North America

WASHINGTON, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Visiting King Abdullah II of Jordan met here on Monday with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and other senior administration officials, discussing bilateral ties and regional issues, among others.

Pence discussed with King Abdullah about the bilateral relationship, the fight against the Islamic State (IS) and regional dynamics, said a statement from the White House.

The two also talked about U.S. President Donald Trump's decision "to maintain a residual U.S. presence in Syria," the statement added.

HAVANA, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Cuba on Monday rejected accusations by senior U.S. officials that it has been propping up Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and has now 25,000-strong military personnel in Venezuela.

"Cuba categorically deplores this shameless lie and it also rejects any suggestion there is any degree of political subordination from Venezuela to our nation. Our relations are based on respect and mutual solidarity," said a government statement published on the Cuban Foreign Ministry website.

JERUSALEM, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Mellanox Technologies, an Israel-based chip maker, said on Monday that U.S. computer giant Nvidia Corporation agreed to buy it for about 6.9 billion U.S. dollars in cash.

"Nvidia and Mellanox today announced that the companies have reached a definitive agreement under which Nvidia will acquire Mellanox," Mellanox said in a statement.

SAN FRANCISCO, March 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. top aircraft manufacturer Boeing has postponed the debut of 777X airplane previously planned for this week, local media reported on Sunday night.

The company has decided to delay the unveiling ceremony of the 777X originally slated for Wednesday and will look for another opportunity for its debut, a Boeing employee responsible for media affairs, who preferred to remain anonymous, confirmed to Xinhua on Monday.

WASHINGTON, March 11 (Xinhua) -- The United States will withdraw all remaining U.S. personnel from its embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, this week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday.

The announcement was made in a statement released by the State Department late Monday night.

"This decision reflects the deteriorating situation in Venezuela as well as the conclusion that the presence of U.S. diplomatic staff at the embassy has become a constraint on U.S. policy," said the top U.S. diplomat in the statement.

Washington, Mar 11 (PTI) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale on Monday, during which the two officials are likely to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of common interest.

Gokhale arrived in the US on Sunday in connection with the bilateral Foreign Office Consultation and Strategic Security Dialogue with his American counterparts, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale and Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Andrea Thompson.

International transfers of heavy weapons increased by almost 8 percent in the 2014-2018 period compared with 2009-2013, according to a report published by the Sweden-based Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on Monday.

The United States bolstered its status as the world's biggest arms supplier, transferring more than a third of all weapons sold during the past five years.

SIPRI's findings

The Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed all 157 people on board on Friday was the second fatal crash involving a Boeing 737 MAX 8 within the past six months. In October, a Lion Air flight crashed shortly after taking off from Jakarta, Indonesia, killing all 189 passengers and crew.

The two incidents have raised concerns about the MAX, which Boeing launched less than two years ago. Here is what we know about the aircraft and the two crashes it has been involved in.

What is the Boeing 737 MAX?

WASHINGTON, March 10 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Sunday that he didn't think President Donald Trump could fire him, re-emphasizing the Fed's monetary policy independence.

"The law is clear that I have a four-year term, and I fully intend to serve it," Powell told the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) news show "60 Minutes." When asked if he thought the president could fire him, he said "no."

SAN FRANCISCO, March 10 (Xinhua) -- U.S. aircraft manufacturing giant Boeing Sunday promised to offer technical assistance to Ethiopia over a deadly air crash of Ethiopian Airlines.

"A Boeing technical team will be traveling to the crash site to provide technical assistance under the direction of the Ethiopia Accident Investigation Bureau and U.S. National Transportation Safety Board," Boeing said in a short statement.

It also offered condolences to the families of the passengers and crew on board Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 (ET 302).