Argentina late last year. The two sides now have differing views on the volumes, Liu said. The third is over how balanced the text of the draft agreement should be, he said. "Every nation has its dignity, so the text ought to be balanced," Liu said. Sources told Reuters this week that China had deleted its commitments in the draft agreement that said it would change laws to resolve core complaints of the United States: theft of US intellectual property and trade secrets; forced technology transfers; competition policy; access to financial services; and currency manipulation. Liu denied the accusations of China's reneging on promises, saying China thought it was normal to make changes before a final deal. Both sides had differing views on how to phrase it, he said. Liu said he hoped this issue would be resolved, so it was unnecessary to "overreact" to that point. Similar to Liu, Chinese state media said China would not give in on its core interests. "China clearly requires that the trade procurement figures should be realistic; the text must be balanced and expressed in terms that are acceptable to the Chinese people and do not undermine the sovereignty and dignity of the country," the People's Daily newspaper said in a commentary on Saturday. The trade war has weighed on the Chinese economy. When asked about domestic concerns over how the latest tariffs could further pressure the economy, Liu said he was optimistic about China's economy in the longer term, adding that it had entered an up-cycle after bottoming out somewhat last year. He said he believed the Chinese economy would maintain a stable and healthy trend despite some downward pressure, and that China had ample room for fiscal and monetary policy manoeuvres. On Monday, hours after Trump said he intended to raise tariffs, the Chinese central bank cut the amount of reserves that some small and medium-sized banks need to hold, freeing up more funds for lending to cash-strapped firms.

China still 'cautiously optimistic' on US trade talks despite new tariffs

Acting US Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan made his second trip to the US-Mexico border on Saturday as the Pentagon looks to develop a longer-term plan to support President Donald Trump's immigration policies.

Shanahan travelled to McAllen, Texas, to meet with officials and visit a migrant processing facility and Border Patrol station, two days after the White House announced Trump's intention to nominate the former Boeing Co executive as defence secretary.

"We're not going to leave until the border is secure," Shanahan told about two dozen border patrol officials as hundreds of detained migrants waited in tents to be processed.&nbsp;

Shanahan was accompanied by another acting secretary, Kevin McAleenan, who leads the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after a shake-up instigated by Trump, whose hard-line immigration policies have not stemmed a rising tide of migrants.

On Friday, the Pentagon said Shanahan approved the transfer of $1.5 billion to build more than 80 miles (130 km) of barriers on the border, part of a patchwork project after Trump failed to secure funding from Congress for a complete border wall.

Trump has been eager to have the US military play a larger role on the border and, despite some criticism from lawmakers, Pentagon officials say they are looking to create a long-term plan for assistance.

Shanahan told a small group of reporters travelling with him that military assistance would not continue "indefinitely," but that it would be in place longer than months.

The Pentagon has tapped a two-star Army general to work with DHS to look at what military support will be needed in the future. Shanahan said he expected a plan from the general in the next few weeks.

"(It is about) getting us out of this à la carte tasking where, 'Hey, we need 50 guys to do this, 50 guys to do that,'" a senior defence official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The official said the idea was to look out over a timeline of at least two years.

The official added that the Pentagon was reviewing a recent request from DHS to provide housing for detained migrants.

"What we're hopful&nbsp;to do is have, in fairly short order for the secretary of Homeland Security, a much more predictable, comprehensive plan for the next couple of years," the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford, said earlier this week.

There are currently about 4,500 US service members on the border, and they are authorized to be there until through September.

Democratic criticism

The decision to transfer the $1.5 billion for border funding came on top of a March transfer of $1 billion in military money to fund the wall, which Democratic lawmakers criticized sharply.

Lawmakers have hinted they may respond by putting new restrictions on the Pentagon's authority to move money around.

Shanahan said he understood Congress could take that authority away from the Pentagon and said he was unsure how to ease concerns. "I don't have a good answer for how we're going to balance it. It is a predicament," he said.

The Pentagon is weighing which projects from the military construction budget will be affected to help pay up to $3.6 billion for the wall and whether there is a military need for it.

Acting US Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan made his second trip to the US-Mexico border on Saturday as the Pentagon looks to develop a longer-term plan to support President Donald Trump's immigration policies.

Acting US Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan made his second trip to the US-Mexico border on Saturday as the Pentagon looks to develop a longer-term plan to support President Donald Trump's immigration policies. Shanahan travelled to McAllen, Texas, to meet with officials and visit a migrant processing facility and Border Patrol station, two days after the White House announced Trump's intention to nominate the former Boeing Co executive as defence secretary. "We're not going to leave until the border is secure," Shanahan told about two dozen border patrol officials as hundreds of detained migrants waited in tents to be processed. Shanahan was accompanied by another acting secretary, Kevin McAleenan, who leads the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after a shake-up instigated by Trump, whose hard-line immigration policies have not stemmed a rising tide of migrants. On Friday, the Pentagon said Shanahan approved the transfer of $1.5 billion to build more than 80 miles (130 km) of barriers on the border, part of a patchwork project after Trump failed to secure funding from Congress for a complete border wall. Trump has been eager to have the US military play a larger role on the border and, despite some criticism from lawmakers, Pentagon officials say they are looking to create a long-term plan for assistance. Shanahan told a small group of reporters travelling with him that military assistance would not continue "indefinitely," but that it would be in place longer than months. The Pentagon has tapped a two-star Army general to work with DHS to look at what military support will be needed in the future. Shanahan said he expected a plan from the general in the next few weeks. "(It is about) getting us out of this à la carte tasking where, 'Hey, we need 50 guys to do this, 50 guys to do that,'" a senior defence official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The official said the idea was to look out over a timeline of at least two years. The official added that the Pentagon was reviewing a recent request from DHS to provide housing for detained migrants. "What we're hopful to do is have, in fairly short order for the secretary of Homeland Security, a much more predictable, comprehensive plan for the next couple of years," the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford, said earlier this week. There are currently about 4,500 US service members on the border, and they are authorized to be there until through September. Democratic criticism The decision to transfer the $1.5 billion for border funding came on top of a March transfer of $1 billion in military money to fund the wall, which Democratic lawmakers criticized sharply. Lawmakers have hinted they may respond by putting new restrictions on the Pentagon's authority to move money around. Shanahan said he understood Congress could take that authority away from the Pentagon and said he was unsure how to ease concerns. "I don't have a good answer for how we're going to balance it. It is a predicament," he said. The Pentagon is weighing which projects from the military construction budget will be affected to help pay up to $3.6 billion for the wall and whether there is a military need for it.

