COLU @ CONCEPTS

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A global pressure campaign on North Korea propelled by sharp new U.N. sanctions received a welcome boost Sunday from China, the North’s economic lifeline, as Beijing called on its neighbor to halt its missile and nuclear tests. The Trump administration cautiously embraced China’s apparent newfound cooperation, while putting it on notice that the U.S. would be watching closely to ensure it didn’t ease up on Pyongyang if and when the world’s attention is diverted elsewhere. But there were no signs the U.S. would acquiesce to China’s call for a quick return to negotiations. The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved tough new sanctions Saturday to punish North Korea for its escalating nuclear and missile programs including a ban on coal and other exports worth over $1 billion - a huge bite in its total exports, valued at $3 billion last year. (Aug. 5) The diplomatic wrangling sought to build on the sweeping new North Korea sanctions passed...

CANTON, Ohio (AP) — As he so often did on the field,  LaDainian Tomlinson  stole the show. With a powerful speech calling for “Team America” to be a place for inclusion and opportunity, the great running back of the San Diego Chargers was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday night. The 2017 roster of entrants into the shrine was deeply impressive: fellow running back  Terrell Davis  ; quarterback Kurt Warner; defensive end  Jason Taylor  ; safety  Kenny Easley  ; placekicker  Morten Andersen  ; and Cowboys owner  Jerry Jones  . All spoke eloquently, with bursts of humor and heartwarming stories. But Tomlinson’s words resonated so strongly that he drew several standing ovations not only from the crowd of 13,400, but from his now-fellow Gold Jackets. “Football is a microcosm of America,” Tomlinson said. “All races, religions and creeds, living, playing, competing side by side. When you’re part of a...

PARIS (AP) — Emmanuel Macron’s honeymoon didn’t last long. Less than three months after his election, France’s energetic and image-conscious president has seen his popularity drop after announcing budget cuts, launching a divisive labor reform and engaging in a damaging dispute with the military. A series of opinion polls last week showed the percentage of French citizens who said they were satisfied with Macron’s policies and trusted their young leader to deal with the country’s problems plunging. The reversal might not affect the visible international profile he has cut since taking office, but it could hurt Macron’s ability to secure his ambitious domestic agenda. France’s Ifop polling agency put it bluntly: “Apart from Jacques Chirac in July 1995, a newly elected president has never seen his popularity rate falling as quickly during the summer after the election.” His declining approval is striking given that Macron was being credited two months ago with giving France ...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Far from their prestigious campuses, a Northwestern University professor and a University of Oxford finance officer were jailed in the San Francisco area on Saturday after eight days as fugitives in the death of a young hairdresser in Chicago who was repeatedly stabbed until the knife broke, police said. The Northwestern microbiologist, Wyndham Lathem, had a personal relationship with the victim, although the nature of it wasn’t clear. While on the run, Lathem had sent a video to family and friends apologizing for his involvement in the crime he called “the worst mistake of my life,” according to investigators. Investigators believe that a Northwestern University professor and a University of Oxford staffer wanted in the fatal stabbing of a Chicago man drove to Wisconsin after the slaying and made a $1,000 donation to a library in the dead man’s name. (Aug. 4) Lathem, 42, was being held without bail in Alameda County and faced a Monday court appear...

HIROSHIMA, Japan (AP) — Hiroshima’s appeal of “never again” on the 72nd anniversary Sunday of the world’s first atomic bomb attack has gained urgency as North Korea accelerates work on its nuclear weapons program, showing its growing prowess with increasingly frequent missile launches. When the U.S. dropped the bomb on Aug. 6, 1945, Toshiki Fujimori’s mother was carrying him, then just a year old, piggyback to the hospital. The impact of the explosion threw them both to the ground, nearly killing him. “Obviously tensions are growing as North Korea has been pushing ahead with nuclear tests and development,” said Fujimori. “Nuclear weapons just are unacceptable for mankind.” Many Japanese and others in the region seem resigned to North Korea’s apparent newfound capacity to launch missiles capable of reaching much of the continental United States. But the threat lends a deeper sense of alarm in Hiroshima, where 140,000 died in that first A-bomb attack, which was followed on Aug...

