​  ​

Trump Trump ” Boeing El Musk Tesla Huang Trump later told Fox News that “China is going to invest hundreds of billions of dollars with those people”, without elaborating further.Flattery and fanfare as Trump welcomed to China – but thorny issues remainMarket access and co-operationDeals on Chinese purchases of farm goods and beef have been firmed up, according to US trade representative Jamieson Greer.Farmers in the US have been seeking more Chinese access for soybeans, beef, poultry, but no firm details have been announced.According to the White House, the talks included discussion of expanding Chinese market access for US companies and increasing Chinese investment into US industries.Xi told US business leaders that China’s “doors will open wider” and that American firms would have “broader prospects” in the Chinese market, according to news site Xinhua.He also called for expanded cooperation in trade, agriculture, healthcare, tourism and law enforcement, describing bilateral ties as “mutually beneficial” and delivering “win-win results”.For US companies, China remains both a major market and a difficult operating environment due to regulation, red tape and geopolitical uncertainty.The ‘most sensitive’ issueOne of the clearest shifts emerging from the summit was how directly Beijing is now linking Taiwan to the broader economic relationship with the United States.Over the past year of trade talks, Taiwan had largely been treated as one of several friction points between the US and China – particularly US collaboration with semiconductor companies, US-Taiwan trade ties, and arms sales to Taipei.But Chinese messaging from the meeting suggested Taiwan is increasingly being framed as a condition for the US-China trade relationship.According to Beijing’s readout, Xi said the two sides had agreed to a “new positioning” for relations based on “constructive strategic stability”, but warned that Taiwan remained the most sensitive issue. “If mishandled, the two nations could collide or even come into conflict,” he said.Unresolved fault linesTechnology remains the biggest divide between the US and China.US export controls on advanced semiconductors and chipmaking equipment – aimed at limiting China’s access to frontier AI capabilities – remain in place, with Greer saying they were not a major discussion at the talks.Beijing continues to push for greater access to advanced technologies, while criticising what it sees as efforts to constrain its industrial development.Artificial intelligence (AI) was expected to be a big part of conversations but there was no mention of it in readouts from the first day of the summit.Bessent said that delegations are discussing AI guardrails at the summit, adding that it was “of utmost importance” that the US maintain its lead over China in AI. ” Be The The The

​  ​

Latvian PM resigns following row over stray Ukrainian Drones26 minutes agoLaura GozziReutersLatvian Premier Evika Silina resigned after a political crisis involving Russian-bound Ukrainian drones that strayed into Latvian territory. She had fired her Defense Minister Andris Spruds, criticising his reaction and appointing an alternative. In protest, Spruds’s Progressives pulled their support for Silina’s governing coalition, leading to its collapse months before “Seeing a strong contender for the position of defence minister… political windbags chose a crisis,” Silina stated on Thursday. “I’m resigning, but I’m not giving up.” The political fallout was triggered when three drones entered Latvian airspace in May, the second such incident since the beginning of 2026. Both Latvia and Ukraine confirmed that the drones could have been Ukrainian UAVs meant to target Russia but whose signals were jammed causing them to stray to Latvia. One drone crashed to the ground, while another hit an empty oil storage facility near Rezekne. The third drone flew into and out of Latvian skies. Local residents complained to media that the official response was insufficient and delayed. There were no injuries or casualties, but there were local residents who said the official response had been delayed. They claimed that the cell broadcast system was not activated for over an hour after one drone crashed near Rezekne. Silina said that after the incident, “Something went awry.” We cannot allow this situation to continue. She said that she had also asked Spruds, the Latvian defence minister to resign due to the current situation in the sector. Silina said that the Baltic country spends about 5% of its GDP for national defence. She said this entailed “a much higher level of responsibility towards society…that requires clear results”.President Edgars Rinkevics announced he would make a decision regarding “the fastest possible formation” of new government on 15 may.Evika Silina, who was appointed Latvia’s Prime Minister in September 2023 and led a coalition of four parties, has been unwavering in its support for Ukraine against Russia. Latvia, along with Lithuania and Estonia, is increasingly concerned about a possible Russian invasion. It has significantly increased its defence capabilities and reintroduced mandatory military service one year after Moscow launched the full-scale invasion in Ukraine. Estonia and Latvia say territories hit by stray Ukrainian dronesEuropeUkraineLatvia

