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Humanoid robots stride into the future with world's first half-marathon
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Migrant's expulsion puts Washington Salvadorans on edge
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Plan for expanded Muslim community triggers hope, fear in Texas
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Pakistan foreign minister due in Kabul as deportations rise
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White House touts Covid-19 'lab leak' theory on revamped site
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Dodgers star Ohtani skips trip to Texas to await birth of first child
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US senator says El Salvador staged 'margarita' photo op
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Ford 'adjusts' some exports to China due to tariffs
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Thomas maintains two-shot lead at RBC Heritage
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US to withdraw some 1,000 troops from Syria
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Four killed after spring storms wreak havoc in the Alps
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Spurs' Popovich reportedly home and well after 'medical incident'
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Trump goes to war with the Fed
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Celtics chase second straight NBA title in playoff field led by Thunder, Cavs
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White House site blames China for Covid-19 'lab leak'
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Norris edges Piastri as McLaren top Jeddah practice
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Trump warns US could ditch Ukraine talks if no progress
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Judge denies Sean 'Diddy' Combs push to delay trial
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80 killed in deadliest US attack on Yemen, Huthis say
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Lebanon says two killed in Israeli strikes in south
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Trump says US will soon 'take a pass' if no Ukraine deal
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F1 success is 'like cooking' - Ferrari head chef Vasseur
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Cycling mulls slowing bikes to make road racing safer
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Macron invites foreign researchers to 'choose France'
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Klopp 'happy' in new job despite Real Madrid rumours: agent
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Alcaraz into Barcelona semis as defending champion Ruud exits
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Vance meets Italy's Meloni before Easter at the Vatican
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Evenepoel returns with victory in Brabantse Pijl
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Maresca confident he will survive Chelsea slump
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Mob beats to death man from persecuted Pakistan minority
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Lebanon says one killed in Israeli strike near Sidon
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Arsenal's Havertz could return for Champions League final
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US officials split on Ukraine truce prospects
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Client brain-dead after Paris cryotherapy session goes wrong
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Flick demands answers from La Liga for 'joke' schedule
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'Maddest game' sums up Man Utd career for Maguire
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Trial opens for students, journalists over Istanbul protests
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Gaza rescuers say Israeli strikes kill 24 after Hamas rejects truce proposal
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'Really stuck': Ukraine's EU accession drive stumbles
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'Not the time to discuss future', says Alonso amid Real Madrid links
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74 killed in deadliest US attack on Yemen, Huthis say
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Southgate's ex-assistant Holland fired by Japan's Yokohama
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Vance meets Meloni in Rome before Easter at the Vatican
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Ryan Gosling to star in new 'Star Wars' film
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Hamas calls for pressure to end Israel's aid block on Gaza
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Russia says Ukraine energy truce over, US mulls peace talks exit
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58 killed in deadliest US strike on Yemen, Huthis say
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Museums rethink how the Holocaust should be shown
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Three dead after deadly spring storm wreaks havoc in the Alps
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No need for big changes at Liverpool, says Slot

Trump touts trade talks, China calls out tariff 'blackmail'
US President Donald Trump touted tariff negotiations with Japan on Wednesday while China angrily accused Washington of "blackmail" in a trade war that the WTO warns will have "severe" economic consequences for the global economy.
Trump remained upbeat about his strategy of imposing global tariffs, then negotiating individual trade agreements, with the goal of lowering barriers to US products and forcing more manufacturing to be based in the United States.
He said he would meet a Japanese delegation Wednesday both on tariffs and another of his longtime complaints -- the cost of the US military deployments to defend the crucial Pacific ally.
"Japan is coming in today to negotiate Tariffs, the cost of military support, and 'TRADE FAIRNESS.' I will attend the meeting," Trump posted on his Truth Social app.
The multiple negotiations the Trump administration says are underway are running parallel to a full trade war against top US economic rival China.
While the rest of the world has been slapped with a blanket 10 percent tariff, China faces levies of up to 145 percent on many products. Beijing has responded with duties of 125 percent on US goods.
There is little sign of rapprochement, with the White House insisting that China make the first move.
"If the US really wants to resolve the issue through dialogue and negotiation, it should stop exerting extreme pressure, stop threatening and blackmailing, and talk to China on the basis of equality, respect and mutual benefit," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said.
"There is no winner in a tariff war or a trade war," Lin said, adding: "China does not want to fight, but it is not afraid to fight."
Beijing's commerce ministry noted that taking into account previous tariffs and the new ones, certain Chinese products now cumulatively face 245 percent duties to enter the US market.
While concern is growing that the US economy could be rocked by the trade war, China said on Wednesday that it saw a forecast-beating 5.4 percent in the first quarter as exporters rushed to get goods out of factory gates ahead of the US levies.
Heron Lim from Moody's Analytics told AFP the impact would be felt in the second quarter, as tariffs begin "impeding Chinese exports and slamming the brakes on investment."
World Trade Organization head Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said the uncertainty brought by the tariffs "threatens to act as a brake on global growth, with severe negative consequences for the world, the most vulnerable economies in particular."
- Japan test case? -
Trump posted that he hoped "something can be worked out which is good (GREAT!) for Japan and the USA!"
And Japan's envoy said he was optimistic of a "win-win" outcome for both countries.
South Korea, a major semiconductors and auto exporter, said Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok would meet US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent next week.
"The current priority is to use negotiations... to delay the imposition of reciprocal tariffs as much as possible and to minimize uncertainty for Korean companies operating not only in the US but also in global markets," Choi said on Tuesday.
Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management called the discussions with Japan in particular the "canary in the tariff coal mine."
"If Japan secures a deal -- even a half-baked one -- the template is set. If they walk away empty-handed, brace yourself. Other nations will start pricing in confrontation, not cooperation," he wrote in a newsletter.
The Daiwa Institute of Research warned on Wednesday that Trump's reciprocal tariffs could cause a decline of 1.8 percent in Japan's real GDP by 2029.
Chip stocks across Asia slumped after Nvidia said it expected a $5.5 billion hit due to a new US licensing requirement on the primary chip it can legally sell in China.
Trump also ordered a probe on Tuesday that may result in tariffs on critical minerals, rare-earth metals and associated products such as smartphones.
Although popular among Republicans, the tariffs war is politically risky for Trump at home.
California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom announced he was launching a new court challenge against Trump's "authority to unilaterally enact tariffs, which have created economic chaos, driven up prices, and harmed the state, families, and businesses."
burs-sms/aha
T.Ziegler--VB