USA

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Thursday broke off talks on vehicle mileage standards with California, increasing the chances of a court battle that threatens to unsettle the auto industry.

The White House, which has proposed freezing the standards, said it would now move unilaterally to finish its own mileage rule later this year “with the goal of promoting safer, cleaner, and more affordable vehicles.”

WASHINGTON; 21 Feb 2019; (AP) — A judge has imposed a full gag order on Trump confidant Roger Stone after he posted a photo on Instagram of the judge with what appeared to be crosshairs of a gun.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson said Thursday she believes Stone would “pose a danger” to others in the case if she didn’t institute the order.

Jackson ordered Stone to court to show why she shouldn’t modify or revoke his bail or implement a full gag order. The judge had already issued an order limiting comments in the case.

22 Feb 2019; AFP: A US judge on Thursday ordered a Coast Guard officer who espoused white supremacist views and drafted a hit list of Democratic politicians and prominent media figures to remain behind bars.

Christopher Paul Hasson, 49, an admirer of Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik, was arrested last week on firearms and drug charges.

22 Feb 2019; AFP: The father of an Alabama woman who joined the Islamic State group in Syria sued Thursday to bring her home after the Trump administration took the extraordinary step of declaring that she was not a US citizen.

Hoda Muthana, 24, says that she regrets joining the extremists and is willing to face prosecution in the United States over her incendiary propaganda on behalf of the ruthless but dwindling group.

22 Feb 2019; AFP: US biotechnology manufacturer Thermo Fisher on Thursday announced it would stop selling to China equipment used to create a DNA database of the country's Uighur minority.

Since 2016, there have been regular reports of Chinese authorities taking blood samples in the Xinjiang region.

Washington, Feb 22 (PTI) US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will meet one-on-one and spend substantial amount of time together next week when the two leaders meet in Hanoi, Vietnam, the White House said Thursday.

Trump and Kim are meeting for their second summit on February 27 and 28. The first one was on June 12 in Singapore, which was part of the president's effort to improve his country's relationship with North Korea and ultimately have a denuclearised state.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- The White House said Thursday that the United States would leave a small proportion of troops in Syria after the planned pullout.

"A small peacekeeping group of about 200 will remain in Syria for a period of time," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement.

The 200 troops would be divided between At-Tanf, an area near the Iraq-Jordan border, and northeast Syria, CNN reported, citing a U.S. official familiar with the planning process.

ANKARA, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump discussed the U.S. withdrawal from Syria over phone late on Thursday, Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Erdogan and Trump discussed the latest developments in Syria and emphasized the importance of supporting a political resolution to the conflict, Anadolu said.

During the call, the two presidents also reiterated joint commitment to fighting terrorism and raising bilateral trade to 75 billion U.S. dollars.

The Chinese delegation is headed by Vice Premier Liu He, who also came as the special envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping; while the U.S. team includes Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

Liu, Lighthizer and Mnuchin co-chaired the formal opening at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building of the White House.

FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — A Muslim civil rights group called for a congressional investigation Wednesday after its lawsuit revealed that the U.S. government has shared access to parts of its terrorist watchlist with more than 1,400 private entities, including hospitals and universities.