AP News in Brief at 6:04 a.m. EDT

Advertisement

Advertise with us

US and China release reciprocal $30 billion product lists for tariff cuts after Trump-Xi meeting

Read this article for free:


or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Subscribe and receive a limited-edition Free Press branded hat or tote.

Digital Subscription

One year of digital access for only $205*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.

US and China release reciprocal $30 billion product lists for tariff cuts after Trump-Xi meeting

HONG KONG (AP) — The United States and China released Monday reciprocal lists of products worth about $30 billion each that will see tariff cuts, in a deal expected to boost bilateral trade.

The details came days after Chinese President Xi Jinping met with President Donald Trump in Washington in his first state visit to the U.S. since 2015. The U.S. had already reduced tariffs against China after Trump’s tariffs reached as high as 145% at one point last year, as tensions between the two countries eased.

China’s commerce ministry said in a statement the agreement will help strengthen trade cooperation.

The lists included 1,619 items of U.S. goods entering China, ranging from agricultural commodities, personal care products to timber and medical equipment. Coal from the U.S. will also be included.

For Chinese goods exported to the U.S., 77 categories were covered, including fireworks, tableware, glass and wooden Christmas ornaments and soccer balls.

___

British police investigate whether arrests near US-run air base foiled an Iran-linked attack

FAIRFORD, England (AP) — Police were holding five men on Monday and examining suspected explosives found near a U.S.-operated air force base in England, as counterterror detectives investigated whether the arrests foiled an attempted attack linked to Iran.

The men were detained early Sunday after three vans were spotted near RAF Fairford, a U.K.-owned base operated by the U.S. Air Force that has been used by American bombers during decades of conflicts in the Middle East.

The five, who have not been named, were initially held over suspected explosives offenses, and later also arrested on suspicion of preparing an act of terrorism. Police can hold them for up to 14 days before they must be charged or released.

President Donald Trump said the suspects had been detained following cooperation between the U.S. and Britain, and had been “under view” for some time. Police, however, said the arrests were triggered by a late-night call about “suspicious vehicles” near the base.

British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting declined to give details of the operation, but said “it was a proud moment” that Trump had recognized “the work that our police and intelligence services do every day.”

___

Trump administration set to roll out lower fuel economy standards for cars, light trucks

NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration on Monday plans to release new fuel economy standards that would relax regulatory requirements for automakers to control pollution from gasoline-powered cars and light trucks.

President Donald Trump said on his Truth Social media account Saturday that the less stringent mileage requirements would “take the waste out of building cars in America” and save families “thousands on a new, beautiful and safe car,” while boosting auto production in the U.S.

Last December, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration projected that the new standards would set the industry fleetwide average for light-duty vehicles at roughly 34.5 miles per gallon in the 2031 model year, down from a projected 50.4 miles per gallon in 2031 under rules put in place by the Biden administration.

Fuel economy requirements set out how far new vehicles need to travel on a gallon of gasoline. The change would further make do on Trump’s promise to revoke policies that encouraged or created incentives for the production of electric vehicles.

Since taking office, Trump has relaxed auto tailpipe emissions rules, repealed fines for automakers that do not meet federal mileage standards and terminated consumer credits of up to $7,500 for EV purchases.

___

Hurricane Polo could produce life-threatening flooding in Mexico’s Baja California

PUERTO SAN CARLOS, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Polo bore down on Mexico’s Baja California peninsula on Monday with a threat of storm surge, high winds and heavy rains, while Hurricane Nolo threatened parts of Hawaii with torrential rain even as the storm edged further away from the state’s islands.

Polo was a Category 3 storm with top sustained winds of 125 mph (205 kph) Sunday evening, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said. The storm is expected to lash the peninsula with heavy rainfall overnight and could produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides.

Nolo was well southwest of Hawaii and moving away from the Big Island as the weekend drew to a close, but a high-wind warning, wind advisory and high surf advisory remained in effect for parts of the island through Sunday evening. Nolo’s maximum sustained winds increased to near 105 mph (165 kph).

In Puerto San Carlos, a fishing town of about 5,700 people on Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, residents boarded up homes Sunday as workers hauled dirt and rubble to shore up the embankments protecting the town. Authorities said 90% of the community was susceptible to flooding.

Residents feared high tides and pounding waves could breach the barriers and send seawater through the community. Some families planned to evacuate to shelters in Ciudad Constitucion, about 37 miles (60 kilometers) away.

___

Residents brace for a possible Russian hybrid attack on Poland’s border with Ukraine

DOROHUSK, Poland (AP) — Three times in one day, phones lit up across this Polish border community with a warning: A drone or a missile could cross from Ukraine, and residents should stay vigilant in case they might need to take cover.

Above the village of Dorohusk in eastern Poland, vapor trails cut across the pale blue sky and military helicopters rumbled overhead. Just 2 kilometers (1.24 miles) away, traffic at the border crossing into Ukraine was suspended three times, and staff were even evacuated once.

The alerts and disruptions on Thursday came as The Associated Press was visiting the village. They reflected a new reality along Poland’s eastern frontier, where the war in Ukraine — now 4 1/2 years old — has felt increasingly close.

Russia isn’t at war with Poland, but over the past few years European leaders say it’s mounted a series of so-called hybrid attacks to pressure to pressure adversaries in the West and NATO that include sabotage, disinformation and cyberattacks. Poland is worried that the drones or missiles strikes could spill over from Ukraine, whether by accident or as part of a Russian strategy of ambiguous attacks.

