AROUND THE WORLD FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

World News

Asian shares are mixed after gains on Wall Street, while oil prices climb

BANGKOK (AP) — Shares were mixed in Asia on Monday, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 leading advances after stocks rose on Wall Street, ending last week with gains. Oil prices rose and U.S. futures were little changed. In Tokyo, the benchmark Nikkei 225 jumped 2% to 66,890.02, pulled higher by strong gains for technology companies. Computer […]
17 days ago
A coffin containing the body of a victim of Friday's shooting at the Debsirin Nonthaburi School, is...

Families retrieve bodies after a 14-year-old killed at least 7 in a shooting outside Bangkok

BANGKOK (AP) — Relatives of victims of the shooting at a high school and a home outside Bangkok retrieved the bodies of their loved ones Saturday, a day after the gunman killed at least seven people. A 14-year-old schoolboy opened fire at around 10 a.m. Friday at Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Nonthaburi province northwest of […]
18 days ago

Asian shares are mixed after US stocks fall back while oil rebounds

BANGKOK (AP) — Shares were mixed in Asia on Friday after a modest retreat on Wall Street, while oil prices gained more than 1%. Selling of computer chipmakers and other stocks linked to the boom in artificial intelligence appeared to taper off a bit as Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 lost 0.3% to 65,500.10. The Kospi in […]
19 days ago

China rebukes US over Huawei dispute as Argentina’s Milei balances ties with Washington and Beijing

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — China and the United States are clashing diplomatically in Argentina as President Javier Milei seeks to preserve his close alliance with Washington while pursuing deeper economic ties with Beijing. China’s embassy in Buenos Aires accused the United States of hypocrisy on Thursday after an electricity cooperative in Argentina’s Neuquén province […]
20 days ago
FILE - Air Force One with U.S. President Joe Biden arrives at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Ko...

US military says there was no white phosphorus leak at its air base in South Korea

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The U.S. military said Thursday its investigations confirmed there were no white phosphorus leak at one of its air bases in South Korea, days after local authorities urged residents to evacuate over concerns about a suspected leak. On July 28, the Pyeongtaek city government sent text messages advising its residents […]
20 days ago
FILE - Apollo Quiboloy takes his oath as he attends a hearing at the Philippine Senate on Oct. 23, ...

US asks Philippines to extradite Filipino church leader accused of sex crimes and fraud

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The United States has asked the Philippine government to extradite a Filipino church leader, who was once an influential adviser to former President Rodrigo Duterte, to face trial on charges including child sex trafficking and fraud that landed him on the FBI’s most wanted list, two Philippine officials said Thursday. The […]
20 days ago

Asian shares are mostly lower as Kospi falls 4% and tech giants decline on Wall Street

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares were mostly lower and South Korea’s Kospi dropped more than 4% on Thursday following declines for some Big Tech giants including memory chipmaker SK Hynix. Oil prices held steady, with Brent crude trading near $79 a barrel. Uncertainty about the direction of the U.S. war with Iran is still overhanging […]
21 days ago
FILE - Crates of avocados wait to be processed at a packing plant in Uruapan, Mexico, Feb. 16, 2022...

US suspends avocado inspections in Mexican state on Michoacan due to threat

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The United States announced on Wednesday that it had suspended all government operations in the Mexican state of Michoacan because of a “threat to U.S. interests,” including a halt to the inspections of avocados required for their export. While the U.S. Embassy did not specify the nature of the threat in […]
21 days ago
FILE - A worker reacts near a line of humanoid robots displayed at the World AI Conference in Shang...

China announces countermeasures against Washington, including controls on drones exports to the US

BANGKOK (AP) — China announced a series of economic measures Wednesday against the United States, including controls on exports of drones to the U.S. and a ban on dealings with six American entities, in response to recent restrictions imposed by Washington. Tensions are simmering between the world’s two biggest economies ahead of an expected visit […]
21 days ago
Rubble set on fire as health and frontline workers protest at the Elikya Ebola Treatment Center in ...

WHO chief visits Congo to support Ebola efforts as some workers strike over pay

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — The head of the World Health Organization arrived in Congo was in Congo on Wednesday as aid workers said the world’s fastest-growing Ebola outbreak is spreading at an “alarming” rate and some health workers are striking over lack of pay. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was scheduled to meet with partners […]
21 days ago
President Donald Trump walks to board Air Force One, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, at Los Angeles Internat...

Trump says deal to reopen Strait of Hormuz could come as early as Wednesday

CAIRO (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said a deal on the Strait of Hormuz could come as early as Wednesday or Thursday, while Iran and Oman inched toward an agreement to reopen the critical waterway and potentially help bring an end to the war. Trump was asked by reporters traveling with him in California […]
22 days ago

Oil prices ease and Asian shares gain on hopes for Mideast deal, as companies report strong profits

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares surged and oil prices slipped Wednesday after the U.S. stock market rallied to records, helped by strong corporate earnings reports and hopes for a deal setting the stage for talks that might eventually lead to an end to the war in Iran. Benchmarks jumped more than 3% in Tokyo, Seoul […]
22 days ago
FILE - A man sits on a surfboard as a container ship and other commercial vessels appear anchored i...

