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BEIJING, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Friday refuted a U.S. official's smearing remarks on China-Africa cooperation.

U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton rolled out the Trump administration's new Africa strategy on Thursday, using a hostile and competitive tone against countries like Russia and China.

BEIJING (AP) — China announced a 90-day suspension on Friday of tariff hikes on $126 billion of U.S. cars, trucks and auto parts following its cease-fire in a trade battle with Washington that threatens global economic growth.

The suspension is China’s first step in response to President Donald Trump’s Dec. 1 agreement to suspend U.S. tariff hikes for a similar 90-day period while the two sides negotiate over American complaints about Beijing’s technology policy and trade surplus.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and Canada began high-stakes talks on Friday amid an escalating dispute with China that threatens to further complicate ties between the North American neighbors.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis were meeting their Canadian counterparts for discussions expected to be dominated by Canada’s arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of telecommunications giant Huawei.

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders expressed deep doubts Friday that British Prime Minister Theresa May can live up to her side of their Brexit agreement and they vowed to step up preparations for a potentially-catastrophic “no-deal” scenario.

May canceled a Brexit vote in the U.K. Parliament this week after it became clear the assembly would reject the deal she concluded with the EU last month. She travelled to Brussels in hope of wringing some concessions from her European partners that would help assuage doubts about the draft divorce agreement back in London.

New Delhi, Dec 13 (PTI) The Supreme Court is scheduled Friday to pronounce verdict on pleas seeking court-monitored probe into India's multi-billion dollar Rafale fighter jet deal with France.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had reserved its verdict on a batch of pleas on November 14.

Advocate M L Sharma was the first petitioner in the case. Later, another lawyer Vineet Dhanda had moved the apex court with the plea for court-monitored probe into the deal.

AAP leader Sanjay Singh has also filed a petition against the fighter jet deal.

NEW DELHI /India/, December 13. /TASS/. The level of cooperation between India and Russia in military technology transfer is ‘unprecedented’ and Moscow is ready to develop military and technical cooperation with Delhi on a long-term basis, Russia’s Defense Minister Army General Sergei Shoigu said on Thursday.

"The intensity and the depth of military and technical cooperation speak about the unprecedented level of trust between our countries," Shoigu said at a meeting with his Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman.

MOSCOW, December 13. /TASS/. The negotiations between Russia and India on some military and technical cooperation deals vital for ensuring India’s defense capability and national security are at the final stage, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov said on Thursday.

The diplomat who spoke at the 3rd Russia-India forum of the heads of research centers said that during the visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to New Delhi in October this year a major contract had been signed for the delivery of S-400 air defense missile systems to India.

MOSCOW, December 13. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has speculated that the European legislators who voted for the resolution against the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline project must be pinning their hopes either on global warming or firewood.

"Some countries are closing down nuclear power plants. Also, they plan to stop using Russian natural gas. Will they opt for firewood? But the place where firewood can be obtained is well known," she told a news briefing on Thursday.

CHICAGO, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- "We would much rather have the trade and be able to grow a crop for a fair price," said Lynn Rohrscheib, chairwoman of the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA), in an interview with Xinhua.

Besides being ISA chairwoman, Rohrscheib herself farms near Fairmount, a village in Illinois. As a ninth generation farmer, she grows corn, soybeans and a little wheat.

COLOMBO, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Parliament on Wednesday passed a vote of confidence on ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe with 117 lawmakers from the 225-member Parliament voting in favor.

The vote comes as incumbent Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and parliamentarians loyal to him boycotted sessions for the third consecutive week, alleging that Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya was acting in favor of Wickremesinghe and his United National Party (UNP).