Washington / AFP The US automotive safety regulator said it was investigating complaints of brake failures on Harley-Davidson motorcycles that have resulted in reports of three crashes and two injuries. “Riders report sudden brake system failure occurring without warning,” said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which has received 43 complaints. About 430,000 motorcycles are involved in the probe, ...

  Quito / AFP The International Monetary Fund said it approved a $364 million emergency loan to Ecuador after the country was hard-hit by an earthquake in April. The money will help the country steady its finances while it addresses the huge losses from the quake, which killed some 700 people. “The April 16 earthquake that hit Ecuador caused significant ...

  Bloomberg Currency traders are going back to basics, set to watch the performance of the U.S. economy more closely than political events to discern the dollar’s direction. A gauge of the greenback posted a weekly gain as a report showed the U.S. June jobs growth exceeded forecasts by more than 100,000, raising the likelihood of a Federal Reserve interest-rate ...

  Bloomberg Russia shouldn’t be considered an adversary, but rather a “partner that can, at times, use force,” Francois Hollande said as he arrived at a summit of NATO leaders. The French president’s remark not only summed up NATO’s complex relationship with its largest and most aggressive neighbour; it also revealed how its 28 leaders are struggling to come up ...

  BLOOMBERG Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s coalition will “definitely” be returned to power and there’s “no doubt” he will continue as premier following the July 2 election, according to Australian Broadcasting Corp. The broadcaster projects the coalition will win Forde, near Brisbane, Queensland. That means 74 seats have now been called by ABC for the Liberal-Nationals with 79.5 percent ...

  Beijing / AFP A tropical storm made landfall in China Saturday afternoon, the country’s national meteorological center said, a day after super Typhoon Nepartak lashed Taiwan with powerful winds and torrential rain. Nepartak, which has weakened to a tropical storm since it brought chaos to Taiwan on Friday, hit the city of Shishi in the southeastern Fujian province at ...

  Bloomberg The two rivals to become the U.K.’s next prime minister stepped up their campaigns, with Energy Minister Andrea Leadsom extolling the virtues of motherhood while Home Secretary Theresa May, who is childless, pledged to get Britain through the “difficult times” that Brexit would bring. David Cameron’s successor will be chosen by the Conservative Party’s 150,000 members. May, who ...

  TEHRAN / AP Iran said on Saturday it will continue its ballistic missile program, after the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said that the missile tests aren’t in the spirit of the country’s landmark nuclear deal with world powers. “Iran will strongly continue its missile program based on its own defense and national security calculations,” foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi ...

  VALDOSTA / AP Thousands of protesters marched in US cities late Friday, one day after a black extremist shot dead five cops who were protecting a peaceful march against police brutality in Texas. President Barack Obama said he will cut short a foreign trip and visit Dallas next week as the shooting rampage by the black army veteran, who ...

  Washington / AFP Vice President Joe Biden on Saturday praised the five Dallas cops slain at a demonstration against police brutality, and also urged Americans to rally against disparities in the US criminal justice system. The message comes after days of marches in US cities over the deaths of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Philando Castile in ...