South African trade officials have held talks with their U.S. counterparts in Washington, reports said Friday as Africa's largest economy looks to repair strained relations and negotiate the lifting of heavy tariffs imposed by the United States.

South Africa's department of trade, industry and competition said the country's Trade Minister Parks Tau and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer held "cordial and constructive" talks following three days of intense discussions by senior officials from both countries.

The European Union proposed Friday to bring forward a ban on Russian gas imports as part of a new package of sanctions aimed at sapping Moscow's war chest -- and pleasing U.S. President Donald Trump.

Under the measures presented for approval by the bloc's member states, the European Commission said it aims to phase out liquefied natural gas (LNG) purchases from Russia by January 2027 -- one year earlier than planned.

Russia and Vietnam have developed a back-door method of concealing arms deal payments to avoid American and other Western sanctions, using the profits from joint oil and gas ventures to pay off defense contracts without any open transfers of cash through the global banking system, according to internal Vietnamese documents obtained by The Associated Press.

U.S. President Donald Trump is talking with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday in a push to finalize a deal to allow the popular social media app TikTok to keep operating in the United States.

The call between the two leaders began around 8 a.m. Washington time, according to a White House official and China's Xinhua News Agency.

The U.N. Security Council is expected to vote on a resolution Friday on whether to reimpose sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, as European officials warn Tehran that time is running out to come to a diplomatic resolution ahead of next week's annual United Nations gathering of world leaders.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney heads to Mexico on Thursday in an effort to diversify trade as America's neighbors brace for a review of the free trade deal with United States.

The United States-Mexico-Canada trade pact, or USMCA, is up for review in 2026. More than 75% of Canada's exports and more than 80% of Mexico's go to the U.S.

The Bank of England held its main interest rate at 4% on Thursday as U.K. inflation concerns weigh on policymakers.

U.S. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer formally signed a tech partnership Thursday to strengthen cooperation in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and nuclear energy.

"It is the biggest investment package of its kind in British history," Starmer said at his country residence Chequers during Trump's UK state visit, calling the agreement "groundbreaking."

Ben & Jerry's co-founder Jerry Greenfield is leaving the ice cream brand after 47 years, saying that the independence it once had to speak up on social issues has been stifled by its parent company Unilever.

In a letter, which co-founder Ben Cohen posted on social media on Greenfield's behalf, Greenfield said he could not "in good conscience" remain at Ben & Jerry's — citing a loss of independence to Unilever, which he said had once agreed to give Ben & Jerry's autonomy around its social mission when it acquired the brand more than two decades ago.

European officials told Iran on Wednesday it had yet to take the actions needed to stop the return of United Nations sanctions over its nuclear program, warning time was running out.