08:41 US to delay China tariff increase: Trump:
United States President Donald Trump on Sunday announced extension of the March 1 deadline for increasing tariff on import of Chinese products, saying there had been significant progress made in negotiations with a visiting trade delegation from the far-east nation.
Trump also announced that he will be hosting his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida soon, to ink an agreement. The exact date has not been decided yet.
‘I am pleased to report that the US has made substantial progress in our trade talks with China on important structural issues including intellectual property protection, technology transfer, agriculture, services, currency, and many other issues,’ Trump said in a tweet.
‘As a result of these very productive talks, I will be delaying the US increase in tariffs now scheduled for March 1,’ said the US President.
‘Assuming both sides make additional progress, we will be planning a summit for President Xi and myself, at Mar-a-Lago, to conclude an agreement. A very good weekend for the US and China!’ he said.
A high-level Chinese trade delegation led by its Vice Premier Liu He concluded its latest round of talks with a US team led by US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.
Following the meeting with Trump at the Oval Office, the Chinese delegation extended its stay in Washington DC by another two days.
Trump and Xi during their December 1 dinner meeting in Buenos Aires decided to pause their trade war and negotiate an agreement by March 1.
In the absence of such an agreement, Trump had warned that he would impose additional tariffs on import of Chinese products.
On Sunday, Trump praised Xi for his help in North Korea talks. Trump leaves for Vietnam Monday morning to have his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi on February 26 and 27. — PTI
08:26 Mahershala Ali wins Best Supporting Actor Oscar for 2nd time:
Mahershala Ali continued his winning spree as he took home the Oscar for the Best Supporting Actor at the 91st Academy Awards for his work in Peter Farrelly’s biographical comedy-drama Green Book, his career’s second in the category.
In the film, which also features Viggo Mortensen, Ali plays Dr Don Shirley, an African-American jazz pianist and composer, who embarks on a cross-country tour that necessitates his hiring of a white driver (Mortensen) to assist him as a bodyguard while he travels through America’s racially-divided Southern states.
This is the 45-year-old actor’s second Oscar trophy after receiving an award in 2016 for his role as Juan in Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight.
The win made him the first actor in 24 years to receive multiple acting Oscars in two years or less in any category.
Tom Hanks won back-to-back best actor trophies for Philadelphia (1993) and Forrest Gump (1994).
He was presented the trophy by James Bond star Daniel Craig and Charlize Theron.
Ali paid tribute to Dr Shirley, saying all he tried to do was to capture his essence. He also thanked co-star Mortensen and the director for giving him the space to ‘work it out’.
He dedicated the award to his grandmother. “She has been my ear my entire life, telling me that if first don’t succeed, try, try again, that I could do anything I put my mind to. Always, always pushing me to thinking positively. I would not be here without here,” he said in a speech.
Other nominees in the category were Adam Driver (BlacKkKlansman), Sam Elliott (A Star Is Born), Richard E Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?) and Sam Rockwell (Vice).
Ali, who has been award season’s favourite, had also won best supporting actor Golden Globe, SAG award and the Critics’ Choice Award for his role in Green Book.
The actor’s close to two-decade-long career got a boost in 2016 with an Emmy nomination for his performance in the fourth season of House of Cards as Remy Denton.
This was followed by a successful run of Netflix’s Luke Cage, Oscar win for Moonlight and critically-acclaimed performance in Hidden Figures.
Ali currently stars in HBO’s True Detective. — PTI
Source: Rediff