Georgian Court Releases Pregnant British Teenager In Drug Trafficking Case

Bella Culley, a 19-year-old British citizen who is eight months pregnant and accused by Georgian officials of drug smuggling, was released from the Tbilisi City Court on November 3 after reaching a plea bargain with prosecutors.

“Several reasons were taken into account: her health condition, her confession, her age, and her cooperation with the investigation,” Prosecutor Vakhtang Tsalugelashvili told RFE/RL. He noted that the prosecutor’s office had initiated the release of the British woman, who fully admitted her guilt, from custody.

The court found Culley guilty and sentenced her to five months and 24 days in prison, along with a fine of 500,000 laris (approximately $181,800). However, because of the time she had already served in custody at Women’s Prison No. 5 in Rustavi, she was allowed to leave immediately. As part of the penalty, her family agreed to pay the fine.

Georgian authorities discovered 12 kilograms of marijuana and 2 kilograms of hashish in Culley’s luggage. The British teenager claimed she was forced to commit the crime “under pressure and torture.”

Culley’s parents reported her missing to Thai police after failing to contact her for several days. Thai authorities joined the search, and Bella’s father, Niel Culley, traveled to Thailand to look for his daughter. Her mother later told RFE/RL that after Bella went missing in Thailand, she was allegedly tortured and then forced to fly with the drugs to Georgia.

While Culley faced up to 20 years in prison or life imprisonment, legal experts initially expected the court to keep her in custody for another two years. The decision to release her came as a surprise to Culley and her family. Her mother said she learned of the release just minutes before the hearing, which was closely monitored by British and international media.

As part of her cooperation with authorities, Culley named several people involved in the drug case, according to the prosecutor.

When leaving the courthouse, Culley expressed relief over the decision. “I’m happy, I didn’t expect it,” she said before turning to her mother and asking, “Can we go now?”
https://www.rferl.org/a/georgia-british-teenager-court-release-drugs-thailand-culley/33580139.html

Melbourne weather report October 31: What are the chances of rain in AUS vs IND 2025 2nd T20I?

Team India will take on Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Friday, October 31, in the second T20I of the five-match series. The first game at the Manuka Oval in Canberra ended with no result due to rain, as only 9.4 overs of play were possible.

There is a prediction for rain in the second India-Australia T20I as well, at the iconic MCG on Friday.

In the 9.4 overs bowled during the first T20I in Canberra, the Men in Blue gave a decent account of themselves with the bat. Swashbuckling opener Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for 19 off 14 balls, while Suryakumar Yadav remained unbeaten on 39 off 24 and Shubman Gill on 37 off 20. The team will look to build on these positive gains from Canberra, even though the match ended in a no result.

Meanwhile, players and fans alike will be hoping that the weather does not affect play in the second T20I in Melbourne.

### Melbourne Weather Forecast for Australia vs India 2025 2nd T20I (October 31)

The second Australia vs India 2025 T20I at the MCG will begin at 7:15 PM local time (1:45 PM IST).

According to AccuWeather, the evening conditions are expected to be partly cloudy with a temperature around 15°C. The probability of precipitation is 17%, cloud cover around 48%, and humidity at 85%.

As the match progresses into the night, the weather will remain partly cloudy, with temperatures falling to around 12°C. The chance of rain stays at 17%, with cloud cover increasing to approximately 62%.

### Morning and Afternoon Weather Outlook

There is a high possibility of rain on the morning of the second India-Australia T20I. Weather forecasts predict breezy and cloudy conditions accompanied by a few showers. The probability of precipitation during this time is very high at 96%, with cloud cover near 98%. There is also a 19% chance of thunderstorms.

In the afternoon, the forecast continues to be cloudy with some showers likely. The probability of precipitation remains high at 90%, with cloud cover around 98% and humidity at 68%.

Fans and players will be hoping for clear skies as the game unfolds at the MCG on October 31. Stay tuned for what promises to be an exciting contest between two cricketing giants!
https://www.sportskeeda.com/cricket/news-melbourne-weather-report-october-31-what-chances-rain-aus-vs-ind-2025-2nd-t20i

Venezuelan Narco Regime Under Nicolás Maduro Provided Over $20 Million to Fund Black Lives Matter

The Washington Examiner has uncovered deep connections between the Chavista regime in Venezuela and Black Lives Matter (BLM), an organization that presents itself as a defender of racial rights but, according to documented evidence, has served as a vehicle for foreign Marxist agendas.

