USA

Washington, Dec 7 (AFP/PTI) US President Donald Trump lashed out at the World Bank on Friday, blaming the international financial institution for lending money to China.

"Why is the World Bank loaning money to China? Can this be possible? China has plenty of money, and if they don't, they create it. STOP!" Trump wrote on Twitter.

Washington, Dec 7 (AFP/PTI) US President Donald Trump on Friday pulled back on his stated plans to designate Mexican drug cartels as terror groups, saying he was doing so at the request of his counterpart Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Last month, Trump called for a "war" on the cartels after the killings of nine women and children from a US-Mexican Mormon community, but south of the common border, his plans were seen as unwanted meddling.

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 07 (APP): Pakistan has underscored the need for realistic mandates for U.N. peacekeeping operations, with adequate resources, to face the difficult challenges in the world’s troubled regions.

7 December 2019; AFP: Washington resumed talks with the Taliban in Qatar Saturday, a US source said, three months after President Donald Trump abruptly halted diplomatic efforts that could end America's longest war.

In September, the United States and the Taliban had appeared on the verge of signing a deal that would have seen Washington begin withdrawing thousands of troops in return for security guarantees.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Negotiators working to close a new North American trade deal have made “good progress” but many elements are not yet resolved, Mexico’s deputy foreign minister said on Friday.

“We’re working hard on all the issues, it’s not easy,” Jesus Seade, Mexico’s top negotiator for USMCA, told reporters in Washington, where he met with U.S. counterparts.

“I’m confident this is going to be resolved, but we’re working on it to get the best deal,” Seade said, adding he had been in touch with Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Swedish mobile telecoms company Ericsson (ERICb.ST) has agreed to pay over $1 billion to resolve probes into corruption, including the bribing of government officials, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Friday.

The bribery took place over many years in countries including China, Vietnam and Djibouti, the department said. The total charges include a criminal penalty of more than $520 million, plus $540 million to be paid to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in a related matter.

WASHINGTON, Dec 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The US House of Representatives on Friday threw its weight behind a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians, in a warning to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he mulls annexing the West Bank.

Passed largely along party lines, the House resolution also marked a shot across the bow to President Donald Trump, who has stood squarely behind Netanyahu.

WASHINGTON, Dec 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on three Iranian-backed Iraqi paramilitary leaders over a deadly crackdown on protests in the country, as it warned Tehran to stay out of its neighbour’s affairs.

The move comes as President Donald Trump’s administration, which considers Iran an arch-enemy, voices alarm at rising attacks on US forces’ bases in Iraq blamed on armed Shiite groups backed by Tehran’s clerical regime.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- The White House on Friday warned Democrats in the House of their likely adoption of articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump.

"Adopting articles of impeachment would be a reckless abuse of power by House Democrats," White House counsel Pat Cipollone said in a letter to Jerry Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee that is leading the Trump impeachment proceedings.

The move "would constitute the most unjust, highly partisan, and unconstitutional attempt at impeachment in our Nation's history," Cipollone said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday in a tweet that he will hold off on designating Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations.

Trump said all the work had been completed and he was statutorily ready to issue a declaration but had decided to delay at the request of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

The Mexican government had pushed back against Trump’s plan, saying such a step by the U.S. could lead to violations of its sovereignty.