President Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw the US from the World Trade Organization (WTO), claiming it treats the country unfairly.
"If they don't shape up, I would withdraw from the WTO," Mr Trump said in an interview with Bloomberg News.
The WTO was established to provide rules for global trade and resolve disputes between countries.
Mr Trump says the body too often rules against the US, although he concedes it has won some recent judgments.
He claimed on Fox News earlier this year that the WTO was set up "to benefit everybody but us", adding: "We lose the lawsuits, almost all of the lawsuits in the WTO."
However, some analysis shows the US wins about 90% when it is the complainant and loses about the same percentage when it is complained against.
Mr Trump's warning about a possible US pull-out from the organisation highlights the conflict between the president's protectionist trade policies and the open trade system that the WTO oversees
Australian Filmmaker Convicted of Spying in Cambodia, Sentenced to 6 Years
A judge in Cambodia has convicted Australian filmmaker James Ricketson of spying and sentenced him to 6 years in prison,
Ricketson faced a charge of violating national security, which carries up to 10 years in prison, when he arrived at a Cambodian court to hear his verdict Friday.
Cambodia has released almost two dozen jailed critics or opponents of Prime Minister Hun Sen's government in recent weeks, raising hopes that Ricketson may also be freed.
He arrived alone to the Phnom Penh court in a prison van, later telling The Associated Press from a waiting room, "I hope I am free today and I could go home."
Ricketson, 69, has been held since June last year when he was detained after flying a drone to photograph an opposition party political rally.
The charge against Ricketson is tantamount in legal terms to espionage, but prosecutors never specified which foreign power he allegedly spied for.
Russia Holds Up Release of Report on N. Korea Sanctions
ussia said Thursday that it was holding up release of a report by U.N. experts who said North Korea is violating U.N. sanctions by not stopping its nuclear and missile programs and by engineering "a massive increase in illicit ship-to-ship transfers of petroleum products.''
Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters after a closed Security Council meeting on the report that he was blocking its release "because we disagree on certain elements of the report.''
He said Russia also asked for an investigation into regular leaks of reports on North Korea to the media. The Associated Press and other news organizations reported the panel's latest findings in early August.
Nebenzia didn't disclose Russia's concerns, but diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because consultations were private, said a key objection was the panel's mention of Russian ships being involved in illegal ship-to-ship transfers.
Britain's U.N. Ambassador Karen Pierce, the current Security Council president, said there would be informal consultations Friday to determine what Russia's objections are in hopes of finalizing and releasing the report.
Grenada man charged for posting nude photos of ex-lover online
A 25-year-old man became the first person to be charged for violating a section of the Electronic Crimes Act when he appeared in court earlier this week.
Yurber Phillip was charged with Violation of Privacy under the Electronic Crimes Act based on allegations that he published nude photos of a female person via a social media website.
Police confirmed that the female and Phillip had an intimate relationship.
The matter that was reported to the South St George's Police Station was also investigated by officers of that station and the Director of Public Prosecution gave guidance in laying the charges.
St. Kitts-Nevis high commissioner to Jamaica dies at 87
PRIME Minister of St Kitts and Nevis Dr Timothy Harris has extended "heartfelt condolences", on behalf of his Government and people, to the family and loved ones of the late Cedric Harper, who served as that island's high commissioner to Jamaica since 2001.
Harper has died at the age of 87.
Cedric Harper had a distinguished 35-year career as a diplomat who was highly regarded as an endearing and effective representative for St Kitts and Nevis. I am honoured to have learned at his feet, particularly when I served as minister of foreign affairs between 2001 and 2008. With dedication, dignity and diplomatic aplomb, he served his country well," the prime minister said in a statement Wednesday.
Harper joined the Consular Corps in Jamaica in the capacity of honorary consul general of St Kitts and Nevis, serving in that position from 1983 to 1999 and as consul general from 1999 to 2000 before being appointed high commissioner for St Kitts and Nevis to Jamaica in 2001. From 2001 to 2014, Harper also served as non-resident ambassador for St Kitts and Nevis to the Republic of Cuba.
Bitcoin wallet Bitfi withdraws 'unhackable' claim
Bitfi, a cryptocurrency wallet backed by anti-virus software entrepreneur John McAfee, has issued a statement saying it will no longer describe its service as "unhackable".
The announcement followed the release of evidence by a group of security researchers showing the wallet being compromised.
However, Mr McAfee maintains that the claim stands.
Bitfi had offered a $250,000 (£190,000) reward to anyone who hacked the wallet.