US defence secretary visits US-Mexico border as Pentagon eyes longer-term plan to support Trump's immigration policy

President Hassan Rouhani called on Saturday for unity among <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-guards-reject-us-talks-cleric-threatens-carrier-217673">Iran's political factions </a>to overcome conditions which he said may be harder than those during the 1980s war with Iraq, state media reported, as the country faces tightening US sanctions.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday urged Iran's leaders talk with him about giving up their nuclear program and said he could not rule out a military confrontation.

Trump made the offer as he increased economic and military pressure on Iran, moving to cut off all Iranian oil exports this month while beefing up the US Navy and Air Force presence in the Gulf. Washington also approved a new deployment of Patriot missiles to the Middle East, a US official said on Friday.

"Today, it cannot be said whether conditions are better or worse than the (1980-88) war period, but during the war we did not have a problem with our banks, oil sales or imports and exports, and there were only sanctions on arms purchases," Rouhani said, according to the state news agency IRNA.

"The pressures by enemies is a war unprecedented in the history of our Islamic revolution... but I do not despair and have great hope for the future and believe that we can move past these difficult conditions provided that we are united," Rouhani told activists from various factions.

Hardliners have criticized Rouhani after Trump withdrew from Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which Rouhani supported, and reimposed sanctions last year. The pragmatic president has also been abandoned by some of his moderate allies.

Separately, a media court on Saturday suspended the weekly Seda (Voice), the semi-official news agency ISNA reported, after the reformist magazine published an issue that included articles warning about the possibility of war with the United States.

"At the Crossroads of War and Peace, have moderates lost or will they again save Iran from war?" the main headline on the front page read against a photograph of US Navy warships.

On social media, hardliners attacked the magazine as "Trump's voice", suggesting its warning about the danger of war amounted to a call for talks with the United States, the Islamic Republic's arch enemy.

"At the height of America's political, economic and media war against the Iranian nation, an Iranian publication supplements the enemy's media operations inside the country," the hardline-led news agency Fars wrote in a comment.

Iran has dismissed the US military build up as "psychological warfare" designed to intimidate it.

President Hassan Rouhani called on Saturday for unity among Iran's political factions to overcome conditions which he said may be harder than those during the 1980s war with Iraq, state media reported, as the country faces tightening US sanctions.

President Hassan Rouhani called on Saturday for unity among Iran's political factions to overcome conditions which he said may be harder than those during the 1980s war with Iraq, state media reported, as the country faces tightening US sanctions. US President Donald Trump on Thursday urged Iran's leaders talk with him about giving up their nuclear program and said he could not rule out a military confrontation. Trump made the offer as he increased economic and military pressure on Iran, moving to cut off all Iranian oil exports this month while beefing up the US Navy and Air Force presence in the Gulf. Washington also approved a new deployment of Patriot missiles to the Middle East, a US official said on Friday. "Today, it cannot be said whether conditions are better or worse than the (1980-88) war period, but during the war we did not have a problem with our banks, oil sales or imports and exports, and there were only sanctions on arms purchases," Rouhani said, according to the state news agency IRNA. "The pressures by enemies is a war unprecedented in the history of our Islamic revolution... but I do not despair and have great hope for the future and believe that we can move past these difficult conditions provided that we are united," Rouhani told activists from various factions. Hardliners have criticized Rouhani after Trump withdrew from Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which Rouhani supported, and reimposed sanctions last year. The pragmatic president has also been abandoned by some of his moderate allies. Separately, a media court on Saturday suspended the weekly Seda (Voice), the semi-official news agency ISNA reported, after the reformist magazine published an issue that included articles warning about the possibility of war with the United States. "At the Crossroads of War and Peace, have moderates lost or will they again save Iran from war?" the main headline on the front page read against a photograph of US Navy warships. On social media, hardliners attacked the magazine as "Trump's voice", suggesting its warning about the danger of war amounted to a call for talks with the United States, the Islamic Republic's arch enemy. "At the height of America's political, economic and media war against the Iranian nation, an Iranian publication supplements the enemy's media operations inside the country," the hardline-led news agency Fars wrote in a comment. Iran has dismissed the US military build up as "psychological warfare" designed to intimidate it.

Iran's Rouhani calls for unity to face 'unprecedented' US pressure

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is heading to Russia with an unusual and thankless task -- standing firm against the rival power even as his boss, President Donald Trump, reaches out to reconcile.

Pompeo will meet Tuesday with Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, in the highest-level US engagement with the Russian leader since a July summit in Helsinki after which Trump faced wide scorn at home for his trustful embrace of the Russian leader.&nbsp;

The top US diplomat's trip comes less than two months after Special Counsel Robert Mueller wound up an investigation that found that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election -- but that the Trump campaign did not collude with Moscow.

After spending the first two years of his presidency under the cloud of Mueller's probe, Trump chatted for more than an hour by telephone with Putin on May 3, in what he hailed as a "very positive" conversation.

Trump said that Putin had assured him that Russia was not involved in Venezuela -- directly contradicting Pompeo and other top officials who for weeks have demanded that Moscow stop backing leftist leader Nicolas Maduro, whom Washington is trying to topple.

Venezuela is only one of a slew of issues where the United States and Russia have clashed.

Others include the Syrian war, arms control commitments and the conflict in Ukraine, where Western powers have been attempting for five years to little avail to end Moscow's support for armed separatists.

Jonathan Katz, a former US official focused on Central and Eastern Europe, believed that Russia was looking to see if the end of Mueller's probe would allow a new beginning with Trump, whom Putin supported over Hillary Clinton in 2016.

"I think this is Moscow testing whether there is a new modus operandi in Washington, (after) the release of the Mueller report," said Katz, now a senior fellow at The German Marshall Fund of the United States.

Despite heading the US government, Trump is a major outlier in Washington, with virtually all senior administration officials including Pompeo and lawmakers across party lines advocating a harder stance on Russia, including sanctions over election interference and its 2014 takeover of Crimea from Ukraine.

For Pompeo, "it's incredibly difficult because the interlocutors on the other side don't know who speaks for the United States," Katz said.

Progress sought on arms control

A State Department official said Pompeo, who will also meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov for the second time in as many weeks, would push for progress in particular in one area -- arms control.