​  ​

Trade, Iran, and Taiwan are on the agenda when Trump arrives in China to hold high-stakes discussions with Xi. 17 hours agoBrandon DrenonUS president Donald Trump descended from Air Force One to Beijing on Wednesday night, greeted by pomp and pageantry before a high-stakes meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. During their two-day summit, the superpowers will discuss tariffs and competition over technology as well as the war in Iran and America’s relations with Taiwan. Trump returns to China a decade later with a stronger, more assertive China. Trump was welcomed on the red carpet by Chinese vice-president Han Zheng. This is seen as a sign of respect from Beijing for the US President, after a lesser-level leader welcomed Trump on his previous visit. The US president, along with his son Eric Trump, was accompanied by a number of US tech titans including Elon Musk of Tesla and Jensen Huang of Nvidia. Other CEOs travelling with Trump are Tim Cook of Apple and Larry Fink of BlackRock. Kelly Ortberg, the CEO of Boeing, is also expected to travel. “I will ask President Xi, a leader of extraordinary distinction, ‘open up’ China, so that these brilliant individuals can work their magic and help bring the People’s Republic of China to an even greater level,” Trump said ahead of his arrival in a social media post. Last year, US imported more goods from China than they exported. China has increased its demand for US-made computer chips to portray itself as a formidable competitor in the AI arms race. Many Americans are concerned that Chinese firms may steal their technology. This has led to tighter export restrictions. Beijing can use its leverage to get rare earth metals that are essential for high-tech industries. This was a tool it used against Trump’s tariffs. What to know when Trump visits Xi, ChinaThe war with Iran is also likely to be on the agenda. Beijing is under increasing pressure from the US to use economic and political influence on Iran. Trump told reporters before leaving for China that he and Xi would have a “long conversation” about Iran. He also insisted, “I don’t believe we need any assistance” in resolving this conflict. Tensions over Taiwan will also be a backdrop to the meeting. The Trump administration has adopted a mixed strategy with Taipei. It approved a massive arms agreement while downplaying the willingness to defend Taiwan from Chinese aggression. A bipartisan group sent a letter to Trump on Friday, asking him to affirm US backing for Taiwan and to remind China’s President of the $14bn in arms sales to Taiwan that Congress approved last year. The letter stated that “you can make it clear to Beijing that American support for Taiwan will not be negotiable as you seek to level out the economic playing fields.” Trump will attend a welcome ceremony at China’s Great Hall of the People on Thursday. He will also participate in a state dinner, bilateral meetings, a “friendship picture” in Beijing’s Zhongnanhai Garden, and a state reception.

​  ​

Waymo robotaxis are being recalled due to a risk of driving into flooded streets. This recall was made 20 minutes ago by Laura Cress, a technology reporter at Gado via Getty Images. The company is also temporarily suspending its San Antonio service following the incident. However, it has stated that it will resume the public rides once the necessary software fixes have been implemented. The BBC has contacted Waymo, which is owned by Alphabet, for comment. Its San Antonio service remains temporarily suspended following the incident, though the company said it will resume public rides after the necessary software fix has been rolled out. “That’s not to say that the technology will not be extremely beneficial,” he continued. “Policymakers would rather know about these things before they happen than discover them after the fact.” “Over the past year several incidents with different driverless car firms have raised concerns over robotaxi safety.In December 2025, a large power outage in San Francisco led Waymo taxis to stop working around the city, causing significant disruption.And in April, a mass Apollo Go robotaxi outage in the Chinese city of Wuhan caused at least a hundred self-driving cars to stop mid-traffic.Driverless taxi firm sorry for early-morning noiseAI teachers and cybernetics – what could the world look like in 2050?Tesla investigated over self-driving cars on wrong side of roadSign up for our Tech Decoded newsletter to follow the world’s top tech stories and trends. Sign up for our Tech Decoded newsletter to keep up with the latest tech news and trends. Sign up here.United StatesAlphabetDriverless carsGoogle

