China blasts US for its computer chip moves and for threatening student visas

China blasts US for its computer chip moves and for threatening student visas

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China blasted the U.S. on Monday over moves it alleged harmed Chinese interests, including issuing AI chip export control guidelines, stopping the sale of chip design software to China, and planning to revoke Chinese student visas. "These practices seriously violate the consensus" reached during trade discussions in Geneva last month, the Commerce Ministry said in a statement. That referred to a China-U.S. joint statement in which the United States andChinaagreed to slash their massiverecent tariffs, restarting stalled trade between the world's two biggest economies. But last month's de-escalation inPresident Donald Trump's trade warsdid nothing to resolve underlying differences between Beijing and Washington and Monday's statement showed how easily such agreements can lead to further turbulence. The deal lasts 90 days, creating time for U.S. and Chinese negotiators to reach a more substantive agreement. But the pause also leavestariffshigher than beforeTrump started ramping them uplast month. And businesses and investors must contend with uncertainty about whether the truce will last. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greersaid the U.S. agreed to drop the 145% tax Trump imposed last month to 30%. China agreed to lower its tariff rate on U.S. goods to 10% from 125%. The Commerce Ministry said China held up its end of the deal, canceling or suspending tariffs and non-tariff measures taken against the U.S. "reciprocal tariffs" following the agreement. "The United States has unilaterally provoked new economic and trade frictions, exacerbating the uncertainty and instability of bilateral economic and trade relations," while China has stood by its commitments, the statement said. It also threatened unspecified retaliation, saying China will "continue to take resolute and forceful measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests." And in response to recent comments by Trump, it said of the U.S.: "Instead of reflecting on itself, it has turned the tables and unreasonably accused China of violating the consensus, which is seriously contrary to the facts." Trump stirred further controversy Friday, saying he will no longer be nice withChina on trade, declaring in a social media post that the country had broken an agreement with the United States. Hours later, Trump said in the Oval Office that he willspeak with Chinese President Xi Jinpingand "hopefully we'll work that out," while still insisting China had violated the agreement. "The bad news is that China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US," Trump posted. "So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!" The Trump administration also stepped up the clash with China in other ways last week, announcing that it would startrevoking visas for Chinese studentsstudying in the U.S. U.S. campuses host more than 275,000 students from China. Both countries are in a race to develop advanced technologies such asartificial intelligence, with Washington seeking to curb China's access to the most advanced computer chips. China is also seeking to displace the U.S. as the leading power in the Asia-Pacific, including through gaining control over close U.S. partner and leading tech giant Taiwan.

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June 01, 2025

China blasts US for its computer chip moves and for threatening student visas

China blasts US for its computer chip moves and for threatening student visas TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China blasted the U.S. on Monday over mo...

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What to know about Karol Nawrocki, Poland's newly elected conservative president

What to know about Karol Nawrocki, Poland's newly elected conservative president

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The final result of Poland's presidential election only became clear after a long, nail-gripping night of counting as both candidates were locked in a near dead heat in the first exit polls after voting ended. Poles awakened Monday to aclear albeit close resultthat returns a nationalist politician to the presidency who has pledged to hinder the centrist, pro-EU government for the remainder of its term. Here's what to know about Karol Nawrocki, Poland's newly elected conservative president: Trumpbacked him Nawrocki is a 42-year-old historian who had no political experience prior to the campaign and who was not even a party member until he was tapped by the conservative Law and Justice party that governed Poland from 2015 to 2023. Nawrocki heads the Institute of National Remembrance, which embraces nationalist historical narratives. He led efforts totopple monuments to the Soviet Red Armyin Poland. Russia responded by putting him on a wanted list, according to Polish media reports. Nawrocki's supporters describe him as the embodiment of traditional, patriotic values. Many of them oppose abortion and LGBTQ+ visibility and say Nawrocki reflects the traditional values they grew up with. He was also the preferred favorite of U.S. President Donald Trump, withthe American conservative group CPACholding its first meeting in Poland last week during the campaign to give him a boost. Kristi Noem, the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary and a prominent Trump ally, strongly praised him and urged Poles to vote for him. His campaign echoed themes popular on the American right. A common refrain from his supporters is that Nawrocki will restore "normality," as they believe Trump has done. U.S. flags appeared at his rallies. Nawrocki performed better in the first round than expected, an indication he was underestimated in the polling. Nawrocki was linked to scandals Nawrocki's quick political rise has not been without controversy, with reports linking him to underworld figures whom he met while boxing or working as a hotel security guard in the past. Nawrocki has also been linked to a scandal involving the acquisition of a Gdansk apartment from an elderly pensioner named Jerzy. Allegations suggest Nawrocki promised to care for Jerzy in return but failed to fulfill the commitment, leading the man to end up in a publicly funded retirement home. His shifting explanations raised questions about his transparency and credibility. After the scandal erupted he donated the apartment to a charity. It recently emerged that Nawrocki took part in a 2009 Gdansk brawl involving about 140 rival soccer fans, some later convicted of crimes. Nawrocki described the fight as a form of "noble" combat. Polish media have also reported on his connections to gangsters and the world of prostitution. His critics say all of these things make him unfit to represent Poland as the head of state but many right-wing voters don't believe the allegations and accuse the media of using its power to hurt him, creating what appears to be a rallying effect around him. It's unclear what effect, if any, these scandals had on the outcome of Sunday's result.

