ISTANBUL
Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Monday, including US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping reaching a series of trade and security agreements during their summit in China, an Israeli law allowing the execution of Palestinian prisoners taking effect in the occupied West Bank, and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warning that the US, China and Russia seek to weaken a united Europe.
TOP STORIES
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping reached a series of agreements aimed at stabilizing relations between Washington and Beijing during the first visit by a US president to the People’s Republic of China since 2017, the White House said in a statement.
The two leaders agreed that the US and China should pursue what they described as a constructive relationship based on strategic stability, fairness and reciprocity, said the statement.
Trump is expected to welcome Xi to Washington, DC this fall, while both governments said they would support each other as hosts of the G20 and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summits later this year.
The talks also covered major international security issues.
According to the statement, Trump and Xi agreed that Iran must not obtain a nuclear weapon and called for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, saying no country or organization should be allowed to impose tolls there.
An Israeli law allowing the execution of Palestinian prisoners took effect after the head of the army’s Central Command signed the required military order, local media reported.
According to The Times of Israel news portal, Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth signed the order necessary to enact the measure in the occupied West Bank.
Under the military order, courts presiding over the prosecution of attacks that resulted in Israeli deaths must apply the death penalty as “the only available sentence” unless the court finds “special circumstances” allowing for life imprisonment instead.
The law was passed by the Knesset in March, making the death penalty the default punishment for Palestinians accused of carrying out lethal attacks against Israelis.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has warned that the US, China and Russia all prefer a fragmented Europe because a united EU represents a geopolitical force capable of challenging major powers.
Speaking at the Lennart Meri Conference in the Estonian capital Tallinn, Kallas said the EU's collective strength is precisely why external powers have sought to undermine it.
“They don’t like the European Union; that’s very clear,” she said. “If we stick together, if we operate together, then we are equal powers; we are strong.”
NEWS IN BRIEF
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
North America’s largest commuter rail system, the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), shut down early Saturday after five unions representing nearly half of its workforce went on strike across the New York City area, according to media reports.
The Washington Times reported that the strike followed months of deadlocked contract negotiations over wages and health care premiums, despite mediation efforts by the administration of Donald Trump.
Union leaders said no new talks were scheduled, according to the daily.
The 10th Russia-China Expo opened in the Chinese city of Harbin, the Russian government said, describing the event as "an important platform for expanding bilateral trade and industrial cooperation."
The five-day event, which runs to May 21, was officially opened by Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Presidential Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District Yury Trutnev and Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing, the government's press service said in a statement.
According to Trutnev, the Russia-China Expo has become a key mechanism for promoting and diversifying cooperation between the two countries.
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