MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- A strong earthquake shook the Philippine capital and outlying provinces Monday, briefly knocking out power, causing boulders to roll down onto a highway, stopping an overhead train service and prompting thousands of people to flee to safety, officials said.　The US Geological Survey said the late afternoon quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.1 and was centered near the northwestern town of Bodega. There were no immediate reports of injuries or widespread damage. (AF

TOKYO -- Without close friends in Asia, Japan‘s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appears to be using every opportunity, even the emperor’s accession, to court President Donald Trump.Abe is scheduling a rushed visit to Washington to meet with Trump and celebrate first lady’s birthday, and then is inviting him to be first foreign leader to meet the new emperor, the two countries announced Friday.  (AP-Yonhap)Tokyo and Washington said that Trump and first lady Melania Trump will make a state visit to Japa

WARSAW, Poland (AP) - As foreign leaders expressed solidarity with France as it mourned the damage at Notre Dame Cathedral, people around the world shared their grief on social media along with unforgettable memories from the Paris landmark. They posted selfies and family photos that were taken at Notre Dame days, years or decades before a fire burned through the Gothic church's roof and brought down the spire on Monday. Some wrote of their disbelief. Others, saying no words adequately expressed

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) - Tiger Woods blazing to victory in his Sunday red at the Masters, a scene once so familiar, was never more stunning.It was only two years ago at Augusta National that Woods needed a nerve block just to hobble upstairs to the Champions Dinner, unsure he would ever play another round of golf. He had a fourth back surgery with hopes of simply playing with his two children, not chasing Jack Nicklaus in history.And now it's all pieced back together - his life, his back, even golf.A

China and Japan have the opportunity to “take charge of the economic field” during a time of worldwide uncertainty, Japan’s foreign minister said Sunday, as trade pressures from the United States have prompted both countries to seek alternative markets. Foreign Minister Taro Kono met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Beijing to discuss youth exchanges and economic relations between the two countries, whose ties “completely recovered” last year, according to Kono.  Japanese Foreign Minist

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday visited the Fukushima nuclear plant, which sank into meltdowns after a tsunami eight years ago, in an effort to highlight revival and safety as the nation prepares to host the 2020 Olympics. The visit by Abe, who last went to the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant five years ago, was seen as damage control after Yoshitaka Sakurada, a ruling party minister overseeing the Olympics, resigned for a remark appearing to belittle reconstruction in northeastern Japan.

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to be headed toward re-election early Wednesday, as exit polls and partial results showed him edging ahead of his main competitor in a tight race that was seen as a referendum on the long-serving leader.Both Netanyahu and former military chief Benny Gantz, leader of the rival Blue and White party, declared victory in speeches to boisterous gatherings of supporters. But as the night went on, there were growing signs that Netanyah

BERLIN (AP) -- Germany's Daimler AG has opened a new Mercedes factory in Russia, part of a 250 million euro ($281 million) investment it says will create 1,000 jobs. (TASS-Yonhap)CEO Dieter Zetsche said Wednesday the Moscow-area plant will produce Mercedes sedans and SUVs for the local market, and is part of a strategy to move production closer to customers.The opening was attended by German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier, who also was meeting President Vladimir Putin and other Russian official

Ford is closing three factories in Russia as it pulls out of passenger vehicle manufacturing in the country, causing heavy job losses.Ford says it will stop making passenger cars in Russia by the end of June, closing vehicle assembly plants in St. Petersburg and Naberezhnye Chelny, as well as an engine plant in Yelabuga. A worker welds body panels on the shell of a Ford Focus automobile at a Ford Sollers plant in Saint Petersburg, Russia. (Bloomberg)Ford says ``significant employee separations a

LONDON (AP) _ British lawmakers seized a measure of control over the stalled Brexit process from Prime Minister Theresa May's foundering government Monday, setting up a series of votes that could dramatically alter the course of the U.K.'s departure from the European Union.The move came after May conceded that Parliament would defeat her twice-rejected divorce deal with the EU again if she put it to a third vote.With Brexit delayed and the new departure date up in the air, the House of Commons v

NEW YORK (AP) _ President Donald Trump may be reveling in what he sees as "complete and total exoneration'' from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, but his legal perils are far from over.Federal and state investigators in New York are deep into investigations of their own into Trump and those in his orbit, probes that some observers have long viewed as every bit as menacing as Mueller's two-year look into possible collusion with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election."Th

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Attorney General William Barr scoured special counsel Robert Mueller's confidential report on the Russia investigation with his advisers, deciding how much Congress and the American public will get to see about the two-year probe into President Donald Trump and Moscow's efforts to elect him.Barr was on pace to release his first summary of Mueller's findings on Sunday, people familiar with the process said.The attorney general's decision on what to finally disclose seems almost

Kumkhop Trading Co. President Ri Jong Ho sweeps his hand over a table full of foods produced at his factory. There’s a bowl of assorted candies and rice cakes, a plate of sausages and ham, slices of a French baguette and Russian dark bread. “We are doing fine,” he says with a confident smile. “Just look.”In this March 13, 2019, photo, a worker walks among stacks of food at Kumkhop Trading Co. food factory in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korean factories are filling city store shelves with ever

THE HAGUE (AFP) - A gunman opened fire on a tram in  the Dutch city of Utrecht on Monday, killing at least one person and wounding several in what officials said was a possible terrorist incident.    A body covered in a sheet was reportedly seen on the tracks as armed police  and emergency services swarmed around the scene in one of the largest cities in the Netherlands.    Police said the attacker was still on the run after the incident.    "A shooting occurred on the 24 Oktoberplein in Utrecht

       DAMASCUS (AFP) - Syria on Friday accused donors who  pledged aid to help its citizens displaced by the country's eight-year war of  "hypocrisy" as they continue to impose sanctions on the regime.    International donors -- led by the European Union -- meeting on Thursday in  Brussels pledged nearly $7 billion in aid for 2019 for civilians caught up in  the conflict.    But European powers stressed progress on a UN-led peace process must come  before they release funds to rebuild Syria --