But it stated that the Bitcoin inside must be removed from the wallet - which was controversial among the cybersecurity community as often weaknesses are identified but not acted upon.
The group claimed to have hacked the wallet once before but Bitfi and Mr McAfee refused to accept their evidence.
They said it didn't qualify for the reward - known as a bug bounty - because none of the digital currency was actually removed.
Chinese-Made Ford Focus Active Won’t Come To U.S. Due To Tariffs
Ford announced Friday it would not bring the Focus Active—the raised version of the compact hatch—to the U.S. due to the Trump Administration’s tariffs on Chinese imports. This comes after the automaker announced earlier this year it would phase several car models out of its portfolio in the country to focus on crossovers, trucks, and SUVs.
“Given the negative financial impact of the new tariffs, we've decided not to import this vehicle from China,” said Kumar Galhotra, Ford president of North America, according to The Detroit News. “The significant thing that moved was the tariffs going up substantially higher. We're choosing to deploy resources elsewhere.”
Ford’s move away from cars is all about profit. Many have low profit margins. As consumers move toward crossovers and SUVs—which have higher profit margins—Ford hopes to replenish its lineup with vehicles consumers want. For the Focus Active, the additional tariffs would cut into its already low-profit margin.
Coca-Cola to buy Costa coffee for £3.9bn
Coca-Cola is to buy the Costa coffee chain from owner Whitbread in a deal worth £3.9bn.
Whitbread had intended to spin off the chain as a separate firm, but said a straight sale was more profitable.
Chief executive Alison Brittain said Whitbread would now focus on its Premier Inn business in the UK and Germany.
Whitbread bought Costa, which is now the UK's biggest coffee chain, for just £19m in 1995.
At the time, it had just 39 outlets. It now has more than 2,400 UK coffee shops, as well as some 1,400 outlets in 31 overseas markets. Costa Express has 8,237 vending machines worldwide.
Whitbread shares were up 16% in Friday afternoon trading.
Speaking on the BBC's Today programme, Ms Brittain explained that Coca-Cola wanted to buy Costa because "they want the coffee product, they have no coffee in their range".
She said the money from the sale would be used to expand the Premier Inn chain, return some cash to shareholders, pay down debt and boost the pension fund.
US-Canada trade talks going down to wire
Talks between the US and Canada about amending the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) are heading into their final day with no deal in sight.
US President Donald Trump set a Friday deadline for Canada to sign a new agreement with the US and Mexico.
He has threatened to leave Canada on the sidelines since announcing a breakthrough with Mexico on Monday.
However, he and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have both said they are hopeful a deal is close.
US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer is holding talks in Washington with Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland aimed at reaching a new deal.
Ms Freeland said on Friday morning that negotiators are "not there yet" on a deal that can be agreed upon by both parties, and that talks would continue later in the day.
"We're looking for a good deal, not just any deal," she said. "And we'll only agree to a deal that is a good deal for Canada.
Issues that have led to discord between the neighbouring countries include Canada's dairy trade rules, dispute-handling mechanisms and patent protections for medicines.
Dairy in particular appeared to be a stumbling block in the negotiations on Friday, with US officials saying Canada had made no concessions on agriculture and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saying he was standing firm on the issue.
Mr Trump has threatened to levy tariffs on car parts exported from Canada to the US if a deal is not reached.
POTENTIAL TROPICAL CYCLONE SIX ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY FORECAST OFFICE AT 12PM FRIDAY 31ST AUGUST 2018
A TROPICAL STORM HAS NOT FORMED YET BUT STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND HEAVY RAINS ARE STILL EXPECTED OVER THE SOUTHERN CABO VERDE ISLANDS LATER TODAY…
THIS SYSTEM POSES NO THREAT TO THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS OR BAHAMAS AT THIS TIME. DDME WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE SYSTEM AND UPDATES WILL BE ISSUED ACCORDINGLY.
AT 11AM, THE DISTURBANCE WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 13.7°NORTH AND LONGITUDE 22.7° WEST OR ABOUT 135 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE SOUTHERN MOST CABO VERDE ISLANDS.
THE SYSTEM IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST AT NEAR 13 MILES PER HOUR AND THIS MOTION WITH A SLIGHT INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT THREE TO FOUR DAYS. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE DISTURBANCE IS EXPECTED TO MOVE NEAR OR OVER THE SOUTHERN CABO VERDE ISLANDS AS A TROPICAL STORM LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 35 MILES PER HOUR WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS AND THE DISTURBANCE IS EXPECTED TO BECOME A TROPICAL STORM LATER TODAY OR SATURDAY.