World Briefs

CHINA A gauge of Chinese manufacturing improved in March in a possible sign government efforts to reverse an economic slowdown amid a tariff war with Washington might be gaining traction.

NORTH KOREA said yesterday it wants an investigation into a raid on its embassy in Spain  (pictured) last month, calling it a “grave terrorist attack” and an act of extortion that violates international law. A mysterious group calling for the overthrow of the North Korean regime has claimed responsibility.

PHILIPPINES 14 suspected communist rebels were killed after they opened fire during raids in a central province, but rights groups countered that the men were farmers and the latest victims of extrajudicial killings.

JAPAN Quite a lot if you’re a Japanese citizen awaiting the official announcement today of what the soon-to-be-installed new emperor’s next era will be called. It’s a proclamation that has happened only twice in nearly a century, and the new name will follow Emperor Naruhito, after his May 1 investiture.

AFGHANISTAN Veterans returning from Syria are threatened from multiple sides. They face arrest by security agencies that view them as traitors. And they face violence from the brutal Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan, which views Shiites as heretics and vows to kill them.  

ISRAEL’s prime minister warmly received President Bolsonaro yesterday, on the Brazilian leader’s first state visit to Israel. Netanyahu’s red carpet welcome for Bolsonaro comes days ahead of a tough re-election bid on April 9. The Brazilian president is widely expected to decide whether to follow Trump’s lead and move the Brazilian Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

USA When Florida authorities shut down 10 massage spas last month and charged hundreds of men with buying sex, they broke a longstanding pattern of meting out minor charges and punishment for owners, letting patrons off scot-free and turning a mostly blind eye to signs of human trafficking.

MOROCCO Organizers say some 10,000 people attend Pope Francis’ public Mass in Morocco, most of them foreigners representing about 60 countries. The liturgy held in a sports arena in Morocco’s capital of Rabat yesterday was the final event for the pope’s two-day visit.