The New START treaty, which caps the number of nuclear warheads well below Cold War limits, is set to expire in 2021 and Trump has called for a broader successor that will include a rising China.

Even Pompeo has acknowledged that those goals may be too optimistic. Another key accord, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty, just collapsed, with the United States pulling out over charges that a new Russian missile system violated it.

Despite deep rifts on many hotspots, the State Department official said that Russia and the United States, if not seeing eye-to-eye, had developed "constructive" relationships on Afghanistan and North Korea.

"It is in our interest to have a better relationship with Russia," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

"Where we have concerns, we're going to raise them directly, narrow those differences and find areas where we can cooperate to protect and advance our interests."

But Victoria Nuland, who championed a tough line on Russia as an assistant secretary of state during Barack Obama's administration, voiced doubt on whether hopes for a better relationship could be realized under Putin's increasingly autocratic rule.

She said that a "lack of leadership, unity and consistency" in the United States was the greatest challenge to countering a resurgent Russia.

"What we don't know, and what we have to continue to test, is whether Russian President Putin truly wants to improve relations," she recently testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

"It may well be that his psychology and leadership model are too dependent on an enemy abroad to change course -- and we have to steel ourselves for what may be a very long game that outlasts Putin."

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is heading to Russia with an unusual and thankless task -- standing firm against the rival power even as his boss, President Donald Trump, reaches out to reconcile.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is heading to Russia with an unusual and thankless task -- standing firm against the rival power even as his boss, President Donald Trump, reaches out to reconcile. Pompeo will meet Tuesday with Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, in the highest-level US engagement with the Russian leader since a July summit in Helsinki after which Trump faced wide scorn at home for his trustful embrace of the Russian leader. The top US diplomat's trip comes less than two months after Special Counsel Robert Mueller wound up an investigation that found that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election -- but that the Trump campaign did not collude with Moscow. After spending the first two years of his presidency under the cloud of Mueller's probe, Trump chatted for more than an hour by telephone with Putin on May 3, in what he hailed as a "very positive" conversation. Trump said that Putin had assured him that Russia was not involved in Venezuela -- directly contradicting Pompeo and other top officials who for weeks have demanded that Moscow stop backing leftist leader Nicolas Maduro, whom Washington is trying to topple. Venezuela is only one of a slew of issues where the United States and Russia have clashed. Others include the Syrian war, arms control commitments and the conflict in Ukraine, where Western powers have been attempting for five years to little avail to end Moscow's support for armed separatists. Jonathan Katz, a former US official focused on Central and Eastern Europe, believed that Russia was looking to see if the end of Mueller's probe would allow a new beginning with Trump, whom Putin supported over Hillary Clinton in 2016. "I think this is Moscow testing whether there is a new modus operandi in Washington, (after) the release of the Mueller report," said Katz, now a senior fellow at The German Marshall Fund of the United States. Despite heading the US government, Trump is a major outlier in Washington, with virtually all senior administration officials including Pompeo and lawmakers across party lines advocating a harder stance on Russia, including sanctions over election interference and its 2014 takeover of Crimea from Ukraine. For Pompeo, "it's incredibly difficult because the interlocutors on the other side don't know who speaks for the United States," Katz said. Progress sought on arms control A State Department official said Pompeo, who will also meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov for the second time in as many weeks, would push for progress in particular in one area -- arms control. The New START treaty, which caps the number of nuclear warheads well below Cold War limits, is set to expire in 2021 and Trump has called for a broader successor that will include a rising China. Even Pompeo has acknowledged that those goals may be too optimistic. Another key accord, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty, just collapsed, with the United States pulling out over charges that a new Russian missile system violated it. Despite deep rifts on many hotspots, the State Department official said that Russia and the United States, if not seeing eye-to-eye, had developed "constructive" relationships on Afghanistan and North Korea. "It is in our interest to have a better relationship with Russia," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity. "Where we have concerns, we're going to raise them directly, narrow those differences and find areas where we can cooperate to protect and advance our interests." But Victoria Nuland, who championed a tough line on Russia as an assistant secretary of state during Barack Obama's administration, voiced doubt on whether hopes for a better relationship could be realized under Putin's increasingly autocratic rule. She said that a "lack of leadership, unity and consistency" in the United States was the greatest challenge to countering a resurgent Russia. "What we don't know, and what we have to continue to test, is whether Russian President Putin truly wants to improve relations," she recently testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. "It may well be that his psychology and leadership model are too dependent on an enemy abroad to change course -- and we have to steel ourselves for what may be a very long game that outlasts Putin."

Mike Pompeo heads to Russia as US diplomacy turns schizophrenic

President Donald Trump warned China on Saturday that it should strike a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-outlines-three-disagreements-in-us-trade-talks-217667">trade deal with the United States</a> now, otherwise an agreement would be "far worse for them if it has to be negotiated in my second term."

Washington and Beijing are locked in a trade battle that has seen mounting tariffs, sparking fears the dispute will damage the global economy.

Two days of talks ended Friday with no deal. China's top negotiator said the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-says-to-hold-more-trade-talks-with-us-in-beijing-217628">two sides would meet again in Beijing</a> at an unspecified date, but warned that China would make no concessions on "important principles."

"I think that China felt they were being beaten so badly in the recent negotiation that they may as well wait around for the next election, 2020, to see if they could get lucky &amp; have a Democrat win -- in which case they would continue to rip-off the USA for $500 Billion a year," Trump said in a tweet Saturday.

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I think that China felt they were being beaten so badly in the recent negotiation that they may as well wait around for the next election, 2020, to see if they could get lucky &amp; have a Democrat win - in which case they would continue to rip-off the USA for $500 Billion a year....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1127337211777757191?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 11, 2019</a></blockquote>
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"The only problem is that they know I am going to win (best economy &amp; employment numbers in US&nbsp;history, &amp; much more), and the deal will become far worse for them if it has to be negotiated in my second term. Would be wise for them to act now, but love collecting BIG TARIFFS!"

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....The only problem is that they know I am going to win (best economy &amp; employment numbers in U.S. history, &amp; much more), and the deal will become far worse for them if it has to be negotiated in my second term. Would be wise for them to act now, but love collecting BIG TARIFFS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1127337212813742082?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 11, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Trump had accused Beijing of reneging on its commitments in trade talks and ordered new punitive duties, which took effect Friday, on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports, raising them to 25 per cent from 10 per cent.&nbsp;

He then cranked up the heat further, ordering a tariff hike on almost all remaining imports -- $300 billion worth, according to US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer -- from the world's second-biggest economy.

