Category World News

Non-US residents without an annual pass will be charged $100 per person at its 11 most popular national parks under the new “America-first” entry fee policy.

The Department of Interior, which regulates the national park system, made the change available on Tuesday as part of the 2026 fee schedule. Non-US residents who purchase annual parks passes will also save $80 to $2,500, according to the statement.

US President Donald Trump wants “American families to be first,” according to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in a statement.

According to Burgum, “These policies ensure that US taxpayers who already contribute to the National Park System’s maintenance and improvement contribute their fair share to the maintenance and improvement of our parks for future generations.”

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina, Zion National Park in Utah, and Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona are among the parks that are the subject of the fee hike.

Prior to 2024, the most popular US national park, The Great Smoky Mountains, provided free parking for all visitors, with additional fees of $5 per day, $15 per week, or $40 per year.

Prior to the Grand Canyon, Zion had to charge either $20 per private car or $20 per person for a standard entry pass.

However, the Trump administration has also reduced resources that were previously allocated to them, in addition to trying to justify the higher fees for non-US residents as a way to support the finances of America’s national parks.

Trump proposed cutting $1 billion in federal funding from the National Park Service earlier this year. Although that figure has since been updated, 2026 might see potential budget cuts to the park service budget.

According to the National Parks Conservation Association, a non-partisan US advocacy organization, a House Appropriations Committee budget proposal earlier this year recommended cutting $ 176 million from the park service operations budget.

Congress has yet to fully approve a 2026 fiscal bill, despite the fact that the US government and park system are funded through January 30.

President Donald Trump stated the day after a phone call between Chinese President Xi Jinping was characterized by Beijing as “positive, friendly, and constructive” and that the two leaders have “more or less agreed” to increase purchases of goods from the United States.

Trump claimed to have asked the Chinese leader to “accelerate purchases from the US” while speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Tuesday night.

Trump said, “I believe the actions of President Xi will surprise uspleasantly.”

I told him, “I’d like you to buy it a little more quickly. You should purchase more, please. And he seemed to have accepted that, he said.

Trump’s optimistic outlook on trade with China comes after Beijing announced last month that it would resume purchases of US soybeans and halt expanded restrictions on rare earths exports to the US amid a strained trade relationship with Washington.

According to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, China has pledged to buy 12 million tonnes of soya beans this year from US farmers, but the Reuters news agency reports that the Chinese purchases have been slower than expected.

According to information from the US Department of Agriculture, China has ordered nearly two million tonnes of US soybeans, according to Reuters.

Trump and Xi made the phone call on Monday following their meeting in South Korea, where they agreed on the terms of a draft trade agreement that is still pending.

According to China’s official Xinhua news agency, Xi was quoted as telling Trump in the call that “China and the United States once fought side by side against fascism and militarism.”

Additionally, Xi stated to Trump that “the post-war international order includes Taiwan’s return to China.”

Taiwan is considered to be a part of China’s territory, and it has not ruled out the possibility of using force to reunite the island’s self-ruled, democratic island with the mainland.

The US has historically opposed China’s potential use of force to seize Taiwan, and domestic law requires Taipei to receive sufficient military hardware to deter any armed attack.

Trump has remained ambiguous about whether he would send US troops to the Taiwan Strait, while his administration has urged Taiwan to increase its defense budget.

In a later post on Truth Social, Trump mentioned Xi’s comments on Taiwan and claimed to have had a “very good” conversation with the Chinese leader, which included topics like Ukraine, Fentanyl, and US farm products.

“China is a very important part of our relationship,” we say! Following our three-weekly, incredibly fruitful meeting in South Korea, this call was made. According to Trump, there have been significant improvements on both sides since then in ensuring that our agreements remain accurate and current.

He said, “We can now concentrate on the big picture.”

The US leader added that he had accepted Xi’s invitation to travel to Beijing in April and that he had also invited Xi to make a state visit to the US later in the year.

Washington’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Tuesday that Mao Ning’s “positive, friendly, and constructive” conversation between Trump and Xi had begun.

Mao added that “communication between the two heads of state on issues of common concern is essential for the stable development of China-US relations.”

The Italian parliament has officially included the term “femicide,” which is intentional killing of women and girls due to their gender, in its penal code. It is punishable by life in prison.

According to Italian public broadcaster RAI, the bill was unanimously approved on Tuesday, demonstrating what Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called a sign of “political cohesion against the barbaric nature of violence against women.”

Since its inception, Meloni’s government has supported the bill, as have other anti-stalking laws. A bill that prohibits sexual activity without “free and actual consent” is also being debated by the legislature.

According to The Associated Press news agency, we have increased funding for antiviolence centers and shelters, promoted an emergency hotline, and carried out innovative education and awareness-raising initiatives, Meloni said. We won’t stop at this, though, because these are concrete steps forward. Every day, we must do much more.

The vote also coincided with the UN’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

According to AP, Italy reported 106 femicides last year, 62 of which were committed by a partner or former partner, citing the statistics agency in Italy.

According to UN Women, nearly two-thirds of female homicides were committed by a partner or family member, which is in line with global trends.

Giulia Cecchettin, a 22-year-old university student, was stabbed by her boyfriend in November 2023, raising the alarm over the persistent problem of violence against women in Italy. He was later given a life-long prison term.

Non Una di Meno and Non One Less, two rights movements in Italy, claim Meloni’s government is too focused on bringing about punishments rather than preventing violence.

Italy’s public school systems are among the few in the EU where sexual education is not required, and many programs call for parental approval.