Iran and Oman make progress on a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, officials say

CAIRO (AP) — Iran and the Gulf Arab state of Oman have made progress toward a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a potential breakthrough that could help wind down the war in the Middle East, regional officials said Tuesday. Under the emerging agreement, ships would enter the Persian Gulf through an Iranian-controlled route […]
22 days ago
FILE - Air Force One with U.S. President Joe Biden arrives at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Ko...

South Korean students detained for allegedly breaking into US military base

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A group of eight South Korean students were detained Tuesday for allegedly breaking into a United States air base while shouting anti-U.S. slogans, South Korean authorities said. U.S. military personnel detained the four male and four female students after they allegedly entered Osan Air Base near the capital Seoul. They […]
22 days ago

Runaway online rumors sparked frantic rush by migrants to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta

FNIDEQ, Morocco (AP) — It started with Instagram posts that suggested Spain’s border with Morocco was opening up. Then came Facebook users tracking coast guard patrols and TikTok videos showing where to swim. After many shares and comments, thousands of Moroccans became convinced that Europe was suddenly within reach. Within hours, young people began heading […]
23 days ago

Asian shares mostly dip after US stocks rally

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly declined Tuesday, despite a rally on Wall Street boosted by easing oil prices, as regional investors still weighed the impact from the recent joint U.S.-Japan currency intervention. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 slipped 0.6% to 63,369.85, as the U.S. dollar inched up to 157.63 Japanese yen from 157.18 yen. The […]
23 days ago
FILE - U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Commander, Admiral Samuel Paparo, gestures during a press conferen...

Top US admiral warns against coercion, says no nation will dominate Indo-Pacific

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The head of U.S. Pacific Command said Monday that coercive actions by China and other actors are challenging regional stability, warning the United States will not allow any nation to dominate the Indo-Pacific. Admiral Samuel Paparo said some actors were using “false claims of legitimacy” to justify intimidation and coercion. […]
23 days ago

US dollar weakens sharply against the Japanese yen after officials intervene in markets

TOKYO (AP) — The U.S. dollar weakened sharply Monday against the Japanese yen after U.S. President Donald Trump and Japan’s finance minister confirmed both sides had intervened in markets. Before late last week, the dollar was trading above 163 yen, touching 40 year highs. After regulators were suspected of stepping in, it fell below 160 […]
24 days ago
FILE - President Donald Trump holds up an image taken from his Truth Social account at an event abo...

Trump frequently announces he’s halting strikes in Iran. But they keep happening

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — President Donald Trump said late Saturday that he would halt new planned attacks on Iran pending renewed talks to wind down the war and revive stalled cargo traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. It was the latest in a pattern of announcements the U.S. president has made to first threaten […]
24 days ago
A firefighting helicopter drops water over a smoke-filled forest during a wildfire near Porto Germe...

Europe’s wildfire crisis fractures as Greece evacuates and France guards megafire scar

LACANAU, France (AP) — Europe’s wildfire crisis fractured along starkly different fronts Sunday: gale-force winds drove flames deeper into the Athens region and forced fresh evacuations, France guarded a still-burning scar four times the size of Paris against renewed spread, and Spain’s major fires finally stopped advancing. The center of immediate danger was Greece. Gale-force […]
24 days ago

Europe’s wildfire crisis shifts as some 200,000 French return but new blazes force thousands to flee

LE PORGE, France (AP) — Firefighters held a vast wildfire inside its perimeter in southwestern France on Saturday, allowing about 198,000 people to return home after what may have been the country’s largest peacetime evacuation, even as renewed fires forced thousands from their homes elsewhere in France and Greece. In the Mediterranean Var, a fire […]
25 days ago

Trump threatens more strikes on Iran. Tensions from Hormuz to Kuwait and Gaza lead to more warnings

CAIRO (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump threatened more strikes on Iran as the United States presses for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Hours later on Saturday, Kuwait said it responded to a new round of drone attacks from Iran while a tanker was struck in the strategic waterway. Meanwhile, Israel carried out […]
25 days ago
Spanish army soldiers assist a migrant who swam from Morocco to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Satur...

Death toll in Spain-Morocco border crisis in Ceuta reaches 67

CEUTA, Spain (AP) — The death toll in Spain’s Ceuta border crisis with Morocco has climbed to 67, the Spanish government said Saturday. Spain announced it was installing a containment barrier along the breakwater fence into the sea after tens of thousands of migrants breached the tiny Spanish territory’s border this week.
25 days ago
FILE - Asia Football Confederation President Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, left, poses with FIFA P...

Infantino abandons plans to sell World Cup profits to private equity following massive pushback

ZURICH (AP) — FIFA President Gianni Infantino is abandoning his divisive plan to sell World Cup profits to private equity after receiving pushback from all corners of the soccer world. Infantino issued a statement on Friday saying that the divisions caused by the proposal are “no longer in the interest of the objective set out […]
26 days ago