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Saudi priorities include defense, technology, nuclear powerBin Salman welcomed with flyover, honor guardTrump to urge normalization of ties with IsraelUS-Saudi business deals expected to be struckPresident Donald Trump hosted Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House Tuesday, with the Saudi de facto ruler seeking to deepen ties with Washington. Making his first White House visit in more than seven years, the crown prince was greeted with a lavish display of pomp and ceremony presided over by Trump on the South Lawn, complete with a military honour guard, a cannon salute and a flyover by US warplanes.Talks between the two leaders are expected to advance security ties, civil nuclear co-operation and multibillion-dollar business deals with the kingdom. The meeting underscores a key relationship -- between the world’s biggest economy and the top oil exporter.Trump greeted bin Salman with a smile and a handshake on the red carpet, while dozens of military personnel lined the perimeter. The limousine was escorted up the South Drive by a US Army mounted honour guard. The two leaders then looked skyward as fighter jets roared overhead, before Trump led his guest inside. Before sitting down for talks, the two leaders chatted amiably as Trump gave bin Salman a tour of presidential portraits lining the wall outside the Oval Office.During a day of White House diplomacy, bin Salman will hold talks with Trump in the Oval Office, have lunch in the Cabinet Room and attend a formal black-tie dinner in the evening, giving it many of the trappings of a state visit. US and Saudi flags festooned lamp posts in front of the White House.Trump expects to build on a $600bn Saudi investment pledge made during his visit to the kingdom in May, which will include the announcement of dozens of targeted projects, a senior US administration official said. The US and Saudi Arabia were ready to strike deals for defence sales, enhanced co-operation on civil nuclear energy and a multibillion-dollar investment in US artificial intelligence infrastructure, the official said on condition of anonymity.

The UN Security Council on Monday voted to adopt a US-drafted resolution endorsing President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza and authorising an international stabilisation force for the Palestinian enclave. Israel and the Palestinian resistance group Hamas agreed last month to the first phase of Trump's 20-point plan for Gaza - a ceasefire in their two-year war and a hostage-release deal - but the UN resolution is seen as vital to legitimising a transitional governance body and reassuring countries that are considering sending troops to Gaza.The text of the resolution says member states can take part in the Trump-chaired Board of Peace envisioned as a transitional authority that would oversee reconstruction and economic recovery of Gaza. It also authorises the international stabilization force, which would ensure a process of demilitarising Gaza, including by decommissioning weapons and destroying military infrastructure. Hamas, in a statement, reiterated that it will not disarm and argued that its fight against Israel is legitimate resistance, potentially pitting the group against the international force authorised by the resolution."The resolution imposes an international guardianship mechanism on the Gaza Strip, which our people and their factions reject," Hamas said in its statement, issued after the adoption of the resolution. Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, said the resolution, which includes Trump's 20-point plan as an annex, "charts a possible pathway for Palestinian self-determination ... where rockets will give way to olive branches and there is a chance to agree on a political horizon." Russia, which holds a veto on the Security Council, earlier signaled potential opposition to the resolution but abstained from the vote, allowing the resolution to pass.The UN ambassadors of Russia and China, which also abstained, complained that the resolution does not give the UN a clear role in the future of Gaza. The Palestinian Authority issued a statement welcoming the resolution, and said it is ready to take part in its implementation.Trump celebrated the vote as "a moment of true Historic proportion" in a social media post. "The members of the Board, and many more exciting announcements, will be made in the coming weeks," Trump wrote. The resolution has proven controversial in Israel because it references a future possibility of statehood for the Palestinians. The resolution's text says that "conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood" once the Palestinian Authority has carried out a reform programme and Gaza's redevelopment has advanced.

