White House claims China trade deal reached while Beijing hails ‘important first steps’
The two sides will issue a joint statement agreed during the talks on Monday, the vice-premier said. The US trade representative, Jamieson Greer, who spoke alongside Bessent, suggested more strongly that a deal had been reached. “We want to see, for the good of both China and the U.S., an opening up of China to American business. “They all look a little bit like the UK deal but each one is bespoke,” he said. But Hufbauer cautioned he was “very sceptical that there will be any return to something like normal US-China trade relations”.
Source:The Guardian
May 12, 2025 05:11 UTC
Trump claims ‘total reset’ in US-China trade relations after tariff talks in Geneva
Donald Trump has hailed a “total reset” in US-China trade relations after the first day of talks between top American and Chinese officials in Geneva aimed at defusing a trade war sparked by his tariff rollout. The US president praised the “very good” discussions and deemed them “a total reset negotiated in a friendly, but constructive, manner”. Trump’s tariffs imposed on China this year currently total 145%, with cumulative US duties on some Chinese goods reaching 245%. View image in fullscreen Members of the Chinese delegation after leaving the trade talks in Geneva, Switzerland, on Saturday. Trump said on Friday that an 80% tariff on Chinese goods “seems right”, suggesting for the first time a specific alternative to the 145% levies he has imposed on Chinese imports.
Source:The Guardian
May 11, 2025 15:17 UTC
Weight-loss jabs may be good for mental health, research shows
Weight loss jabs may be good for people’s mental health as well as helping curb their appetite, according to research. The Institute for Fiscal Studies calculates that about 13-15% of working-age people in England and Wales have a long-term mental health or behavioural condition, with 2 million people in contact with NHS mental health services in December 2024. The authors found that treatment with the medicines, which include semaglutide (sold as Ozempic or Wegovy) were not associated with worse mental health, nor greater risk of new mental illness or psychiatric admissions. For adults without mental illness, the weight loss injections had a greater beneficial effect on mental health than insulin and other antidiabetic drugs. “While this study into weight loss jabs is important and promising, we believe such medications are only a short-term solution.
Source:The Guardian
May 11, 2025 14:32 UTC
Real-world geoengineering experiments revealed by UK agency
Real-world geoengineering experiments spanning the globe from the Arctic to the Great Barrier Reef are being funded by the UK government. Getting this “critical missing scientific data” is vital with the Earth nearing several catastrophic climate tipping points, said the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (Aria), the government agency backing the plan. Geoengineering is controversial, with some scientists calling it a “dangerous distraction” from cutting emissions and concerned about unintended climate impacts. The Aria programme, along with another £10m project, makes the UK one of the biggest funders of geoengineering research in the world. The Aria programme will also assess space reflectors, which are sunshades placed into orbit, using modelling to determine their feasibility.
Source:The Guardian
May 07, 2025 21:13 UTC
US and China to hold tariff talks in Switzerland this weekend, treasury chief says – as it happened
Bessent’s first statement, that there have been no negotiations with China directly contradicts a claim Trump made two weeks ago that there have been talks. I think have your reporting wrong.” As Mason clarified that he “was saying what China said”, Trump abruptly ended the press availability. Bessent also contradicted a previous claim from Trump that talks with China had been going on for weeks. I think have your reporting wrong.” As Mason clarified that he “was saying what China said”, Trump abruptly ended the press availability. Two weeks ago, Trump offered the same incorrect response to questions about the tensions in Kashmir which revealed his lack of understanding about the history of the conflict there.
Source:The Guardian
May 07, 2025 08:15 UTC
Inside Taganrog: beatings, electrocution and starvation at prison where Ukrainians were tortured
Taken together, a picture emerges of a brutal and systemic assault on Ukrainian prisoners. Satellite imagery shows that as the prison filled up with Ukrainians, during the summer of 2022 it was reinforced with new steel roofs. The first Ukrainian prisoners were sent there in April 2022, often tied up and blindfolded onboard military trucks daubed with the Z symbol. All Ukrainian prisoners who passed through Taganrog reported horrifying and sustained torture, including civilians and female prisoners. The information suggests Ukrainian detainees have been scattered across Russia, held as far as 600 miles from the border with Ukraine.
Source:The Guardian
May 01, 2025 07:30 UTC
What caused the blackout in Spain and Portugal and did renewable energy play a part?
Spain and Portugal suffered the worst blackout in living memory in Europe this week. ‘People were stunned’: how massive blackout unfolded across Spain and Portugal Read moreDid renewable energy play a part? Spain and Portugal lead the EU in renewables and were sourcing about 80% of their electricity from solar and wind when the blackout hit on Monday. Pratheeksha Ramdas, a senior analyst at Rystad Energy, said: “We cannot say that high wind and solar power caused the blackout – in the days before we saw far greater amounts of renewables on the system. Yet there’s limited research into how climate change will affect future power systems, or how to design grids that are truly robust.” Spain and Portugal power outage: what caused it, and was there a cyber-attack?
