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China, US agree to $30b tariff cut, AI dialogue during Xi visit, Beijing says

China said on Saturday it had agreed with the United States on a $30 billion reciprocal tariff-reduction arrangement and on launching a ​dialogue on AI, under an eight-point consensus reached during President ‌Xi Jinping's visit to Washington. The two sides have also agreed to set up a trade council and extend the outcomes of earlier talks in Kuala Lumpur, the Chinese ​Foreign Ministry said. The agreement follows an earlier move by ​the world's two largest economies to extend by two months ⁠a trade truce that had been due to expire on November 10, ​allowing more time to work on a potentially bigger trade deal, US ​Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday. Read: US, China buy time with trade truce as pressure builds The three-day summit between Xi and President Donald Trump, which ended on Friday, showcased personal diplomacy rather than big public breakthroughs. ​Xi has since landed in Beijing, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported ​on Saturday. On a...
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UK government to ban disposable vapes to prevent use by children

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will announce plans on Monday to ban the sale of disposable vapes to prevent their use by children, and reiterate the government's intention to introduce a law preventing younger generations from buying tobacco. Under the new powers, there would be restrictions on vape flavours, a requirement for plain packaging, and changes to how vapes, or e-cigarettes, are displayed to make them less attractive to children. "Alongside our commitment to stop children who turn 15 this year or younger from ever legally being sold cigarettes, these changes will leave a lasting legacy by protecting our children’s health for the long term," Sunak said in a statement. Smoking is Britain's biggest preventable killer, causing one out of four cancer-related deaths, or some 80,000 a year, the government says. In October, Sunak announced plans to pass a law which would mean that anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2009, would be unable to buy tobacco in their lifetime. Read: E-cigarettes : New addiction of choice for youth While vapes are seen as key to helping people quit smoking, there has been concern they could be driving nicotine addiction among young people, with 9% of 11- to 15-year-olds now using them, the government said. The World Health Organization (WHO) said in December all vape flavours should be banned. However, industry groups and the UK Vaping Industry Association argue that vapes pose significantly lower health risks than tobacco, and flavours were key in encouraging smokers to switch. "I have an obligation to do what I think is the right thing for our country in the long term," Sunak said. "That is why I am taking bold action to ban disposable vapes – which have driven the rise in youth vaping – and bring forward new powers to restrict vape flavours, introduce plain packaging and change how vapes are displayed in shops." The government says that along with the health benefits, the ban on disposable vapes would help the environment, with five million thrown away each week.

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