Business

8 June 2019; AFP: Against the backdrop of worsening trade conflicts, US job creation slowed sharply in May, adding to evidence the economy is weakening and raising expectations the Federal Reserve could cut interest rates soon.

Hiring dried up in major industries and wage growth stagnated, and because job growth was worse than previously reported in March and April, hiring was essentially flat last month, the Labor Department reported Friday.

7 June 2019; AFP: China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin hit back at US global economic dominance on Friday as they took the stage together at Russia's showcase business forum.

With China embroiled in a trade war with Washington and Russia under Western sanctions, Xi and Putin lashed out at "inequalities" in the global economic system and vowed to pursue closer ties between their countries.

8 June 2019; AFP: The United States is open to further negotiations with China on their ongoing trade battle but any potential deal will wait until the two leaders meet at the end of the month, Washington's top finance official said Saturday.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank chiefs, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin warned that Washington would press on with tariffs if a deal could not be reached.

8 June 2019; DW: Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan on Friday wrote to his Turkish counterpart, warning him of the consequences Ankara would face if it did not step back from a deal to buy a Russian air defense system. 

The US considers the S-400 air defense system a threat to NATO's F-35 fighter jet program.

What Shanahan's letter says

8 June 2019; DW: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced the decision to open the border post with Colombia, near where international aid refused by his government has been accumulating. 

"In exercising our sovereignty I have ordered the opening of the border crossing to Colombia in the state of Tachira on Saturday," Maduro wrote on Twitter.

"We are a peaceful people, who determinedly defend our independence and self-determination," he continued.

8 June 2019; DW: German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas arrived Saturday in Iraq, where he is set to hold talks with Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi and President Barham Salih over the increasing tensions between Iran and the US. Maas's Iraq trip was previously not announced due to security reasons.

"There is a clear danger of miscalculations, misunderstandings, provocations leading to unforeseeable consequences in this highly tense region," Maas said as he arrived in Baghdad.

Kolkata, Jun 7; PTI/GANASHAKTI: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday refused to attend a meeting of Niti Aayog to be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 15, saying it is "fruitless" as the body has no financial powers to support state plans.

Her decision to skip the meeting of the top plan panel comes days after she stayed away from the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 30 citing as "untrue" claims by the BJP that 54 of the party workers were murdered in political violence in Bengal.

United Nations, Jun 7 (PTI) India, which is owed USD 38 million by the United Nations for peacekeeping operations, has called for a comprehensive solution to address the "real" financial crisis facing the world body, saying countries that owe arrears are "insured" from the impact of their inaction.

Thimphu, Jun 7 (PTI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday met Bhutan's top leadership, including Prime Minister Lotay Tshering, and discussed important elements of the bilateral ties with emphasis on development partnership and cooperation in the hydropower sector.

Jaishankar is in the Buddhist kingdom on a two-day visit, his first overseas trip after assuming charge of the Ministry of External Affairs.

He also conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's greetings during his talks with Prime Minister Tshering.

RIO DE JANEIRO, June 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese telecom company Huawei will not be banned from operating a fifth-generation (5G) mobile telecoms network in Brazil, Vice President Hamilton Mourao has said.

In an interview published Friday by daily Valor Economico, Brazil's largest financial newspaper, Mourao said the idea of banning Huawei is not being considered by his administration.