Tariff rollback includes beef, tomatoes, bananas amid inflation concernsTrade deals with Argentina, Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador to eliminate tariffsDemocrats criticize Trump for inflation linked to tariffs (Adds Trump comments, paragraphs 3, 17, 18, details on order throughout, industry reaction paragraphs 12-15)US President Donald Trump has rolled back tariffs on more than 200 food products, including such staples as coffee, beef, bananas and orange juice, in the face of growing angst among American consumers about the high cost of groceries.The new exemptions — which took effect retroactively at midnight on Thursday — mark a sharp reversal for Trump, who has long insisted that the sweeping import duties he imposed earlier this year are not fueling inflation."They may in some cases" raise prices, Trump said of his tariffs when asked about the move aboard Air Force One on Friday evening. But he insisted that overall, the US has "virtually no inflation." Democrats have won a string of victories in state and local elections in Virginia, New Jersey and New York City, where growing voter concerns about affordability, including high food prices, were a key topic.Trump also told reporters aboard Air Force One that he would move forward with a $2,000 payment to lower- and middle-income Americans that would be funded by tariff revenues next year sometime. "The tariffs allow us to give a dividend if we want to do that. Now we're going to do a dividend and we're also reducing debt," he said.The Trump administration announced framework trade deals on Thursday that, once finalised, will eliminate tariffs on certain foods and other imports from Argentina, Ecuador, Guatemala and El Salvador, with US officials eyeing additional agreements before year's end.Friday's list includes products US consumers routinely purchase to feed their families at home, many of which have seen double-digit year-over-year price increases. It includes over 200 items ranging from oranges, acai berries and paprika to cocoa, chemicals used in food production, fertilizers and even communion wafers.The White House, in a fact sheet on the order, said it came on the heels of "significant progress the President has made in securing more reciprocal terms for our bilateral trade relationships." It said Trump decided certain food items could be exempted since they were not grown or processed in the US, and given the conclusion of nine framework deals, two final agreements on reciprocal trade, and two investment deals.Ground beef, as of the latest available data for September, was nearly 13% more expensive, according to Consumer Price Index data, and steaks cost almost 17% more than a year ago. Increases for both were the largest in more than three years, dating back to when inflation was nearing its peak under Trump's predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden.Although the US is a major beef producer, a persistent shortage of cattle in recent years has kept beef prices high.Banana prices were about 7% higher, while tomatoes were 1% higher. Overall costs for food consumed at home were up 2.7% in September.The tariff exemptions won praise from many industry groups, while some expressed disappointment that their products were excluded from the exemptions."Today’s action should help consumers, whose morning cup of coffee will hopefully become more affordable, as well as US manufacturers, which utilize many of these products in their supply chains and production lines," FMI-Food Industry Association president Leslie Sarasin said in a statement.Distilled Spirits Council president Chris Swonger said that excluding spirits from the European Union and Britain "is yet another blow to the US hospitality industry just as the critical holiday season kicks into high gear." "Scotch, Cognac and Irish Whiskey are value-added agricultural products that cannot be produced in the US," Swonger added.Asked if further changes were planned, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, "I don't think it'll be necessary." "We just did a little bit of a rollback," he said. "The prices of coffee were a little bit high, now they'll be on the low side in a very short period." NEW FOCUS ON AFFORDABILITY Trump has upended the global trading system by imposing a 10% base tariff on imports from every country, plus additional specific duties that vary from state to state.Trump has focused squarely on the issue of affordability in recent weeks, while insisting that any higher costs were triggered by policies enacted by Biden, and not his own tariff policies.Consumers have remained frustrated over high grocery prices, which economists say have been fueled in part by import tariffs and could rise further next year as companies start passing on the full brunt of the import duties.The top Democrat on the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee, Richard Neal, said the Trump administration was "putting out a fire that they started and claiming it as progress." "The Trump Administration is finally admitting publicly what we've all known from the start: Trump's Trade War is hiking costs on people," Neal said in a statement. "Since implementing these tariffs, inflation has increased and manufacturing has contracted month after month."

