Top News Stories for Today – Mar 4, 2019
Top News Stories for Today – Mar 4, 2019
US, China close to reaching trade deal
The United States and China are close to reaching a trade deal that could see both sides ending the tit-for-tat war of tariffs that has been escalating since last year, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. News of the deal buoyed markets in Asia early Monday as the Journal reported that US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping could meet to sign a deal as early as the end of March, after Xi ends a tour of Europe.
The report said China has agreed to lower tariffs and ease restrictions on American goods, including farm, auto and chemical products. In return, the US would lift the tariffs imposed on Chinese goods last year. China has also agreed to Trump’s demand that Beijing lower the trade gap between the two nations. It has agreed to buy more American products, including a possible multibillion-dollar purchase of natural gas. The report quoted people on both sides, who cautioned that not all hurdles have been crossed. VOA
US closes consulate in Jerusalem
The United States has officially shuttered its consulate in Jerusalem, downgrading the status of its main diplomatic mission to the Palestinians by folding it into the US Embassy to Israel. For decades, the consulate functioned as a de facto embassy to the Palestinians. Now, that outreach will be handled by a Palestinian affairs unit, under the command of the embassy.
The symbolic shift hands authority over US diplomatic channels with the West Bank and Gaza to ambassador David Friedman, a longtime supporter and fundraiser for the West Bank settler movement and fierce critic of the Palestinian leadership. The announcement from the State Department came early Monday in Jerusalem, the merger effective that day. The Associated Press
Military drills in S. Korea canceled
The United States and South Korea announced the cancelation of two annual large-scale military drills in an effort to “achieve complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan and South Korea Minister of National Defense Jeong Kyeong-doo decided to end the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle series of exercises during a phone call Saturday, according to a Pentagon statement.
As the cancellation announcement about Key Resolve and Foal Eagle was made, the South Korea and US said they will conduct the exercise “Dong Maeng” March 4-12 as a replacement for the two. North Korea has long called for joint military exercises by the United States and South Korea to be suspended. Historically, Pyongyang characterized such drills as a precursor to invasion. VOA
Trump blames Cohen hearing for failed Hanoi summit
President Donald Trump says Democrats’ decision to question his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, while he was overseas may be a reason his talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un failed. He was referring to his decision to leave Hanoi without making any deals with Kim over North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.
Cohen, who was Trump’s lawyer for a decade, called the president a liar, crook and racist during his testimony to Congress. He strongly implied Trump committed crimes while president, leading Democrats to call for more investigations. VOA
Doctor says smiling improves heart health
Exercise and diet are keys to a healthier life, as many studies show, but Dr. Anand Chockalingam, a heart specialist at the University of Missouri Health Care says smiling is a first step in fighting stress and its ill health effects. “When we smile, the brain wiring gets altered. The chemicals that are released are more positive,” he said.
People who are stressed look for ways to cope. The American Heart Association says smoking, overeating or drinking alcohol as a way to reduce the stress can harm your heart and other organs. “Once people smile, they are relaxing,” Chockalingam said. “This relaxation directly lowers blood pressure, improves sugar levels in the blood.” Chockalingam tells his patients to smile 20 times an hour. It might seem like a lot, but it doesn’t involve drugs or have any negative side effects. “If we are smiling, we are breaking that link between stress and health,” he said. VOA
Tornadoes kill at least 23 in Alabama
At least 23 people have been killed as tornadoes struck Lee County in eastern Alabama, authorities say. County Sheriff Jay Jones said there had been “catastrophic” damage and there were fears more bodies would be found. Dozens are thought to have been hurt.
Rescue efforts have been halted until dawn due to the danger of searching in the dark. The most devastating tornadoes struck the area around Beauregard, carving a path at least half a mile (0.8km) wide. The National Weather Service made a classification of at least EF-3 – meaning winds of up to 165mph. BBC
Crew Dragon successfully docks with Space Station
On Sunday, one day after NASA and SpaceX successfully launched the Crew Dragon — the first American spacecraft capable of carrying humans into orbit since 2011 — the capsule passed its next major test with flying colors, docking safely with the International Space Station. No humans were aboard the Dragon, which docked autonomously without assistance from the crew on board the space station. The spacecraft will now remain attached to the station until Friday evening when it will detach and return to Earth. If the trial goes well, SpaceX and NASA could send two astronauts into orbit as early as this summer. Ars Technica, The Associated Press via The Week