Trump administration

The Trump administration is pressing China to cut its trade surplus with the United States by $100 billion, a White House spokeswoman said on March 14, clarifying a tweet last week from President Donald Trump.

U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking to impose tariffs on up to $60 billion of Chinese imports and will target the technology and telecommunications sectors, two people who had discussed the issue with the Trump administration said on March 13.

The Trump administration is considering new sanctions against Russia in response to election meddling and a devastating cyberattack last year, senior U.S. officials said on Feb. 21, pushing back against criticism that it has been slow to act.

"The Preparation for a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov is always underway," Deputy Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev told BNR on Sunday.

In an unexpected overture at a time of increasing bloodshed in Afghanistan, the Taliban have published an open letter expressing a desire for peace talks and calling on the "American people" and "peace-loving congressmen" to pressurise the Donald Trump administration into negotiations, The Guardian writes. 

The Statue of Liberty will reopen on Monday even if the U.S. government shutdown extends into the work week, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Sunday, vowing to use state funds to keep the landmark monument in operation, Reuters reported. 

Twenty nations agreed on Tuesday to consider tougher sanctions to press North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned Pyongyang it could trigger a military response if it did not chose negotiations, Reuters reported. 

Many people wonder why the issue of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's name reappeared all of a sudden. The answer lies in the geopolitical game that is being played out in the Western Balkans, Ekathimerini writes.

Pakistan's military said Friday the suspension of U.S. assistance will undermine bilateral security cooperation and regional peace efforts but will not deter the Pakistan's counterterrorism resolve.

"Pakistan never fought for money but for peace," army spokesman Major-General Asif Ghafoor told VOA.

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner made a deal for the daughter of President Donald Trump to become the first female head of state, according to Michael Wolff's new book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.