NEW YORK (AP) — For the third time in six months, President Donald Trump is on the hunt for a new communications director. But in practice, the job is filled. It’s Trump who’s the White House’s leading expert and the final word on what and how he communicates with the public. Despite decrying most negative media coverage as “fake news” and personally insulting members of the media, he has inserted himself into the White House’s press operations in an unprecedented fashion for a president. Trump has dictated news releases and pushed those who speak for him to bend the facts to bolster his claims. He has ignored the advice of his legal team and thrown out carefully planned legislative strategies with a single 140-character tweet. His direct, hands-on style helped him win the White House and still thrills his supporters. It also, however, poses increasing political and potentially legal risks. The clearest example is his involvement in crafting a statement for son Donald Jr. ab...

LAIKIPIA, Kenya (AP) — Burned-out homes in this dry landscape have become a symbol of the tensions around Tuesday’s presidential election as Kenyans prepare for the possibility of yet more deadly violence. For more than a year now, farms and homes in Laikipia County have been under siege. Farmer Martin Evans inspects one blackened home, the result of an invasion by semi-nomadic herders who say a widespread drought is making them desperate to find grazing land for their animals. The severe drought affects half of Kenya’s 47 counties and has been declared a national disaster. Watering holes and rivers are running dry. Crops are failing and livestock are dying, causing prices of some staple foods to jump by more than 30 percent. “We don’t stay long, we steal and run home,” said one herder, Gimaru. Other herders refuse to leave, claiming rights to land their ancestors occupied before British colonial rule. But many farmers say they believe the land invasions are politically ...

WASHINGTON (AP) — With Republicans unable to advance a health care bill in Congress, President Donald Trump’s administration may find itself in an awkward role as caretaker of the Affordable Care Act, which he still promises to repeal and replace. The Constitution says presidents “shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed.” So as long as former President Barack Obama’s law is on the books, that doesn’t seem to leave much choice for Trump, even if he considers the law to be “a disaster.” “It’s either caretaker or undertaker,” quipped economist Joe Antos of the business-oriented American Enterprise Institute. “I think in the end it’s going to be ‘caretaker’ because they’ll finally realize nobody is going to blame Obama. Having the thing blow up is going to be considered in the public eye to be Trump’s fault.” Every move by Trump’s health chief will be scrutinized by Democrats for evidence of “sabotage,” a charge they’re already making. Meanwhile, the administration ...

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan ruling party chief Diosdado Cabello says Sunday that there was a “terrorist” attack at a military base controlled by troops loyal to the government and several people were arrested. Cabello reported via Twitter that troops acted quickly to control the situation in the early morning at the Paramacay base in the central city of Venezuela. The announcement came after a small group of men dressed in military fatigues, some armed with assault rifles, released a video declaring themselves in rebellion in Carabobo state, where Valencia is located. Security forces surrounded the entrance to the office of Venezuela’s chief prosecutor on Saturday ahead of a session of the newly installed constitutional assembly that is expected to debate removing the onetime loyalist-turned-arch government critic. (Aug. 5) In the video a man identifying himself as Capt. Juan Caguaripano said that any unit refusing to go along with its call for rebellion wou...

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Latest on developments on efforts to ratchet up pressure on North Korea over its nuclear program. (all times local): 9:20 p.m. China is providing a welcome boost to the global campaign to pressure North Korea to halt its missile and nuclear tests. China is the North’s economic lifeline. The Trump administration is cautiously embracing China’s apparent newfound cooperation. But Washington says it will be watching closely to ensure that China doesn’t ease up on the North — if and when the world’s attention is diverted elsewhere. ___ 2:35 p.m. The United States says it will be watching China closely to ensure it fully and continuously implements new U.N. sanctions on North Korea. Susan Thornton is the top U.S. diplomat for Asia. She says in the past, there’s been a pattern in which China complies with sanctions after a North Korean provocation, but then slips back over time. Thornton says the U.S. wants to ensure that with the new sanc...