World News

WASHINGTON (AP) — The world’s two biggest economies fired the opening shots Friday in a trade war that could have wide-ranging consequences for consumers, workers, companies, investors and political leaders. The United States slapped a 25 percent tax on $34 billion worth of Chinese imports, and China is retaliating with taxes on an equal amount of U.S. products, including soybeans, pork and...

TULTEPEC, Mexico (AP) — First, emergency workers rushed in to rescue the injured after a horrific blast rocked the town of Tultepec, a place already notorious for deadly fireworks accidents. Then, 20 minutes later, a new series of explosions erupted, killing at least four firefighters, two police officers and a civil defense worker. In all, at least 24 people died...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is closing in on his next Supreme Court nominee, with three federal judges leading the competition to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. Trump’s top contenders for the vacancy at this time are federal appeals judges Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh and Raymond Kethledge, said a person familiar with Trump’s thinking who was not authorized...

MISHKHAB, Iraq (AP) — Iraq has banned its farmers from planting summer crops this year as the country grapples with a crippling water shortage that shows few signs of abating. Citing high temperatures and insufficient rains, Dhafer Abdalla, an adviser to Iraq’s Ministry of Water Resources, told The Associated Press that the country has only enough water to irrigate half...

LONDON (AP) — The Church of England owns some of the most impressive houses of worship in the world, with towering facades and spires that have drawn in the faithful for close to 500 years. But these days, that’s not enough to fill the pews. Looking to reverse dwindling membership, Church leaders are launching a new outreach to other Christian...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has boldly declared that trade wars are easy to win. He’s about to find out. Barring a last-minute breakthrough, the Trump administration on Friday will start imposing tariffs on $34 billion in Chinese imports. And China will promptly strike back with tariffs on an equal amount of U.S. exports. And just like that, a...

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The rival Koreas on Wednesday began two days of friendly basketball games in Pyongyang in their latest goodwill gesture amid a diplomatic push to resolve the nuclear standoff with North Korea. Players from North and South Korea were mixed into two teams that competed against each other at the North Korean capital’s Ryugyong Jong Ju...

CARTAGENA DE INDIAS, Colombia — The sixth regional platform for the reduction of natural risks in the Americas was held in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, between June 20 and 22, 2018. This sixth edition brought together government agencies, representatives of the private sector, and members of civil society from the different states of the Americas and the Caribbean to exchange...

BEIJING (AP) — China said Tuesday it’s “fully prepared” for a trade war with the United States as hopes dwindle for a breakthrough in tensions this week between the world’s two biggest economies. Washington is due to start charging tariffs on $34 billion in Chinese imports as of Friday while Beijing has pledged to retaliate with equal tariffs on $34...

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was arrested Tuesday by anti-graft investigators and will be charged over his alleged role in the multibillion-dollar looting of a state investment fund, officials said. A government task force probing alleged theft and money laundering at the 1MDB state investment fund said Najib’s arrest was linked to the suspicious...

PARIS (AP) — A notorious French criminal serving 25 years for murder made an audacious escape from prison Sunday after several heavily armed men landed a helicopter in a courtyard, freed him from a visiting room and carried him away. It was the second daring escape by Redoine Faid, who once blasted his way out of a different prison with...

TANAUAN, Philippines (AP) — A Philippine city mayor known for parading drug suspects in public but also alleged to have drug ties himself was shot and killed by a sniper Monday in a brazen attack during a flag-raising ceremony in front of hundreds of horrified employees and village leaders. The apparent lone gunshot felled Mayor Antonio Halili of Tanauan City...

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union is slamming the Trump administration for considering tariffs on auto imports, saying they could lead to global retaliation against some $300 billion in U.S. goods. European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said Monday the U.S. investigation into the possibility of auto tariffs “lacks legitimacy, factual basis and violates international trade rules,” just like last month’s...

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Angry and frustrated over corruption and violence, Mexican voters delivered a tidal wave presidential election victory to leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, giving him a broad mandate to upend the political establishment and govern for the poor. An official quick count from electoral authorities late Sunday forecast that Lopez Obrador would win with between 53 percent...

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — A car packed with explosives detonated at the headquarters of a new, five-nation West African counterterror force in Mali, setting off a gun battle that killed two soldiers, a civilian and two attackers, officials told The Associated Press on Friday. The attack highlighted the brazenness of the extremist threat in a part of the world that...

MADRID (AP) — Spain is creating a marine wildlife reserve for the migrations of whales and dolphins in the Mediterranean Sea and will prohibit searching for fossil fuels in the area. The Spanish government announced Friday that the protected reserve will cover 46,385 square kilometers (17,909 square miles) between the Balearic Islands and the mainland. It says the area “is...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Children removed from their families and placed in institutional care are at greater risk of being trafficked, the U.S. warned Thursday in an annual report. The State Department report, which ranks governments in their efforts to combat slavery and the flesh trade, left the Trump administration open to accusations of hypocrisy as the administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration...

LONDON (AP) — Is the web browser on your phone slower than usual? It could be mining bitcoin for criminals. As the popularity of virtual currencies has grown, hackers are focusing on a new type of heist: putting malicious software on peoples’ handsets, TVs and smart fridges that makes them mine for digital money. So-called “crypto-jacking” attacks have become a...