Britain said Thursday that resetting ties with Russia depended on Moscow changing behaviour, hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin said it was time to "turn the page" on the difficult relationship.
"We can only have a different relationship if Russia changes its behaviour," a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Theresa May said, noting that the 2018 poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain, blamed on Moscow, was a "despicable act".
"We have been clear that Russia's pattern of aggression and destabilising behaviour undermines its claim to be a responsible international partner," the spokeswoman added.
"We will continue to engage with Russia on matters of international security as this is in the UK's national interest." Britain has accused Russia of orchestrating the March 2018 nerve agent attack against former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the English cathedral city of Salisbury, which Moscow has furiously denied.
The incident sparked dozens of tit-for-tat ...

UK says new ties possible only if Russia 'changes behaviour'

PTI Automatic

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said it was "fine" for him if Iran wanted to hold talks, adding the Islamic Republic was currently "failing as a nation".
The United States has had no diplomatic relations with Iran following the hostage seize of the American embassy in Tehran that followed the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
US diplomats helped negotiate the landmark 2015 deal on Iran's nuclear programme with Europe under his predecessor Barack Obama but Trump unilaterally pulled out of the deal in May 2018.
Speaking after talks in northern France with French President Emmanuel Macron, an ardent supporter of diplomacy with Iran, Trump indicated he could consider talking to Tehran.
"I understand they want to talk and if they want to talk that's fine," said Trump, who is in northern France to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
"We'll talk but the one thing that they can't have is they can't have nuclear weapons," he added.
Trump said when he came to power Iran was ...

Trump says 'fine' if Iran wants to open talks

Donald Trump should be sent to "prison," US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told fellow Democrats in a closed-door meeting about whether to launch impeachment proceedings against the president, Politico reported Thursday.
Pelosi, Trump's political nemesis in Congress, has long stated she is not ready to proceed with what would be a deeply divisive impeachment action, and that she would prefer to see the president defeated at the ballot box next year.
But in a meeting late Tuesday with House committee chairmen, she clashed with House Judiciary Committee chairman Jerry Nadler over whether to kick off an impeachment inquiry, using language that ramped up the rhetoric surrounding top Democrats and Trump.
"I don't want to see him impeached, I want to see him in prison," Pelosi said, according to Politico, which cited multiple Democratic sources familiar with the meeting.
Pelosi prefers to see Trump lose the 2020 election and then face prosecution for his alleged crimes, the sources told the US .

Pelosi told Dems she'd like Trump 'in prison': Report

Novak Djokovic reached his ninth Roland Garros semi-final Thursday, sweeping past Alexander Zverev to keep his bid to become just the second man to hold all four Slams at the same time twice firmly on track.
Top seed and world number one Djokovic won 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 and will face Austrian fourth seed Dominic Thiem on Friday in what will be his 35th Grand Slam semi-final.
Thiem reached the semi-finals for a fourth successive year with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 victory against Russian 10th seed Karen Khachanov.
"It was a big challenge for me today but I was hitting the ball more cleanly," said 32-year-old Djokovic.
"It's a great joy to be in the semi-finals again." The problem for Djokovic now in his pursuit of a second title in Paris and 16th major is the weather.  Heavy rain is forecast to hit Paris again on Friday after Wednesday's washout.
"I just have to keep my concentration and stay in the moment. I hope to continue like this," said the Serb.
Friday's other semi-final will see Rafael Nadal ..

Ruthless Djokovic to face Thiem in his ninth Roland Garros semi-final

French President Emmanuel Macron looked beyond the current tensions with Britain over Brexit on Thursday as he paid tribute outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May and hoped for a "common future" on the 75th anniversary of D-Day.
May's trip to Normandy for the anniversary came the day before she formally steps down as ruling Conservative Party leader on Friday after announcing her resignation in the wake of her failure to end the deadlock over Britain's exit from the European Union.
She will remain as prime minister and acting party leader until her successor is chosen.
"I feel it's my duty to pay tribute to her (Theresa May) and do to everything I can to keep our countries united," Macron told reporters in Normandy.
"Even if the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, it is vital that the relationship between our countries stays strong."
Britain's prime minister "has acted with courage and resilience. She kept going through difficult months to implement the decision of the British ...

