North America

MOSCOW, May 6. /TASS/: Aeroflot shares dropped 3.3% as trading opened on the Moscow Exchange on Monday to 93.5 rubles per share following the plane crash at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport claiming the lives of 41 people.

On Sunday, the Sukhoi Superjet 100 passenger plane operated by Aeroflot carrying 73 passengers and five crewmembers bound for Murmansk caught fire after emergency landing at Sheremetyevo shortly after the takeoff.

As of 10:07 a.m. Moscow time, the company’s shares were down 1.7% to 95.06 rubles, according to the trading data.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Many Muslims around the world began fasting Monday to mark the start of the holy month of Ramadan.

This means waking up before dawn to eat, hydrate and pray. Once the sun rises, Muslims abstain from food and drink, including water, until sunset. They repeat the grueling routine every day for a month.

Here are some questions and answers about Islam’s holiest month and how it’s observed.

WHY DO MUSLIMS FAST?

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s turnabout on whether the special counsel should appear before Congress — “Bob Mueller should not testify,” he tweeted — has sparked criticism from Democratic lawmakers eager to question the author of the report on Russia’s election interference.

Trump had previously said he would leave the question of Robert Mueller testifying to Attorney General William Barr. The attorney general has said he has no objection to Mueller testifying.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump raised pressure on China with a threat to hike tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods in a tweet that sent global financial markets swooning on Monday.

Trump’s comments on Twitter came as a Chinese delegation was scheduled to resume talks in Washington on Wednesday aimed at resolving a trade war that has shaken investors and cast gloom over the world economy.

Chinese government officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

NEW YORK (AP) — Michael Cohen, the former lawyer, media attack dog and all-around fixer for President Donald Trump, is scheduled to begin serving a three-year prison sentence Monday for crimes including campaign finance violations related to hush-money payments made on Trump’s behalf.

Cohen faces a 2 p.m. deadline to report to the Federal Correctional Institution, Otisville, a federal prison in the countryside 70 miles (113 kilometers) northwest of New York City. A minimum-security prison camp there has become a haven for white-collar criminals.

WASHINGTON, May 4 (Xinhua): U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday expressed "confidence" in an ultimate "deal" with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), despite reports that Pyongyang fired projectiles.

Trump tweeted on Saturday morning that "anything in this very interesting world is possible...Deal will happen!"

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said earlier that the DPRK has fired unidentified short-range projectiles off its east coast.

WASHINGTON, May 4 (Xinhua): The Chinese embassy in the United States opened to the public on Saturday, drawing thousands of visitors for a day of calligraphy, tea tasting, and traditional performances.

"The overall stability of China-U.S. relations over the past four decades has been a blessing to not only our two countries, but the whole world," Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai said at the welcome ceremony.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX launched a load of supplies to the International Space Station on Saturday following a pair of unusual power delays.

A Falcon rocket raced into the pre-dawn darkness, carrying a Dragon capsule with 5,500 pounds (2,500 kilograms) of goods. This recycled Dragon — which is making its second space trip — is due to arrive at the orbiting lab Monday.

The booster, meanwhile, streaked to a smooth landing on a recovery ship just offshore.

CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Saturday he’s reached an agreement with key lawmakers on a plan to legalize recreational marijuana in the state starting next year.

The legislation would allow adults 21 and older to legally buy cannabis for recreational use from licensed dispensaries. Illinois residents could possess up to about an ounce (30 grams) of marijuana, while non-residents could possess about half an ounce (15 grams).

The measure also would automatically expunge some marijuana convictions.

STERLING, Va. (AP) — President Donald Trump criticized social media companies after Facebook banned a number of extremist figures, declaring that he was “monitoring and watching, closely!!”

Trump, who tweeted and re-tweeted complaints Friday and Saturday, said he would “monitor the censorship of AMERICAN CITIZENS on social media platforms.” He has previously asserted that social media companies exhibit bias against conservatives, something the companies have rejected as untrue.