WASHINGTON (AP) — Conservatives anxious to counter America’s leading economic adversary have set their sights on a top trade priority for labor unions and progressives: cracking down on the deluge of duty-free packages coming in from China.

The changing political dynamic could have major ramifications for e-commerce businesses and consumers importing products from China valued at less than $800. It also could add to the growing tensions between the countries.

BEIRUT, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) has allocated 3.7 million euros (4 million U.S. dollars) to fund 2Circular, a project implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to support the green and circular economy in Lebanon.

A statement released by UNIDO on Friday said that "the 2Circular project aims to partner with over 50 food and beverage companies to create momentum for green and circular production in Lebanon."

(AP) --- A rebellious mercenary commander said Saturday he ordered his mercenaries to halt their march on Moscow and retreat to field camps in Ukraine, appearing to defuse a dramatically escalating crisis that represented the most significant challenge to President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power.

HONG KONG, June 24 (Reuters) - Eleven people were injured on Cathay Pacific's (0293.HK) flight CX880 at Hong Kong's international airport early on Saturday after the carrier aborted takeoff due to a technical issue, Cathay said in a statement.

The flight from Hong Kong to Los Angeles was carrying 17 crew and 293 passengers. It performed "an aborted takeoff in accordance with standard procedures after a technical issue was detected by the crew."

SARAJEVO, June 24 (Xinhua) -- The groundbreaking ceremony for the Dabar Hydropower Plant, which will be built by China Gezhouba Group, was held Friday in the entity Republika Srpska (RS) of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).

The project, with an installed capacity of 159.15 MW and a total investment of 244 million euros (266.8 million U.S. dollars), is the largest hydropower project undertaken by Chinese enterprises in Central and Eastern Europe.

WASHINGTON, June 23 (Reuters) - Pakistan on Friday criticized the United States and India after President Joe Biden met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House and both leaders called on Pakistan to ensure its territory was not used as a base for militant attacks.

Pakistan's foreign ministry said a joint U.S.-Indian statement was "unwarranted, one-sided, and misleading". The reference to Islamabad in it was "contrary to diplomatic norms," it said.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The sleek, polished dark blue 1978 Cadillac Seville eased slowly out of a showroom near Iran’s capital, its driver carefully inserting the 8-track tape that came with it to blast the sounds of a time long since past.

The Sevilles, once assembled in Iran, represented the height of luxury in the country just before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. General Motors had partnered with an Iranian firm to build the sedans, selling them for two-and-a-half times the price in America at the zenith of the country’s oil wealth.

(AP) --- Moscow’s mayor warned Saturday that traffic could be restricted in parts of Russia’s capital as part of heightened security prompted by the rebellion of mercenaries with private military company Wagner.

Mayor Sergei Sobyanin asked the city’s residents to refrain from using their cars amid the counter-terrorism operation in Moscow and the surrounding region that authorities introduced earlier Saturday. He also declared Monday a non-working day for most people, with the exception of public servants and employees of some industrial enterprises.

SEOUL, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of South Koreans rallied in central Seoul Saturday to urge the Japanese government to build more storage facilities on land for nuclear-contaminated water instead of discharging it into the sea.

The civic activists gathered near the Seoul City Hall to clamor against Japan's planned discharge of radioactive wastewater, holding signs that read "Protect Pacific Ocean!" and "Storage on Land."

They also urged the South Korean government and people to prevent Japan's irresponsible plan of discharging nuke-contaminated water into the sea.

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — With the formerly ascendant, Nazi-inspired Golden Dawn party broken, its leadership in prison, and the anti-Western left defanged, Greece’s political fringes are looking more gauche than sinister.

Still, up to five small parties — three on the far right and two on the far left — could conceivably reach the 3% support needed to enter Parliament in Sunday’s repeat elections, despite a swing back to mainstream politicians as the scars of Greece’s 10-year financial crisis gradually heal.

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) — Voters in Sierra Leone were deciding Saturday whether to give President Julius Maada Bio a second term amid high unemployment and growing concern about the state of the West African nation’s economy.

A dozen candidates hoped to unseat Bio, though experts predicted his main competition likely would be Samura Kamara, the head of the All People’s Congress Party.

MAKKAH, June 24 (APP): Minister for Interior and Chairman of Supreme Hajj Committee Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud, in a demonstration of his commitment to ensuring the safety and security of pilgrims embarking on the Hajj journey, personally supervised the readiness of the Hajj security forces as this important task aimed to guarantee consistent security measures throughout the Hajj season.

Prince Abdulaziz’s involvement was evident as he graced the annual ceremony of the Hajj security forces, held to acknowledge their participation in this year’s Hajj season the other day.