BAMAKO, Mali – Mali's prime minister has resigned after pressure over growing insecurity in the West African nation including a recent massacre.
The president's office announced Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga's resignation late Thursday and said a new government will be set up after consultation with "all political forces."
Mali's government has faced criticism amid deadly attacks in the central part of the country as wary communities accuse residents of supporting extremist groups.
One attack last month killed 154 people in a village dominated by the Muslim Peuhl ethnic group. The leader of the ethnic Dogon militia suspected in the massacre has denied his fighters were involved.
The United Nations has said hundreds of people were killed last year in such attacks as the extremist threat moves from the north into more populated areas.
Former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor, center, is accompanied by his attorneys Peter Wold, not pictured, and Thomas Plunkett, right, as he walks towards the Hennepin County Government Center for opening arguments of his trial Tuesday, April 9, 2019, in Minneapolis Opening arguments scheduled to begin in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor in the shooting death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond. (David Joles/Star Tribune via AP)
MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed an unarmed woman as she approached his squad car after calling 911 to report a possible crime was reacting to a loud noise and feared an ambush, his attorney said Tuesday, calling it "a perfect storm with tragic consequences."
Mohamed Noor, charged with murder and manslaughter in the 2017 death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, and his partner were rolling down a dark alley in response to Damond's 911 calls about a possible sexual assault when a bicyclist appeared in front of them and they heard "a bang," defense attorney Peter Wold said in his opening statement at Noor's trial.
"It is the next split second that this case is all about," Wold said.
Noor fired a single shot, killing Damond, a 40-year-old dual citizen of the U.S. and Australia whose death rocked both countries and led to changes in the Minneapolis Police Department. The shooting came just two weeks after an officer in New York was ambushed and killed in a parked vehicle.
Attorneys for Noor, who was fired after being charged in the case and has never talked to investigators about what happened, argue that he used reasonable force to defend himself and his partner from a perceived threat. But prosecutors say there is no evidence he faced a threat that justified deadly force
Prosecutor Patrick Lofton, in his opening statement, questioned a statement from Noor's partner, Matthew Harrity, that he heard a thump right before the shooting. Lofton said Harrity never said anything at the scene about such a noise, instead mentioning it for the first time some days later in an interview with investigators.
Lofton also said investigators found no forensic evidence to show that Damond had touched the squad car before she was shot, an assertion that seemed aimed at the possibility that she had slapped or hit it upon approaching the officers.
Lofton also wondered why other officers responding to the scene didn't consistently have their cameras switched on. The officers did not turn on their body cameras until after the shooting, and there was no squad car video. Lofton noted that a sergeant taking statements had her camera on when she talked to Harrity, but off when she talked to Noor.
"We'll never hear what Noor said," he said.
Tuesday's opening statements came after six days of jury selection for Noor. Damond was a life coach who had been engaged to be married in just a month's time. Noor, 33, is a Somali American whose arrival on the force just a couple of years earlier had been trumpeted by city leaders working to diversify the police force.
Damond called 911 twice, then called her fiance and hung up when police arrived, Lofton said. One minute and 19 seconds later, Damond was cradling a gunshot wound to her abdomen and saying, "I'm dying," Lofton added.
Minnesota law allows police officers to use deadly force to protect themselves or their partners from death or great bodily harm. Prosecutors charged Noor with second-degree intentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Earlier Tuesday, Hennepin County District Judge Kathryn Quaintance relented on restrictions that would have prevented the public and media from viewing video evidence introduced in the case. That's expected to include body-camera video that shows efforts to save Damond. Quaintance had cited a desire to protect Damond's privacy, but a coalition of media groups including The Associated Press had challenged the ban.
"The court, like the jury, must follow the law — even if I disagree with it," said Quaintance.
Noor's attorneys haven't said whether he will testify. If he does, prosecutors may be able to introduce some evidence that the defense wanted to keep out of the state's case, including that he has refused to talk to investigators. They also could bring up a 2015 psychological test that showed Noor disliked being around people and had difficulty confronting others. Despite that test, a psychiatrist found him fit to be a cadet officer.
The shooting raised questions about Noor's training . The police chief defended Noor's training, but the chief was forced to resign days later. The shooting also led to changes in the department's policy on use of body cameras.
