Beirut witnessed a dynamic and promising launch of the first edition of AUTOPARTS EXPO, Lebanon’s first dedicated trade exhibition for the automotive aftermarket and vehicle services industry.

Held at the Mövenpick Hotel in Beirut, the event opened its doors on Tuesday, June 3, to an impressive turnout of professionals, technicians, importers, distributors, and decision-makers from across the country.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke on Thursday at a time when stalled tariff negotiations between their two countries have roiled global trade.

The conversation was reported by Xinhua, a Chinese state media outlet. The White House did not immediately comment.

U.S. President Donald Trump's big bill in Congress would unleash trillions in tax cuts and slash spending, but also spike deficits by $2.4 trillion over the decade and leave some 10.9 million more people without health insurance, raising the political stakes for the GOP's signature domestic priority.

Republican leaders in Congress, determined to muscle the sweeping package forward, had little to say after the analysis released Wednesday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. GOP senators spent more than an hour at the White House in what they called a robust afternoon discussion with Trump.

Europe and the United States are meeting in Paris to negotiate a settlement of a tense tariff spat with global economic ramifications between two global economic powerhouses.

The European Union's top trade negotiator, Maroš Šefčovič, met Wednesday with his American counterpart, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, on the sidelines of a meeting of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Meta has cut a 20-year deal to secure nuclear power to help meet surging demand for artificial intelligence and other computing needs at Facebook's parent company.

The investment with Meta will also expand the output of a Constellation Energy Illinois nuclear plant.

Elon Musk blasted President Donald Trump's"big, beautiful bill" of tax breaks and spending cuts as a "disgusting abomination" on Tuesday, testing the limits of his political influence as he targeted the centerpiece of Republicans' legislative agenda.

The broadside, which Musk issued on his social media platform X, came just days after the president gave him a celebratory Oval Office farewell that marked the end of his work for the administration, where he spearheaded the Department of Government Efficiency.

The United States doubled tariffs on imported steel and aluminum starting Wednesday, widening President Donald Trump's trade war in a move set to fan tensions with key economic partners.

The move, which Trump earlier said was aimed at protecting domestic steel and aluminum industries, takes his levies on both metals from 25 percent to 50 percent.

U.S. President Donald Trump expressed appreciation on Wednesday for Chinese President Xi Jinping, but called him hard to strike a deal with, ahead of an anticipated call this week.

"I like President XI of China, always have, and always will, but he is VERY TOUGH, AND EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH!!!" Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, the day his 50 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum came into effect.

Inflation in the 20 countries that use the euro fell to 1.9% in May from 2.2% in April, clearing the way for more rate cuts from the European Central Bank to support growth in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff offensive.

Lower energy prices helped bring consumer prices in May to below the ECB's 2% target for the first time since September. Increasing signs that inflation is back under control after a painful outbreak in 2021-23 leaves room for the ECB to turn its attention to worries about the impact of a slew of new import taxes on EU goods in the U.S. that threaten to slow Europe's export-oriented economy.

The European Union on Monday said it is preparing "countermeasures" against the United States after the Trump administration's surprise tariffs on steel rattled global markets and complicated the ongoing wider tariff negotiations between Brussels and Washington.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed last week to "accelerate talks" on a deal, but that if those trade negotiations fail "then we are also prepared to accelerate our work on the defensive side," European Commission spokesperson Olof Gill told a press conference in Brussels.