El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, expresó este sábado su expectativa de que la próxima reunión con el líder chino, Xi Jinping, tenga un carácter “especial y, posiblemente, histórico”, y destacó avances en la situación del estrecho de Ormuz.

A través de un mensaje en su red social, el mandatario señaló que “el presidente Xi está muy contento de que el estrecho de Ormuz esté abierto o se esté abriendo rápidamente”, aludiendo a la importancia estratégica de ese corredor marítimo entre el golfo Pérsico y el golfo de Omán.

Trump manifestó su confianza en el impacto positivo del próximo encuentro bilateral y afirmó que espera “con interés” la reunión, que se celebrará en China. “¡Se lograrán grandes cosas!”, añadió.

El mandatario estadounidense anunció a finales de marzo que se reunirá con Xi Jinping en Pekín los días 14 y 15 de mayo, una cita inicialmente prevista para marzo, pero aplazada tras el inicio de la ofensiva conjunta de Estados Unidos e Israel contra Irán el 28 de febrero.

“Nuestros representantes de los dos países están ultimando los preparativos para estas visitas históricas. Estoy deseando pasar tiempo con el presidente Xi en lo que, estoy seguro, será un acontecimiento monumental”, había declarado entonces Trump.

El inquilino de la Casa Blanca afirmó el miércoles en un mensaje publicado en Truth Social que China “acordó no mandar armas a Irán” y recordó a su homólogo chino, Xi Jinping, que Estados Unidos “es bueno peleando”, en caso de tener “que hacerlo”.

“En cuanto a la situación de Irán, China ha dejado clara su firme postura en más de una ocasión”, señaló el portavoz del Ministerio de Exteriores chino, Guo Jiakun, en unas declaraciones en las que evitó aclarar si el líder chino trasladó esos mensajes a sus contraparte estadounidense.

“China está muy contenta de que yo estoy abriendo permanentemente el estrecho de Ormuz”, sostuvo el presidente norteamericano en relación a la necesidad de petróleo de Beijing en medio de la guerra en Medio Oriente y añadió: “Lo hago también por ellos y por el mundo”.

Trump anticipó que Xi le dará “un abrazo grande y gordo” cuando llegue a China en unas semanas y destacó la cooperación entre ambos países: “Estamos trabajando de manera inteligente y muy bien ¿No es eso mejor que pelear?”.

En su mensaje, Trump también reiteró el poderío militar estadounidense: “Pero recuerda, somos muy buenos peleando, si tenemos que hacerlo. Mucho mejor que cualquier otro”.

El secretario del Tesoro de Estados Unidos, Scott Bessent, tiene previsto visitar Japón antes del viaje del presidente Trump al gigante asiático, según informaron autoridades japonesas el jueves.

La ministra de Finanzas de Japón, Satsuki Katayama, señaló en una conferencia desde Washington que Bessent “quiere ir a Japón antes de visitar China” por su aprecio hacia el país, aunque indicó no conocer los detalles del itinerario.

En los márgenes de la reunión de ministros de Finanzas del G7 en Washington esta semana, Katayama mantuvo un encuentro con Bessent en el que abordaron la adquisición de recursos energéticos y la situación en Irán. Ambos acordaron “intensificar la comunicación en materia de tipos de cambio”, informó la ministra en un mensaje en X.

Consultada sobre la política monetaria del Banco de Japón (BoJ), Katayama señaló que discutieron el mercado en general, pero no hubo comentarios específicos sobre dicha política. La ministra añadió que el panorama económico es difícil de prever y que se espera un análisis más profundo de cara a la próxima cumbre entre ambos países, prevista para mediados de mayo.

An international fugitive was arrested in Dubai this week following a years-long manhunt.

Daniel Kinahan, the alleged leader of one of Ireland’s biggest criminal gangs, the Kinahan cartel, was arrested on organized crime charges on Wednesday in a covert operation involving Irish and United Arab Emirates authorities.

The 48-year-old alleged crime boss is expected to face charges in Ireland related to a gangland feud between the Kinahan cartel and the Hutch gang that has left 18 people dead since 2015.

Dubai police didn’t name Kinahan, saying they had «arrested an Irish fugitive for his alleged role in an organised criminal ​group involved in international crimes in his ​home country.»

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He was identified by Irish media outlets on Friday.

Ireland’s national police force, the Garda Síochána said an Irish man in his 40s was arrested under a warrant from the Irish courts.

«An Garda Síochána has been steadfast in our determination that we would pursue those allegedly involved in serious Organized Criminal activity, wherever they go,» the police said in a statement, according to The Irish Star. «Today’s arrest is another extremely important demonstration of the need for international law enforcement co-operation in tackling transnational organized crime.»