Macron praises May and looks beyond Brexit on D-Day

One US military trainee was killed and 22 trainees and soldiers were injured in an accident Thursday at the US Military Academy at West Point, New York, the academy said.
The trainee, known as a cadet, was killed when a flatbed truck-like troop transporter known as a Light Medium Tactical Vehicle reportedly rolled near the elite West Point officers academy.
The injured included 20 cadets and two regular soldiers, who were transported to local hospitals.
"Details of the incident are under investigation," the academy said in a statement.
The 117-year-old West Point supplies many if not most of the top leaders of the US army, and two presidents graduated from it: Civil War hero Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight Eisenhower, who was supreme commander of allied forces in Europe in World War II.

One dead, 22 injured in West Point training accident

Thousands took part in Jerusalem's Gay Pride parade Thursday, waving rainbow flags and calling for tolerance in the Holy City with security tight following a 2015 knife attack by a Jewish extremist that killed a teenager.
As crowds gathered for the march, police said they had arrested a man in the area who was acting suspiciously and a search turned up a knife.
A total of 17 people were arrested on suspicion of wanting to disrupt the event, police said without providing details.
Police deployed some 2,500 undercover and uniformed officers for the parade that started at a park in the Holy City and continued through nearby streets.
Crowds were festive, with live music and dancing before the march set off.
"Despite the difficulties, it's important to participate, especially in Jerusalem," said Israel Lumbroso, a 28-year-old resident of the city who said he came out of the closet around a year and a half ago.
This year marks the 18th Gay Pride march in Jerusalem, but due to the city's ...

Jerusalem Gay Pride draws thousands under high security

Fuchsia or camouflage? Flat black? Or good, old, red, white and blue? US troops are planning to paint the Mexico border wall "to improve the aesthetic appearance," the Department of Homeland Security says.
In an email to Congress Wednesday, DHS, which manages border matters, said that the military will spend the next month painting a section of the wall in California with the "primary purpose" of improving its looks.
DHS did not say what the color would be, but noted that "there may be an operational benefit" from painting the wall, which in most areas -- before artists, protestors and vandals spray-paint their own designs on it -- is the color of new or rusted steel.
In one stretch of wall in Arizona, DHS noted in the email, paint applied to the wall's steel bollards helped counter "camouflaging tactics" by border crossers trying to hide, according to the email.
An unanticipated benefit of that paint jobs, DHS said, made it harder for migrants to climb the wall.
Neither DHS nor the ..

Calling Martha Stewart: US troops to paint border wall

The cash-strapped Palestinian government has pledged to suspend a secret increase in ministerial salaries, the United Nations envoy on the Israel-Palestinian conflict said Thursday after reports of the raise sparked anger.
Documents leaked online appeared to show that in 2017, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas had quietly agreed to increase monthly salaries of ministers from USD 3,000 to USD 5,000, as well as boosting the prime minister's salary from USD 4,000 to USD 6,000.
The revelation, by an anonymous online group known as "Against the Current", came as the Palestinian government faces desperate financial shortfalls.
Nickolay Mladenov, United Nations special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, said Thursday he had spoken to recently installed Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, who had agreed to cancel the raises.
"At a time when the #Palestinian people are struggling with economic hardship, when salaries were cut in #Gaza, such decisions defy logic and ...

Palestinians pledge to cancel leaked ministerial raises: UN

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Thursday he will soon travel to the border city of Tijuana to "defend the dignity" of his nation in the face of US tariff threats, as talks were set to resume in Washington.
Lopez Obrador will make the trip Saturday, two days before US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose five per cent tariffs on all Mexican imports, unless Mexico acts to stem the surge of Central American migrants to the US border.
Negotiators have been meeting in Washington to avert a crisis, but Trump warned late Wednesday "not nearly enough" progress was being made.
Lopez Obrador told reporters at his daily morning news conference that "all options" are under review in the event Trump goes ahead with the tariffs.
"But our posture is to preserve, above all, the friendship with the people of the United States," he said.
The leftist leader called his trip to Tijuana "an act of unity to defend the dignity of Mexico" and to build bridges with America.
"I am .