The anxiety intensified after two Russian drones exploded on the Ukrainian side of the Dorohusk-Yahodyn crossing in the early hours of Sept. 13. The explosions could clearly be heard in Dorohusk.

___

Global benchmarks are mixed despite Wall Street’s rally finish last week

TOKYO (AP) — Global shares were trading mixed Monday after a cooldown in oil prices last week helped U.S. stocks close out their first winning week in the last three.

France’s CAC 40 edged up 0.3% in early trading to 8,097.99, while the German DAX added 0.2% to 25,464.53. Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.3% to 10,725.57. U.S. shares were set to drift lower with Dow futures dipped 0.3% to 51,992.00. S&P 500 futures shed 0.4% to 7,770.75.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 declined 0.7% to finish at 65,877.62.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 added 0.2% to 8,679.70. South Korea’s Kospi dipped 2.7% to 6,889.74. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.5% to 24,642.51, while the Shanghai Composite lost 1.7% to 3,823.62.

In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude gained 3.41% to $95.56 a barrel. Brent xrude, the international standard, rose 3.73% to $108.21 a barrel.

___

Congo Ebola outbreak tops 8,000 confirmed cases as disease remains out of control

BUNIA, Congo (AP) — The number of confirmed cases of Ebola virus in Congo has surged past 8,000, as the country runs out of health workers to contain the deadly disease.

Congo announced an outbreak on May 15, caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which has no known treatment or vaccine, and has struggled to contain it.

Latest data from Congo’s health ministry showed that 8,067 cases have been confirmed, with 3,901 deaths as of Sept. 26 across 63 health zones in seven of the country’s 26 provinces, with a fatality rate of more than 48%.

“The continuously high crude case fatality ratio, and especially the continuously high rate of deaths occurring in communities, highlights the seriousness of the disease and the persistent challenges in timely case detection and access to early and adequate patient care,” the World Health Organization said in its latest report.

Last week, the WHO said that Congo is running out of health workers to contain the disease. Health workers have complained about delayed or missing payments, triggering several strikes despite the delicate nature of the outbreak. According to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 50 health workers have died since the outbreak was announced.

___

Pope urges religious leaders in France to preach peace as he recalls foundations of European unity

METZ, France (AP) — Pope Leo XIV urged religious leaders on Monday to preach messages of peace and unity as he wrapped up a visit to France by recalling the forces of dialogue that contributed to Europe’s post-World War II integration.

Leo traveled to the eastern city of Metz, near the border with Luxembourg and Germany, to preside over an interreligious meeting. It was held at a conference center named for Robert Schuman, a French Catholic statesman regarded as one of the founding fathers of European unity.

Leo decided to end his four-day visit to France in Metz to drive home his appeal for Europe to remember its tradition of dialogue to confront today’s challenges of war, migration and polarization.

Speaking to Jewish, Muslim, Protestant and Orthodox leaders gathered in the conference center, Leo cited Schuman’s example of promoting dialogue even among rivals in saying faith leaders had a shared responsibility to forge friendships across borders in the name of peace.

“Indeed, to invoke God’s name in order to justify violence or oppression is to profane that name,” he said. “Religious discourse must constantly call for the disarmament of hearts and words.”

___

Heavy rain and flooding kill at least 62 in northern India

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — At least 62 people have died after days of heavy rain and flooding in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh state, officials said Monday.

The state government said 46 people were injured and more than 1,000 houses were damaged after three days of heavy rainfall caused flooding in several districts.

Schools were closed Monday in parts of the state, including the capital, Lucknow, while rescue teams moved people from flooded areas to safer locations. Residents were advised to avoid unnecessary travel through waterlogged areas and stay away from fast-flowing rivers, streams and drains.

Rainfall was expected to ease from Monday as a weather system over the Bay of Bengal weakened, said Atul Kumar Singh, a senior scientist at the Regional Meteorological Centre in Lucknow. Light rain could continue in eastern and western parts of the state through Tuesday, he said.

Flooding also affected the eastern state of Odisha, where more than 75,000 people were evacuated to safer areas, officials said.

___

Anthropic and OpenAI sound the alarm on AI safety — and seek to shape how it’s controlled

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — As tech titans warned an AI-weary world that their own advanced systems could endanger humanity, the question emerged: What do they have to gain?

The answer may lie in the companies’ efforts to score political goals ahead of the U.S. midterm elections and the money top artificial intelligence labs and their investors stand to make in much-anticipated listings on a jittery stock market.

The CEOs of Anthropic and OpenAI recently declared America’s cutting-edge models are so powerful, they’re dangerous, and need to be regulated and independently tested before being released. In a rare instance of unity, they have sketched alarming scenarios in essays, social media posts and speeches to the United Nations.

Along the way, they are shaping the conversation around how their technology should be controlled. With their rhetoric, the companies appear to be seeking public favor and to set the terms for their own safety protocols in the unregulated market, experts, analysts and former government evaluators told The Associated Press.

Those aims may not exactly align with what Anthropic engineer Jacob Coxon sought when he quit via a post on X this month, calling for a pause on tech development to keep “superhuman” systems from eluding their makers’ control. But the companies saw his post as an opportunity to highlight their own safety efforts and position themselves as cautious market leaders, just when they need fresh capital before going public on Wall Street.

Report Error Submit a Tip

World

LOAD WORLD ARTICLES