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Members of An Garda Síochána in Dublin in February. (Natalia Campos/Getty Images)

Kinahan fled Ireland for Spain, then the UAE after he was the believed target in an assassination attempt that left an associate of the Kinahan cartel, David Byrne, dead at a boxing weigh-in at the Regency Hotel in Dublin.

The U.S. Treasury Department offered a reward of $5 million in 2022 for information leading to the arrest of the Kinahan cartel’s leaders or the organization’s «financial destruction.»

Spanish police officers in 2022 raided 11 locations in Spain and England, arresting four people linked to the largest known money laundering organization in Spain, suspected of laundering more than €200 million in 18 months. The main target is considered a high-value individual by Europol and connected to the Irish Kinahan cartel. (Spanish Civil Guard/Anadolu Agency)

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The cartel is considered a juggernaut in the European drug trade, and, along with other European crime organizations, has created a «super cartel» that controls around a third of Europe’s cocaine trade.

Kinahan is also affiliated with the boxing world, and was the founder of boxing management company MTK Global.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump will read from 2 Chronicles 7 during a nationwide Bible-reading event this week, a passage organizers say was deliberately reserved for the president because of its decades-long role as a call to prayer in America.

Trump is set to read 2 Chronicles 7:11–22 from the Oval Office as part of «America Reads the Bible,» a weeklong event marking 250 years of the Bible in America and featuring nearly 500 participants reading Scripture from Genesis to Revelation.

Organizers said Trump’s section was not assigned at random.

The event’s online schedule shows the 2 Chronicles 7:11–22 reading was reserved as a «special guest» slot during a prime evening hour on Tuesday, alongside figures like former HUD Secretary Ben Carson and members of Congress.

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«We needed somebody special to read Second Chronicles chapter seven,» Bunni Pounds, founder and president of Christians Engaged, told Fox News Digital.

«As my director and I were praying over different sections of scripture, it came to us that this is such a critical passage for the body of Christ,» she said.

Pounds said the passage, particularly verse 14, has been central to American prayer life for decades, often invoked during times of national reflection.

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US President Donald Trump bows his head in prayer during the National Prayer Breakfast at the Washington Hilton in February 5, 2026. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

«It comes at a time where the Israelites were experiencing hardship and God spoke and said, ‘If my people that are called by my name would humble themselves and pray,’» Pounds said. «We’ve prayed this scripture for at least the last 50 years of American history on National Day of Prayer and other moments in this country.»

Verse 14 reads, «If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.»

«And so we instantly said — who needs to read that? The President of the United States,» she added. «We set it aside for him and have been praying for that for the last year.»

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Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump prays during a roundtable discussion with Latino community leaders at Trump National Doral Miami resort in Miami, Florida, on October 22, 2024. (Chandan Khanna/AFP)

Pounds said Trump’s participation sends a broader message about faith in American life.

«I think he’s sending a message that faith matters in this country, and that it’s important not only personally, but for our nation overall,» she said.

She added that the selected Scripture speaks to the country’s current moment.

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President Trump is set to speak at the Museum on the Bible on Monday to support religious liberty in education, according to a White House spokesperson. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

«We’re making a statement during this week as America reads the Bible, that there is so much in the Bible that we can gain wisdom and discernment from, there is so much that can heal our families, that can rescue us from depression and anxiety and can heal our inner cities and heal our land… I believe the president’s saying that by reading this scripture specifically,» Pounds said.

The White House echoed that theme in a presidential message commemorating the event, calling the Bible «indelibly woven into our national identity» and urging Americans to «rediscover» its role in shaping the nation.

The event, held in partnership with the Museum of the Bible, will run from April 19 through April 25, and include nearly 500 Americans participating in a public reading of the entire Bible.

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Hands folded in prayer on a Holy Bible in church concept for faith, spirituality and religion, woman praying on holy bible in the morning. woman hand with Bible praying. (iStock)

According to Pounds, all participants will read from the King James Version Easy Read edition, which was licensed for the event’s livestream and a later audiobook version from the week’s readings.

The event will feature a wide range of participants, including actress Patricia Heaton, Candace Cameron Bure, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and House Speaker Mike Johnson, each reading portions of Genesis during the opening hours.

Readers range from elected officials and pastors to single parents and small business owners, reflecting what Pounds described as a nationwide cross-section of Americans.

Worship music will accompany each hour of the readings, with different ministries and organizations partnering throughout the event.

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Pounds said viewers watching Trump’s reading from the Oval Office will notice the weight of the moment.

«They’re going to see how passionate he is about it, how deliberate he was,» she said. «It really struck me to see the leader of the free world reading scripture from the Oval Office.»

«There’s a humility on him… and I don’t believe that he would have read it if he didn’t believe it,» she added.

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

«America Reads the Bible» begins 9 a.m. ET Sunday.