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June 01, 2025

What to know about Karol Nawrocki, Poland's newly elected conservative president

What to know about Karol Nawrocki, Poland's newly elected conservative president WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The final result of Poland's ...

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Mexico's first judicial elections are marked by low turnout, confusion and disillusionment

Mexico's first judicial elections are marked by low turnout, confusion and disillusionment

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico held its first-ever judicial elections Sunday, stirring controversy and sowing confusion among voters who struggled to understand a processset to transform the country's court system. Polls closed and poll workers began counting colored ballots Sunday night with the question hanging in the air of what will become of Mexico's judiciary, the answer to which will only emerge in the coming days as results roll in. Mexico's electoral authority announced late in the night that 13% of Mexico's 100 million voters cast ballots at the polls, lagging far behind the 60% turnout just a year before during the country's presidential election. Nevertheless, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called the voting "a complete success." "Mexico is the most democratic country in the world," she added. Experts warned of startling low turnout in the lead up to the historic elections due to the mindboggling array of unfamiliar choices and the novelty of voting for judges. Experts say those factors may throw into question the legitimacy of the election, which has faced months of fierce scrutiny. Sheinbaum, a member of Mexico's ruling party, Morena, rejected the criticisms and insisted the election would only only make Mexico more democratic and root out corruption in a system that most people in the country believe is broken. "Whoever says that there is authoritarianism in Mexico is lying," she said. "Mexico is a country that is only becoming more free, just and democratic because that is the will of the people." While some voters said they felt pushed to vote in an election they felt would determine the fate of the country's democracy, many more expressed a deep sense of apathy, citing disillusionment due to decades of corruption and lack of basic information about the vote. "I'm not interested (in voting). Parties and their messages — they come and they go. It's all the same," said Raul Bernal, a 50-year-old factory worker in downtown Mexico City walking is dog. A historic vote Even without the final tally, the results of the vote are set to transform Mexico's judiciary. Morenaoverhauled the court systemlate last year, fueling protests and criticism that the reform is an attempt by those in power to seize on their political popularity to gain control of the branch of government until now out of their reach. "It's an effort to control the court system, which has been a sort of thorn in the side" of those in power, said Laurence Patin, director of the legal organization Juicio Justo in Mexico. "But it's a counter-balance, which exists in every healthy democracy." Instead of judges being appointed on a system of merit and experience, Mexican voters have cast ballots to choose between some 7,700 candidates vying formore than 2,600 judicial positions. Mexicans head to the polls Some of the country's voting centers opened with only a trickle of people and small lines forming throughout the day. Esteban Hernández, a 31-year-old veterinary student, said he didn't agree with electing judges and doesn't support Morena, but came to vote because "since there isn't much participation, my vote will count more." He had studied the candidates on a website listing their qualifications and decided to pick those who had doctorates. Other critics said they only voted for the Supreme Court and other top courts. Francisco Torres de León, a 62-year-old retired teacher in southern Mexico, called the process "painstaking because there are too many candidates and positions that they're going to fill." Sheinbaum's predecessor and political mentor, former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who had pushed through the judicial reform but remained out of the public eye since leaving office last year, voted in Chiapas near his ranch. "I wanted to participate in this historic election," he said. "Never in the history of our country … have the people decided and had the right to elect judges." Democratic concerns The process has raised concerns. Civil society organizations like Defensorxs have raised red flags about a range of candidates running for election, including lawyers who represented some of Mexico's most feared cartel leaders and local officials who were forced to resign from their positions due to corruption scandals. Also among those putting themselves forward are ex-convicts imprisoned for years for drug trafficking to the United States and a slate of candidates with ties to a religious group whose spiritual leader is behind bars in California after pleading guilty to sexually abusing minors. Others like Martha Tamayo, a lawyer and former congresswoman from conflict-ravaged Sinaloa, cast doubt on projections that the election could hand even more power over to criminals and criminal groups, simply because they already have a strong control over courts. "The influence of criminal groups already exists," she said. "The cartels go with the judges (bribe them) whether they are elected or not." 'You have to start with something' The public has been plagued by confusion over a voting process that Patin warned has been hastily thrown together. Voters often have to choose from more than a hundred candidates who are not permitted to clearly voice their party affiliation or carry out widespread campaigning. As a result, many Mexicans said they were going into the vote blind, though others voting Sunday noted they supported the process despite the confusion. Mexico's electoral authority has investigated voter guides being handed out across the country, in what critics say is a blatant move by political parties to stack the vote in their favor. "Political parties weren't just going to sit with their arms crossed," Patin said. While still unsure if his vote would improve access to justice for many Mexicans, 61-year-old actor Manuel José Contreras defended the election, Sheinbaum and her party. He cast his ballot with a tone of hope. "The reform has its problems but we needed an urgent change," he said. "You have to start with something." ___ AP journalists in Mexico Edgar H. Clemente in Tapachula, Alba Aléman in Xalapa and Fernando Llano in Mexico City contributed to this report.