It all began in late 2012, when Hugo Chávez, the eternal father of 21st-century socialism, ordered the delivery of at least $20 million in suitcases filled with cash to Opal Tometi, one of the three co-founders of BLM alongside Patrisse Cullors and Alicia Garza. According to a former high-ranking Venezuelan official who defected and witnessed the meeting, the purpose was to “project the Bolivarian revolutionary project onto the streets of the United States,” meaning to sow chaos and division to erode American democracy from within.

This testimony does not come out of nowhere. The defector, close to Chávez’s inner circle, described a meeting in Caracas where Tometi arrived accompanied by three other African American women and actor Danny Glover, a known sympathizer of communist regimes like those in Cuba and Venezuela. On his deathbed due to cancer, Chávez saw BLM as the perfect tool to export his anti-imperialist ideology.

Notably, BLM had already emerged in 2013, spurred by the Trayvon Martin case, but its ideological roots are steeped in declared Marxism: Cullors identifies as a “trained Marxist,” and Tometi has invoked figures like Assata Shakur, a convicted fugitive for murder living in exile in Cuba.

The connections do not end there. In 2006, Chávez had already called from the World Social Forum in Caracas for the creation of a “fifth column” of the left in the U.S. to sabotage its policies. BLM fit the role perfectly.

In 2015, Tometi personally invited Nicolás Maduro, Chávez’s successor, to an event in Harlem, New York, during the UN General Assembly. There, Maduro shared the stage with Glover and a BLM co-founder, who embraced him warmly in front of a giant portrait of the dictator.

That same year, Tometi traveled to Venezuela as an electoral observer for the parliamentary elections, a process boycotted by the OAS, UN, and EU due to evident fraud. Rather than denouncing irregularities, Tometi praised the Venezuelan system as “one of the best in the world” and drafted a manifesto on behalf of BLM supporting the “Bolivarian revolution.” “Fulfilling my duty as a global citizen,” she tweeted, ignoring the extrajudicial executions and famine already plaguing the country.

This alliance is no coincidence but part of a hemispheric Marxist network orchestrated by the São Paulo Forum, promoted by Venezuela. BLM participated in its meetings, strengthening ties with dictatorships that oppress their own peoples—including millions of Venezuelan Afro-descendants massacred by Chavista repression.

Under Maduro, the Venezuelan police kill six times more people per year than in the U.S., in a country twelve times smaller and with private firearms banned. Cases like that of Genesis Carmona, a former beauty queen shot by snipers in 2014, or the racist lynching of a Black youth in 2017, symbolize the horror that Tometi endorsed.

While BLM raises millions in corporate donations—$90 million alone in 2020—its leaders buy luxury mansions and divert funds to family consultancies, leaving local chapters and victims of police violence with scraps.

From a conservative perspective, this revelation exposes the hypocrisy of the left: they preach racial justice while embracing tyrants who trample human rights. BLM is not an organic movement for equality; it is an extension of the Chavista agenda to destabilize the West, funded with dirty petrodollars from a narco-state sanctioned for drug trafficking.

Under the Trump administration, which is already pressuring Maduro over his alliance with cartels like the Cartel of the Suns, a thorough federal investigation is urgently needed. How much more money flowed? What role did corporations like Amazon or Microsoft, which donated fortunes to BLM, play?

The truth hurts, but it is the antidote to the red propaganda dividing America.

In summary, the $20 million delivered to Tometi was not philanthropy but an investment in chaos: violent protests, burning businesses, and the erosion of law. Venezuela, which exports hunger and repression, imported its poison to the U.S.

It is time for conservatives to demand transparency and the dismantling of these foreign networks. American freedom is not for sale to dictators.

**About The Author**

**Joana Campos**

Joana Campos es abogada y editora con más de 10 años de experiencia en la gestión de proyectos de desarrollo internacional, enfocada en la sostenibilidad y el impacto social positivo. Anteriormente, trabajó como abogada corporativa. Egresada de la Universidad de Guadalajara.
https://gatewayhispanic.com/2025/10/venezuelan-narco-regime-under-nicolas-maduro-provided-20/

Padre e hijo arrestados en Texas por contrabando de armas de fuego a México

El Departamento de Justicia de EE. UU. anunció el arresto en Texas de dos hombres originarios del estado de Alabama, quienes fueron acusados de traficar más de 300 armas, municiones y cargadores con destino a México.

