World news

* The US Commerce Department said it will begin accepting requests on March 19 for product exclusions from President Donald Trump's new steel and aluminum import tariffs, but it could take up to 90 days for the agency to make determinations. * Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel has said that the European Union (EU) is now in a critical phase and Germany wanted to address major European issues quickly together with France. The European Council set for next week will be the first time to talk about the idea of EU's future relations with Britain after the latter quits the bloc. * As many as 30,000 civilians evacuated from rebel-held areas in the Syrian capital Damascus' Eastern Ghouta area on March 17, state news agency SANA reported. The mass evacuation took place through two crossings, one in the Hamouriyeh area and the other near the Water Resources facility in Harasta area in Eastern Ghouta. * The African Union (AU) has decided to deploy about 40 observers in Egypt for the … [Read more...] about World News in Brief: March 18

* Staffan de Mistura, the UN Special Envoy for Syria, told the Security Council that a cease-fire, although fragile, has been holding for the past six days in one part of the rebel stronghold of Eastern Ghouta. He voiced concern over the humanitarian situation in Eastern Ghouta, Afrin and across the country. * The Space Industry Bill, which will unlock an exciting era of British space innovation, exploration and investment, has been signed by Queen Elizabeth on March 15. The government believes it will create the potential for hundreds of highly-skilled jobs and bringing in billions of US$ for the economy. * Austria's economy is maintaining its strong growth momentum and will expand even more this year than previously expected. According to the Austrian Institute for Economic Research (WIFO) and the Institute of Advanced Studies (IHS), two leading economic research institutes, Austria's economy to reach 3.2 percent and 2.8 percent respectively in 2018. *FIFA has approved the use of … [Read more...] about World News in Brief: March 17

* Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised aluminum and steelworkers on March 12 he would defend them against possible US tariffs and called US President Donald Trump to stress that "mutually beneficial" cross-border supply chains should be preserved. * US House Intelligence Committee Republicans said on March 12 the panel had finished investigating Russia and the 2016 US election, and found no collusion between President Donald Trump's campaign and Moscow's efforts to influence the vote. * Asian stocks stalled on March 13, halting an earlier rally after Wall Street shares lost steam, while the dollar sagged on the back of declining US yields. The dollar index against a basket of six major currencies was flat at 89.900 after shedding about 0.2 percent overnight. * Police in the US city of Austin, Texas, said on March 12 that they believed that three package bombings over the past 10 days were "related." * The Syrian army on March 12 secured the evacuation of … [Read more...] about World News in Brief: March 13