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June 01, 2025

Mexico's first judicial elections are marked by low turnout, confusion and disillusionment

Mexico's first judicial elections are marked by low turnout, confusion and disillusionment MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico held its first-ever...

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What we know about the suspect and victims in the Boulder, Colorado, attack

What we know about the suspect and victims in the Boulder, Colorado, attack

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Six people calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza were injured at an outdoor mall in Boulder, Colorado, by a man who police say used a makeshift flamethrower and hurled an incendiary deviceinto a crowd.The FBI immediately described Sunday's violence as a "targeted terror attack." The suspect, identified by the FBI as 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, yelled "Free Palestine" during the attack on the group of demonstrators, said Mark Michalek, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Denver field office. Soliman was arrested and taken to the hospital for treatment, but authorities didn't elaborate on his injuries. Here is what we know about the attack: How the attack unfolded Authorities said the attacker targeted demonstrators with a volunteer group called Run for Their Lives, which organizes run and walk events to call for the immediate release of the Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza since they were captured by militants during the incursion into southern Israel that started the Israel-Hamas war in 2023. The group had gathered at the Pearl Street pedestrian mall, a four-block area in downtown Boulder frequented by tourists and students. The Israel-Hamas war has inflamed global tensions and contributed to a spike in antisemitic violence in the United States. A week earlier,two Israeli Embassy staffers were shot to death in Washington by a manwho yelled "I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza" as he was being led away by police. Police in Boulder evacuated multiple blocks of the pedestrian mall. The scene shortly after the attack was tense, as law enforcement agents with a police dog walked through the streets looking for threats and instructed the public to stay clear. The violence occurred four years after 10 people were killed a shooting rampage at a grocery store in Boulder, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of Denver. The gunman was sentenced to life in prison for murder after a jury rejected his attempt to avoid prison time by pleadingnot guilty by reason of insanity. Several people hospitalized The people hospitalized for injuries in the Pearl Street attack range in age from 67 to 88. Photos from the scene showed a woman lying on the ground in the fetal position with her hair soaked, and a man helping her and getting water from someone with a water jug. The injuries authorities found were consistent with reports of people being set on fire, Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn said, adding that injuries ranged from serious to minor. Redfearn told reporters Sunday evening that it was too early to discuss a motive but that witnesses were being interviewed. "It would be irresponsible for me to speculate on motive this early on," he said. The suspect was arrested at the scene Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, was arrested at the scene. No charges were immediately announced, but officials said they expect to hold him "fully accountable." Video from the scene showed him shirtless and wearing jeans and holding two clear bottles with a transparent liquid in them while shouting at onlookers. Another video shows a witness shouting, "He's right there. He's throwing Molotov cocktails," as a police officer with his gun drawn advanced on the suspect. FBI leaders in Washington said they were treating the Boulder attack as an act of terrorism, and the Justice Department — which leads investigations into acts of violence driven by religious, racial or ethnic motivations — decried the attack as a "needless act of violence, which follows recent attacks against Jewish Americans." "This act of terror is being investigated as an act of ideologically motivated violence based on the early information, the evidence, and witness accounts. We will speak clearly on these incidents when the facts warrant it," FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said in a post on X.

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June 01, 2025

What we know about the suspect and victims in the Boulder, Colorado, attack

What we know about the suspect and victims in the Boulder, Colorado, attack BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Six people calling for the release of Isra...

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China rejects Trump's accusation that it breached Geneva trade deal

China rejects Trump's accusation that it breached Geneva trade deal

(Reuters) -China said on Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump's accusations that Beijing had violated the consensus reached in Geneva trade talks were "groundless", and promised to take forceful measures to safeguard its interests. The comment by the commerce ministry was in response to Trump's remarks on Friday that China had breached a bilateral deal to roll back tariffs. The ministry said China had implemented and actively upheld the agreement reached last month in Geneva, while the U.S. had introduced multiple "discriminatory restrictive" measures against China. Those measures included issuing guidance on AI chip export controls, halting sales of chip design software to China and revoking visas for Chinese students, the ministry added. "The U.S. government has unilaterally and repeatedly provoked new economic and trade frictions, exacerbating uncertainty and instability in bilateral economic and trade relations," the ministry said in a statement. It did not elaborate on what forceful measures it might take in response. Beijing and Washington agreed in mid-May in Geneva to pause triple-digit tariffs for 90 days. In addition, China also promised to lift trade countermeasures that restricted its exports of the critical metals needed for U.S. semiconductor, electronics and defence production. Trump on Friday also announced a doubling of import tariffs on steel and aluminium to 50%. While China is the world's largest steel producer and exporter, it ships very little to the United States after a 25% tariff imposed in 2018 shut most Chinese steel out of the market. China ranks third among aluminium suppliers. (Reporting by Shuyan Wang and Chen Aizhu; Editing by Tom Hogue and Kate Mayberry)

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June 01, 2025

China rejects Trump's accusation that it breached Geneva trade deal

China rejects Trump's accusation that it breached Geneva trade deal (Reuters) -China said on Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump...

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