Those tariffs would not take effect for months, after a period of public comment.

Trump also said Saturday that firms could easily avoid additional costs by producing goods in the United States.&nbsp;

"Such an easy way to avoid Tariffs? Make or produce your goods and products in the good old USA. It's very simple!" he tweeted, echoing a similar message he sent Friday -- and even retweeted.

Only a week earlier, the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-officials-says-china-trade-talks-constructive-217600">United States and China had seemed poised</a> to complete a sweeping agreement.

Washington wants Beijing to tighten its intellectual property protections, cut its subsidies to state-owned firms and reduce the yawning trade deficit; China wants an end to tariffs as part of a "balanced" deal.

While supporters laud Trump as a tough negotiator, free-trade-minded Republicans have warned that the tariffs could do real damage to the economy, and many farmers -- including Trump supporters -- say the tariffs have hit their bottom line.&nbsp;

As the trade war spread, China imposed $110 billion in duties on farm exports and other US goods.&nbsp;

Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, from the farm state of Iowa, cautiously welcomed the new tariffs but urged negotiators to reach a quick solution "so we can avoid prolonged tariffs, which we know have an impact on the US economy."

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&nbsp;

President Donald Trump warned China on Saturday that it should strike a trade deal with the United States now, otherwise an agreement would be "far worse for them if it has to be negotiated in my second term.

President Donald Trump warned China on Saturday that it should strike a trade deal with the United States now, otherwise an agreement would be "far worse for them if it has to be negotiated in my second term." Washington and Beijing are locked in a trade battle that has seen mounting tariffs, sparking fears the dispute will damage the global economy. Two days of talks ended Friday with no deal. China's top negotiator said the two sides would meet again in Beijing at an unspecified date, but warned that China would make no concessions on "important principles." "I think that China felt they were being beaten so badly in the recent negotiation that they may as well wait around for the next election, 2020, to see if they could get lucky & have a Democrat win -- in which case they would continue to rip-off the USA for $500 Billion a year," Trump said in a tweet Saturday. I think that China felt they were being beaten so badly in the recent negotiation that they may as well wait around for the next election, 2020, to see if they could get lucky & have a Democrat win - in which case they would continue to rip-off the USA for $500 Billion a year.... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 11, 2019 × "The only problem is that they know I am going to win (best economy & employment numbers in US history, & much more), and the deal will become far worse for them if it has to be negotiated in my second term. Would be wise for them to act now, but love collecting BIG TARIFFS!" ....The only problem is that they know I am going to win (best economy & employment numbers in U.S. history, & much more), and the deal will become far worse for them if it has to be negotiated in my second term. Would be wise for them to act now, but love collecting BIG TARIFFS! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 11, 2019 × Trump had accused Beijing of reneging on its commitments in trade talks and ordered new punitive duties, which took effect Friday, on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports, raising them to 25 per cent from 10 per cent. He then cranked up the heat further, ordering a tariff hike on almost all remaining imports -- $300 billion worth, according to US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer -- from the world's second-biggest economy. Those tariffs would not take effect for months, after a period of public comment. Trump also said Saturday that firms could easily avoid additional costs by producing goods in the United States. "Such an easy way to avoid Tariffs? Make or produce your goods and products in the good old USA. It's very simple!" he tweeted, echoing a similar message he sent Friday -- and even retweeted. Only a week earlier, the United States and China had seemed poised to complete a sweeping agreement. Washington wants Beijing to tighten its intellectual property protections, cut its subsidies to state-owned firms and reduce the yawning trade deficit; China wants an end to tariffs as part of a "balanced" deal. While supporters laud Trump as a tough negotiator, free-trade-minded Republicans have warned that the tariffs could do real damage to the economy, and many farmers -- including Trump supporters -- say the tariffs have hit their bottom line. As the trade war spread, China imposed $110 billion in duties on farm exports and other US goods. Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, from the farm state of Iowa, cautiously welcomed the new tariffs but urged negotiators to reach a quick solution "so we can avoid prolonged tariffs, which we know have an impact on the US economy." ×

Trade deal will become far worse if negotiated in my second term: Donald Trump warns China

A year after US embassy move to Jerusalem, where do things stand

An Israeli cabinet minister warned on Sunday of possible direct or proxy Iranian attacks on <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/israel-will-not-allow-nuclear-armed-iran-benjamin-netanyahu-216991">Israel should the stand-off between Tehran and Washington</a> escalate.

The United States has increased economic and military pressure on Iran, with President Donald Trump on Thursday urging its leaders to talk to him about giving up their nuclear programme and saying he could not rule out an armed confrontation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, which supports Trump's hard tack against its arch-foe, has largely been reticent about the spiralling tensions.

Parting with the silence, Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said that, in the Gulf, "things are heating up".

"If there's some sort of conflagration between Iran and the United States, between Iran and its neighbours, I'm not ruling out that they will activate Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad from Gaza, or even that they will try to fire missiles from Iran at the State of Israel," Steinitz, a member of Netanyahu's security cabinet, told Israel's Ynet TV.

Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad are Iranian-sponsored guerrilla groups on Israel's borders, the former active in Syria as well as Lebanon and the latter in the Palestinian territories.

The Israeli military declined to comment when asked if it was making any preparations for possible threats linked to the Iran-US standoff.

Israel has traded blows with Iranian forces in Syria, as well as with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Palestinian militants. But it has not fought an open war with Iran, a country on the other side of the Middle East.

An Israeli cabinet minister warned on Sunday of possible direct or proxy Iranian attacks on Israel should the stand-off between Tehran and Washington escalate. The United States has increased economic and military pressure on Iran, with President Donald Trump on Thursday urging its leaders to talk to him about giving up their nuclear programme and saying he could not rule out an armed confrontation.

