Europe

Trump sends mixed messages to China on trade war

BIARRITZ, France (AP) — Injecting fresh uncertainty at a time of global economic jitters, President Donald Trump sent mixed messages Sunday on the U.S.-China trade war as leaders at a global summit pushed the unpredictable American president to ease frictions over tariffs and cooperate on other geopolitical challenges.

Trump’s head-snapping comments at the Group of Seven summit about his escalating trade fight with China — first expressing regret, then amping up tariff threats — represented just the latest manifestation of the hazards of the president’s go-it-alone mantra.

Russian citizen detained in Berlin on suspicion of murder

BERLIN, August 24. /TASS/. A Russian citizen has been detained in Berlin on Friday on suspicion of murder, the German prosecutor’s office informed on Twitter on Saturday.

The murdered man is a 40-year-old citizen of Georgia, the German officials informed. "We have discovered the weapon and the bike that the suspect allegedly used to escape," the prosecutor’s office stated. "A 49-year-old Russian citizen was detained yesterday in the area where the crime was committed. The prosecutor’s office issued an arrest warrant. The suspect is now in custody."

Russian security chief to visit Malaysia and Singapore on August 27-30

MOSCOW, August 25. /TASS/. Secretary of Russia’s Security Council Nikolai Patrushev will visit Malaysia and Singapore on August 27-30 for consultations of security matters, the press service of the Russian Security Council said on Sunday.

"Nikolai Patrushev will visit Malaysia and Singapore on August 27-30 to hold Russian-Malaysian and Russian-Singaporean consultations on security issues," the press service said.

G7 leaders discuss issue of returning to G8 format with Russia’s participation - Kyodo

BIARRITZ /France/, August 25. /TASS/: G7’s leaders that are meeting in Biarritz, France, have discussed the issue of returning to the G8 format with Russia’s participation, Japan’s Kyodo News reported on Sunday.

A Japanese government official told the agency that the G7 leaders discussed the specified issue, but the contents of this discussion will not be disclosed.

During a telephone conversation on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron, who chairs G7 now, agreed that Russia’s invitation to the G7 summit in 2020 would make sense.

Russia’s Baltic Fleet holds drills for stealth deployment of Iskander missile systems

MOSCOW, August 25. /TASS/: Missile formations of Russia’s Baltic Fleet have held drills in the Kaliningrad Region for eliminating a notional enemy’s subversive groups and stealthily deploying Iskander tactical missile systems, the Fleet’s press office reported on Sunday.

Trump says Putin may attend next G7 summit in US

BIARRITZ /France/, August 25. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump said that Russian President Vladimir Putin might attend the next G7 summit in the United States in 2020, the news agency Bloomberg reported on Sunday.

The US president made this statement ahead of his meeting with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the sidelines of the G7 summit that is running in the French resort city of Biarritz, the news agency said.

According to Bloomberg, Trump said it is "certainly possible" that Putin is invited to the next G7 summit.

Roscosmos confirms MS-14 spacecraft’s 2nd attempt to dock to ISS scheduled for August 27

MOSCOW, August 25. /TASS/: Russia’s Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft with the android robot Fedor on its board will make a second attempt to dock to the International Space Station (ISS) in the morning of August 27, the federal space agency Roscosmos reported on Sunday.

NASA earlier said on its Twitter page that the Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft would make a second attempt to dock to the flying laboratory at 06:12 Moscow time on Tuesday.

Trump regrets not raising tariffs on China higher, White House says

BIARRITZ, France (Reuters) - When President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he had second thoughts about escalating the trade war with China, he meant that he wished he had raised tariffs on Beijing even higher, the White House said.

Trump, who announced higher tariffs on Chinese goods last week, raised eyebrows during a meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the G7 when he responded in the affirmative to questions from reporters on whether he had any second thoughts about the tariff move.

PM Johnson says 39 billion pound divorce bill not due in no-deal Brexit

BIARRITZ, France (Reuters) - Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday that if Britain leaves the European Union without a deal, it will no longer legally owe the 39 billion pound divorce bill agreed by his predecessor Theresa May.

Earlier British media reported Johnson would use a meeting with European Council President Donald Tusk on the sidelines of the G7 Summit to set out that Britain would pay less than 10 billion pounds of the settlement if it leaves without a deal.

Trump dangles 'very big' trade deal in front of Brexit Britain

BIARRITZ, France (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday said he and President Donald Trump were “gung-ho” about a post-Brexit trade deal but cautioned the United States would be tough negotiators and that he would not rush talks.

Trump promised a big trade deal for Britain after it leaves the European Union, which he said had been a drag on Britain’s ability to cut a good deal.

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