Meeting | Common News Update

Aug172019 by adminNo Comments

Elephant protection debate to dominate conservation meeting

Different approaches to protecting elephants are set to dominate the debate at a key conservation conference starting in Geneva today.Delegates from more than 180 countries are gathering for the meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites). Some African nations are again pushing to reopen the trade in ivory.However others are seeking the highest possible protections for all of Africa's elephants. The Cites meeting, held every three years, will discuss a record 56 proposals submitted by governments to the Conference of the Parties, known as COP18.The COP was due to be held in Sri Lanka earlier this year but was moved to Switzerland in the wake of the bomb attacks at Easter. Key among the items on the agenda will be compet...

Aug152019 by adminNo Comments

Hong Kong protests: Trump suggests ‘personal meeting’ with Chinese president

World

US President Donald Trump has suggested a "personal meeting" with Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss the political crisis engulfing Hong Kong. In a tweet Mr Trump said he had "ZERO doubt" that Mr Xi could "humanely solve the Hong Kong problem".He also tied the protests to a US trade deal with Beijing, in the face of ongoing trade tensions."Of course China wants to make a deal. Let them work humanely with Hong Kong first!" he tweeted. Skip Twitter post by @realDonaldTrump I know President Xi of China very well. He is a great leader who very much has the respect of his people. He is also a good man in a “tough business.” I have ZERO doubt that if President Xi wants to qui

Jul152019 by adminNo Comments

Europe stocks reverse gains despite China data meeting expectations; Galapagos up 17%

Finance

European stocks erased early gains on Monday, amid worries that China's economy is slowing due to a trade war with the U.S.European Markets: FTSE, GDAXI, FCHI, IBEXThe pan-European Stoxx 600 traded 0.3% lower by mid-morning. Telecoms stocks led losses with a 0.9% decline while autos added 0.6% as one of only two sectors trading in positive territory.Traders kept a close watch on the latest economic figures out of China. The country posted second-quarter figures on Monday that showed its economy grew 6.2% in the second-quarter, at its slowest pace in 27 years. Still, China's GDP (gross domestic product) growth was in line with expectations, and data for industrial production, retail sales and fixed-asset investment came in above analyst expectations.Chinese stocks got a boost from the fresh...

Jun302019 by adminNo Comments

Trump crosses into North Korea in historic meeting with Kim Jong Un at DMZ

World

SEOUL, June 30 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump met Kim Jong Un at the DMZ and stepped across the border into North Korea on Sunday afternoon, marking the first time a sitting U.S. president has set foot on North Korean soil. Emerging from a scrum of security service and traveling press, Trump and Kim met at the military demarcation line, a low concrete ridge in the truce village of Panmunjom that marks the border between North and South. They shook hands and chatted briefly before Kim invited Trump to cross into the North, where they shook hands and posed for photos. The two then crossed to the other side of the border, where South Korean President Moon Jae-in was waiting for them. Answering questions from reporters, Kim noted said that the meeting was an expression of Trump's willingnes...

Jun272019 by adminNo Comments

China is not budging ahead of Xi-Trump G-20 meeting

Finance

Flags of the US and China are placed ahead of a meeting between US Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and China's Agriculture Minister Han Changfu at the Ministry of Agriculture in Beijing on June 30, 2017.Jason Lee | AFP | Getty ImagesBEIJING— The Chinese Ministry of Commerce maintained a firm stance against the U.S. during a weekly press conference Thursday, less than two days ahead of a scheduled meeting between the leaders of the two countries. "We urge the U.S. to immediately cancel its pressure and sanction measures on Huawei and other Chinese companies, and push for the stable and healthy development of China-U.S. trade relations,“ Gao Feng, spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce said in Mandarin, according to a CNBC translation.Gao added the China is unchanged on its position on