The leaders of the United States and China are expected to outline competing visions of global trade when they address the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vietnam in the coming months—hours, I’m sorry. President Trump is expected to stress his “America First” doctrine; Xi Jinping is likely to reaffirm China’s openness to global free trade.
The French President Emmanuel Macron, who’s in Saudi Arabia on an unscheduled visit, has said that he’ll emphasize the importance of stability in Lebanon. France has close links with Lebanon and Mr Macron’s visit comes days after the prime minister, Saad Hariri, resigned while in Riyadh, prompting suspicions he was put under Saudi pressure.
The United States has imposed new sanctions against ten Venezuelan officials it accuses of undermining democracy, censoring the press and engaging in corruption. The US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said his country would not stand by while President Maduro’s administration destroyed democratic order and prosperity.
Roy Moore, the Republican candidate to fill a vacant US Senate seat for the state of Alabama, is facing allegations of sexual misconduct with a teenage girl nearly 40 years ago. The Washington Post quoted Leigh Corfman as saying that she was 14 years old when Mr Moore initiated inappropriate sexual advances. Mr Moore vehemently denies the allegations.
A Supreme Court judge in Spain has said the speaker of the Catalan parliament can be released on bail pending an investigation into her role in the banned push for independence. Carme Forcadell will be required to post bail of $170,000.
And released documents from the European Commission reveal that EU diplomats think Northern Ireland may have to abide by the rules of the European single market even after Brexit to avoid a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. The details come from the summary of a briefing by the European Commission to EU diplomats.
