MOSCOW, Russia -- Russia on Thursday responded quid pro quo to the wave of Western expulsions of Russian diplomats over the poisoning of an ex-spy and his daughter in Britain, while a hospital treating the pair said the woman is improving rapidly and is out of critical condition.RELATED: US expels 60 Russian diplomats, shutters Seattle consulateSergei and Yulia Skripal were found unconscious and critically ill in the English city of Salisbury on March 4. British authorities blamed Russia for poisoning them with a military-grade nerve agent, accusations Russia has vehemently denied. Two dozen countries, including the U.S., many EU nations and NATO, have ordered more than 150 Russian diplomats out this week in a show of solidarity with Britain - a massive action unseen even at the height of the Cold War.RELATED: 27 countries pledge to kick out Russian diplomats over poisoning of ex-spyRussian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at news conference Thursday that Moscow will expel the same … [Read more...] about Russia to close US consulate in St. Petersburg, expel same number of diplomats as West
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ASEAN, US hold 31st dialogue in Malaysia
Participating representatives of the US and ASEAN celebrated the growth of political, security, economic and cultural ties between the sides, reflected through implementation outcomes of their action plan for 2016 – 2020. The plan saw 83 out of its 95 activities and projects carried out. A number of fruitful US-supported programmes in ASEAN included the Trade & Investment Framework Agreements, Expanded Economic Engagement (E3) Initiative, US-ASEAN Connectivity through Trade and Investment project, Young Southeast Asian Leaders initiative, and Lower Mekong Initiative. The ASEAN member countries praised the Trump Government for maintaining its commitment to the bloc and stated their willingness to work with the nation to increase ASEAN self-reliance and realise the ASEAN Community Vision 2025. ASEAN and the US agreed to effectively implement their action plan for 2016 – 2020, particularly in such realms as free trade – investment, digital economics, connectivity, … [Read more...] about ASEAN, US hold 31st dialogue in Malaysia
Trump scales back US goals in Syria, against aides’ advice
Josh Lederman, Associated Press Updated 5:32 am, Thursday, April 5, 2018 Now Playing: President Trump says he wants to pull U.S. troops out of war-torn Syria to bring them home. At a news conference with Baltic leaders, Trump also spoke about his relationship with Russia and using the military to protect the Mexico border. (April 3) Media: Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is abandoning plans to keep U.S. troops in Syria long term, pushing for a quick military withdrawal over a prolonged effort to stabilize the country and prevent the Islamic State group from re-emerging. Trump has signaled to his advisers that ideally, he wants all troops out within six months, according to three U.S. officials — a finale that would come shortly before the U.S. midterm elections. But Trump has given no formal order to pull out the 2,000 U.S. troops currently in Syria, nor offered a public timetable, other than to say the United States will pull … [Read more...] about Trump scales back US goals in Syria, against aides’ advice
NA leader promises support to US businesses
During his reception for a delegation of the US-ASEAN Business Council (UABC) led by President of its Vietnamese committee Alexander C. Feldman in Hanoi on March 29, Luu applauded great contributions made by US enterprises to Vietnam’s economy over the past years. He said that the UABC has worked as a bridge between US businesses and Vietnam, thus contributing to the enhancement of cooperative relations between the two nations and governments. The Vietnamese legislature has paid due attention to new moves and policies of President Donald Trump’s administration, especially those related to trade and investment, he said, noting that Vietnam always regards the US as one of its leading partners in terms of economy and trade. The legislator said since the Vietnam-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) took effect, two-way trade has increased continuously, from 220 million USD in 1994 to 1.4 billion USD in 2001, adding that Vietnam now is the US’s 16th … [Read more...] about NA leader promises support to US businesses
After passage of new law, Microsoft and US tell Supreme Court that email access case is moot
Home Daily News After passage of new law, Microsoft and US… Privacy Law By Debra Cassens Weiss Posted April 4, 2018, 3:33 pm CDT The federal government and Microsoft have informed the U.S. Supreme Court that their pending dispute over prosecutors’ access to emails stored overseas is now moot. The parties said the case is moot because of a new law signed by President Donald Trump on March 23, report the National Law Journal and the Washington Post. At issue in the case was whether the Microsoft emails are beyond the reach of domestic search warrants issued under a 1986 law, the Stored Communications Act. The new law, known as the Cloud Act, provides that email providers must comply with court orders for data regardless of whether it is stored within or outside of the United States. The government has already obtained a warrant for the emails under the new law. Microsoft says in its Supreme Court brief that it will “evaluate the new warrant as it evaluates all warrants … [Read more...] about After passage of new law, Microsoft and US tell Supreme Court that email access case is moot