TRUMP SAYS ‘NO’ TO MEETING XI BEFORE US-CHINA TRADE TALKS DEADLINE

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he did not expect to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping before a March 1 deadline in trade war negotiations between the two economic superpowers. “Not yet,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked if a meeting had been arranged for within the next month. Asked if a meeting could happen by March 1, he said, “No.” Trump has said that final resolution of the trade dispute would depend on him and Xi meeting “in the near future.” There had been speculation that Trump might meet the Chinese leader after he flies to Vietnam in late February for a summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.

15 killed in knife rampage and arson attack in China

BEIJING: 15 people were killed in China as people celebrated the Lunar New Year on Monday night. A man set his brother’s home on fire, in the northern province of Shaanxi, killing seven. The same night, a man, 49, who suspected his wife of adultery, stabbed eight people to death and injured seven in a village in the province of Gansu. Both men have been arrested.

Accused French priest tries to block film on child abuse

BERLIN: A priest accused of molesting more than 80 boys is trying to block the release of a film about the scandal. The release of By the Grace of God in France later this month is threatened, with the accused priest Bernard Preynat going to court to demand that it is not shown until after his trial, which is due to start later this year.

Longest-serving US Congressman dies

DETROIT: Former Representative John Dingell, the longest serving member of Congress in history, died on Thursday. Elected in 1955, he served in the House with every president from Dwight Eisenhower to Barack Obama. “Presidents come and presidents go,” former president Bill Clinton said when Dingell celebrated 50 years in Congress, “John Dingell goes on forever.” Dingell died at his home in Dearborn. AP

Turkey building collapse death toll reaches 15

ISTANBUL: The death toll from the collapse of an apartment building in Istanbul has climbed to 15. The eight-storey block in the Kartal district collapsed on Wednesday. “So far, 14 of our fellow citizens have been lost and another 14 people have been brought out of the rubble alive,” interior minister Suleyman Soylu said.