Accord

US president offers no news of any breakthrough on Iran. Plus, how renters’ rights could be key issue in midtermsGood morning.In his visit to China, Donald Trump, has seemed to revel in Chinese hospitality and flattery. Walking in the Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing, the US president was overheard saying that Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, was giving him roses for the White House Rose Garden, according to a pool report.What has China said on Iran? On Fridy, China’s foreign ministry again called for a ceasefire in Iran and said the strait of Hormuz should be opened “as soon as possible”. Ahead of the summit, there was speculation the US might appeal to China, the biggest buyer of Iranian oil, to use its leverage to encourage the country to reopen the strait of Hormuz. But that was walked back by US secretary of state Marco Rubio on Thursday, who said, “We don’t need their help.”What about talks over Taiwan? They weren’t mentioned much. Xi took a firm tone, declaring that “Taiwan independence” and peace in the Taiwan strait were “incompatible”. Trump took a muted approach as he sidestepped questions on Taiwan. A White House readout of the meeting published later also omitted mention of the country.What do Russia’s renewed heavy attacks tell us? Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, said on Thursday that Russia’s heavy bombardment of Kyiv showed Moscow was “banking on escalation rather than negotiation. Kyiv and its partners are ready for negotiations aimed at a just peace,” Merz said. “Russia, for its part, is continuing the war.” Continue reading...

China calls for ceasefire and opening of seaway, while Donald Trump says Xi feels ‘very similar’ about ending the war in IranTrump in China – latest updatesDonald Trump has claimed that the US and China “feel very similar” about ending the war in Iran but offered no details about a possible breakthrough.The US president was speaking alongside Xi Jinping of China at the Zhongnanhai garden in Beijing on the second and final day of the leaders’ summit. Continue reading...

Almost two-thirds of respondents said US used to be a great place for immigrants but no longer isSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email Donald Trump’s aggressive and wide-reaching immigration-enforcement agenda has convinced increasing numbers of adults that the US is no longer a welcoming country for outsiders, a new poll has found.About six in 10 respondents to the Associated Press-NORC poll, conducted last month, say the country used to be a great place for immigrants, but no longer is. Continue reading...

• Eight leading tech companies, including Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, signed a voluntary accord on March 16, 2026, to share threat intelligence against fraudsters misusing their services. • The initiative precedes the UN Global Fraud Summit in Austria, focusing on AI-accelerated scams and cross-platform fraud syndicates. • Participants commit to enhancing user security features and supporting law enforcement, amid soaring U.S. fraud losses.