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Donald Trump has said the Prince of Wales is “doing a fantastic job” as they met for a second time in Paris on Saturday.

They had a “warm” and “friendly” 40-minute meeting at the British ambassador’s residence after shaking hands earlier at a reopening ceremony marking the five-year restoration of Notre-Dame Cathedral.

At the diplomat’s house, the pair discussed a range of global issues but focused on the importance of the UK-US special relationship, according to Kensington Palace.

The palace added Mr Trump also “shared some warm and fond memories” with Prince William about his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, for which the 42-year-old royal was “extremely grateful”.

Prince William and Donald Trump. Pic: AP
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Prince William and Donald Trump at the British ambassador’s residence in Paris. Pic: AP

As Mr Trump arrived, they shook hands and the US president-elect, who is due to take office on 20 January, then gestured to William and added: “Good man, this one.”

The prince asked 78-year-old Mr Trump if he had warmed up since attending the ceremony in the cathedral and he replied he had and that it was “beautiful”.

William said “we can warm our toes up after the cathedral” and Mr Trump smiled and responded “right, you’re right”.

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At the earlier event in Paris, they shook hands, exchanged a few words and Mr Trump patted William on the shoulder.

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Prince William shakes hands with Trump

It was the first time the pair had met since the American was re-elected president last month.

The last time they met was during his state visit to the UK in 2019.

At Saturday evening’s Notre-Dame service attended by heads of state, Mr Trump sat next to French President Emmanuel Macron.

Mr Trump patted Prince William on the shoulder
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Mr Trump patted Prince William on the shoulder

Among the 1,500 dignitaries were billionaire Elon Musk – a close adviser in Mr Trump’s transition team – US first lady Jill Biden and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The guests also included Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Prince Albert of Monaco, and former French presidents Francois Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy.

The event in the French capital marked the reopening of the 12th-century church after the world-famous building almost collapsed in a fire in April 2019.

Following the devastating blaze, people donated nearly $1bn (£780m) – a tribute to its global appeal.

‘The bells are ringing again’

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Notre-Dame reopening: The key moments

Mr Macron expressed his “gratitude” to those who saved, helped and rebuilt the cathedral, which had the word “merci” projected onto the front.

“I stand before you… to express the gratitude of the French nation,” he said at the ceremony.

“Tonight, the bells of Notre-Dame are ringing again.”

The first responders who helped preserve the Gothic masterpiece and some of those who then restored it were given a standing ovation.

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Trump and Zelenskyy hold meeting with Macron

Trump and Zelenskyy meet

Earlier on Saturday, Mr Macron organised a meeting with Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskyy at the Elysee Palace in what was seen as a coup for the French president days after his prime minister Michel Barnier was ousted by parliament.

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‘The world is going a little crazy right now’

The archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, led the service in the first part of the cathedral’s rebirth, with an inaugural mass set for Sunday.

He struck the doors three times with his crozier, or bishop’s cross, before symbolically reopening the building, and the choir began to sing.

Paris' archbishop Laurent Ulrich knocks on the doors of Notre-Dame Cathedral during its formal reopening. Pic: AP
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Paris’ archbishop Laurent Ulrich knocks on the doors of Notre-Dame Cathedral during its formal reopening. Pic: AP

Minutes earlier, the cathedral’s bells rang out as Mr Macron welcomed his guests.

Inside, 42,000 square metres of stonework – an area equivalent to about six football pitches – have been meticulously cleaned, revealing luminous limestone and intricate carvings.

Overhead, 2,000 oak beams, nicknamed “the forest”, were used to rebuild the spire and roof, restoring the cathedral’s iconic silhouette.

And the thunderous great organ, with 7,952 pipes, resounded for the first time since the fire.

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Bodycam footage shows ICE agents arrest Newark mayor Ras Baraka

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Bodycam footage shows ICE agents arrest Newark mayor Ras Baraka

Bodycam footage has captured the arrest of a US city mayor during a protest at a federal immigration detention centre.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who was released from custody hours after he was detained on Friday, has denied trespassing during a confrontation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

He was at the facility, which opened in the New Jersey city last week, with three members of Congress and witnesses said his arrest came after he tried to join them in entering the centre.

