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Here's who we know is going to the Trump-Xi dinner so far
Very little is known about which Chinese business executives, if any, are expected to attend.
Trump-Xi meeting: Why China's self-sufficiency changes the calculus
Persistent growth of Chinese exports to the U.S. is helping the world's second-largest economy ride out ongoing domestic challenges.
Virginia logger amazed by China
When the CEO of a small logging company in the U.S. state of Virginia decided to visit China to see his buyer's operation first-hand, he was amazed, not just by the woodworking factory, but China itself.
They were labelled 'pervert glasses'. Will a camera-free version transform their image?
Meta has unveiled audio-only smart glasses, with some questioning whether it is a response to the backlash over privacy.
Epstein’s Accountant and Lawyer Are Said to Be Under Federal Investigation
Lawyers for Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn said their clients were “confident that any investigation will reveal that they were not involved in any of Epstein’s crimes.”
Judge Holds Off on Immediate Ruling on White House’s Media Ban
Judge Timothy J. Kelly heard arguments about President Trump’s recent decision to bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House grounds. He said he would issue a decision about it “as soon as possible.”
How the oil capital of the US welcomed a solar power boom
Texas is now the country's biggest producer of solar-farmed electricity.
£170 a bag? Protein users squeezed as prices soar
Consumers are feeling the pinch from the rising cost of protein.
US stocks fall as oil, bond yields rise
Wall Street ended lower on Wednesday, pulled down by Alphabet and Amazon, as US Treasury yields climbed and Iran's president said Tehran would never surrender to US pressure. Oil prices rose almost 4 percent and the S&P 500 energy sector index rallied after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's speech at the UN, a day after US President Donald Trump warned he could "annihilate" Iran. A survey showed US business activity raced to a more than five-year high in September, pushing government bond yields higher and raising expectations the Federal Reserve will increase interest rates at its October meeting. Yields on 2-year Treasuries touched their highest since 2024, while 10-year Treasury yields hit their highest since 2007. "The stock market wants a resolution to the (Middle East) conflict, and if we don't get that, we will have higher rates for longer, and that's going to continue to weigh on the equity market," said Lauren Cassidy, chief investment officer at Founders 100 ETF in Dallas. Meta Platforms rose 1 percent, bringing its gain this week to 12 percent following a strong reception of its "Muse" AI assistant, which analysts say could benefit tech infrastructure stocks, while challenging banks, online shopping platforms and other consumer businesses. Google parent Alphabet fell 3.8 percent. Amazon, which has blocked Muse from its shopping platform, dropped 2.2 percent. The PHLX chip index dropped 1.2 percent, with Nvidia down 1.5 percent. Expedia and Airbnb both fell more than 7 percent. The Nasdaq recorded record-high closes in the previous two sessions as Wall Street remained optimistic about AI-related companies. The S&P 500 is less than 2 percent below its record high close on August 13. Investors are also looking ahead to a summit between US leader Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping in Washington, where tensions over trade, technology and Tehran are expected to play out against a backdrop of pomp and ceremony. The S&P 500 declined 0.8 percent to end the session at 7,706 points. The Nasdaq declined 1.1 percent to 26,936 points, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.7 percent to 51,511 points. Markets also parsed comments from Federal Reserve Governor Michael Barr, who said the central bank will likely need to deliver further interest rate hikes as inflation remains north of the Fed's 2 percent target. Traders are now pricing in a 71 percent chance that the Fed will raise interest rates at its policy meeting next month, the CME Group's FedWatch Tool showed. (Reuters) Edited by Cecil Wong
'US-China trade truce to be extended to January'
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday said Washington and Beijing have agreed to a two-month extension of their trade truce, which was due to expire on November 10. The deal came after marathon talks between Bessent and Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York on Sunday and in Washington on Wednesday. The announcement came just as President Xi Jinping arrived in the United States for a high-stakes summit with his US counterpart Donald Trump on Thursday. "We have agreed today that we will extend what we call the Busan Agreement, the economic detente between the two countries that was scheduled to end on November 10th," Bessent told Fox News in an interview. "That is going to be extended until January 10th to give us more time to see what we can do on the economic front," he added. The truce, which took effect last year, came after Trump struck a deal with Xi. The agreement saw both sides agree to reduce tit-for-tat tariffs and for the United States to extend certain tariff exclusions. Washington had also agreed at the time to suspend responsive actions after an investigation into China's shipbuilding sector. Bessent on Wednesday also flagged the possibility that both sides could reduce tariffs on US$30 billion of non-sensitive goods. Following hours of talks involving Bessent, US trade envoy Jamieson Greer and their Chinese counterparts on Sunday, Greer told reporters that both teams were still working through this. Besides trade, Washington and Beijing also discussed creating a notification mechanism to flag AI-related incidents or threats. (AFP) Edited by Cecil Wong