World briefs

CHINA A Huawei executive said yesterday that possible new U.S. restrictions on market access will have little impact on the Chinese tech giant due to its global reach.

CHINA’s factory output and consumer spending weakened in April as a tariff war with Washington intensified, adding to pressure on Beijing to shore up shaky economic growth.

THAILAND’s oldest political party chose an experienced insider as its new leader yesterday following an abysmal performance in recent elections that led to the resignation of its previous chief.

JAPAN A startup that launched a rocket into space earlier this month plans to provide low-cost rocket services and compete with American rivals such as SpaceX, its founder said yesterday.

IRAN’s supreme leader issued a veiled threat in the same speech in which he stated that “no one is seeking war,” saying it wouldn’t be difficult for the Islamic Republic to enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels amid rising tensions with the U.S., state media reported yesterday.

UNITED NATIONS Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said yesterday that he’s traveling to three South Pacific island nations to see the effects of climate change firsthand.

FRANCE Facebook toughened its livestreaming policies yesterday as it prepared to huddle with world leaders and other tech CEOs in Paris to find ways to keep social media from being used to spread hate, organize extremist groups and broadcast terror attacks.

GERMANY Prosecutors have charged five people with trafficking Thai women to Germany and forcing them to work in a nationwide network of brothels.

USA Alabama legislators have given final approval to a ban on nearly all abortions, and if the Republican governor signs the measure, the state will have the strictest abortion law in the country. 

ALASKA The bodies of two more people have been found after small sightseeing planes crashed in Alaska, the Coast Guard says. Coast Guard Lt. Brian Dykens said six people have died in the collision Monday afternoon near Ketchikan, a popular destination for cruise ships in Alaska