La Fiscal General Pamela Bondi y el Fiscal Federal Nicholas J. Ganjei informaron, mediante un comunicado, que Emilio Ramírez Cortés, de 48 años, ciudadano mexicano que reside legalmente en Estados Unidos, y su hijo, Edgar Emilio Ramírez Díaz, realizaron sus comparecencias iniciales en la corte federal de Laredo, Texas.

Ambos están acusados de contrabando y tráfico de armas de fuego, municiones, cargadores y otros accesorios. Tanto padre como hijo permanecerán bajo custodia en espera de una audiencia de detención fijada para el 31 de octubre.

Las autoridades indicaron que los cargos incluyen contrabando de armas de fuego, municiones, cargadores y otros accesorios, así como tráfico ilícito de armas.

“Interrumpir el flujo ilegal de armas hacia México es fundamental en nuestro enfoque integral para desmantelar los cárteles”, declaró la Fiscal General Pamela Bondi. “Esta importante incautación representa nuestro compromiso de proteger a los estadounidenses de la brutal violencia de los cárteles”, añadió.

Por su parte, el Fiscal Federal Nicholas J. Ganjei puntualizó: “Quienes trafican armas ilegalmente a México empoderan a los cárteles para aterrorizar a inocentes. Esta incautación de una inmensa cantidad de armas de fuego ilustra el enfoque integral del Distrito Sur de Texas para combatir a los cárteles”.

Y sentenció: “Atacaremos cada faceta de sus operaciones hasta que sean erradicados de la faz de la tierra”.

### Llevaban las armas escondidas en dos camionetas

El 23 de octubre, dos vehículos se acercaron al puerto de entrada Juárez-Lincoln en Laredo, según señala la denuncia.

Los documentos oficiales alegan que Ramírez Díaz conducía un Chevrolet Tahoe con placas de Alabama, seguido por su padre en un Chevrolet Silverado con placas de México. Ambos vehículos presuntamente transportaban remolques utilitarios de caja blanca cerrados.

La denuncia penal alega que las autoridades encontraron paredes falsas en ambos remolques, lo que resultó en el descubrimiento de más de 300 rifles y pistolas, así como municiones y cargadores de diversos calibres, compartió el Departamento de Justicia.

“Los hombres estaban contrabandeando armas y artículos relacionados a cambio de pago y lo habían hecho en múltiples ocasiones”, indicaron las autoridades.

### Investigación conjunta de varias agencias

La investigación fue llevada a cabo por el Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas (ICE), la Oficina de Investigaciones de Seguridad Nacional, la Oficina de Alcohol, Tabaco, Armas de Fuego y Explosivos, y la Oficina de Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza.

El Departamento de Justicia enfatizó que este caso forma parte de la Operación “Recuperemos América”, una iniciativa nacional que moviliza todos los recursos del Departamento para repeler la invasión de la inmigración ilegal, lograr la eliminación total de los cárteles y organizaciones criminales transnacionales, y proteger a las comunidades de los autores de delitos violentos.
https://eldiariony.com/2025/10/28/padre-e-hijo-arrestados-en-texas-por-contrabando-de-armas-de-fuego-a-mexico/

North Korea’s top diplomat meets with Putin on a visit to Russia

MOSCOW (AP) — North Korea’s top diplomat visited the Kremlin on Monday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, following last month’s meeting between the two countries’ leaders. This visit highlighted a show of deepening ties, coming as U.S. President Donald Trump visits Asia.

In a separate meeting with her Russian counterpart, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui confirmed North Korea’s “unwavering understanding and support” for Putin’s war against Ukraine, North Korean state media reported Tuesday.

In recent months, North Korea has sent thousands of troops and large quantities of military equipment to Russia to support its war effort. This growing alignment underscores leader Kim Jong Un’s increasingly assertive foreign policy as he seeks to break out of isolation and position his country as part of a united front against the U.S.-led West.

North Korea has shunned any form of talks with Washington and Seoul since Kim’s high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with Trump collapsed in 2019 during the American president’s first term.

Putin and Kim met in Beijing last September after attending a major military parade in the Chinese capital, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. During Monday’s talks, Putin asked North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui to convey his best wishes to Kim, noting that they had a very warm meeting, according to his televised remarks.

