World

CHISINAU, Moldova – The leader of a pro-Russian separatist republic has announced that his foreign minister is resigning to take up another position: she’ll become his wife. Leader of Trans-Dniester, Yevgeny Shevchuk, said in a news conference Monday that Nina Shtanski was quitting her post. “She will leave for another …

DAKAR, Senegal – An alliance to save great apes says authorities have arrested Guinea’s former wildlife director for allegedly playing a key role in trafficking chimpanzees and other endangered wildlife. The Great Apes Survival Partnership said Tuesday that Ansoumane Doumbouya, who was also Guinea’s representative to the Convention on International …

UNITED NATIONS – The selection of the U.N. secretary-general has been largely secretive for 70 years. A vote in the General Assembly next week could begin to change that. A draft resolution, obtained by The Associated Press and finalized late Wednesday, outlines how the U.N. should begin making the process …

MOSCOW – A giant sinkhole that appeared in the Russian city of Solikamsk nine months ago is growing in size. Local media reported earlier this week that the sinkhole which was caused by an accident at a potash mine in November has since quadrupled in size to 120 meters (395 …

HONG KONG – Chinese exports and imports have contracted in August in the latest sign of weakness for the world’s second-biggest economy. Customs data posted online Tuesday showed that shipments of goods last month shrank 6.1 percent in yuan terms compared with a year earlier. Imports tumbled by 14.3 percent …

AUGUSTA, Ga. – The first day of the Masters didn’t last very long. Storms moved into the area just two hours after the gates opened at Augusta National for the first full day of practice. Players had to get off the golf course. Fans made a steady stream for the …

PARIS – Kei Nishikori of Japan put an end to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s bid for a World Tour Finals spot by defeating the Frenchman 1-6, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (7) on Tuesday in the second round of the Paris Masters. In other second-round matches, Richard Gasquet of France outlasted Fernando Verdasco of …

PINEHURST, N.C. – Rickie Fowler has a great sense of fashion. He knows how to work a crowd. Now, all he needs is a career-defining win. Fowler will play in the final group of a major for the first time after being one of just two players to break par …

EUGENE, Ore. – “Kenny Wheaton’s gonna score! Kenny Wheaton’s gonna score!” Twenty years later, announcer Jerry Allen’s classic call of The Pick against Washington is played at every Oregon game at Autzen Stadium. It remains a very big deal among football fans in the Pacific Northwest, where the rivalry between …

LONDON – Olympic athletes used to speed won’t be disappointed if they need medical treatment during the London Games, organizers say. The four-story, $36 million clinic in the newly built Olympic village should be able to treat up to 200 athletes and team officials every day. The patients will get …