An Israeli cabinet minister warned on Sunday of possible direct or proxy Iranian attacks on Israel should the stand-off between Tehran and Washington escalate. The United States has increased economic and military pressure on Iran, with President Donald Trump on Thursday urging its leaders to talk to him about giving up their nuclear programme and saying he could not rule out an armed confrontation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, which supports Trump's hard tack against its arch-foe, has largely been reticent about the spiralling tensions. Parting with the silence, Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said that, in the Gulf, "things are heating up". "If there's some sort of conflagration between Iran and the United States, between Iran and its neighbours, I'm not ruling out that they will activate Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad from Gaza, or even that they will try to fire missiles from Iran at the State of Israel," Steinitz, a member of Netanyahu's security cabinet, told Israel's Ynet TV. Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad are Iranian-sponsored guerrilla groups on Israel's borders, the former active in Syria as well as Lebanon and the latter in the Palestinian territories. The Israeli military declined to comment when asked if it was making any preparations for possible threats linked to the Iran-US standoff. Israel has traded blows with Iranian forces in Syria, as well as with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Palestinian militants. But it has not fought an open war with Iran, a country on the other side of the Middle East.

Iran may attack Israel if US standoff escalates, says cabinet minister

President Donald Trump said it would be wise for China to “act now” to finish a trade deal with the U.S., warning that “far worse” terms would be on offer for them after what he predicted would be his certain re-election in 2020.

Trump warns China to strike a Trade Deal or Face Worse Terms

Will A Potential Trade War Hurt The U.S. More Or China More? A trade war will hurt supply chains, financial markets and as a consequence the global economy. Palki sums up the latest on the ongoing trade dispute between China and the U.S and explains why a trade war is akin to the U.S. shooting the global economy on the boot and asking it to run a marathon

Gravitas: Is a U.S-China trade war around the corner?

US House Democrats issued subpoenas Friday against top government officials demanding <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-tax-returns-from-1985-to-1994-show-1-billion-in-losses-report-216876">President Donald Trump's tax returns</a>, the latest twist in the sharpening battle between the White House and opponents in Congress.

House Ways and Means Committee chairman Richard Neal said he subpoenaed Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Internal Revenue Service commissioner Charles Rettig after they missed two congressional deadlines to turn over six years of the president's personal and business tax data.

Trump broke with decades of precedent by refusing to publish his tax returns as a candidate in 2016, or since he has been president, claiming he could not do so as he was under audit.

As the majority party in the House of Representatives, Democrats have broad investigative powers.&nbsp;

They have begun issuing subpoenas on multiple fronts as part of their investigations into Russia's interference in the US election and possible obstruction of justice by the president.

Neal said he requested the financial records as part of his responsibility for conducting oversight of the tax system, and as related to the wide-ranging investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US elections.&nbsp;

"While I do not take this step lightly, I believe this action gives us the best opportunity to succeed and obtain the requested material," Neal said in a statement.

Republicans have blasted the request as politically motivated, with Mnuchin expressing concern that Democrats' true purpose was to publish the president's tax returns.

The request is expected to be ignored after Trump said he was using his executive privilege to prevent the handover to Congress of any material connected to the Russia probe.

Lack of compliance would almost certainly trigger a court battle that could drag on for several months, as Trump and the Democrats gear up for a 2020 election fight.

US House Democrats issued subpoenas Friday against top government officials demanding President Donald Trump's tax returns, the latest twist in the sharpening battle between the White House and opponents in Congress.

US House Democrats issued subpoenas Friday against top government officials demanding President Donald Trump's tax returns, the latest twist in the sharpening battle between the White House and opponents in Congress. House Ways and Means Committee chairman Richard Neal said he subpoenaed Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Internal Revenue Service commissioner Charles Rettig after they missed two congressional deadlines to turn over six years of the president's personal and business tax data. Trump broke with decades of precedent by refusing to publish his tax returns as a candidate in 2016, or since he has been president, claiming he could not do so as he was under audit. As the majority party in the House of Representatives, Democrats have broad investigative powers. They have begun issuing subpoenas on multiple fronts as part of their investigations into Russia's interference in the US election and possible obstruction of justice by the president. Neal said he requested the financial records as part of his responsibility for conducting oversight of the tax system, and as related to the wide-ranging investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US elections. "While I do not take this step lightly, I believe this action gives us the best opportunity to succeed and obtain the requested material," Neal said in a statement. Republicans have blasted the request as politically motivated, with Mnuchin expressing concern that Democrats' true purpose was to publish the president's tax returns. The request is expected to be ignored after Trump said he was using his executive privilege to prevent the handover to Congress of any material connected to the Russia probe. Lack of compliance would almost certainly trigger a court battle that could drag on for several months, as Trump and the Democrats gear up for a 2020 election fight.

Standoff intensifies as Democrats subpoena Trump tax returns

The US has ordered tariff hikes on all imports from China. Watch the full video to know more.

US orders tariff hike on all imports from China

China's top trade negotiator Liu He said on Friday in Washington that<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-officials-says-china-trade-talks-constructive-217600"> trade talks with the US</a> would continue in Beijing but warned that there would be no concessions on "important principles".

"Negotiations have not broken down, but rather on the contrary, this is only a normal twist in the negotiations between the two countries, it is inevitable," Liu told Chinese media.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/top-facts-how-us-china-talks-differ-from-any-other-trade-deal-217563">In pics: How US-China talks differ from any other trade deal</a>

"Both sides agree they will meet again in Beijing in the future and keep pushing forward the negotiations," he said without giving a date.

Although Liu deemed the two days of talks in the US "productive" he said differences continued to exist.

"We have a consensus in lots of areas but to speak frankly there are areas we have differences on, and we believe these concern big principles," he said.

"Every country has important principles, and we will not make concessions on matters of principle."

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said earlier, talks to end a worrisome&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/top-facts-how-us-china-talks-differ-from-any-other-trade-deal-217563">US-China trade battle</a>&nbsp;were "constructive," giving a sign of hope that Washington and Beijing could seal a deal to avert damage to the global economy.

"They were constructive discussions between both parties, that's all we're going to say," Mnuchin was quoted as saying by CNBC following a two-hour negotiating session.

President Donald&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/tariffs-will-bring-in-far-more-wealth-to-our-country-than-even-phenomenal-deal-of-traditional-kind-donald-trump-217507">Trump said Friday he was in no hurry to reach a deal with Beijing</a>, arguing the United States was negotiating from a position of strength.

Just hours earlier, Washington had pulled the trigger on an increase in punitive duties on $200 billion in Chinese imports to 25 per cent from 10 per cent, and Beijing responded vowing to take the "necessary countermeasures."

China's top trade negotiator Liu He said on Friday in Washington that trade talks with the US would continue in Beijing but warned that there would be no concessions on "important principles".

