Moving from pageantry to policy during his state visit to Britain, US President Donald Trump yesterday urged embattled British Prime Minister Theresa May to “stick around” to complete a US-UK trade deal, adding to this recent chapter of uncertainty in the allies’ storied relationship.
Trump has been sharply critical of May in the past, but only had warm words for her yesterday as he urged her to stay to “get this deal done.”
“I think we’ll have a very, very substantial trade deal,” said Trump, extolling its virtues for both nations. “I think that this is something we both want to do ... we’re going to get it done.”
Photo: Reuters
After Trump suggested that May stay on, most in the room chuckled. The two leaders later warmly chatted during a tour of 10 Downing Street, the prime minister’s office, as May pointed out a rare copy of the US Declaration of Independence.
The economic meeting at St James’ Palace brought together 10 leading companies — five from the UK and five from the US.
While the business leaders gathered, protesters began to assemble across London, some of whom had the now-infamous Trump baby balloon bobbing in the air near Parliament Square.
Photo: Reuters
Leaders of Britain’s main opposition party were to join demonstrators at a rally in Trafalgar Square, just up the street from May’s Downing Street office. Also in Trafalgar Square, a 3m robotic likeness of Trump sat on a golden toilet.
The US president arrived in Britain at a precarious moment, amid a fresh round of impeachment fervor back home and uncertainty in the UK.
The day of meetings with May followed a whirlwind of pomp, circumstance and protest for Trump, who had lunch with Queen Elizabeth II and tea with Prince Charles before a grand state dinner at Buckingham Palace.
As so often happens when Trump travels overseas, norms were shattered, including when the president complained about his TV viewing options outside of the US and urged people to punish CNN by boycotting its parent company, AT&T Inc.
Following yesterday’s focus on business and trade, Trump is to use today and tomorrow to mark the 75th anniversary of the June 6, 1944, D-Day landing, likely the last significant commemoration most veterans of the battle are to see.
The D-Day commemorations are to begin in Portsmouth, England, where the invasion was launched, and then move across the English Channel to France, where Allied forces began to recapture western Europe from the Nazis.
French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to use the occasion to call for strengthening multinational ties that Trump has frayed.
TYPHOON: The storm’s path indicates a high possibility of Krathon making landfall in Pingtung County, depending on when the storm turns north, the CWA said Typhoon Krathon is strengthening and is more likely to make landfall in Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said in a forecast released yesterday afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the CWA’s updated sea warning for Krathon showed that the storm was about 430km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point. It was moving in west-northwest at 9kph, with maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts of up to 155kph, CWA data showed. Krathon is expected to move further west before turning north tomorrow, CWA forecaster Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said. The CWA’s latest forecast and other countries’ projections of the storm’s path indicate a higher
SLOW-MOVING STORM: The typhoon has started moving north, but at a very slow pace, adding uncertainty to the extent of its impact on the nation Work and classes have been canceled across the nation today because of Typhoon Krathon, with residents in the south advised to brace for winds that could reach force 17 on the Beaufort scale as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecast that the storm would make landfall there. Force 17 wind with speeds of 56.1 to 61.2 meters per second, the highest number on the Beaufort scale, rarely occur and could cause serious damage. Krathon could be the second typhoon to land in southwestern Taiwan, following typhoon Elsie in 1996, CWA records showed. As of 8pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 180km
TYPHOON DAY: Taitung, Pingtung, Tainan, Chiayi, Hualien and Kaohsiung canceled work and classes today. The storm is to start moving north this afternoon The outer rim of Typhoon Krathon made landfall in Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) at about noon yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, adding that the eye of the storm was expected to hit land tomorrow. The CWA at 2:30pm yesterday issued a land alert for Krathon after issuing a sea alert on Sunday. It also expanded the scope of the sea alert to include waters north of Taiwan Strait, in addition to its south, from the Bashi Channel to the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島). As of 6pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 160km south of
STILL DANGEROUS: The typhoon was expected to weaken, but it would still maintain its structure, with high winds and heavy rain, the weather agency said One person had died amid heavy winds and rain brought by Typhoon Krathon, while 70 were injured and two people were unaccounted for, the Central Emergency Operation Center said yesterday, while work and classes have been canceled nationwide today for the second day. The Hualien County Fire Department said that a man in his 70s had fallen to his death at about 11am on Tuesday while trimming a tree at his home in Shoufeng Township (壽豐). Meanwhile, the Yunlin County Fire Department received a report of a person falling into the sea at about 1pm on Tuesday, but had to suspend search-and-rescue
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