US President Donald Trump said on Friday he thought Thailand and Cambodia were "going to be fine" after he sought to mediate a flare-up in their border dispute, but the Thai leader continued to demand an apology from Phnom Penh. Thailand this week suspended a US-brokered ceasefire deal and demanded an apology over allegations that Cambodia had laid fresh landmines that injured Thai soldiers, which Cambodia denies.Long-running tensions over a disputed border between the two Southeast Asian nations erupted into five days of fighting in July, when at least 48 people were killed and an estimated 300,000 temporarily displaced, before Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim brokered the ceasefire."I spoke to the prime ministers of both countries and they’re doing great. I think they’re going to be fine," Trump told reporters on Friday evening. But Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Saturday that Bangkok would not adhere to the agreement until Cambodia admitted its violation and issued an apology for the latest incident.Anutin posted on Facebook after speaking to Trump and Malaysia's Anwar that Thailand has the right to take any action necessary to protect its sovereignty and ensure the safety of its people and property from foreign threats. He said he asked Trump and Anwar, who has been a mediator in the dispute, to tell Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet to abide by the agreement and not to interfere in the removal of mines.Hun Manet said in a Facebook post on Saturday that Phnom Penh would continue to implement the deal and hoped both sides would continue to work together in accordance with the agreed principles and mechanism. Trump also engaged with Malaysia on Friday, a White House official said.Anwar posted on X that Cambodia and Thailand were ready to "continue choosing the space for dialogue and diplomatic efforts as an effective path to resolution."

The US government was set to take the first tentative steps towards re-opening Thursday after President Donald Trump signed a bill to end the longest federal shutdown in US history.The 43-day funding freeze had paralysed Washington and left hundreds of thousands of workers unpaid while Republicans and Democrats played a high-stakes blame game.The Republican-led House of Representatives voted on Wednesday, largely along party lines, to approve a Senate-passed package that will reopen federal departments and agencies, as many Democrats fume over what they see as a capitulation by party leaders.Trump lashed out at Democrats as he put his signature to the bill later in the Oval Office, urging Americans to remember the chaos when voting in hotly contested US midterm elections in a year's time."Today we are sending a clear message that we will never give in to extortion," said Trump, surrounded by gleeful Republican lawmakers including House Speaker Mike Johnson.Johnson had earlier pointed the finger at the minority party in a withering floor speech before the vote."When we come up to midterms and other things, don't forget what they've done to our country," Trump said. "So with my signature, the federal government... will now resume normal operations."The package funds military construction, veterans' affairs, the Department of Agriculture, and Congress itself through next fall, and the rest of government through the end of January when lawmakers will again need to reach a funding agreement.Around 670,000 furloughed civil servants will report back to work, and a similar number who were kept at their posts with no compensation — including more than 60,000 air traffic controllers and airport security staff — will get back pay.Several federal agencies, including the Justice Department and the Department of Health and Human Services, told their staff to return to the office Thursday, according to US media.Travel delays looked set to improve but not disappear with almost 1,000 flights cancelled Thursday, according to tracking website FlightAware. Authorities said air traffic controller shortages were easing and the transportation secretary on Wednesday released a fresh order for six percent of flights to be frozen — lower than the eight to 10 percent expected under the previous emergency directive.The deal also restores federal workers fired by Trump during the shutdown, while air travel that has been disrupted across the country will gradually return to normal.Trump falsely accused Democrats of costing the country $1.5tn. While the full financial toll of the shutdown has yet to be determined, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that it has caused $14bn in lost growth.Johnson and his Republicans had almost no room for error as their majority is down to two votes.Democratic leadership — furious over what they see as their Senate colleagues folding — had urged members to vote no and all but a handful held the line.Although polling showed the public mostly on Democrats' side throughout the standoff, Republicans are widely seen as having done better from its conclusion.For more than five weeks, Democrats held firm on refusing to reopen the government unless Trump agreed to extend pandemic-era tax credits that made health insurance affordable for millions of Americans.Election victories in multiple states last week gave Democrats further encouragement and a renewed sense of purpose.But a group of eight Senate moderates broke ranks to cut a deal with Republicans that offers a vote in the upper chamber on health care subsidies — but no floor time in the House and no guarantee of action.Democrats are now deep in a painful reckoning over how their tough stance crumbled without any notable win.Democratic leadership is arguing that — while their health care demands went largely unheard — they were able to shine the spotlight on an issue they hope will power them to victory in the 2026 midterm elections."Over the last several weeks, we have elevated successfully the issue of the Republican health care crisis, and we're not backing away from it," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told MSNBC.But his Senate counterpart Chuck Schumer is facing a backlash from the fractious progressive base for failing to keep his members unified, with a handful of House Democrats calling for his head.Outside Washington, some of the party's hottest prospects for the 2028 presidential nomination added their own voices to the chorus of opprobrium.California Governor Gavin Newsom called the agreement "pathetic," while his Illinois counterpart JB Pritzker said it amounted to an "empty promise." Former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg called it a "bad deal."