China's top trade negotiator Liu He said on Friday in Washington that trade talks with the US would continue in Beijing but warned that there would be no concessions on "important principles". "Negotiations have not broken down, but rather on the contrary, this is only a normal twist in the negotiations between the two countries, it is inevitable," Liu told Chinese media. In pics: How US-China talks differ from any other trade deal "Both sides agree they will meet again in Beijing in the future and keep pushing forward the negotiations," he said without giving a date. Although Liu deemed the two days of talks in the US "productive" he said differences continued to exist. "We have a consensus in lots of areas but to speak frankly there are areas we have differences on, and we believe these concern big principles," he said. "Every country has important principles, and we will not make concessions on matters of principle." US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said earlier, talks to end a worrisome US-China trade battle were "constructive," giving a sign of hope that Washington and Beijing could seal a deal to avert damage to the global economy. "They were constructive discussions between both parties, that's all we're going to say," Mnuchin was quoted as saying by CNBC following a two-hour negotiating session. President Donald Trump said Friday he was in no hurry to reach a deal with Beijing, arguing the United States was negotiating from a position of strength. Just hours earlier, Washington had pulled the trigger on an increase in punitive duties on $200 billion in Chinese imports to 25 per cent from 10 per cent, and Beijing responded vowing to take the "necessary countermeasures."

China says it will hold more trade talks with US in Beijing

At a veterans hall in the mostly white, working-class town of Chillicothe, Ohio, US Senator Elizabeth Warren spoke to about 200 people on Friday about her plans to fight the opioid epidemic, Washington corruption and economic inequality.

Warren's decision to campaign in Ohio - a state President Donald Trump won by eight percentage points in 2016 - so soon in the Democratic presidential nominating battle is telling.

Ohio does not host one of next year's early nominating contests. Yet there is growing consensus among Democrats that a nominee's ability to beat Trump in November 2020 is the number one priority - and Warren aims to convince voters there and elsewhere that she has broad enough appeal to do it.

"I believe that if you're running for president of the United States you ought to be running for president of all the people and not just spend your time in a handful of so-called battleground states," Warren told reporters at an earlier stop on Friday in Kermit, West Virginia, a solidly Republican state.

Party strategists and voters are divided over what type of candidate is best positioned to take on the president.

Some believe it is critical to have a nominee who can win back the working-class, white voters who supported Barack Obama but then handed Trump victories in formerly blue states in the Midwest like Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Others say a candidate who can drive turnout by appealing to young, minority and first-time voters is the best path to the White House.

Ed Rendell, a former Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, thinks moderate candidates like former Vice President Joe Biden or U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar would be best at wooing back working-class voters in the non-urban areas of his state.

Warren's progressive policies – she backs free college tuition, a wealth tax and Medicare-for-all healthcare – makes her an "easy target" for Trump to accuse her of being a socialist, Rendell said.

But he agrees with other Democrats who say where candidates stand on the issues may not be the deciding factor for voters.

"I've never seen voters more single-minded than on the issue of beating Donald Trump," Rendell said, adding he would work to win Pennsylvania for whoever emerges as the nominee.

High Stakes

Recent opinion surveys show electability topping issues for many Democrats.

In a Monmouth University poll of 987 likely Democratic primary voters conducted May 2-7 in New Hampshire, which hosts the second nominating contest, 68 per cent said they would choose a candidate they did not agree with on most issues if the individual were a stronger candidate against Trump. Just 25 per cent said they would pick the candidate they agreed with on most issues but who would have a hard time beating Trump.

Forty-nine per cent of Democrats in an Ipsos online poll of 960 adults taken April 29-30 said the ability to beat Trump in the general election is the most important factor in choosing a primary candidate, ahead of policies on healthcare, jobs and the environment.

"Democrats view this not as a regular election but as an existential election for the country. The stakes are high. Each candidate is trying to show how they will take on Trump," said Ben LaBolt, a former spokesman for Obama's re-election campaign.

Ideally, a candidate will emerge like Obama who can appeal to a wide swath of Democratic voters, he said.

With just 3 per cent of Democrats in the Ipsos poll picking Warren as the candidate most likely to beat Trump, the Massachusetts senator has work to do. Forty-six per cent chose Biden as the strongest Trump opponent, and 25 per cent said they did not know who was best positioned from the field of 22 Democrats running.

Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper rejected the idea that only a moderate Democrat can make inroads there. As a roadmap, he pointed to Senator Sherrod Brown's re-election in 2018, when he won by a higher margin than in 2012 when Obama was on the ballot.

Brown, like Warren, focuses on themes of income inequality and creating an economy that protects and benefits middle- and working-class households. Pepper said that economic message resonates in rural and suburban areas, even if other parts of a candidate's platform are more liberal than voters would typically support.

"These are the places that responded to Donald Trump saying 'let's make America great again,'" Pepper said of Chillicothe. "A ticket that includes that kind of candidate like Sherrod Brown's did and can hold down losses in rural parts of the state and suburbs and energize our urban core – that combination is the ticket that will win Ohio."

In largely rural Ross County, where Warren met with voters on Friday, Trump got roughly two-thirds of the vote in 2016.

But Chillicothe Mayor Luke Feeney, a Democrat, said the party should not count it out.

"I told her Ross County is definitely in play in 2020 and Chillicothe is definitely in play in 2020 and the state of Ohio is a swing state in 2020, not a red state," Feeney said as he introduced Warren at her event.

Retired teacher Kathleen Burgess, 70, was in the crowd. She said Warren's early call to impeach Trump pleased her as a progressive voter, but she thought Warren's economic policies also would appeal to swing voters in the state.

"By advocating for free public college and healthcare, those are kitchen table issues for working-class people," Burgess said.

At a veterans hall in the mostly white, working-class town of Chillicothe, Ohio, US Senator Elizabeth Warren spoke to about 200 people on Friday about her plans to fight the opioid epidemic, Washington corruption and economic inequality.