Ras Baraka has been released from custody. Pic: REuters
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Ras Baraka (centre) has been released from custody. Pic: Reuters

In bodycam footage released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), an agent can be heard telling him: “Listen, congressmen are different, congresswomen are different.

“Mr Mayor, anyone that is not a congresswoman or man, step back… It’s your last warning. You will be placed under arrest.”

A heated argument broke out after Mr Baraka’s entry was blocked and he left the secure area to rejoin protesters on the other side of the gate.

Minutes later, several ICE agents, some wearing face coverings, surrounded him and others on the public side.

Mr Baraka was dragged back through the gate in handcuffs, as protesters shouted: “Shame.”

Protesters shout 'let him out' after mayor's arrest. Pic: AP
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Protesters shout ‘let him out’ after mayor’s arrest. Pic: AP

Alina Habba, interim US attorney for New Jersey, said on X that Mr Baraka trespassed at the detention facility, which is run by private prison operator Geo Group, adding he had “chosen to disregard the law”.

The DHS said in a statement that the politicians had not asked for a tour of the Delaney Hall centre, which the agency said it would have facilitated.

The department said that as a bus carrying detainees was entering in the afternoon “a group of protestors, including two members of the US House of Representatives, stormed the gate and broke into the detention facility”.

After his release on Friday night, the mayor told waiting supporters: “The reality is this: I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Mr Baraka, a Democrat running to succeed term-limited Governor Phil Murphy, has embraced the fight with Donald Trump‘s administration over illegal immigration.

Read more from Sky News:
Hospital accused of ‘covering up’ suspended surgeon concerns

Soviet rocket may have crashed through atmosphere over UK

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He has been a vocal critic against the construction and opening of the 1,000-bed detention centre, arguing that it should not be allowed to open because of building permit issues.

DHS said in its statement that the facility has the proper permits and inspections have been cleared.

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UK-US trade deal ‘isn’t worth the paper it’s written on’, Nobel Prize-winning economist tells Sky News

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UK-US trade deal 'isn't worth the paper it's written on', Nobel Prize-winning economist tells Sky News

A Nobel Prize-winning economist has told Sky News the recently announced UK-US trade deal “isn’t worth the paper it’s written on”.

Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump announced the “first-of-a-kind” agreement with a live, televised phone call earlier this week – and the British prime minister hailed the deal as one that will save thousands of jobs in the UK.

Politics latest: Tories criticise proposals to tackle immigration

But leading economist Joseph Stiglitz has told Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips he “wouldn’t view [the deal] as a great achievement”.

“Any agreement with Trump isn’t worth the paper it’s written on,” he said, pointing out the president signed deals with Canada and Mexico during his first term – only to slap them with hiked tariffs within days of returning to the White House this year.

“I would view it as playing into Trump’s strategy,” he said.

“His strategy is divide and conquer, go after the weakest countries, and sort of put the stronger countries in the back.”

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How good is the UK-US deal?

The scramble to secure a UK-US trade deal was sparked by Mr Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ announcement last month, which saw the president hike import tariffs for multiple countries and subsequently send global markets crashing.

China initially faced tariffs of 34% and when Beijing hit the US with retaliatory rates, a trade war quickly ensued.

The US and China now impose tariffs of above 100% on each other, but representatives from the two countries have this weekend met for high-stakes negotiations.

Read more:
Key details in the UK-US deal
Analysis – the challenge Starmer faces

President Donald Trump, center, with from l-r., Vice President JD Vance, and Britian's ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson, making remarks on a trade deal between U.S. and U.K. in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, May 8, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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Donald Trump, with US vice president JD Vance and Britain’s ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson, announcing the deal. Pic: AP

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks on the phone to US President Donald Trump at a car factory in the West Midlands, Thursday, May 8, 2025.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, Pool)
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Sir Keir Starmer dialled in for the deal announcement. Pic: AP

With its response to Mr Trump, Beijing “made it very clear that the US is very dependent on China in so many ways,” Mr Stiglitz said.

“So they’re beginning now to negotiate, but from a position of strength.”

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Asked if he thinks the UK should have focused on its relationship with the EU instead of the US, Mr Stiglitz said: “Very much so.

