U.S. to China: Don’t retaliate over tariffs
BEIJING –– U.S. Ambassador Terry Branstad warned China against retaliatory measures against imports of American soybeans asthe world’s two largest economies edged closer to a trade war.
The former Iowa governor said Thursday that any effort to curb U.S. soybean imports would hurt Chinese citizens more than American growers. The crop provides a key source of protein –– in tofu and as feed for hogs –– for the country’s growing middle class, Mr. Branstad said at the U.S. Embassy.
President Donald Trump’s planto impose tariffs on about$50 billion worth of Chinesei mports raised the specter of retaliation. China has repeatedly warned that it would defend itself.
The U.S. had a record $375 billion trade shortfall with China last year. Mr. Trump wants a $100 billion reduction in America’s trade deficit with China this year, and action on intellectual property, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said Monday.
Vatican denies ‘hell’ report
The Vatican denied Thursday an Italian journalist’s report in which he says Pope Francis told him “hell does not exist, the disappearance of sinful souls exists.” The Vatican press office says that although the pope met with La Repubblica cofounder Eugenio Scalfari, Francis did not give an interview to him, said Thomas Rosica, an English-language spokesman for the Vatican.
It’s not the first time that Mr. Scalfari, who has said he is an atheist, has made claims about the pope’s views, but the reference to the pope’s views on hell spread on social media during Holy Week.
Nobel winner returns
ISLAMABAD— Malala Yousafzai, the world’s youngest Nobel laureate, made her first trip back to Pakistan on Thursday, more than five years after Taliban militants shot her in the head for fighting for the right for girls to go to school.
Ms. Yousafzai was flown to Britain in 2012 for medical care and then impressed the world with her eloquent defense for the rights of girls and women. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 before being accepted to Oxford University.
While she has been hailed by supporters as a champion against extremism, some Islamist hard-liners in Pakistan and elsewhere have criticized Ms. Yousafzai as a mouthpiece for Western cultural views.
Fake news criminalized?
Lawmakers in Malaysia may soon vote to approve a “fake news” law that human rights groups and experts say would significantly curtail freedom of expression and democracy in the country. It would subject both journalists and ordinary internet users to up to six years in prison for disseminating content that the state deems misleading.
The bill defines “fake news” as any news, information, data or report that is “wholly or partially false.” This also applies to images and audio, including content created by anyone, anywhere in the world, that affects Malaysia. Under the proposed law, the government could prosecute someone even without offering any evidence that the alleged false hood caused harm. Also, Malaysian law allows police to make warrantless arrests in certain circumstances.
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Early results from Egypt’s election showed President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi headed for a landslide victory with 92 percent of the vote, state media reported Thursday, an unsurprising margin in a race where he eliminated all serious opposition months ago.