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Follow Amy Forliti on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/amyforliti
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Check out the AP's complete coverage of Mohamed Noor's trial.
BENGHAZI, Libya – The fighting in Libya's capital has reached a detention center holding hundreds of detained migrants and refugees, the U.N. said Tuesday.
Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for the U.N. secretary-general, said the U.N. aid agency has received reports that the Qasr Ben Ghashir detention center, holding some 890 refugees and migrants, was "breached by armed actors." The facility is 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) south of central Tripoli.
The U.N. says some 3,600 refugees and migrants are held in facilities near the front lines of fighting between the self-styled Libyan National Army and other heavily-armed militias. Five detention centers are in areas already engulfed by fighting, while six more are in close proximity to the clashes.
"The situation in these detention centres is increasingly desperate, with reports of guards abandoning their posts and leaving people trapped inside," Dujarric said, adding that one facility has been without drinking water for days.
Libya became a major conduit for African migrants and refugees fleeing to Europe after the uprising that toppled and killed Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. Thousands have been detained by armed groups and smugglers.
The latest fighting in Libya pits the LNA, led by Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter, against rival militias allied with a weak, U.N.-supported government. The World Health Organization says the fighting has killed more than 270 people, including civilians, and wounded nearly 1,300. It says more than 30,000 people have been displaced.
FILE PHOTO: Logo of Bayer AG is pictured at the annual results news conference of the German drugmaker in Leverkusen, Germany February 27, 2019. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay/File Photo
April 12, 2019
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Bayer said on Friday it would comply with a U.S. federal judge’s order to enter mediation with a plaintiff who claims the company failed to warn against an alleged cancer risk from its Roundup weedkiller.
Bayer has seen billions wiped off its market value since August, when a first U.S. jury found Bayer liable because Monsanto, acquired by Bayer for $63 billion last year, had not warned of the alleged risk from Roundup, which is based on active ingredient glyphosate.
It suffered a similar courtroom defeat last month and more than 10,000 cases are pending.
U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria, who presided over the first two cases in federal court, said in a filing dated Thursday that Bayer and another plaintiff, Elaine Stevick, were ordered to start confidential mediation.
“The parties should propose a mediator in their case management statement; if they cannot agree, the Court will appoint someone,” the judge ordered, cancelling a previously scheduled May 20 trial date.
Bayer said on Friday it would comply with the order in good faith, while believing strongly in the “extensive body of reliable science supporting the safety of Roundup”.
“As this litigation is still in the early stages — with only two verdicts and no cases that have run their course through appeal — we will also remain focused on defending the safety of glyphosate-based herbicides in court,” it said.
(Reporting by Ludwig Burger; Editing by Edward Taylor)
Just 37 firearms have been surrendered to police in New Zealand following the Christchurch mosque massacre, raising questions as to how thousands of semi-automatic weapons will now be confiscated following the passage of an emergency law that makes them illegal.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that “military-style semi-automatic weapons and assault rifles” will be banned with immediate effect along with “high-capacity magazines and parts that can modify a gun to produce semi-automatic or automatic fire.”
Ardern also urged citizens to give up their guns (even non semi-automatics) when she stated, “You can surrender your gun to the police at any time. In fact I have seen reports that people are in fact already doing this. I applaud that effort, and if you are thinking about surrendering your weapon, I would encourage you to do so.”
However, it has now emerged that despite a flood of reports suggesting gun owners in New Zealand were surrendering their weapons en masse, just 37 firearms have been handed in.
“New Zealand police said that as of Tuesday night, 37 firearms had been surrendered to police nationwide. They did not provide a breakdown of how many people owned those guns, the types of firearms, or the districts where the guns were surrendered,” reports BuzzFeed.
The low number of surrendered guns raises questions as to how authorities are going to collect an estimated 13,500 semi-automatic weapons without engaging in a dangerous nationwide confiscation program.
The current penalty for owning banned weapons in New Zealand is 3 years in jail or maximum $4000 fine but that is expected to be increased.
FILE PHOTO: The Citigroup Inc (Citi) logo is seen at the SIBOS banking and financial conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Oct. 19, 2017. REUTERS/Chris Helgren/File Photo
April 17, 2019
By Matt Scuffham
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Top U.S. banks must make deeper cost cuts to drive earnings growth, with revenue expected to remain under pressure for the foreseeable future, analysts said.