Mexican leader to visit US border Saturday amid trade row

Dimuth Karunaratne insists Sri Lanka can end their wretched World Cup record against Pakistan when they clash in Bristol on Friday.
Pakistan have won all seven World Cup encounters against Sri Lanka dating back to the inaugural World Cup in 1975.
But Sri Lanka are optimistic after recovering from a crushing 10-wicket defeat in their opening match against New Zealand.
A hard-earned 34-run win against minnows Afghanistan lifted Sri Lankan spirits, although Karunaratne acknowledges they still have room for improvement.
The next test for the 1996 champions comes against an unpredictable Pakistan side who were bowled out for 105 in their opening seven-wicket defeat against the West Indies before a shock 14-run victory against hosts and tournament favourites England.
Asked on Thursday if Sri Lanka's past struggles against Pakistan could be a mental barrier, captain Karunaratne told reporters: "We may not have won against Pakistan in the World Cup but it doesn't bother us.
"It's just another 

Karunaratne unfazed by Sri Lanka's World Cup woe against Pakistan

American teenager Amanda Anisimova said she was "excited" and did not suffer from nerves after stunning defending champion Simona Halep on Thursday to reach a French Open semi-final against Australian eighth seed Ashleigh Barty.
The 17-year-old downed Halep 6-2, 6-4 on Court Philippe Chatrier to announce herself on the big stage, while Barty saw off 14th seed Madison Keys 6-3, 7-5 to also become a first-time Grand Slam semi-finalist.
"If I didn't look nervous is because I wasn't," said world number 51 Anisimova, who is the youngest player to reach a major semi-final since Nicole Vaidisova at the 2007 Australian Open.
"I was just super excited and I was really happy with the opportunity.
"This is more than I could have asked for."
The last-four ties will be played on Friday, after Wednesday's downpour in Paris caused a backlog of matches, with the women's semi-finals held on Court Suzanne Lenglen and Simonne Mathieu to keep Chatrier free for the men's semis.
"Actually, I'm really happy 

'Excited' teenager Anisimova stuns Halep to reach French Open semis

US President Donald Trump admitted that there had been past difficulties in his relationship with French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday, but said "right now it's outstanding".
"It's been good sometimes and sometimes it hasn't been, but right now it's outstanding. So the relationship that we've had together has been really terrific and I appreciate it very much," Trump told Macron as they met for talks in northern France.
Earlier Thursday, they led a ceremony to pay tribute to veterans of the D-Day landings in northern France on the 75th anniversary of the invasion that began the liberation of France and shaped the outcome of World War II.
"We've had great success working together too," Trump added at the start of a working lunch with Macron, referring to joint US and French military actions against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.
"Your military is excellent. My people report back, they say it's absolutely excellent. They work very well together," the US leader ...

Trump says relations with Macron 'outstanding'

A group of Afghan peace marchers who were whisked away for several days by the Taliban, prompting fears for their safety, reappeared unharmed Thursday.
The so-called People's Peace Movement attracted international attention last year when they walked hundreds of kilometres across Afghanistan and into the capital Kabul in an attempt to reduce the record levels of violence across the country.
About 30 members of the People's Peace Movement started a new walk on May 27, when they set out from Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand province in the southwest.
Four of the group were taken into vehicles by the Taliban on Sunday as they crossed into insurgent-held territory, with most of the rest of the group taken away on Monday.
Bismillah Watandost, the marchers' spokesman and among those who disappeared, said the group had not been kidnapped but had been unable to communicate, as their phones were not working in Taliban-controlled areas.
"The People's Peace movement has come back with some good ..

Afghan peace marchers reappear safe after Taliban 'discussions'

The US economy is expected to grow slightly faster this year than projected in April but is overshadowed by "material risks" including damage from the China trade conflict, the International Monetary Fund said Thursday.
The IMF upgraded its GDP forecast for 2019 to 2.6 percent, three tenths higher than in April, while growth in 2020 is seen slowing to two percent, according to the annual review of the US economy.
But the fund once again warned that risks are rising, including rising debt levels and growing inequality.
"It is especially important that the trade tensions between the US and China -- which represent a threat to the global outlook and create important negative spillovers to other countries -- are quickly resolved," the report said.
In contrast the upgrade for the United States, the IMF earlier this week trimmed the outlook for China to 6.2 percent this year, a tenth lower than in April.
And IMF chief Christine Lagarde earlier on Wednesday urged the countries to make ...

IMF upgrades US growth forecast but warns of rising risks

The African Union (AU) suspended Sudan on Thursday, demanding a "civilian-led transitional authority" to resolve an entrenched and bloody crisis.
Calls for the AU to take action had mounted after Monday's crackdown on protesters who had camped outside army headquarters in Khartoum.
Sudanese authorities admitted dozens were killed when security forces stormed the long-running sit-in.
But an opposition-linked doctors' group said Wednesday that 40 bodies had been pulled from the Nile, sending the death toll to at least 108.
"The AU Peace and Security Council has with immediate effect suspended the participation of the Republic of Sudan in all AU activities until the effective establishment of a Civilian-led Transitional Authority, as the only way to allow the Sudan to exit from the current crisis," the AU posted on Twitter.
Patrick Kapuwa, the chairperson of the AU's Peace and Security Council, said the military leadership that took control after the ouster of long-time president Omar ...