At a veterans hall in the mostly white, working-class town of Chillicothe, Ohio, US Senator Elizabeth Warren spoke to about 200 people on Friday about her plans to fight the opioid epidemic, Washington corruption and economic inequality. Warren's decision to campaign in Ohio - a state President Donald Trump won by eight percentage points in 2016 - so soon in the Democratic presidential nominating battle is telling. Ohio does not host one of next year's early nominating contests. Yet there is growing consensus among Democrats that a nominee's ability to beat Trump in November 2020 is the number one priority - and Warren aims to convince voters there and elsewhere that she has broad enough appeal to do it. "I believe that if you're running for president of the United States you ought to be running for president of all the people and not just spend your time in a handful of so-called battleground states," Warren told reporters at an earlier stop on Friday in Kermit, West Virginia, a solidly Republican state. Party strategists and voters are divided over what type of candidate is best positioned to take on the president. Some believe it is critical to have a nominee who can win back the working-class, white voters who supported Barack Obama but then handed Trump victories in formerly blue states in the Midwest like Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Others say a candidate who can drive turnout by appealing to young, minority and first-time voters is the best path to the White House. Ed Rendell, a former Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, thinks moderate candidates like former Vice President Joe Biden or U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar would be best at wooing back working-class voters in the non-urban areas of his state. Warren's progressive policies – she backs free college tuition, a wealth tax and Medicare-for-all healthcare – makes her an "easy target" for Trump to accuse her of being a socialist, Rendell said. But he agrees with other Democrats who say where candidates stand on the issues may not be the deciding factor for voters. "I've never seen voters more single-minded than on the issue of beating Donald Trump," Rendell said, adding he would work to win Pennsylvania for whoever emerges as the nominee. High Stakes Recent opinion surveys show electability topping issues for many Democrats. In a Monmouth University poll of 987 likely Democratic primary voters conducted May 2-7 in New Hampshire, which hosts the second nominating contest, 68 per cent said they would choose a candidate they did not agree with on most issues if the individual were a stronger candidate against Trump. Just 25 per cent said they would pick the candidate they agreed with on most issues but who would have a hard time beating Trump. Forty-nine per cent of Democrats in an Ipsos online poll of 960 adults taken April 29-30 said the ability to beat Trump in the general election is the most important factor in choosing a primary candidate, ahead of policies on healthcare, jobs and the environment. "Democrats view this not as a regular election but as an existential election for the country. The stakes are high. Each candidate is trying to show how they will take on Trump," said Ben LaBolt, a former spokesman for Obama's re-election campaign. Ideally, a candidate will emerge like Obama who can appeal to a wide swath of Democratic voters, he said. With just 3 per cent of Democrats in the Ipsos poll picking Warren as the candidate most likely to beat Trump, the Massachusetts senator has work to do. Forty-six per cent chose Biden as the strongest Trump opponent, and 25 per cent said they did not know who was best positioned from the field of 22 Democrats running. Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper rejected the idea that only a moderate Democrat can make inroads there. As a roadmap, he pointed to Senator Sherrod Brown's re-election in 2018, when he won by a higher margin than in 2012 when Obama was on the ballot. Brown, like Warren, focuses on themes of income inequality and creating an economy that protects and benefits middle- and working-class households. Pepper said that economic message resonates in rural and suburban areas, even if other parts of a candidate's platform are more liberal than voters would typically support. "These are the places that responded to Donald Trump saying 'let's make America great again,'" Pepper said of Chillicothe. "A ticket that includes that kind of candidate like Sherrod Brown's did and can hold down losses in rural parts of the state and suburbs and energize our urban core – that combination is the ticket that will win Ohio." In largely rural Ross County, where Warren met with voters on Friday, Trump got roughly two-thirds of the vote in 2016. But Chillicothe Mayor Luke Feeney, a Democrat, said the party should not count it out. "I told her Ross County is definitely in play in 2020 and Chillicothe is definitely in play in 2020 and the state of Ohio is a swing state in 2020, not a red state," Feeney said as he introduced Warren at her event. Retired teacher Kathleen Burgess, 70, was in the crowd. She said Warren's early call to impeach Trump pleased her as a progressive voter, but she thought Warren's economic policies also would appeal to swing voters in the state. "By advocating for free public college and healthcare, those are kitchen table issues for working-class people," Burgess said.

Democrat Warren confronts 2020 electability question head-on in Ohio

North Korean missile launches over the past week have not affected Donald Trump's relationship with Kim Jong Un, the US president said Friday, in a change of course after initially expressing his dissatisfaction.

Pyongyang fired two short-range missiles Thursday following an earlier drill the previous Saturday -- the first in 18 months.

The North had not launched any missiles since November 2017, shortly before once reclusive Kim embarked on diplomatic overtures.

"I don't consider that a breach of trust at all. And, you know, at some point I may. But at this point no," Trump said in an interview with Politico.

"These were short-range missiles and very standard stuff. Very standard."

Twenty-four hours earlier, however, Trump showed his irritation and impatience on an issue where he hopes to succeed while all his predecessors -- Republicans and Democrats -- have failed.&nbsp;

"Nobody's happy about it," he told reporters, in reaction to the launches.

"We'll see what happens," Trump added. "I know they want to negotiate, they're talking about negotiating. But I don't think they are ready to negotiate."

Will the US president at some point lose faith in Kim? He has met twice with the North Korean leader and claimed that the two have a special friendship and even "love."

"I mean it's possible that at some point I will, but right now not at all," he told Politico.

'Undiminished threat'

The first face-to-face historic meeting between the two men in June 2018 in Singapore produced only a vague statement about denuclearization, allowing both sides to make very different interpretations of it.&nbsp;

February's second summit, in Hanoi, broke up without a deal after they failed to agree on what Pyongyang would be willing to give up in exchange for sanctions relief.

Since then, Kim has accused Washington of acting in "bad faith" and given it until the end of the year to change its approach.&nbsp;

North Korea's Rodong Sinmun newspaper, the mouthpiece of the ruling party, devoted its entire front page and half of page two to the launch on Friday, with 16 pictures, the main one of Kim watching the launch from a camouflaged shelter.

Despite recent threats by the North to seek a new path, the nature and presentation of the two recent launches demonstrate that Pyongyang does not intend to walk away from talks any time soon, analysts say.

On Friday at the United Nations, 70 countries urged North Korea to scrap its nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles and related programs, decrying the "undiminished threat" posed to world peace.

Signatories included the United States and South Korea, as well as nations in Asia, Latin America, Africa and Europe.

Russia and China, supporters of Pyongyang, did not sign the document drafted by France.

According to a diplomatic source, about 15 countries asked to sign on to the request for North Korean disarmament after the new missile firings.

North Korean missile launches over the past week have not affected Donald Trump's relationship with Kim Jong Un, the US president said Friday, in a change of course after initially expressing his dissatisfaction.