Cost cutting was already a major driver of bank earnings for the first quarter. With the exception of JPMorgan Chase & Co, revenue fell at the biggest U.S. lenders as lower market volatility weighed on trading and recession fears dulled clients’ appetite for borrowing.
But Bank of America Corp, Citigroup Inc, Goldman Sachs Group Inc and Morgan Stanley still managed to beat analyst profit forecasts even as revenue slipped.
JPMorgan, the largest U.S. bank by assets, stood out from rivals by growing both revenue and profit. Wells Fargo & Co, which is operating under growth restrictions imposed by regulators, missed profit forecasts.
Some of the banks warned that growth in their net interest income, the difference between what they earn on loans and pay on deposits, will slow in 2019 thanks to a flatter yield curve and a moderating economy. The Federal Reserve in March signaled that it unlikely to raise interest rates this year.
With that major revenue source under pressure and the outlook on other business areas uncertain, expense controls may be the only reliable way for banks to boost profit, analysts said.
“There’s a very close watch on expenses right now and that will probably continue until there’s better visibility on revenue growth,” said Edward Jones analyst Jim Shanahan.
Shanahan said the potential for credit quality to deteriorate as the United States nears the end of the credit cycle also adds to the pressure for banks to get expenses in line.
“Credit can only really get worse from here,” he said. “That is going to be a headwind at some point and all the more reason for the banks to be trying to control their expenses.”
Banks were caught out by the Fed’s change of tack on rates and will need time to adjust their business models in response to the challenging revenue outlook, said David Hendler, an independent analyst at New York-based Viola Risk Advisors, which specializes in risk management.
“That’s going to be hard for them and you won’t see them adapting for two or three quarters. It’s a major headwind,” he said.
Banks are also juggling the need to support short-term earnings with making investments in the longer-term growth of their businesses.
JPMorgan was the only big U.S. bank that increased expenses as it spent more on technology, hiring bankers and marketing.
“JPMorgan is electing to invest in the business,” said Shanahan. “Its strategy is about leveraging the investments it’s already made in digital initiatives.”
Analysts and bankers said that any uptick in revenue across the sector is likely to come from banks’ trading operations. Equities revenues in particular fell sharply during the first quarter, but could improve if a return of market volatility spurs client activity.
“Going forward it’s going to be a function of markets,” Morgan Stanley’s Chief Financial Officer Jonathan Pruzan said in an interview on Wednesday. “Confidence is reasonably good and stock markets are reasonably stable.”
Another potential source of revenue growth would be an upturn in initial public offerings. Equity underwriting was dampened in the first quarter because of a U.S. government shutdown that held up regulatory approvals, but is expected to pick up as the backlog clears.
“Already in the second quarter we’ve seen a major recovery in U.S. IPO volumes,” JPMorgan’s Chief Financial Officer told analysts on a conference call on Friday.
Most analysts are forecasting banks will achieve earnings growth of 7 percent to 9 percent over the full year, and expect cost cutting to be a major driver since they only see revenue growth of 1 percent to 3 percent.
Banks are also expected to keep buying back shares, which boosts earnings per share.
“The return of capital is a critical driver but one you don’t hear people talking about much,” said Marty Mosby, a bank analyst at Vining Sparks.
Mosby thinks concerns about sluggish revenue growth are overblown.
“There’s a disconnect between valuations and the steady-as-you-go earnings progression we’re seeing,” he said.
(Additional reporting by Elizabeth Dilts; Editing by Neal Templin and Meredith Mazzilli)
A former Delaware State University officials pleaded guilty to taking bribes in exchange for classifying students as in-state residents. (Delaware State University)
A former Delaware State University official on Wednesday admitted to accepting more than $70,000 in bribes to falsely classify students as eligible to pay in-state tuition over a four-year period.
Crystal Martin, who worked for the registrar’s office at the Dover-based historically black institution, pleaded guilty to a felony bribery charge, authorities said. The scheme cost the school more than $3 million in lost tuition.
“The defendant abused her position at a public university to personally profit and to defraud her employer,’’ U.S. Attorney David Weiss said in a statement. “Individuals who accept bribes while serving in a public capacity risk undermining trust in those institutions.’’
“The defendant abused her position at a public university to personally profit and to defraud her employer. Individuals who accept bribes while serving in a public capacity risk undermining trust in those institutions.’’