Before attending the Kremlin meeting with Putin, Choe held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Lavrov once again praised North Korean troops for fighting alongside the Russian military in the Kursk region after a surprise Ukrainian incursion.

“These heroic deeds will, of course, further strengthen the bonds of friendship and historical unity in our shared struggle for justice,” Lavrov said.

Choe noted “considerable progress” in relations between North Korea and Russia and confirmed Pyongyang’s support for “all measures” taken by Russia to defend its security interests and “eliminate the root cause” of its conflict with Ukraine, according to Russian and North Korean media reports.

North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) stated that Russian officials expressed Moscow’s support for all of Pyongyang’s efforts to “firmly defend its current status, security interests, and sovereign rights” during their meeting with Choe.

The two sides discussed expanding high-level exchanges and cooperation, as well as coordinating their diplomacy on unspecified “major issues of mutual concern,” KCNA said.

According to South Korean assessments, North Korea has sent around 15,000 troops to Russia since last fall, along with large quantities of military equipment, including artillery and ballistic missiles, to support Moscow’s military action in Ukraine. Kim has also agreed to send thousands of military construction workers and deminers to Russia’s Kursk region.

Since the collapse of his diplomacy with Trump in 2019 due to disagreements over U.S.-led economic sanctions, Kim has focused on expanding the capabilities of his nuclear-armed military.

Last month, Kim suggested he could return to talks if Washington drops its demand for North Korea’s denuclearization, after Trump repeatedly expressed hopes for new diplomacy.

___

Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung contributed from Seoul, South Korea.
https://wtop.com/world/2025/10/north-koreas-top-diplomat-meets-with-putin-on-a-visit-to-russia/

Venezuela: President Maduro vows unity with Colombia; President Petro renews call for Constituent Assembly

This article from The Orinoco Tribune was written in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, and published on October 23. Given the threat of an imminent U.S. military attack on Venezuela, Colombia, and other sovereign countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, Workers World is increasing its coverage from that region.

**Caracas:** Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said on October 20 that he will always close ranks with Colombia, whose president, Gustavo Petro, was accused without evidence on October 19 by his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, of being a “leader of illegal drug trafficking.”

“At heart, we are Colombia, the profound Great Colombia founded on the Orinoco River by the Liberator Commander Simón Bolívar,” Maduro said during an activity with communal leaders.

“And Colombia knows that we are one, Siamese twins. Whatever happens with Colombia, happens with Venezuela. And whatever happens with Venezuela, happens with Colombia.”

“As a military officer of the Colombian military forces wrote to me two weeks ago: ‘If you touch Venezuela, you touch Colombia.’ We are one homeland of the heart. And we do not say this just for the sake of saying it.”
https://www.workers.org/2025/10/88668/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=venezuela-president-maduro-vows-unity-with-colombia-president-petro-renews-call-for-constituent-assembly

3 Greenberg Traurig Shareholders Named to IAM Global Leaders 2026

Three shareholders from global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP’s Patents and Innovation Strategies Group have been recognized in the IAM Global Leaders 2026 edition.

**NEW YORK, Oct. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/** — The IAM Global Leaders showcases the world’s top private practice experts in the patent world, according to the publication. To qualify for inclusion, attorneys must be ranked in the gold tier of the IAM Patent 1000 — the market-leading annual directory that identifies the top law firms and attorneys in the world’s most significant patent jurisdictions.

The following Greenberg Traurig shareholders were selected for inclusion:

**James J. DeCarlo** – A registered patent attorney and electrical engineer, DeCarlo is actively involved in virtually all aspects of intellectual property counseling. He began his career in the computer industry and, since transitioning to law, has spent three decades litigating, licensing, and procuring patents in software, hardware, internet, and networking fields, among others. His experience includes litigating patent matters in district courts across the country, handling matters before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, counseling clients on strategic IP asset management, and drafting infringement, validity, and freedom-to-operate opinions.

**Melissa Hunter-Ensor, Ph.D.** – Co-chair of the firm’s Global Patents and Innovation Strategies Group, Hunter-Ensor focuses her practice on the intellectual property and commercial needs of clients in the life sciences industry. Her expertise spans pharmaceutical, biotechnology, chemical agricultural, diagnostics, and medical device companies. She represents clients throughout the business cycle — from startups and universities to global pharmaceutical corporations — assisting with patent portfolio management, strategic alliances, litigation, and pre-litigation strategy.

