Around the Globe

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he’s considering a trip to China amid a trade dispute with Beijing that finance chiefs warn could derail the global economic upswing. Mnuchin said he’s “cautiously optimistic” of reaching an agreement with China that bridges their differences over trade.

“A trip is under consideration,” Mnuchin told reporters on Saturday in Washington at the IMF’s spring meetings. “I’m not going to make a comment on timing, nor do I have anything confirmed.”

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Mike Pompeo, the current CIA director and his nominee to be the top US diplomat, formed a good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un when they met in secret. Pompeo became the most senior US official known to have met Kim when he visited Pyongyang to discuss a planned summit with US President Donald Trump.

The United States accused Russia on Monday of blocking international inspectors from reaching the site of a suspected poison gas attack in Syria and said Russians or Syrians may have tampered with evidence on the ground.

Moscow denied the charge and blamed delays on retaliatory US-led missile strikes on Syria on Saturday.

British Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron faced criticism from political opponents over their decisions to take part in the air strikes.

A few weeks ago, Donald Trump invited Putin to meet—maybe even at the White House. After U.S.-led missile strikes in Syria, the two nations’ officials can’t get into the same room without insulting each other.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Sunday that further Western attacks on Syria would bring chaos to world affairs, while signs emerged that Moscow and Washington want to pull back from the worst crisis in their relations for years.

Putin made his remarks in a telephone conversation with Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani after the United States, France and Britain launched missile strikes on Syria on Saturday over a suspected poison gas attack.

British ministers planned to gather on Thursday to discuss whether to join the United States and France in a possible military attack on Syria that threatens to bring Western and Russian forces into direct confrontation.

An Algerian military plane carrying soldiers and their families crashed soon after takeoff on Wednesday into a field in northern Algeria, killing 257 people in what appeared to be the North African nation's the worst-ever plane crash.

Algeria's Defense Ministry said those killed included 247 passengers and 10 crew. The cause of the crash was unclear and an investigation has been opened. Algerian authorities did not mention whether there were any survivors but one witness reported seeing some people jump out of the aircraft before it crashed at 7:50 am on Wednesday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping set the stage  on Tuesday for a possible effort to resolve a worsening clash with Washington over technology and trade by promising to cut auto import taxes, improve intellectual property protection and boost imports.

Xi’s pledges at a business conference came as China filed a World Trade Organization challenge over one aspect of its sprawling conflict with President Donald Trump — last month’s US tariff hike on steel and aluminum.

 India and Egypt today held talks on providing new opportunities for investments in IT, education and health, and discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral ties.

The talks were held between India's Ambassador to Egypt Sanjay Bhattacharyya and Alexandria Governor Mohamed Sultan on the sidelines of celebration the an India Day held in the coastal city of Alexandria.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi today met UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in China and urged the world body to play its part in stopping "Indian atrocities" in Kashmir and accused New Delhi of "unprovoked ceasefire violations", which he warned can dangerously escalate the situation along the LoC.

According to an official statement from the Pakistan Prime Minister's Office, Abbasi met Guterres on the sidelines of BOAO Forum for Asia being held in the southern Chinese city of Boao.