Beijing tells officials not to set off fireworks to stop smog
BEIJING (Reuters) – The Beijing city government has told officials to lead by example and not set off fireworks or firecrackers to welcome the Lunar New Year on Friday to help prevent smog, after the city was blanketed in choking smog earlier this mont…
Jordan’s King Abdullah to visit U.S. from Monday
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Jordan’s King Abdullah will begin a visit to the United States on Monday, the Jordanian embassy said on Thursday, the first Arab leader to hold talks with the new administration of President Donald Trump.
U.S.-Mexico crisis deepens as Trump aide floats border tax idea
PHILADELPHIA/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – The White House on Thursday floated the idea of imposing a 20 percent tax on goods from Mexico to pay for a wall at the southern U.S. border, sending the peso tumbling and deepening a crisis between the two neighbor…
Mattis stresses commitment to NATO to German defense chief: Pentagon
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Defense Secretary James Mattis stressed the United States’ commitment to NATO in a telephone call with Germany’s defense minister on Thursday, the Pentagon said.
‘Opposites attract,’ UK PM calls on Trump to renew special relationship
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) – Joking that “opposites attract,” Prime Minister Theresa May called on President Donald Trump on Thursday to renew the “special relationship” between Britain and the United States and lead in a new, changed world.
Trump to seek quick progress with Japan’s Abe on replacement trade deal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump will seek quick progress toward a bilateral trade agreement with Japan in place of a broader Asia-Pacific deal he abandoned this week, when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visits the White House next mon…
Ex-Mexican state governor arrested pending trial on graft charges
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – The former governor of the northern Mexican state of Nuevo Leon, charged last August with improper use of his power, was arrested on Thursday to prevent him from fleeing, a state official said.
Trump administration debates designating Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist group
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A debate is under way in the Trump administration about whether the United States should declare the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization and subject it to U.S. sanctions, according to U.S. officials and people close to Pr…
Outgoing German minister sees fundamental difference with Trump on torture
BERLIN (Reuters) – Outgoing Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Germany had fundamental differences with U.S. President Donald Trump about torture and other issues, and warned the U.S. leader against dismantling a nuclear agreement with Iran….
Court case on whether Brexit can be reversed to be filed Friday
DUBLIN (Reuters) – A legal challenge to determine whether Britain’s exit from the European Union can be reversed once triggered is to be filed in Dublin on Friday with the aim of securing a referral to the EU’s top court within months, a lawyer taking …