**Barry J. Schindler** – Co-chair of the Global Patents and Innovation Strategies Group, Schindler has over 30 years of legal experience in all aspects of patent prosecution and IP protection. He represents major companies and startups regarding patents and trade secrets, managing worldwide patent portfolios in key technical areas such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, AgriTech, FoodTech, FinTech, cloud computing, chemical, pharmaceutical, material science, and medical devices. Schindler has obtained hundreds of U.S. patents for clients and collaborates with foreign counsel in China, France, Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Russia, the United Kingdom, and other jurisdictions to secure foreign patents.

**About Greenberg Traurig’s Patents and Innovation Strategies Group**

Greenberg Traurig’s IP attorneys have significant experience managing international patent portfolios for major companies and organizations, having prosecuted thousands of patents. The group’s patent capabilities cover the full spectrum — from application preparation and filing to examination and appeals, maximizing technology transfer opportunities, and handling patent litigation when necessary.

**About Greenberg Traurig**

Greenberg Traurig, LLP is a global law firm with more than 3,000 lawyers across 51 locations in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. The firm’s broad geographic and practice range enables the delivery of innovative and strategic legal services across borders and industries.

Recognized as a 2025 BTI “Best of the Best Recommended Law Firm” by general counsel for trust and relationship management, Greenberg Traurig consistently ranks among the top firms on the Am Law Global 100, NLJ 500, and Law360 400. The firm is also well-known for its philanthropic giving, culture, innovation, and pro bono work.

**Media Contact:**
Rachel Perna
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Phone: 312-364-1642
Email: [rachel.perna@gtlaw.com](mailto:rachel.perna@gtlaw.com)

Website: [www.gtlaw.com/en](https://www.gtlaw.com/en)
Twitter: [@gtlaw](https://twitter.com/gtlaw)

**SOURCE:** Greenberg Traurig, LLP
https://www.prweb.com/releases/3-greenberg-traurig-shareholders-named-to-iam-global-leaders-2026-302595528.html

Run It Back? : Kamala Harris Strongly Hints At Running For President Again

Kamala Harris Isn’t Done with Politics: Hints at Another Presidential Run

Kamala Harris isn’t ready to step away from the political stage. In a recent interview during her UK promo tour for her memoir *107 Days*, Harris hinted that she might have another shot at becoming President of the United States. Speaking with BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, she said it’s “possible” she could be POTUS one day, expressing confidence that her grandnieces will see a woman sitting in the Oval Office “in their lifetime, for sure.”

Despite the challenges she’s faced, Harris gave the strongest indication yet that she wants to run again. She also addressed polls suggesting she isn’t the favorite to secure the Democratic nomination, pushing back against such claims.

Taking aim at former President Donald Trump, Harris called him a “tyrant” and didn’t miss the chance to deliver a pointed “I told you so.” She reminded viewers that everything she warned voters about Trump—and what a second term under his “leadership” would look like—has come true.

**Support Builds for Another Kamala Harris Run**

Harris’ recent comments have sparked reactions, with many already expressing support for the former Vice President to make another bid for the White House. One social media user wrote, “Let me clarify a point: Kamala Harris must and would be our nominee for the next election. She gained 75 MILLION votes in just 3 f*cking months. NOBODY did that before. Give her time to run a real campaign and we will win.”

If Harris does decide to run again, it could set up a rematch with the so-called Orange Menace, who is reportedly considering an unconstitutional third term. Lord help us all.

Check out some of the reactions, both for and against Harris running again, below.
https://hiphopwired.com/2885244/kamala-harris-possible-second-presidential-run-reactions/

U.N. warns of “terrible escalation” in Sudan’s civil war

**Powerful Paramilitary Group Claims Capture of El-Fasher Amid Sudan Conflict**

Johannesburg — A powerful paramilitary force fighting the government in Sudan’s ongoing two-and-a-half-year civil war has claimed over the weekend to have captured the city of El-Fasher. The city, where hundreds of thousands of civilians have been trapped and cut off from the world for months, has been a focal point in the conflict.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed grave concern about the escalating violence. Speaking to the French news agency AFP, he described the situation around El-Fasher—the last city in the Darfur region not held by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries—as a “terrible escalation in the conflict.” He added, “The level of suffering that we are witnessing in Sudan is unbearable.”