— U.S. Attorney David Weiss
The U.S. Attorney’s Office did not name the school Martin worked for, but her LinkedIn profile said she worked at Delaware State. A spokesperson confirmed to Bloomberg that Martin worked for the school until 2017.
News of the scam comes amid a college admissions scandal that has ensnared dozens of wealthy parents, including actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman. Federal prosecutors allege that those facing charges paid millions of dollars in bribes and fees for test takers and university coaches to get their kids admitted to elite universities.
Crystal Martin's bribery scheme cost Delaware State University more than $3 million in lost tuition, authorities say. (LinkedIn)
The students in the Delaware case were already admitted to the school, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The scheme spanned from 2013 to 2017, prosecutors said. Martin accepted bribes from an unnamed co-conspirator to forge residency documents for hundreds of out-of-state students to allow them to qualify for cheaper in-state tuition.
For the 2018-19 school year, tuition for out-of-state students was $16,094, compared with $7,868 for Delaware residents, according to the school's website.
Martin faces up to 10 years in prison. She is scheduled for sentencing July 1.
Sonia Bompastor, director of the Olympique Lyonnais womenÕs Youth Academy, leads a training at the OL Academy in Meyzieu near Lyon, France, April 16, 2019. REUTERS/Emmanuel Foudrot
April 26, 2019
By Julien Pretot
MEYZIEU, France (Reuters) – Olympique Lyonnais president Jean-Michel Aulas was wringing out his women’s team shirts in the locker room on a rainy London day eight years ago when he decided it was time to take gender equality more seriously.
It was halftime in their Champions League semi-final second leg against Arsenal at Meadow Park with 507 fans watching and Aulas realized that his players did not have a another kit for the second half.
“Next time, there will be a second set just like for the men, that’s how it’s going to work from now on,” he said.
Lyon have since won five Champions League titles to become the most successful women’s team in Europe and recently claimed a 13th consecutive domestic crown.
They visit Chelsea on Sunday in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final, with a fourth straight title in their sights.
At the heart of their achievements is a pervasive ethos that promotes gender equality throughout the club, starting in the youth academy.
In 2013, Aulas appointed former Lyon and France player Sonia Bompastor as head of the Women’s Academy — the female equivalent of one of France’s top youth set-ups that has produced players such as Karim Benzema, Alexandre Lacazette and Hatem Ben Arfa.
At the Youth Academy, girls and boys share the same facilities.
“Pitches, physiotherapy rooms are the same for all,” the 38-year-old Bompastor told Reuters.
As the girls train under the watch of former Lyon and France international Camille Abily, the screams of the boys practicing can be heard nearby.
The boys and girls also benefit from the same psychological support that includes hypnosis sessions and yoga.
“We have a ‘mental ability’ cell and the hypnotist acts on the girls’ subconscious, on their deeply held beliefs after observing them on and off the pitch,” Bompastor added.
SAME TREATMENT
One message the Academy staff are trying to convey is that girls are as good as boys.
“Women’s nature is such that we have low self-esteem. So self-esteem is a big topic for our girls,” said Bompastor.
This is not the case with the boys, she added.
“Some 14, 15-year-old boys still think they would beat our professional players, we tell them this would not be happening. We still need to work on those beliefs,” she said.
Female players also have to face questions that their male counterparts do not, Bompastor explained.
“In France there is a problem with the way women are considered, there are high aesthetic expectations. So we get heavy questions on femininity, intimate questions that men don’t get,” she said.
OL’s Academy has been held up as a shining example for others to follow, even in the U.S., where women’s soccer has a wider audience than in Europe.
“About one third of the (senior women’s) squad comes from the Academy, we have a good balance,” said Bompastor.
“I’m getting tons of requests from American universities and foreign clubs, who want to come and visit our facilities.”
‘ONE CLUB’
The salaries of the senior players is one area where there remains a large discrepancy between Lyon’s men’s and women’s teams.
While the three best-paid women players in the world are at Lyon with Ballon d’Or winner Ada Hegerberg earning 400,000 euros ($445,520) a year, this figure is dwarfed by the around 4 million euros earned annually by men’s player Memphis Depay.
There is, however, a level of interaction between the men’s and women’s players that is not present at many other clubs.
