WASHINGTON, April 6 (Xinhua) -- China and the United States concluded here the ninth round of high-level economic and trade talks which ran from Wednesday to Friday.

Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chief of the Chinese side of the China-U.S. comprehensive economic dialogue, co-hosted the talks with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

TEHRAN, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that Iraq should consider the withdrawal of the U.S. forces from the country, Financial Tribune daily reported.

"The presence of American military forces in regional states is to the detriment of these countries and the people in the region, so the Iraqi government needs to take action to urge Americans to pull out their troops from Iraq as soon as possible," said Khamenei during his meeting with visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi.

PARIS, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) countries agreed on many issues , but the difference on issues related to the conflict in the Middle East and ties with Iran remains, French top diplomat Jean-Yves Le Drian said Saturday.

"There is a very long, positive and comprehensive press release. Nevertheless, it shows some differences of opinion...," Le Drian told reporters at the end of a two-day meeting in Dinard in western France.

GENEVA, April 6 (Xinhua) -- A United Nations (UN) expert plans to meet WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at the Ecuadoran Embassy in London on April 25 after receiving complaints of privacy violations, a statement released Friday by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said.

This move was made after the expert received two separate complaints made by Assange and Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno, according to the statement.

LOS ANGELES, April 6 (Xinhua) -- California Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Xavier Becerra, leading a coalition of 20 states, filed a motion for preliminary injunction to block the Trump administration from taking 1.6 billion U.S. dollars in federal taxpayer funds to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

DUBLIN, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has said that it is "extremely unlikely" that one of the 27 member states of the European Union (EU) could veto any proposal to grant Britain a longer extension to strike a Brexit deal, according to a Saturday report by a local TV channel RTE.

ANKARA, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Turkey has so far not declared the final results of the local elections held on March 31 as the ruling party contested the slim victory by the opposition in the country's largest city Istanbul and the capital Ankara.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signalled that his ruling party will pursue the matter in the court.

TRIPOLI, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Libya's eastern-based army on Saturday threatened to attack air bases and fighter jets of the UN-backed government in western Libya, as the army continues its efforts to take over the region.

"The Main Operation Chamber of the Air Force declares the western region a no-fly military zone for any fighter jets or drones belonging to any party," said Ahmad al-Mismari, the army's spokesman, in a statement.

BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — The United States said Sunday it has temporarily withdrawn some of its forces from Libya due to “security conditions on the ground,” as a Libyan military commander’s forces advanced toward the capital, Tripoli, clashing with rival militias.

A small contingent of American troops has been in Libya in recent years helping local forces combat Islamic State and al-Qaida militants, as well as protecting diplomatic facilities.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — President Donald Trump warned on Saturday that a Democratic victory in 2020 could “leave Israel out there,” as he highlighted his pro-Israel actions in an effort to make the case for Jewish voters to back his re-election.

Speaking at the annual meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition, Trump touted his precedent-shredding actions to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv and recognition last month of Israeli sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights, a strategic plateau that Israel seized from Syria in 1967.

7 Apr 2019; DW: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that if he secured another term in office, he would move to annex Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

The remark came ahead of nationwide elections in Israel that will take place next week.

"I won't clear a single settlement. And I will naturally ensure that we control the area west of the Jordan River," Netanyahu said during an interview with Israeli television.

7 Apr 2019; DW: Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's Maldivian Democratic Party seems set to win the country's parliamentary elections, provisional results showed on Sunday.

The MDP was set to secure 59 of 87 parliamentary seats in Saturday's elections, with a turnout of almost 80%.

The elections saw the dramatic comeback of former President Mohamed Nasheed (top picture), who is set to take over the leadership of the national parliament after winning a seat in the legislature.