Monday, May 12, 2025

The New York Times Morning Briefing - May 12, 2025 - by Narasha Frost - covering trade talks between China and the U.S. and Pakistani - India cease - fire

 

Morning Briefing: Europe Edition

May 12, 2025

Good morning. We’re covering trade talks between China and the U.S. and a Pakistan-India cease-fire.

Plus: Welcome to crypto bro fight club.

Several men and one woman, most of whom are wearing dark suits and white shirts, walk outside a building with leafy green trees in the background.
Members of the Chinese delegation at the trade talks in Geneva. Denis Balibouse/Reuters

U.S. said it made ‘progress’ toward a deal with China

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said yesterday that the U.S. had made “substantial progress” in talks with China after a weekend of meetings in Geneva, and that more details would be announced today.

Jamieson Greer, the U.S. trade representative who joined Bessent for the talks, suggested that some form of a “deal” addressed U.S. national security concerns about China’s trade practices. He did not say whether the two nations had agreed to drop any of their punishing tariffs.

China’s vice premier for economic policy, He Lifeng, described the talks as “candid, in-depth and constructive” and said that the two countries had reached a deal to establish a “consultation mechanism” to discuss economic and trade issues, according to Chinese state media.

Analysis: “Any reduction in tensions is good news for businesses that depend on trade between the U.S. and China,” said my colleague Ana Swanson, who covers trade for The Times. “But I would be cautious about expecting too much from just two days of meetings.” Other than lower tariffs, a possible outcome tomorrow “may just be more meetings,” she added.

Response: Stocks in Japan and South Korea edged higher in early trading this morning.

A man stands looking at a white columned house with damage to the upper balcony and battered trees around it.
A house damaged by Pakistani artillery shelling in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir on Saturday. Atul Loke for The New York Times

India and Pakistan maintained a cease-fire

The fragile truce between India and Pakistan appeared to be largely holding yesterday, on its first full day. Both countries claimed to have won the four-day conflict they had been engaged in.

After some initial fighting on Saturday, President Trump later announced that both sides had agreed to a cease-fire with the help of U.S. mediation. He added that he would increase trade “substantially” with both countries and work with them to settle their dispute over Kashmir.

Pakistan praised America for mediating, but India initially made no mention of U.S. involvement. Later, New Delhi acknowledged discussions with U.S. officials but said it had made its own decisions. Here’s what else to know about the conflict.

Under the guns: Showkat Nanda, born and raised in Kashmir, grew up hearing gunfire but had never spent a night under military bombardment until this month. He wrote about the experience.

Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and President Trump sit in yellow chairs in the Oval Office. Reporters’ microphones can be seen hanging overhead.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and President Trump at the White House in February. Eric Lee/The New York Times

Signs of division between Trump and Netanyahu

As Trump prepares to visit the Middle East this week for his first major foreign trip, he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel are showing signs of a rift that has grown since April.

In February, they were in sync on issues like the Houthis, Iran and Gaza. Since then, Trump has rejected Netanyahu’s desire for joint action to take out Iran’s nuclear abilities. He also announced a deal with Houthi militias to halt U.S. airstrikes against them, just days after a Houthi missile struck Israel’s main airport.

There is even some evidence of a divide on Gaza: Trump’s emissaries are still trying to get a deal to stop the war, even though he has largely supported Netanyahu’s conduct in the conflict.

Hamas: The Palestinian armed group said it would free Edan Alexander, the last living U.S. citizen held captive in Gaza.

More Trump news:

  • Trump plans to accept a luxury Boeing plane from the Qatari royal family that would be used as Air Force One, raising big ethical questions. It would be one of the biggest foreign gifts ever received by the U.S. government.
  • The Trump administration is planning to allow a first group of white South Africans to enter the U.S. as refugees today, according to officials and documents.
  • Trump has floated changing the name of the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Gulf — a move that infuriated Iran and its people.

MORE TOP NEWS

President Emmanuel Macron of France, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain.
Pool photo by Ludovic Marin
  • Ukraine: President Volodymyr Zelensky, above center, said he was ready to meet with Russia’s leader, but he also insisted on an immediate truce before negotiations can begin.
  • Britain: Wildfires over the past week burned through forested areas in Scotland, Wales and England.
  • Bangladesh: The interim government said that it would ban all activities of the Awami League, the political party of the ousted leader, Sheikh Hasina.
  • Philippines: Former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is in detention in Europe on charges of crimes against humanity, is expected to win another term as mayor of Davao City.
  • South Korea: The presidential candidates Lee Jae-myung and Kim Moon-soo have both vowed to bring national unity. But they are as politically opposite as it gets.

The Vatican

The pope, dressed in white, speaks from a balcony in front of crimson curtains.
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

SPORTS NEWS

A soccer goalie lunges for a ball heading into the net.
Albert Gea/Reuters

MORNING READ

A rotating slide show of fighters.
Matthew DeFeo for The New York Times

Crypto bros, tech executives and start-up founders are chasing an old-fashioned ideal of masculinity by ditching the boardroom for the ring. One iteration: an amateur mixed martial arts competition called Influencer Fight Club. Lately, it has featured big names in the crypto world.

“I love to see these nerds all of a sudden try to man up,” one trainer said.

Lives lived: Margot Friedländer, a Holocaust survivor who, in her last decades, found her voice as a champion of Holocaust remembrance, died on Friday at 103.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

  • New chapter: Abel Tesfaye, also known as the R&B singer the Weeknd, is retiring the persona that has been his musical home since he first started putting mixtapes online. What’s next for him?
  • Complicated feelings: This chef has a love-hate relationship with the burger.
  • Final gift: A professor taught at the same college for 50 years. She left her life savings to her 31 favorite students.
  • Found footage: A long-lost pilot for “Thomas & Friends” was found in storage by accident. In it, Thomas the Tank Engine notices a funny smell.

ARTS AND IDEAS

Miguel de Barros, speaking into a microphone and gesturing with his left arm, stands before a screen and a vehicle inside a room.
Ricci Shryock for The New York Times

A small country with big artistic dreams

Guinea-Bissau has virtually no art galleries, no art schools and little government funding for the arts. Despite this, the tiny West African nation just staged its first biennale.

The MoAC Biss, which runs through May 31, features some 150 artists from 17 countries. The festival is designed in part to offer more opportunities for local artists, who presently have few ways to display their work. As one curator put it, culture and art “feed our soul.”

RECOMMENDATIONS

An overhead shot of a pan containing rice cakes, spinach and peas.
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.

Cook: Miso rice cakes with spinach and peas are vitality in a skillet.

Watch: Here are eight new movies our critics are talking about.

Read: The Family Dynamic” examines what makes some families exceptional.

Travel: These apps can make your trip smoother, safer and more fun.

Smile: Here are three tips for cultivating joy.

Play the Spelling Bee. And here are today’s Mini Crossword and WordleYou can find all our puzzles here.

That’s it for today’s briefing. See you tomorrow. — Natasha

Reach Natasha and the team at briefing@nytimes.com.

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