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TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mostly higher Wednesday on optimism about trade after President Donald Trump said he will talk with the Chinese leader later this month in Japan.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 added 1.7% to 21,321.17 in early trading. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 1.0% to 6,637.70. South Korea’s Kospi was also up 1.0% at 2,119.80. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 2.4% to 28,158.85, while the Shanghai Composite added 1.2% to 2,925.68.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve seems poised to pivot from keeping interest rates steady to holding out the option of cutting rates if it were to decide that the economic expansion needs support.

The Fed isn’t considered ready to announce that it’s reducing rates for the first time in more than a decade. But when it ends its latest policy meeting Wednesday, the central bank is expected to signal an inclination to ease credit sometime within the next several months. What it won’t likely do is indicate when that might happen.

Boeing has discovered a flaw in engine fire extinguishers switch in its 787 Dreamliner aircrafts and has issued an alert to airlines operating these planes.

According to Democracy Now, alert to airlines is over the fire-fighting system of some of its commercial fleet, after discovering a flaw in the switch which activates engine fire extinguishers. The Federal Aviation Administration acknowledged there was a “risk to the flying public,” but has said it will not ground the aircraft.

18 June 2019; MEMO: A senior official in Yemen’s Houthi group yesterday threatened to target oil sites as well as oil tankers in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea and some Arab countries with missiles, including Egypt and Sudan.

18 June 2019; DW: Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Tuesday offered a "most sincere apology to all people of Hong Kong" for a political crisis that erupted over a controversial extradition bill.

"I personally have to shoulder much of the responsibility," Lam said. "This has led to controversies, disputes and anxieties in society."

On Sunday, an estimated two million people took to the streets to demand Lam resign and the extradition bill, which would ease extradition to mainland China, be shelved.

18 June 2019; DW: Germany, France and Spain on Monday signed a deal for a next-generation European fighter plane.

The framework was agreed between the defense ministers of each nation with French President Emmanuel Macron in attendance at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, just north of the French capital.

The arrangement will include a joint air combat system that could also control drones and satellites.

18 June 2019; DW: The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled against the implementation of tolls on German motorways on Tuesday as non-residents would be penalized.

The Union's top court ruled that plans to charge highway users was in breach of anti-discrimination laws.

Austria, with support from the Netherlands, had argued that the levy is not in line with European agreements, as it singles out EU citizens.

Vienna welcomes decision

Pyongyang, Jun 18; AFP/GANASHAKTI: On a grey stone column in Pyongyang, a mural shows Chinese and North Korean soldiers rushing into battle against US-led forces in the Korean War.

Decades later, the monument is a regular stop for new waves of Chinese going to the North, this time as tourists.

Hundreds of soldiers and workers have been sprucing up the obelisk and its grounds in recent days ahead of a state visit to Pyongyang by Chinese President Xi Jinping this week.

Beijing, Jun 17; PTI/GANASHAKTI: President Xi Jinping would make his maiden visit to Pyongyang this week - the first by a Chinese leader in 14 years - in a big boost to the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who is under heavy pressure from the US to give up nuclear weapons programme.

Xi will visit Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) - the official name for North Korea - from June 20 to 21, at the invitation of Kim, the spokesperson for the International Department of the ruling Communist Party of China, Hu Zhaoming, announced here.

CARACAS, June 18. /TASS/: International payment systems Visa and Mastercard will operate on the territory of Venezuela until 20 March 2020, President of the Bank of Venezuela Jose Javier Morales said on Monday.

"The license issued by the US Department of the Treasury for Visa and Mastercard to work in Venezuela, expires on 20 March 2020. We don't know what will happen after that," Morales said.