​  ​

Will scrapping tax breaks help? Will scrapping tax breaks help?11 hours agoTiffanie TurnbullandLana Lam,SydneyGettySebastian Munoz-Najar has only just finished primary school. The 13-year old is still a long way from learning to drive. He is not legally allowed to work. He cannot legally work. It’s sad to see that this issue is affecting how the current generation views Australia and how their lives should be. He told the BBC. Others say the rule changes unfairly threaten the wealth they’ve spent their lives toiling for.But many younger Australians like Sebastian argue the social contract that hard work is rewarded has long been broken anyway.They feel they have been denied the kinds of opportunities their parents enjoyed, and hope the changes will begin rebalancing the playing field and bring housing security back in reach for future generations.SuppliedA lucrative investmentAustralia has some of the least affordable cities on Earth. The average property now costs almost 10 times an ordinary household’s income, quadruple what it was about 25 years ago, and rents have doubled over a similar period.The simple fact is that Australia does not have enough homes for its growing population, which is driving unaffordability.Decades of inadequate investment in social housing, sluggish construction rates, and Australia’s restrictive planning laws – which limit homes being built where most people want to live – have taken a toll.But there have long been arguments that housing tax breaks are also increasing strain on the system.The main culprits are negative gearing, which allows owners of investment properties to detract any losses from their taxable income, and the capital gains tax (CGT) discount which means people selling an asset are only taxed on half their profits.Together, they have made housing a more lucrative investment, incentivising the buying and selling of homes for profit.Wages had roughly kept up with house prices until they were introduced around the start of the millennium. This was a turning point in both economic and social terms, analysts say.But these tax settings are staunchly defended by many homeowners – who are quite content to see house prices climb and their wealth grow – as well as investors and industry figures who say change threatens their profits and the essential role they perform in the market.Bearing the brunt of the crisis are young people: They tend to face the quandary of saving for larger and larger deposits while paying greater rents, before servicing longer mortgages with high repayments relative to their income – all often for smaller houses further from work.GettySebastian’s parents themselves quietly harboured concerns about their children’s futures, but were upset to find out this was weighing so heavily on his mind. “I was thinking about two things,” Ed, his father, tells the BBC. “The first is that you shouldn’t be worrying about it. You should be more concerned about your homework, your friends, and school. The second is that you don’t need to take it lying down. Together they put their anger into action by creating a website that outlined their calculations and launching a petition to change the CGT discount, and negative gearing. The petition has attracted thousands of signatures. Sebastian says, “We hope that this will remove the incentive for people to use houses as an investment and return them to being homes.” Labor proposed changes to CGT and negative gearing at successive elections in 2016, and 2019. It lost both elections, and many blamed its housing promises. But since 2019, the housing crisis has gotten worse, with its impact reaching higher up the class ladder. The demographics have also changed, with disenfranchised zillennials and millennials now making up a larger share of the voting base. Many of their parents are also seeing the crisis impact their loved ones for first time. Danielle Wood, the chair of the Productivity Commission (the government’s independent economic think tank), told the BBC that the situation was “like a slow-boiling frog”. It has been building up for over 20 years and has now reached a crisis point. “I think that these tax changes are symbolic of what has caused this problem. “Retired couple Cliff and Christine Hill dismiss the complaints of younger generation. Cliff, 64, says that they were able to afford their first house by moving out into the suburbs, saving money and not taking “expensive overseas vacations”. “You can’t complain that houses are $1m, because they’re not. He says that although they are $500,000 or $600,000. “Young people don’t want live 35km away from Melbourne,” he said. The couple owns their home in Hoppers Crossing in Melbourne’s west suburbs and has three investment properties. They sold a four-bedder they bought in 2010 for only $320,000 and sold it for $668,000. They say the tax reforms of Tuesday are a recipe disaster. “The government are going after the inter-generational gap that they keep talking about – and being a baby boomer, I’m really over that,” says Christine. “The government are going after the inter-generational gap that they keep talking about – and being a baby boomer, I’m really over that,” says Christine.SuppliedBut elsewhere Labor is seeing signs that public mood has changed enough for them to try again: one such hint perhaps being the backlash to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s purchase of a multi-million-dollar cliff-top home in 2024.In their first budget after a landmark election win – which comes as appetite for action on the housing crisis feeds minor parties – the government has promised to replace the CGT discount with a markdown in line with inflation, and limit negative gearing to new builds only. The government has promised to replace the CGT discount with a markdown in line with inflation and limit negative gearing to new builds only. The benefits of these policies will not be lost by those who have already benefited from them. The tax changes will likely lead to a slight dip in housing prices. By reducing investor demand, this will allow more room for first-time homebuyers and owner-occupiers. “[But] [they’re] not a panacea for house prices,” says Wood. The blame is increasingly being shifted towards migration, with both the Coalition opposition and the right-wing One Nation pushing for cuts to ease the demand. Wood says, “We need to make building easier and faster.” Construction regulations are essential for safety but there are so many approvals and processes to navigate, that build times have slowed down by about 40% over the past 15 years. He notes that many own investment properties and that the decision to grandfather in the change protects these people. “Young people feel let down… they are disappointed in policymakers who allowed this to happen. They also feel sad that the “Australian Dream” of owning a home is not achievable for them. “Australia’s looming election brings housing crisis into focusThe year the Australian Dream diedThe newest victims of Australia’s homelessness crisisHousingAustralia