US, China Mull Trade Truce | French PM to Meet Protesters

Despite the trade cease-fire between Beijing and Washington declared during this weekend’s G-20 summit, few are hailing it as a full diplomatic breakthrough. President Donald Trump will suspend an imminent tariff increase while Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly pledged to buy more American goods. Both agreed on a three-month period to work out a longer-term plan. But as analysts consider the likelihood of a lasting truce, some believe the economic ties between the two have changed forever. “Too many genies have been let out of bottles,” one expert said.

President Emmanuel Macron has asked Prime Minister Édouard Philippe to cross the barricades in an attempt to halt the most destructive demonstrations to hit Paris in a decade. More than 400 were arrested and 133 injured over the weekend as tens of thousands of anti-government protesters clashed with riot police and some set buildings and cars on fire. The diplomatic approach to the third straight week of demonstrations — sparked by a hike in fuel prices — is a shift away from a proposed state of emergency that was floated earlier.

That’s slick. Citing plans to focus on exporting natural gas, Doha announced it would withdraw from the global oil cartel in January. The decision comes during a time of strained relations with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, all of which have levied trade and travel embargoes on Qatar. Energy minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi denied that his country’s withdrawal from OPEC — in which Doha is one of the smallest oil producers — was connected to regional tensions. Qatar is already the world’s leading exporter of liquefied natural gas.

A two-week conference focusing on combating climate change kicks off today in southern Poland, where governments are expected to forge detailed plans on how to cut greenhouse gas emissions 45 percent by 2030. This year’s meeting is the most significant since the 2015 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in Paris, where that target was set. Opening the summit, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called climate change “the most important issue we face.” Meanwhile, a growing green bond between Poland and China could prove vital for the energy giants as they consider a renewable future.

Know This: Former President George H.W. Bush will lie in state under the U.S. Capitol rotunda from today until Wednesday. Ex-FBI chief James Comey has agreed to testify before the House Judiciary Committee Friday on the condition that a transcript will be released to the public. And the university that employed the Chinese scientist who claimed to have helped create the world’s first gene-edited babies denied rumors that he’s been detained.

Read This: In a Facebook post this weekend, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson defended himself against multiple allegations of sexual misconduct: “Evidence always matters,” he wrote.

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He tried to put a ring on it. After tourist John Drennan popped the question in New York City, he and new fiancée Daniella Anthony were mortified as the ring slipped off her finger and fell down a Times Square sidewalk grate Friday night. New York Police Department officers retrieved the ring the next day, although the couple had already left the country. Officers posted a “Wanted” tweet asking for help finding the unlucky pair. Some 20,000 retweets later, they did — and the ring’s on its way back to Drennan and Anthony.

American Anne McClain, Canadian David Saint-Jacques and Russian Oleg Kononenko are blasting off for the International Space Station from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome today aboard a Russian Soyuz FG rocket. It’s the first manned Soyuz mission since an Oct. 11 failure when a damaged sensor caused the rocket to break apart minutes into the flight. Neither of the astronauts aboard were injured. After four successful tests, Russia’s space agency bumped up the current mission to ensure the ISS isn’t understaffed. It will be the first space mission for McClain and Saint-Jacques.

According to the Global Partnership for Education, only 2 percent of deaf children receive their education in sign language. The reasons are many: Some countries don’t have a standardized sign language — and others lack laws mandating support services — while a spike in cochlear implants has meant fewer parents opt for that mode of communication. Researchers say such decisions could spark self-esteem issues in youngsters if technology fails, and could deprive them of an activity that stimulates the brain and promotes its development.

Is anyone watching this? Celebrated stateside for its predominantly Asian-American cast, the film bombed in its Chinese debut this weekend — grossing a mere $1.2 million. That’s in contrast to the U.S., where the year’s highest-grossing rom-com raked in $173 million. Commentators blamed its lack of novelty in a country where all-Asian casts are expected, as well as diminishing buzz since its August release. In international markets overall, it’s earned $64 million. Meanwhile, director Jon Chu is reportedly moving forward with a sequel, China Rich Girlfriend.

Head coach Mike McCarthy has been sent packing after Green Bay’s 20-17 loss at home yesterday to the Arizona Cardinals. McCarthy, who’s 125-77-2 in his career, led the Packers for 13 seasons, including to a Super Bowl victory in 2010. But this season, the 4-7-1 Packers have won only one game out of their last five. Meanwhile, Sports Illustrated reported last week that McCarthy’s relationship with star quarterback Aaron Rodgers was “defined by tension.” Offensive coordinator Joe Philbin will fill in as interim head coach.