“When you talk about OL you talk about women and men, you talk about one club and you feel it when you are here or outside in the city,” Germany defender Carolin Simon told Reuters.
“We see it when we play in the big stadium. It’s not ‘normal’ for women’s football,” the 26-year-old, who joined the club last year, added.
Lyon’s female players also enjoy respect from their male counterparts, Simon said.
“It’s very cool, it’s a big honor to feel that it doesn’t matter if you are a professional man or woman. We talk with the men, there are handshakes, it’s a good atmosphere and it’s also why we are successful,” said Simon.
“The men respect us and it’s not just for the cameras.”
Her team mate, England’s Lucy Bronze, sees the men’s respect as key to improving women’s football.
“We might not be paid the same but they are just normal with us, they see us as footballers the same as they are,” Bronze told Reuters.
“Being at Lyon has really opened my eyes. To improve women’s football, it starts with having the respect of your male counterparts. It’s the biggest thing because they can influence so many people.”
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Toby Davis)
FILE PHOTO: Ethiopian migrants, stranded in war-torn Yemen, sit on the ground of a detention site pending repatriation to their home country, in Aden, Yemen April 24, 2019. REUTERS/Fawaz Salman/File Photo
April 26, 2019
GENEVA (Reuters) – Yemeni authorities have rounded up about 3,000 irregular migrants, predominantly Ethiopians, in the south of the country, “creating an acute humanitarian situation,” the U.N. migration agency said on Friday.
“IOM is deeply concerned about the conditions in which the migrants are being held and is engaging with the authorities to ensure access to the detained migrants,” the International Organization for Migration said.
The migrants are held in open-air football stadiums and in a military camp, it said in a statement.
The detentions began on Sunday in the city of Aden and the neighboring province of Lahj, which are under the control of the internationally recognized government backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Iran-aligned Houthi rebels control Sanaa, the capital, and other major urban centers.
Both sides are under international diplomatic pressure to implement a United Nations-sponsored ceasefire deal agreed last year in Sweden and to prepare for a wider political dialogue that would end the four-year-old war.
Thousands of migrants arrive in Yemen every year, mostly from the Horn of Africa, driven by drought and unemployment at home and lured by the wages available in the Gulf.
(Writing by Maher Chmaytelli, Editing by William Maclean)
U.S. dollar notes are seen in this November 7, 2016 picture illustration. Picture taken November 7. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
April 26, 2019
(Reuters) – Following are five big themes likely to dominate thinking of investors and traders in the coming week and the Reuters stories related to them.
1/DOLLAR JUGGERNAUT
The dollar has zipped to near two-year highs, leaving many scratching their heads. To many, it’s down to signs the U.S. economy is chugging ahead while the rest of the world loses steam. After all, Wall Street is busily scaling new peaks day after day.
Never mind the cause, the effect is stark. The euro has tumbled to 22-month lows against the dollar and investors are preparing for more, buying options to shield against further downside. Emerging-market currencies are also in pain, with Turkish lira and Argentine peso both sharply weaker.
Now U.S. data need to keep surprising on the upside or even just meet expectations. The International Monetary Fund sees U.S. growth at 2.3 percent this year. For Germany, the forecast is 0.8 percent. The U.S. economy’s rude health has given rise to speculation the Fed might resume raising interest rates. Unlikely. But as other countries — Canada, Sweden and Australia are the latest — hint at more policy easing, there seems to be one way the dollar can go. Up.
(GRAPHIC: Dollar outperforms G10 FX – https://tmsnrt.rs/2Dz17S5)
2/FED: UP OR DOWN?
Wall Street is near record highs and recession worries are receding, so as we mentioned above, investors might wonder if the Federal Reserve will start raising rates again.
Such a pivot is unlikely after the Fed killed off rate-rise expectations at its March meeting. And the latest Reuters poll all but puts to bed any risk of rates will go up this economic cycle, given inflation remains below the Fed’s alarm threshold and unemployment is the lowest in generations.
Before the March rate-pause announcement, a preponderance of economists penciled in one or more increases this year. But that has flipped. A majority of those surveyed April 22-24 see no further tightening through December and more are leaning toward a cut by the end of next year.
Indeed, interest rate futures imply Fed Funds will be below the current 2.25-2.50 percent target range by this December.
Recent positive consumer spending and exports data have eased market concerns of a sharp economic slowdown. But inflation probably needs to run hot for a long period to panic policymakers off their wait-and-see course.