“My view is that if you had worked with the EU to get a good deal, you could have done better than what you’ve done.

“If it turns out, in the end, when you work it all out, Trump is unhappy, he’ll run. If he’s unhappy, I pray for you.”

Among the terms in the UK-US trade deal are reduced tariffs on British car and steel exports to the US, while the UK has agreed to remove a tariff on ethanol, used to produce beer.

The agreement also opens a new agricultural exchange, with US farmers being given access to the UK for the first time – though UK food standards on imports have not been weakened.

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Trump’s tariffs hit the West’s busiest port – with traffic down by nearly a third

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Trump's tariffs hit the West's busiest port - with traffic down by nearly a third

Driving south from Los Angeles along the coast, you can’t miss the San Pedro port complex. Dozens of red cranes pop up from behind the freeway.

The sound of industry whirs as containers are unloaded from hulking ocean liners on to waiting lorries and freight trains that seem to never end.

The port of Long Beach combines with the port of Los Angeles to make the busiest port in the western hemisphere.

San Pedro port complex
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The San Pedro port complex

The colourful metal containers contain anything and everything, from clothes and car parts to fridges and furniture. Around $300bn of cargo passes through here every year and 60% of it is from China.

But at the moment, it’s far less busy than usual. Traffic is down by a third, compared with this time last year.

In the closest part of the mainland United States to China, this is Donald Trump‘s new tariffs policy in action, the direct result of frozen trade between the two countries.

“For the month of May, we expect that we’ll be down about 30% from where we were in May of 2024,” Noel Hacegaba, the port of Long Beach chief operating officer, tells Sky News.

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“What that translates into is fewer ships and fewer containers. It means fewer trucks will be needed to transport those containers from the port terminal to the warehouses. It means fewer jobs.”

Noel Hacegaba, COO of the port of Long Beach
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Noel Hacegaba, chief operating officer of the port of Long Beach

‘We’re barely surviving’

Helen Andrade knows all about that. She and her husband, Javier, are both lorry drivers. Helen only got her license in the last few years, so when work dries up, she is likely to be impacted first.

“I’m lying awake at night worrying about this,” she says.

“We’re barely surviving and we’re already seeing work slowing down. In my case, there are two incomes that are not going to come in. How are we going to survive?”

Helen adds: “I’m scared for the next two weeks, because over the next two weeks, I’m going to see where this is going, whether I have saved up enough money, which I know that I have not.”

Helen Andrade
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Lorry driver Helen Andrade

In Long Beach, one in five jobs is connected to the port. But what happens in the port doesn’t stay here.

The shipments reach every part of the country and already, a shortage of certain items imported from China and price hikes are taking hold.

A short drive away is downtown LA’s toy district, a multicultural area consisting of a dozen streets of pastel-coloured buildings, home to importers and wholesalers of toys, much of which is imported from China.

Colourful balloons line windows in LA's toy district
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Colourful balloons line windows in LA’s toy district

Read more about tariffs:
Trump floats China tariff cut ahead of trade talks

China moves to ease tariff pain ahead of US talks
Federal Reserve warns of impact of Trump tariffs

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US port workers regret voting Trump

One woman in a toy warehouse is reading a Chinese newspaper. She points to a headline about the 145% tariffs.

“I can’t afford this, I can’t afford this, I’m going to have to put prices up,” she says, exasperated.

Empty shelves

Around the corner is a party shop, selling gift bags and wrapping paper. There are empty shelves which would otherwise have been full.

“These empty spaces are where we stopped importing from China because the tariffs are too high,” says the owner, Jacob Mok.

Party shop owner Jacob Mok
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Party shop owner Jacob Mok

Empty shelves in a party shop
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Empty shelves in Mr Mok’s party shop

He tells Sky News: “I’ll keep watching China and America negotiations. I hope as soon as possible they reach a deal because this is very hard for us.”

Jacob is not alone. The impact is being felt throughout the supply chain.

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US trade secretary Scott Bessent will meet his Chinese counterpart in Switzerland this weekend.

Pressure is growing on Mr Trump’s team to strike a deal with China and do it quickly.

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