Business

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s trade negotiator said Friday Washington won’t be demanding any numerical restrictions on Japanese auto exports to the U.S.

Toshimitsu Motegi, the economy minister, told reporters he had confirmed this by speaking with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.

The comments could not immediately be confirmed after office hours in the U.S. Earlier, media reports said this was a possibility.

WASHINGTON, May 17. /TASS/: Russia will take reciprocal measures in response to new US sanctions introduced on the basis of the Magnitsky Act, the Russian Embassy in Washington D.C. said in a statement released on Thursday.

"Washington's new anti-Russian steps are associated with the so-called Magnitsky Act," the embassy said. "They represent an attempt to force unilateral measures of coercion which go against international law and cannot be considered as a civilized way of communication between countries," the embassy added noting that "reciprocal measures will follow."

LONDON, May 16 (Xinhua): Chinese company Huawei launched its 5G smartphone here on Thursday, as mobile network operators are preparing to switch on 5G network in parts of Britain.

The HUAWEI Mate 20 X (5G) is the latest Huawei smartphone that introduces consumers to 5G with a premium experience comprising high-speed connectivity, flagship performance, large display, reliable battery life and more.

UNITED NATIONS, May 16 (Xinhua): The United Nations on Thursday called for "maximum restraint" from all parties amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States and in the Gulf region.

"We are very concerned about the volatility of the situation. We call on everyone to exercise maximum restraint, prevent any escalation of and heightening of tensions," Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told reporters.

ANKARA, May 16 (Xinhua): Turkey and Iraq have deepened their relations and fostered trade, economic and political cooperation during Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi's visit to Ankara amid regional instabilities, said experts.

The visiting prime minister met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday, discussing issues such as Turkey's concerns on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) activities in northern Iraq and the new border crossing to be established between the two countries.

WASHINGTON, May 16 (Xinhua): U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday held back from further escalating tension with Iran.

When asked by a reporter at the White House on Thursday morning about whether the United States was going to war with Iran, Trump replied "I hope not."

Washington has piled up military pressure on Tehran over the past week by intensifying deployment including an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East following U.S. intelligence information revealing "an escalating of threatening actions" from Iran.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Facebook said Thursday it banned an Israeli company that ran an influence campaign aimed at disrupting elections in various countries and has canceled dozens of accounts engaged in spreading disinformation.

Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook’s head of cybersecurity policy, told reporters that the tech giant had purged 65 Israeli accounts, 161 pages, dozens of groups and four Instagram accounts.

MOSCOW, May 16. /TASS/: Most Russians are not afraid of losing jobs to artificial intelligence (AI), while one in two feels robots’ assistance in performing duties at work, as follows from a survey by the analytical center Bitrix24, the IT company 1S Bitrix told TASS.

The survey is based on an opinion poll of 1,300 Russian companies held on April 16-18. Taking part in the survey were companies in the IT segment, sales, marketing and PR, education, finance, e-commerce, logistics and others - most of them small and medium businesses.

BERLIN, May 16. /TASS/: The trilateral consultations between Russia, the European Union (EU) and Ukraine on gas transit are delayed due to political uncertainty in Ukraine, Deputy Energy Minister Anatoly Yanovsky said on Thursday, adding that the Russian and EU sides are ready for the talks and the exact date will depend on the Ukrainian side.

"The date of Russian-EU-Ukrainian trilateral consultations on gas transit is delayed due to political uncertainty in Ukraine. It will depend on Ukraine’s decision. Russia and the European Commission are ready for the talks," he said.

16 May 2019; AFP: China said Thursday it has formally arrested two Canadians who have been detained for months on national security grounds, in a case that has inflamed tensions between Ottawa and Beijing.

Former diplomat Michael Kovrig is "suspected of collecting state secrets and intelligence" while businessman Michael Spavor is suspected of "stealing and illegally offering state secrets" abroad, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a regular briefing.