Trump tries to block China Mobile's US entry
Beijing, July 3: The US administration has recommended that state-owned China Mobile, the world's biggest cell phone carrier, be denied a licence to operate in the US, prompting Beijing to warn Washington to shun "Cold war mentality".
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which is a part of the US Department of Commerce, cited national security risks in a statement sent on Monday to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), an independent agency that will take the final decision, with its recommendations, Efe reported on Tuesday.
"After significant engagement with China Mobile, concerns about increased risks to US law enforcement and national security interests were unable to be resolved," said David Redl, Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information at the US Department of Commerce.
In response to the US move, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said: "We urge the relevant party in the US to abandon the Cold war mentality and zero-sum game. They should view the relevant issue in a correct way and they should not speculate and repress the Chinese enterprises in this way.
"Instead, they should offer an equal favourable environment for Chinese enterprises. They should do more to promote mutual trust and cooperation. This is in the common interest of the two sides," he was quoted as saying by Efe news.
Lu encouraged Chinese firms to invest in the US in accordance with Chinese principles and international rules while observing local laws and regulations.
China Mobile submitted an application for a licence to the FCC in 2011 and has close to 900 million subscribers.
The NTIA's decision came amid escalated tensions between Washington and Beijing with only three days remaining for the first wave of tariffs by the US on Chinese imports worth $34 billion to come into effect.
The Chinese spokesperson said that Beijing was well prepared to take the necessary measures if the tariffs came into force.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