Reports circulating on social media on Sunday indicated that RSF forces had taken control of the Sudanese Armed Forces’ 6th Division Headquarters in El-Fasher. Supporting these claims, the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL), which monitors the war via satellite imagery, confirmed a major RSF attack on El-Fasher on Sunday.

The HRL reported evidence of close-quarter battle within the city, noting that activity may correlate with reports of RSF capturing prisoners in and around the army airfield. They emphasized their ongoing commitment to monitoring satellite imagery for any signs of mass atrocities in El-Fasher.

While the RSF issued a statement asserting full control over the city, the Sudanese army maintained that fighting continued. Independent analysts cautioned that the RSF’s claim could not be independently verified at this time.

The United Nations has urged for the safe evacuation of an estimated 250,000 civilians trapped inside El-Fasher. U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher called for an immediate ceasefire in the city to facilitate civilian escape.

The RSF has besieged El-Fasher for weeks, constructing an earthen berm around the city to halt supplies and prevent the movement of people. As the last remaining stronghold of the Sudanese army in the Darfur region, the full capture of El-Fasher by the RSF would leave the paramilitary group in control of all five states within Darfur.

Analysts warn that RSF leaders have indicated intentions to formally partition Sudan and establish a parallel government in territories under their control.

Unverified images shared on social media reportedly show RSF fighters walking among bodies and injured civilians while celebrating inside El-Fasher on Sunday.

Fighting has persisted around El-Fasher for 18 months, leaving tens of thousands of residents trapped without access to essential supplies such as food and medical aid. Communication with the outside world remains extremely limited.

Eyewitness accounts reveal that drone strikes and artillery bombardments have become part of daily life as the Sudanese army and RSF continue to battle over control of this critical city.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sudan-civil-war-escalates-rsf-attack-el-fasher/

Trump has begun Asia trip with major trade deal and openness to meeting Kim Jong Un

Trump then traveled to Japan on Monday to finalize a trade deal. Upon arriving, he shook hands with Emperor Naruhito. He is expected to meet with Japan’s newly elected prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, later on. Committing to a trade deal with the U.S. would be a monumental moment for the start of her term.

Takaichi, a staunch conservative and the first female prime minister of Japan, has drawn comparisons to the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was a close friend of Trump during his first term. Reminiscing about his friendship with Abe, the president wished Takaichi well in her new job.

“I hear phenomenal things,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “She was a great ally and friend of Shinzo Abe, who was my friend.”

“I know they were very close, and I think philosophically they were close, which is good,” he said. “That really helps Japan and the United States. I think she’s going to be great.”

Trump will depart on Wednesday for South Korea, the last planned stop of his three-nation tour. While there, he will discuss the possibility of finalizing a trade deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Their meeting, which comes one day before the start of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit, was previously expected to be scrapped after Trump threatened an additional 100% tariff by November 1 in response to China’s export controls on rare earth minerals.

Trump suggested he would skip the meeting, but once trade tensions eased, the meeting remained on schedule. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed on Sunday that the U.S. and China are expected to agree on a trade deal “framework” that will avoid the 100% tariff.

Trump said he is optimistic the U.S. will “come away with a deal” following his meeting with Xi. He also hopes to visit Beijing in the near future and suggested Xi could visit Washington, D.C., or his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.

Regarding the possibility of meeting with Kim Jong Un, Trump remains open to the idea, partly because it would be easy to add to his schedule, given that South Korea is his last stop.

“I’d love to meet with him, if he’d like to meet,” he said. “I got along great with Kim Jong Un. I liked him, he liked me.” The two have met three times in person.

**TRUMP INKS TRADE DEALS ON ASIA TRIP, WITH US-CHINA AGREEMENT CLOSE AHEAD OF XI MEETING**

At the beginning of his diplomatic tour, Trump made a pit stop in the Middle East and brought the emir of Qatar and the country’s prime minister onto Air Force One. Trump said it was a “great honor” to host the Qatari leaders.

The appearance followed the signing of the peace deal between Israel and Hamas this month. Because Qatar played a mediating role in ending the conflict, Trump thanked the nation’s leaders.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/3864631/trump-begins-asia-trip-major-trade-deal-openness-meeting-kim-jong-un/