Source:The Guardian
April 30, 2025 17:11 UTC
Electricity restored to 90% of Spain and most of Portugal after massive power outage
Electricity had been restored to nearly 90% of mainland Spain by early on Tuesday, the grid operator REE said. Power was restored overnight to around 6.2m households in Portugal out of 6.5m, according to the national electricity grid operator. In scenes reminiscent of the 2003 outage that caused widespread blackouts in the US north-east, rail services across the Iberian peninsula were halted, air traffic disrupted and traffic lights extinguished. In Madrid and other cities, traffic lights ceased to function, causing gridlock as vehicles slowed to avoid collisions, while metros were halted. He said the situation across the country remained very “asymmetric” on Monday night, with some regions already having 90% of their power restored, while others had recovered less than 15%.
Source:The Guardian
April 30, 2025 01:48 UTC
Tens of millions across Spain and Portugal hit by huge power outage
Tens of millions of people across Spain and Portugal have been plunged into a huge power blackout blamed by the Portuguese operator on extreme temperature variations, leaving them without trains, metros, traffic lights, ATMs, phone connections and internet access. The Spanish government convened a crisis meeting at the national grid operator, Red Eléctrica, to discuss the outage. View image in fullscreen Fans at the Madrid Open tennis tournament after matches were suspended due to the power outage. The Portuguese operator, REN, said the outage was caused by a “rare atmospheric phenomenon”, with extreme temperature variations in Spain causing “anomalous oscillations” in very high-voltage lines. In Portugal, the outage hit the capital, Lisbon, and surrounding areas, as well as northern and southern parts of the country.
Source:The Guardian
April 28, 2025 20:37 UTC
Vancouver car attack: Suspect has 'significant history of mental health issues' – video
Vancouver police have ruled out terrorism after a car ramming attack that killed at least 11 people at a Filipino heritage festival in the Canadian city. Canadian prime minister Mark Carney expressed his 'deepest condolences' and sent his wishes for strength and compassion to those affected. Other officials could barely speak as the extent of the tragedy shook the Vancouver community.
Source:The Guardian
April 28, 2025 19:59 UTC
Yemen Houthi rebels say 68 dead in US airstrike on prison in Saada – video
Houthi rebels in Yemen said 68 people has been killed and 47 injured in a US strike on a detention centre holding African migrants in the city of Saada. The rebel group, which governs north-western Yemen, said the shelter was under the supervision of the International Organization for Migration and the Red Cross and that targeting it was 'a full-fledged war crime'. The US military had no immediate comment
Source:The Guardian
April 28, 2025 19:53 UTC
Spain and Portugal power outage: what caused it, and was there a cyber-attack?
Spain, Portugal and some of south-west France suffered a massive power cut on Monday, with major cities including Madrid, Barcelona and Lisbon among those affected. Red Eléctrica de España (REE), Spain’s electric network, said Spain and Portugal were hit by “el cero” – the zero. Senior European Commission vice-president Teresa Ribera also told Spain’s Radio 5 that there was no evidence of a deliberate act having caused the outage. Spain has been a leader in renewable power generation. Last year was a record period for renewable power generation, which accounted for 56% of all electricity used.
Source:The Guardian
April 28, 2025 19:47 UTC
Could the West Bank become the next Gaza? – video explainer
Israel has brought the military tactics of its war in Gaza to the occupied West Bank, where Palestinians are facing mass forced displacements and a sharp rise in violent attacks. Since January the rate of demolitions, raids and Palestinian deaths have significantly increased. The Palestinian activist Alaa Hathleen told the Guardian he woke up to the sound of bulldozers, moments before his home was demolished. He is one of thousands who have been forcibly displaced so far this year. The Guardian’s senior international affairs correspondent, Emma Graham-Harrison, explains what these military tactics are, how they are used and what this means for the 2.7 million Palestinians who live in the occupied West Bank
Source:The Guardian
April 28, 2025 17:46 UTC
Major power outage causes chaos in Spain and Portugal – video report
A major power outage has left millions without electricity across Spain and Portugal, even briefly affecting communities in south-west France. Phones, traffic lights, subway stations and airports all lost power. The Spanish government said it was 'working to determine the origin and impact and is dedicating all resources to resolve it as quickly as possible'
Source:The Guardian
April 28, 2025 17:36 UTC
Vancouver: several people killed after car ploughs into crowd at community event – video
Several people were killed when a driver ploughed a car into a crowd at a street festival on Saturday in Vancouver. Police said they were investigating a 'mass casualty incident' and that a 30-year-old man from Vancouver had been arrested at the scene. People had gathered to celebrate Lapu Lapu Day, an annual festival put on by British Columbia’s Filipino community that commemorates a 16th-century anti-colonial leader from Mactan, now part of the Philippines
Source:The Guardian
April 28, 2025 04:47 UTC