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US President Donald Trump departed for Beijing ahead of a high-stakes summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping after weeks of US efforts to persuade China to return Iran to negotiations and ease tensions around the Strait of Hormuz failed.The leaders of the world’s two largest economies are scheduled to meet on Thursday and Friday during Trump’s first visit to China since 2017, with talks expected to focus on trade, Taiwan, artificial intelligence and the war involving Iran.Recommended stories list of 3 itemsend of listHere’s what we know about the upcoming summit and the key issues expected to dominate the agenda.Why…

Hong Kong — Chinese leader Xi Jinping scurries down 39 red-carpeted steps outside Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, a political landmark in the very heart of China’s capital. The timing of each step is such that he passes senior officials from the Chinese and American delegations and reaches a discreet spot on the red carpet within seconds of the arrival of his guest, US President Donald Trump. On cue, ceremonial music begins. The level of meticulous, second-by-second planning exhibited during President Trump’s first visit to Beijing in 2017 will be on display again starting Thursday, when the president plans…

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.Wpa Pool | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesThis report is from this week’s CNBC’s UK Exchange newsletter. Like what you see? You can subscribe here.The dispatchNext month will mark a decade since Britain voted to leave the European Union but, as last week’s local elections demonstrate, the vote continues to cast a long shadow.The results highlighted the extent to which the governing Labour Party’s support has fractured along lines echoing the referendum.Labour’s younger voters, chiefly in London and university cities, defected in many cases to the pro-EU Green Party.But even larger numbers of socially conservative white working-class voters in Wales, Scotland…

President Donald Trump’s plan to eliminate the gas tax to ease cost-of-living concerns is facing opposition not only from his political opponents but also from the Republican-leaning trucking and construction industries.These industries rely heavily on road and transportation infrastructure projects funded by federal gas and diesel taxes.”A gas tax holiday is a good way to punch a hole in revenue that funds highway and transit repairs, but it’s a bad way to help drivers affected by high gas prices,” said Brian Termeer, national spokesman for the construction industry trade group General Contractors of America. Gasoline prices have increased about 50%…

explainerAmid heightened tensions over the Iran war and the Strait of Hormuz, President Trump heads to Beijing for a high-stakes meeting with President Xi Jinping.Published May 13, 2026May 13, 2026US President Donald Trump departed for Beijing on Tuesday for a high-stakes summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying the two leaders would have a “long talk” on Iran, although trade remained the main focus of the visit.The summit comes as tensions over the war involving Iran continue to rise, with Tehran accusing the US and Israel of fabricating “justifications for atrocities” while President Trump insists the conflict will end “peacefully…

Every night, Abbas Yusuf climbs over the ancient walls of Ethiopia’s holy city of Harar and begins calling out the animals’ names. Kamaridani “Like the Moon”. Chaltu, “sophisticated”. and his favorite, Jarujara, “the one who hurries.” A spotted hyena emerges from the darkness and retrieves a piece of meat from a stick held between its teeth. For Abbas, these carnivores are welcome visitors. “I prepare the meat,” he says in his native Oromo. “And I will watch over the guests who come and see them off in peace.” Mr. Abbas is one of Mr. Haller’s last “hyena men,” continuing the…

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang gestures at the NVIDIA GTC Global AI Conference on March 17, 2026 in San Jose, California, USA. Carlos Barria | ReutersHello, my name is Leonie Kidd and I’m from London. Welcome to today’s edition of Daily Open, and it looks like it’s also welcoming Jensen Huang’s President Trump’s visit to China.Here’s how, after a few posts and accusations on Truth Social, a last-minute addition to the U.S. delegation headed to Beijing came together… What you need to know todayNvidia CEO Jensen Huang attended US President Donald Trump’s visit to China after it was initially pointed out…

Chinese technology giant tencent on Wednesday reported a 9% increase in revenue in its first-quarter 2026 results, which fell short of analysts’ expectations. Here is Tencent’s first quarter 2026 earnings compared to LSEG’s analyst forecast data:Sales: 196.5 billion Chinese yuan ($28.9 billion), expected to be 199 billion Chinese yuan. Domestic game sales: CNY 45.4 billion, up 6% year-on-year, but slower than the 24% increase the sector recorded in the first quarter of 2025.”We will start 2026 by making significant early progress on new AI products and continue to leverage AI to grow our existing core businesses,” Tencent Chairman and CEO…

TAIPEI, Taiwan – Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to seek concessions on Taiwan and U.S. tariffs as he meets with U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of a high-stakes summit in the shadow of the war against Iran.President Trump will arrive in China on Wednesday night for a three-day visit, the first visit by a U.S. leader to the country since 2017, when Trump visited early in his first term.Recommended stories list of 4 itemsend of listUnlike Mr. Trump, who is known for his fickle policy decisions, Mr. Xi is widely seen as predictable in his goals for summits, especially…

Florentino Perez stunned journalists and the Spanish football world with his performance at a press conference on Tuesday after claiming he was the victim of an “organized campaign” to oust him, writes Cabe Solgecol…Perez called for new club elections and told opponents to come forward and challenge him and the board. Real Madrid’s president claims that all of the club’s problems this season are the fault of the media and referees, and clearly believes that attack is the best form of defence. Last week, Federico Valverde and Aurélien Choameni collided during training two days in a row, resulting in Valverde…