North Korean missile launches over the past week have not affected Donald Trump's relationship with Kim Jong Un, the US president said Friday, in a change of course after initially expressing his dissatisfaction. Pyongyang fired two short-range missiles Thursday following an earlier drill the previous Saturday -- the first in 18 months. The North had not launched any missiles since November 2017, shortly before once reclusive Kim embarked on diplomatic overtures. "I don't consider that a breach of trust at all. And, you know, at some point I may. But at this point no," Trump said in an interview with Politico. "These were short-range missiles and very standard stuff. Very standard." Twenty-four hours earlier, however, Trump showed his irritation and impatience on an issue where he hopes to succeed while all his predecessors -- Republicans and Democrats -- have failed. "Nobody's happy about it," he told reporters, in reaction to the launches. "We'll see what happens," Trump added. "I know they want to negotiate, they're talking about negotiating. But I don't think they are ready to negotiate." Will the US president at some point lose faith in Kim? He has met twice with the North Korean leader and claimed that the two have a special friendship and even "love." "I mean it's possible that at some point I will, but right now not at all," he told Politico. 'Undiminished threat' The first face-to-face historic meeting between the two men in June 2018 in Singapore produced only a vague statement about denuclearization, allowing both sides to make very different interpretations of it. February's second summit, in Hanoi, broke up without a deal after they failed to agree on what Pyongyang would be willing to give up in exchange for sanctions relief. Since then, Kim has accused Washington of acting in "bad faith" and given it until the end of the year to change its approach. North Korea's Rodong Sinmun newspaper, the mouthpiece of the ruling party, devoted its entire front page and half of page two to the launch on Friday, with 16 pictures, the main one of Kim watching the launch from a camouflaged shelter. Despite recent threats by the North to seek a new path, the nature and presentation of the two recent launches demonstrate that Pyongyang does not intend to walk away from talks any time soon, analysts say. On Friday at the United Nations, 70 countries urged North Korea to scrap its nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles and related programs, decrying the "undiminished threat" posed to world peace. Signatories included the United States and South Korea, as well as nations in Asia, Latin America, Africa and Europe. Russia and China, supporters of Pyongyang, did not sign the document drafted by France. According to a diplomatic source, about 15 countries asked to sign on to the request for North Korean disarmament after the new missile firings.

North Korea's missile tests not 'breach of trust': US President Donald Trump

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/cyril-ramaphosas-anc-win-closely-watched-south-africa-poll-with-absolute-majority-217627">Cyril Ramaphosa's ANC win closely-watched South Africa poll with absolute majority</a>

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's ruling ANC won re-election on Friday with an absolute majority in parliament, results showed, but with diminished support, complicating economic revival and anti-corruption efforts.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-says-to-hold-more-trade-talks-with-us-in-beijing-217628">China says to hold more trade talks with US in Beijing</a>

China's top trade negotiator Liu He said on Friday in Washington that trade talks with the US would continue in Beijing but warned that there would be no concessions on "important principles".

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/americas/north-koreas-missile-tests-not-breach-of-trust-us-president-donald-trump-217629">North Korea's missile tests not 'breach of trust': US President Donald Trump</a>

US President Donald Trump said Friday that North Korea's recent missile tests were not a "breach of trust."

"They're short-range and I don't consider that a breach of trust at all. And, you know, at some point I may. But at this point no," he said in an interview with Politico.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-china-to-cooperate-closely-on-afghanistans-peace-efforts-217633">India, China to cooperate closely on Afghanistan's peace efforts</a>

India and China on Friday agreed to work closely on the ongoing efforts to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan.

The commitment came after Chinese Special Envoy Ambassador Deng Xijun was on a visit to New Delhi, where he met Indian officials to discuss Afghanistan's current situation.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/sam-pitroda-was-out-of-line-he-should-apologise-rahul-gandhi-on-remark-on-1984-anti-sikh-riots-217630">Sam Pitroda was out of line, he should apologise: Rahul Gandhi on remark on 1984 anti-Sikh riots</a>

Congress president Rahul Gandhi asked Sam Pitroda to apologise for his "happened, so what" remarks on 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

"I think what Sam Pitroda Ji said is completely out of line and he should apologise for it. I think 1984 was a needless tragedy that caused tremendous pain," Rahul said in a Facebook post on Friday asserting that "justice has to be done" and the people responsible for 1984 tragedy have to be punished.

&nbsp;

Cyril Ramaphosa's ANC win closely-watched South Africa poll with absolute majority South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's ruling ANC won re-election on Friday with an absolute majority in parliament, results showed, but with diminished support, complicating economic revival and anti-corruption efforts.

Cyril Ramaphosa's ANC win closely-watched South Africa poll with absolute majority South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's ruling ANC won re-election on Friday with an absolute majority in parliament, results showed, but with diminished support, complicating economic revival and anti-corruption efforts. China says to hold more trade talks with US in Beijing China's top trade negotiator Liu He said on Friday in Washington that trade talks with the US would continue in Beijing but warned that there would be no concessions on "important principles". North Korea's missile tests not 'breach of trust': US President Donald Trump US President Donald Trump said Friday that North Korea's recent missile tests were not a "breach of trust." "They're short-range and I don't consider that a breach of trust at all. And, you know, at some point I may. But at this point no," he said in an interview with Politico. India, China to cooperate closely on Afghanistan's peace efforts India and China on Friday agreed to work closely on the ongoing efforts to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan. The commitment came after Chinese Special Envoy Ambassador Deng Xijun was on a visit to New Delhi, where he met Indian officials to discuss Afghanistan's current situation. Sam Pitroda was out of line, he should apologise: Rahul Gandhi on remark on 1984 anti-Sikh riots Congress president Rahul Gandhi asked Sam Pitroda to apologise for his "happened, so what" remarks on 1984 anti-Sikh riots. "I think what Sam Pitroda Ji said is completely out of line and he should apologise for it. I think 1984 was a needless tragedy that caused tremendous pain," Rahul said in a Facebook post on Friday asserting that "justice has to be done" and the people responsible for 1984 tragedy have to be punished.

This segment of WION brings to you top stories of the morning from across the globe. Watch this video to get updated with the latest information.

WION Speed News: Watch top national and international news of the morning - May 11th, 2019

Even after Iran has survived decades of US sanctions, its policy is still under scanner. Watch the full video to know more.

Iran policy under the scanner

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