World

BEIJING – China’s imports sank again in February in a new sign of weakness in the world’s second-largest economy. Customs data on Sunday showed imports shrank 20.5 percent compared with a year earlier. Combined with January’s 19.9 percent decline, that brought the contraction in imports so far this year to …

NIAMEY, Niger – Niger’s police spokesman says that military operations in the country’s east have killed at least 500 of Nigeria’s Boko Haram Islamic extremists. Capt. Adili Toro said Wednesday the provisional count of 513 killed since Feb. 8 does not take into account land and air operations launched Sunday …

YANGON, Myanmar – A crowded ferry has capsized in northwestern Myanmar after being slammed by huge waves, killing at least 21 people with nearly 50 others missing. The government says rescuers pulled 167 people from the sea and brought them to safety. The Ministry of Information says the Aung Tagun …

JUBA, South Sudan – Government troops in South Sudan killed up to 130 rebels in the latest fighting following the collapse of peace talks between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy, a military official said on Tuesday. Government troops and rebel forces engaged in serious fighting in the oil-producing …

PARIS – Paris officials are seeking drastic measures to combat an alarming spike in air pollution that has turned the city’s skies a murky gray. Mayor Anne Hidalgo called on the government to implement an emergency ban Friday on around half of the car and truck traffic. Thursday was the …

BERLIN – Germany’s highest court is asking authorities to provide more evidence that they no longer have paid informants inside the country’s main far-right party, signaling a potential hitch in a move to ban the group. Parliament’s upper house, which represents Germany’s 16 states, in 2013 applied for a ban …

JERUSALEM – Israel’s president has formally tapped Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form a new government, giving the Israeli leader up to six weeks to put together a new ruling coalition. Netanyahu’s Likud Party captured 30 seats in last week’s national election, making it the largest party in the 120-seat …

KABUL, Afghanistan – A deputy official says a roadside bombing in a remote province in eastern Afghanistan has killed seven people, all members of the same family. The deputy police chief in Ghazni province says the bombing took place on Monday afternoon in Andar district. Asadullha Ensafi says the mini …

ISLAMABAD – An online video purports to show former militants of the Pakistani Taliban pledge allegiance to the Islamic State group and behead a man they identify as a soldier. The video, released Saturday, shows a former Pakistani Taliban spokesman along with dozens of other militants in a wooded area. …

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – The U.N.’s special representative in Haiti and a group of influential ambassadors say they support President Michel Martelly amid a state of political flux that many observers worry could set the troubled country back. The group includes ambassadors of the U.S., E.U and Canada. In a Tuesday …