AU suspends Sudan until civilian-led authority established

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said Moscow and London should mend fences after the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in Britain.
"There's a need to finally turn this page -- linked to spies and assassination attempts," Putin told heads of global news agencies at an economic forum in Saint Petersburg.
"Global issues related to national interests in the economic and social spheres and global security are more important than games of security services," the Russian president said.
Putin added that Skripal was not a "Russian spy." "It was not us who spied on you," Putin said. "It's your agent, not ours. That means you were spying on us." Skripal is a former double agent, who sold secrets to Britain and moved there after a 2010 spy swap.
Last year Skripal and his daughter were poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent in the English city of Salisbury, the first use of chemical weapons in Europe since World War II.
London says the military grade nerve agent ...

Putin says time to 'turn the page' in UK ties after spy scandal

Thousands of black-clad Hong Kong lawyers took to the streets Thursday in a silent march against a controversial extradition law proposal, as the city's last colonial governor slammed the plan as "a terrible blow".
The city's pro-Beijing government is pushing a bill through the legislature that would allow extraditions to any jurisdiction with which it doesn't already have a treaty -- including mainland China for the first time.
The proposal has sparked some of the biggest protests the city has seen in recent years as well as criticism from influential legal groups, business associations and western diplomats.
This week has seen escalating criticism from the city's influential legal communities, including the Law Society -- which published a detailed critique of the proposals -- adding to opposition already voiced by the Bar Association and multiple chambers of commerce.  Critics fear the law, if passed, will entangle people in China's opaque and politicised court system.
The lawyers, 

Thousands of Hong Kong lawyers march against China extradition plans

Russia opened its showcase annual economic forum on Thursday, seeking to reassure foreign investors who have been shaken by recent arrests and slowing growth.
Dubbed the "Russian Davos" when the economy was booming, the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum is hosted by President Vladimir Putin and this year comes amid an ongoing crisis with the West.
In a sign of Moscow's commercial and political pivot to the East, the guest of honour at the forum is Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who will speak alongside his host and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Friday.
But on the minds of most at the event will be the arrest in February of prominent US businessman Michael Calvey -- the founder of one of the oldest private equity firms focusing on Russia.
He was arrested along with five others on fraud charges but insists he is innocent, saying the case was fabricated and stems from a shareholder dispute.
Calvey, head of the Baring Vostok fund, has since been placed under house ...

Russia woos foreign investors as arrests loom over forum

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said Russia was prepared to drop a nuclear arms control agreement with the US, known as New START, if there was a lack of interest in renewing it.
"If no-one feels like extending the agreement - New START - well, we won't do it then," Putin said at an economic forum in Saint Petersburg, referring to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.
"We said a hundred times that we are ready (to extend it)," Putin said, lamenting that Washington was "not conducting any talks" on the issue with Moscow.
"There is no formal negotiating process. And in 2021 everything will end." The treaty was signed by US President Barack Obama and Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev in Prague in 2010.
The agreement, which caps the number of nuclear warheads well below Cold War limits, is set to expire in two years' time.
Together with another agreement known as the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, New START is considered a centrepiece of superpower arms ...

Putin says Russia prepared to drop START treaty

Ford will shut its engine plant in Wales next year, costing about 1,700 jobs, the US auto giant announced Thursday in a further blow to Britain's embattled car sector struggling with Brexit uncertainty and a global race to meet rising demand for electric vehicles.
The head of Ford's Europe division, Stuart Rowley, said in a company statement that "changing customer demand and cost disadvantages" had contributed to making the Bridgend facility in south Wales "economically unsustainable in the years ahead" and that it would shut in late 2020.
Ford insisted that the US group remained "committed to the UK, where it continues to be the passenger and commercial vehicle sales leader".
Len McCluskey, general secretary of Britain's biggest union Unite, called the announcement "a grotesque act of economic betrayal".
He called upon the British government and devolved Welsh assembly to help fight the closure and "prevent yet another grave injury to UK manufacturing".
The news is a further blow to 

AFP

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