WARSAW, Poland – Tadeusz Konwicki, a prominent Polish writer and filmmaker whose works during the communist era lampooned the authoritarian Soviet-imposed system, has died. He was 88. Konwicki is best known for his novels “A Minor Apocalypse,” a satire of life in a totalitarian state, and “The Polish Complex,” a …

BEIJING – China’s exports rebounded in December but imports shrank in a sign of weak domestic demand. Full-year trade in 2014 grew 3.4 percent, well below the official 10 percent target. Customs data on Tuesday showed exports rose 9.7 percent, recovering from November’s unexpectedly low 4.7 percent. Imports declined by …

TIRANA, Albania – The grandson of the communist dictator who ruled Albania with an iron fist for four decades has been arrested on suspicion of belonging to an international criminal ring that smuggled cocaine from Colombia to western Europe. Ermal Hoxha, 40, faces a maximum 20-year prison sentence if convicted …

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Malaysia cut its economic growth forecast for this year and announced austerity measures after tumbling oil prices forced the government to slash its budget. Prime Minister Najib Razak says the 2015 budget, announced in October, was based on oil prices averaging $100 a barrel but this …

JERUSALEM – Israel’s prime minister says he has accepted House of Representatives leader John Boehner’s invitation to address the U.S. Congress. Boehner invited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak to a joint meeting of Congress in February and push for new sanctions against Iran. Netanyahu said he would come in …

MOSCOW – Independent Crimean television station ATR has been raided by armed security officials, who told employees they were looking for archival footage of an anti-Russia protest last year. In an emotional video posted on YouTube, deputy director Liliya Budzhurova said that armed officials from Russia’s Investigative Committee and Center …

MINSK, Belarus – New cracks have emerged in a Russia-led economic alliance, with the president of Belarus warning that his nation may opt out of it. Alexander Lukashenko also sternly warned Moscow Thursday that his nation of 10 million will never be part of the “Russian world,” a term coined …

STOCKHOLM – A Syrian former rebel fighter who fled to Sweden has been charged with war crimes for abusing a captured member of President Bashar Assad’s forces. Swedish prosecutors said Monday it’s the first time they have filed war crimes charges in connection with the Syrian conflict. They said the …

MILAN – Ford Motor Co. is increasing its production by 40 percent at its plant in Valencia, Spain to 400,000 vehicles this year, amid continued signs of growth in the European car market. Ford said in a statement Wednesday that a new state-of-the-art body shop, part of total investments of …

NIAMEY, Niger – Fighters from Boko Haram, Nigeria’s Islamic militant group, attacked a town across the border in Niger overnight for the third time in several days, residents said Monday. The renewed violence comes as legislators in Niger prepare to vote on a plan to send troops to a regional …