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PYONGYANG, February 23. /TASS/. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has started his train journey from Pyongyang to Hanoi (Vietnam), where he is set to meet with US President Donald Trump next week, a North Korean diplomatic source informed TASS.

The source informed that around 17:00 local time (11:00 Moscow time), the North Korean leader left for Hanoi in an armored train. He is expected to travel all the way to Vietnam by train, passing China.

CARACAS, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced on Saturday severance of diplomatic and political relations with neighboring Colombia, following the latter one's support for Venezuela's right-wing opposition and military defectors.

"I have decided to break off all types of political and diplomatic ties with the fascist government of Colombia," Maduro told a pro-government rally in Caracas.

Colombia's embassy staff must "leave within 24 hours," he added.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met China's President Xi Jinping on Friday and bagged a $10-billion oil deal, pressing on with his diplomatic charm offensive in Asia following a global outcry over the Khashoggi killing.

Mohammed arrived in Beijing on Thursday following visits to Pakistan and India, showing the world that his country still has allies after the grisly murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom's Istanbul consulate.

"China is a good friend and partner to Saudi Arabia," Xi told Mohammed in a meeting in the Great Hall of the People.

23 Feb 2019; AFP: Virgin Galactic's spacecraft reached an altitude of more than 55 miles (88.5 kilometers) on Friday, carrying for the first time a passenger in addition to its two pilots.

SpaceShipTwo, built by British billionaire Richard Branson to carry tourists into space, launched from California's Mojave desert and flew to an altitude of 55.87 miles (89.9 kms), the company said.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday a trade summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping was likely next month, and hailed two days of "very good talks" by negotiators.

The negotiations were extended through Sunday as officials race to reach a deal ahead of a deadline next week when US duty rates are due to rise sharply.

But Trump again said he was considering pushing back the deadline for raising tariffs on more than $200 billion in Chinese exports.

22 Feb 2019; DW: German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier urged fellow ministers Friday to "act in unison" over President Donald Trump's threat to impose tariffs on EU cars sold in the USA.

Instead, Altmaier said, "car tariffs between the US and Europe should be reduced and completely abolished."

Start negotiating, urges Malmstrom

BRUSSELS, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- The President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and President of the European Council Donald Tusk are due in the Egyptian Red Sea resort Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday for the first EU-Arab League Summit, the Commission said in a statement Friday.

The Summit provides an opportunity for leaders to address a wide range of issues and common challenges, such as investment, economic ties, climate change, security as well as current political developments, said the statement.

BEIRUT, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon Wang Kejian said on Friday that China will continue supporting Lebanon's security and stability, according to a statement released by the Chinese Embassy in Lebanon.

"China will always support Lebanon's efforts to safeguard national independence, security and stability," Wang said during his meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun.

Wang's visit came against the background of the formation of a new government in Lebanon.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday met with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He at the White House on bilateral ties and the ongoing bilateral trade talks.

Liu is in Washington D.C. for the seventh round of high-level economic and trade talks between the world's top two economies that started on Thursday. He is also visiting the United States as the special envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

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.”