China, U.S. announce measures to ease tariff tensionsChina and the United States announced here Monday a series of tariff modification measures aimed at easing trade tensions between the world's two largest economies.The decision followed a two-day China-U.S. high-level meeting on economic and trade affairs, where both sides recognized the importance of their bilateral economic and trade relationship to both countries and the global economy, a joint statement said, noting that both sides emphasized the need for a sustainable, long-term and mutually beneficial economic and trade relationship.According to the statement, the United States will place a 90-day pause on 24 percentage points of the additional ad valorem rate of duty on articles of China (including articles of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macau Special Administrative Region) starting from April 2, while retaining the remaining rate of 10 percent on those articles. It will also remove the additional tariff rates on imports from China announced on April 8 and 9 respectively.China will modify accordingly the application of the additional ad valorem rate of duty on articles of the United States set forth in Announcement of the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council No. 4 of 2025, by suspending 24 percentage points of that rate for an initial period of 90 days, while retaining the remaining additional ad valorem rate of 10 percent on those articles.Hamas releases Israeli-American hostage Edan AlexanderThe Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said in a press statement that it released Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander from southern Gaza on Monday.According to Hamas sources, Alexander was handed over to a team from the International Committee of the Red Cross at a designated location in the city of Khan Younis. He was then transferred to the buffer zone controlled by the Israeli army before being moved to the Ra'im military base in southern Israel.The sources said the handover was carried out quietly and without the presence of armed groups, in contrast to previous operations.Eyewitnesses in Khan Younis reported that Israeli military activities in the area were halted before and during the release, and the atmosphere remained relatively calm.Alexander is a U.S.-born soldier serving in the Israeli army, who was abducted on Oct. 7, 2023, in a Hamas-led raid on southern Israel that resulted in the kidnapping of 251 people and the killing of about 1,200 others.Israeli PM says no ceasefire agreed despite hostage releaseIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that there would be no ceasefire in exchange for the release of Edan Alexander, an Israeli-U.S. hostage who Hamas said would be freed on Monday.The United States informed Israel on Sunday that Hamas would release Edan Alexander, a U.S. born soldier in the Israeli army, who was abducted on Oct. 7, 2023, in a Hamas-led raid on southern Israel that resulted in the kidnapping of 251 people and the killing of about 1,200 others."Israel has not committed to a ceasefire of any kind or the release of terrorists but only to a safe corridor that will allow for the release of Edan," Netanyahu said in a statement."We are in the midst of critical days in which Hamas has been presented with a deal that would enable the release of our hostages," he said. "The negotiations will continue under fire, during preparations for an intensification of the fighting," he added.The Israeli Army Radio reported that the Israeli fighting had been halted since the morning hours, including airstrikes and surveillance drones, to enable the release of Alexander.Zelensky signs law on natural resources deal ratificationUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday signed the law ratifying a natural resources deal with the United States, which would establish a joint investment fund for Ukraine's reconstruction, according to the parliament's website."The implementation of the Agreement will ensure the further development of economic cooperation between Ukraine and the U.S.," said the explanatory note to the law.The agreement to establish the fund, which will be partially financed by new royalties on Ukraine's mineral resources, gas and oil, was signed on April 30 in Washington by Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.According to Svyrydenko, both countries will co-manage and co-finance the fund, while Ukraine would maintain ownership and complete control over its mineral and energy resources.The Ukrainian parliament supported ratification of the agreement last week.Poland closes Russian consulate in KrakowPoland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski announced on Monday the closure of the Russian consulate in Krakow, citing evidence that Russian intelligence services were behind a deliberate act of sabotage targeting a major shopping center in Warsaw."Due to evidence that the Russian special services committed a reprehensible act of sabotage against the shopping center on Marywilska Street, I have decided to withdraw my consent to the operation of the Consulate of the Russian Federation in Krakow," Sikorski wrote on X."We already know for sure that the large fire at Marywilska was the result of arson ordered by the Russian security services," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Sunday."We have in-depth knowledge of the order, the course of the arson, and the way it was documented by the perpetrators. Their actions were organized and directed by an identified individual residing in the Russian Federation," according to a joint statement by the justice and interior ministries.China pledges concrete measures to prevent illegal outflow of strategic mineralsChina will take practical and effective measures to resolutely prevent the illegal outflow of strategic minerals, the Ministry of Commerce said on Monday.Strengthening the export control of strategic mineral resources is crucial to national security and development interests, according to a ministry spokesperson.Since China implemented export restrictions on some strategic minerals, it has been found that some foreign entities have colluded with illegal domestic individuals, attempting to evade export control measures through smuggling and other means, the spokesperson noted.To curb the smuggling of these strategic resources, China has launched a campaign to crack down on illegal and non-compliant activities such as false declaration, concealment, and transshipment through third countries, the spokesperson said.Violent clashes erupt in Libya's Tripoli amid reports about death of security chiefViolent clashes erupted on Monday in the Libyan capital Tripoli between rival armed factions, amid reports of the death of Abdul-Ghani al-Kikli, known as Ghaniwa, who headed the Stability Support Department affiliated with the Presidency Council.Local media reported that al-Kikli was killed inside the headquarters of the 444 Brigade, which is affiliated with the Tripoli Military Zone. At the same time, they noted, citing an unnamed security source, that "the reason for al-Kikli's presence inside the headquarters of the 444 Brigade is unknown."The reports about al-Kikli's death coincided with residents of parts of southern Tripoli confirming hearing sounds of intense gunfire involving heavy weapons, as other areas of Tripoli are experiencing serious security tensions.Over the past few hours, local media have circulated video footage of military mobilizations in and around Tripoli, noting that armed groups from the cities of Zawiya, Zintan, and Misurata were heading toward the capital.