US President Donald Trump signed a funding bill to reopen the government, ending the longest shutdown in the US history after the US House of Representatives approved the bill earlier in a 222-209 vote, with nearly every Republican and a some Democrats voting for it, according to CNN.The House, which is controlled by the Republicans, voted by a narrow majority to approve a package passed by the Senate that would reopen federal departments and agencies. Six Democrats joined nearly all Republicans in voting yes for the bill while two Republicans joined most Democrats in voting no.The US Senate had reached a bipartisan agreement a few days ago between the Republican and Democratic parties to resume federal funding and end the government shutdown.

The United States will share a draft resolution on President Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza with the 10 elected members of the United Nations Security Council, a US official said. Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas agreed a month ago to the first phase of Trump's 20-point plan for Gaza: a ceasefire in their two-year war and hostage-release deal.The United States has drafted a UN Security Council resolution that would approve a two-year mandate for a Gaza transitional governance body and an international stabilization force in the Palestinian enclave, according to the text seen by Reuters.A resolution needs at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes by Russia, China, the US, Britain or France to be adopted.It was not immediately clear if the US has yet shared a copy of the draft resolution with Russia and China. The two-page text seen by Reuters would authorize a Board of Peace transitional governance administration to establish a temporary International Stabilisation Force (ISF) in Gaza that could "use all necessary measures" - code for force - to carry out its mandate.

US President Donald Trump affirmed the strength of relations between his country and South Korea, noting that Seoul is a valued friend and ally of Washington. Trump made this statement during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit, held in Gyeongju, South Korea.The US president indicated that a trade agreement with South Korea would be finalized very soon, amid reports that negotiations over the details of the agreement had reached an impasse.For his part, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung asked his US counterpart to allow South Korea access to fuel for its nuclear-powered submarines and pledged to increase defense spending to bolster the country's military capabilities.The South Korean president made these remarks at the start of their summit talks in Gyeongju, southeast of Seoul, where Seoul is seeking to amend the bilateral nuclear energy agreement with Washington to gain greater flexibility in reprocessing spent nuclear fuel and uranium enrichment.The visit marks the US President's first trip to South Korea during his second term in office. The two-day state visit began today as the President arrived in the South Korean city of Busan.