(GRAPHIC: Federal funds and the economy – https://tmsnrt.rs/2DzjTZz)
3/HEISEI TO REIWA
Next week ends three decades of Japan’s Heisei era. Heisei, or Achieving Peace, began in 1989 near the peak of a massive stock market bubble and closes with the country trapped in low growth, no inflation, and negative interest rates.
The new era that dawns on May 1 is called Reiwa, meaning Beautiful Harmony. It begins when Crown Prince Naruhito ascends the Chrysanthemum Throne. But do investors really want harmony? What they want to see is a bit of economic growth and inflation to shake up the status quo.
The Bank of Japan’s stimulus toolkit to revive a long-suffering economy is anything but harmonious and yet it’s set to stay. The central bank confirmed recently rates will stay near zero for a long time. But the coming days may not be harmonious or peaceful for currency markets. A 10-day Golden Week holiday kicks off on April 29 and investors are fretting over the risk of a “flash crash” – a violent currency spasm that can occur in times of thin trading turnover.
The year has already seen two yen spikes and many, including Japan’s housewife-trader brigade – so-called Mrs Watanabes – appear to have bought yen as the holiday approaches. Their short dollar/long yen positions recently reached record highs, stock exchange data showed.
(GRAPHIC: Japan stocks: from Hensei to Reiwa – https://tmsnrt.rs/2W6a7Fe)
4/EARNING TURNING
Quarterly earnings were supposed to be the worst in Europe in almost three years, but with a third of results in, things are looking a little rosier.
Two-thirds of companies’ results have beat expectations, and they point to earnings growth of 4.5 percent year-on-year. Financials have delivered the biggest surprises, according to analysis by Barclays.
That might just show how low expectations were. In fact, analysts are still taking a red pen to their estimates.
The latest I/B/E/S data from Refinitiv shows analysts on average expect first-quarter earnings-per-share for STOXX 600-listed companies to fall 4.2 percent. That would be their worst quarter since 2016 and down sharply from an estimated 3.4 percent just a week earlier.
Those estimates may end up being a little too bearish as earnings season goes on, quelling worries that Europe is heading toward a corporate recession.
GSK and Reckitt Benckiser will give the market a glimpse of the health of the consumer products market and spending on everything from toothpaste, washing powder and paracetamol.
Sterling has gone into the doldrums amid the Brexit delay and unproductive talks between the UK government and the opposition Labour party on a EU withdrawal deal. The resurgent dollar, meanwhile, has taken 2 percent off the pound in April. It is unlikely the Bank of England will be able to rouse it at its May 2 meeting.
Despite robust retail and jobs data of late, the economic picture is gloomy – 2019 growth is likely to be around 1.2 percent, the weakest since 2009, investment is down and Governor Mark Carney says business uncertainty is “through the roof”.
Indeed, expectations for an interest rate increase have been whittled down; Reuters polls forecast rates will not move until early 2020, a calendar quarter later than was forecast a month ago. The hunt for a new governor to replace Carney in October adds more uncertainty to the mix.
The recent run of UK data has fueled hopes of economic rebound. That’s put net hedge fund positions in the pound into positive territory for the first time in nearly a year. The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street might temper some of that optimism.
(Reporting by Alden Bentley in New York, Vidya Ranganathan in Singapore; Karin Strohecker, Josephine Mason and Saikat Chatterjee in London; compiled by Sujata Rao; edited by Larry King)
U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters as he departs for travel to Indianapolis, Indiana from the White House in Washington, U.S., April 26, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
April 26, 2019
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said trade talks with China are going very well, as the world’s two largest economies seek to end talks with a trade agreement to defuse tensions.
Trump said on Thursday he would soon host China’s President Xi Jinping at the White House.
Earlier this week, the White House said that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer would travel to Beijing for more talks on a trade dispute marked by tit-for-tat tariffs between the two countries.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Writing by Makini Brice; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
U.S. President Donald Trump gives a thumbs up to his audience as he hosts Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
April 26, 2019
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday praised Russian President Vladimir Putin’s comments on North Korea this week following the Russian leader’s summit with Pyongyang’s Kim Jong Un.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump also said China was helping with efforts aimed at the denuclearization of North Korea.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Makini Brice; Writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
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