PANAMA CITY (AP) – Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino on Thursday said he hoped an ongoing legal battle with a Hong Kong firm over operations of Panama Canal ports would “not escalate,” but that Panama’s government would remain firm in its ruling against the company.

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration wants to create a critical minerals trading bloc with its allies that will use tariffs to maintain price floors and defend against China’s tactic of flooding the market to undermine any potential competitors.

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

NEW YORK (AP) – Elon Musk vowed this week to upend another industry just as he did with cars and rockets – and once again he’s taking on long odds. The world’s richest man said he wants to put as many as a million satellites into orbit to form vast, solar-powered data centers in space – a move to allow expanded use of artificial intelligence and chatbots.

The Washington Post laid off one-third of its staff Wednesday, eliminating its sports section, several foreign bureaus in a widespread purge that represented a brutal blow to journalism and one of its most legendary brands. The Post’s executive editor, Matt Murray, called the move painful but necessary and said “We can’t be everything to everyone”.

Minute Maid helped make orange juice a year-round morning staple in 1946, when it started shipping cans of frozen juice around the U.S.

NEW YORK (AP) – The federal agency for protecting workers’ civil rights revealed Wednesday that it is investigating sportswear giant Nike for allegedly discriminating against white employees through its diversity policies.

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) – Syria ‘s state-owned petroleum company signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. and Qatar on Wednesday for the development of the country’s first offshore oil and gas field.