US President Donald Trump arrived in Malaysia on Sunday on the first leg of an Asian tour that will include high-stakes trade talks with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.US-China trade talks in the Malaysian capital entered a second day on Sunday, ahead of Trump's meeting with Xi in South Korea, in a bid to seal a deal to end the bruising trade war between the world's two biggest economies.Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he hoped for a "comprehensive deal" with Xi, adding that he expected China to make a deal to avoid further 100 percent tariffs that are due to come into effect on November 1."We're moving forward to the final details of the type of agreement that the leaders can review," US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told reporters in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.As he left Washington, Trump added to speculation that he could also meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for the first time since 2019 while on the Korean peninsula, saying he was "open to it".The US president will also visit Japan, on his first trip to Asia since returning to the White House in January in a blaze of tariffs and international dealmaking.It is Trump's first visit as president to Kuala Lumpur, where his flight was escorted on its final approach by two Malaysian F-18 jets.Greeted with a red carpet welcome and a sea of Malaysian and US flags, a grinning Trump responded with his trademark arm-waving dance to cultural performers.Trump, who is expected to sign a trade deal with Malaysia, rode with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in his armoured Cadillac -- nicknamed "The Beast".A small group of protesters, including some holding placards reading "Dump Trump", rallied elsewhere in the city.The US president is also expected to witness the signing of a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia, a truce he helped broker after the deadliest clashes between the neighbours in decades.Tariff talksAfter Malaysia, Trump is expected in Tokyo on Monday, where the following day he will meet Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.The US leader said he had heard "great things about her" and hailed the fact that she was an acolyte of assassinated former premier Shinzo Abe, with whom he had close ties.Takaichi said she told Trump in a phone call on Saturday that "strengthening the Japan-US alliance is my administration's top priority on the diplomatic and security front".Japan has escaped the worst of the tariffs Trump slapped on countries around the world to end what he calls unfair trade balances that are "ripping off the United States".The highlight of the trip is expected to be South Korea, where Trump will meet Xi for the first time since his return to office.Trump is due to land in the southern port city of Busan on Wednesday ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, and will meet South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.On Thursday, global markets will be watching closely to see if the meeting with Xi can halt the trade war sparked by Trump's sweeping tariffs, especially after a recent dispute over Beijing's rare-earth curbs.Trump initially threatened to cancel the meeting and announced the fresh 100 percent tariffs during that row, before saying he would go ahead after all.South Korea's reunification minister has said there is a "considerable" chance that Trump and North Korea's Kim will also meet.The two leaders last met in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas during Trump's first term.Kim has said he would also be open to meeting the US president if Washington drops its demand that Pyongyang give up its nuclear arsenal.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani met Saturday with President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, at Al Udeid Air Base.At the outset of the meeting, His Highness the Amir welcomed the US President and his accompanying delegation, expressing his pleasure at meeting the president during his stopover in Qatar, and reaffirming his enduring commitment to further advancing the bilateral relationship between the two friendly nations and elevating it to new heights, while wishing the president and his delegation a successful trip.For his part, the US president expressed his thanks and gratitude for meeting His Highness the Amir, commending His Highness's role and Qatar's supportive efforts toward peace and security in the region, as well as the strong bilateral relationship between Qatar and the United States, and expressing his aspiration to deepen cooperation across various fields.During the meeting, both sides discussed avenues for strengthening strategic cooperation between the two countries across different areas of partnership, along with key regional and global issues, particularly the current developments in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories, with a focus on supporting peace in the region and reinforcing the agreement to end the war in Gaza and ensure the implementation of all its provisions by the parties.The meeting was attended by HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani, HE the Chief of the Amiri Diwan Abdullah bin Mohammed al-Khulaifi, along with several senior officials.On the US side, the meeting was attended by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a number of the US president.

The summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump will take place, but will likely be postponed to a later date, said Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and the Russian president's special envoy for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries.In an interview with CNN, Dmitriev, who is visiting the US, said that the meeting between Putin and Trump had not been canceled, as the US president described it, and that the two leaders will likely meet at a later date."I believe Russia and the US and Ukraine are actually quite close to a diplomatic solution," the Russian envoy said.Last week, US President Donald Trump announced that he would meet with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Hungary to try to end the war in Ukraine, before later announcing the cancellation of the summit.

US President Donald Trump affirmed that he is working hard on resolving the Ukrainian crisis, amid the ongoing Russian military operation against Ukraine since February 24, 2022. Trump added, in press statements, that he continues to work on ending the Russian war on Ukraine, saying he is working diligently on this file, ahead of the expected visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House scheduled for Friday. On another note, the US President stated that the United States is in a trade war with China. In response to a question about the possibility of escalating relations with China into a trade war, Trump said, "We're in one now."