AROUND THE WORLD FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

World News

Asian shares are mostly higher after US stocks rise to the brink of a record

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Asian were mostly higher on Friday after U.S. stocks ran up to the edge of another record. U.S. futures and oil prices also logged slight gains. Investors were watching for further details after President Donald Trump said the U.S. and China had signed a trade deal. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said […]
1 year ago

The best that Bezos’ money can buy: The billionaire’s Venice wedding to Lauren Sánchez causes a stir

VENICE, Italy (AP) — The sky itself is no limit for billionaire Jeff Bezos and fiancée Lauren Sánchez, who have traveled into space — and expectations are just about as high for their wedding in Venice. One of the world’s most enchanting cities as backdrop? Check. Star-studded guestlist and tabloid buzz? Of course. Local flavor? […]
1 year ago
FILE - Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum attends her morning press conference at the National Pal...

Mexico’s president slams sanctions on Mexican banks by Trump administration

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum responded sharply Thursday to U.S. government sanctions blocking transfers from three Mexican financial institutions, saying Washington hasn’t shown evidence of its allegations of money laundering. The U.S. Treasury Department announced the sanctions Wednesday on the banks CIBanco and Intercam Banco and the brokerage Vector Casa de Bolsa, […]
1 year ago
FILE - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends his trial where he faces corruption charge...

Israelis love Trump. But some are unnerved by his vow to ‘save’ Netanyahu from his corruption trial

JERUSALEM (AP) — President Donald Trump’s call for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial to be thrown out has plunged the American leader into one of Israel’s most heated debates, unnerving some in its political class just days after they unanimously praised his strikes on Iran. Trump’s social media post condemning the trial as a […]
1 year ago
Coco Gauff during a practice session at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, ahead of the ...

Wimbledon 2025: Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz give tennis two young superstars

LONDON (AP) — Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz are helping usher in a new era for tennis. With Wimbledon beginning Monday, the sport’s most recent Grand Slam champions are Gauff, a 21-year-old American, and Alcaraz, a 22-year-old Spaniard, who are both at No. 2 in the rankings and are both coming off French Open titles […]
1 year ago
U.S. Consul General in Hong Kong Gregory May speaks to reporters at the Independence Day Reception ...

The top US diplomat in Hong Kong criticizes China and the city for curtailing freedoms

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s top American diplomat said on Thursday that the policies of the Chinese and Hong Kong governments have curtailed freedoms, pointing to the cases of jailed prominent activist Jimmy Lai and what he called “transnational regression.” At a reception for the U.S. Independence Day, U.S. Consul General Gregory May, who […]
1 year ago
FILE - Robert F. Kennedy Jr., speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald...

US pulls funding from global vaccines group, saying it has ‘ignored the science’

LONDON (AP) — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the country is pulling its support from the vaccines alliance Gavi, saying the organization has “ignored the science” and “lost the public trust.” A video of Kennedy’s speech was shown to participants at a Gavi meeting in Brussels on Wednesday, where the vaccines group […]
1 year ago

Asian shares are mixed as markets take a breather after recent volatility

BANGKOK (AP) — Shares were mixed in Asia on Thursday after U.S. stocks hung near their all-time high as financial markets caught their breath following recent bouts of volatility. The dollar weakened against the Japanese yen and euro and oil prices were steady. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 climbed 1.3% to 39,465.53 as attention shifted to a […]
1 year ago
FILE - The Treasury Department building is seen, March 13, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Bran...

US blocks money transfers by 3 Mexico-based financial institutions accused of aiding cartels

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The U.S. Treasury Department slapped sanctions Wednesday on three Mexico-based financial institutions it said were used to launder millions of dollars for cartels, in a move officials say would block certain money transfers between the banks and American banks. The orders issued on the banks CIBanco and Intercam Banco, as well […]
1 year ago
Iranian protesters hold their country's flags and a poster of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei...

A 12-day war followed by a sudden ceasefire. Some Iranians now wonder what comes next

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — For many Iranians it was a lightning sequence of events: A 12-day war with Israel and a sudden, U.S.-brokered ceasefire. Now, as they return to their neighborhoods deeply shaken by Israeli air assaults, fears mount over what the country’s theocracy may do next. Human rights advocates have already warned […]
1 year ago

Japanese court convicts a US Marine in sexual assault, sentencing him to 7 years in prison

TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese court said Wednesday it has found a U.S. Marine guilty of sexually assaulting a woman on Okinawa, sentencing him to prison terms, in a case that has triggered anger and safety concerns on Japan’s southern island, which has a heavy American troop presence. The Naha District Court said Lance Cpl. […]
1 year ago

Asian shares gain as investors shift focus to Federal Reserve, tariffs

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares have logged modest gains after U.S. stocks climbed to near their all-time high as investors considered comments by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to Congress. Oil prices gained more than 1% early Wednesday after falling about 6% on Tuesday on hopes that Israel’s war with Iran will not hinder the […]
1 year ago
US President Donald Trump, left, talks with secretary general of NATO Mark Rutte, center, during a ...

In his sole full day at the NATO summit, Trump faces an alliance further shaped to his liking

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday will meet with members of a NATO alliance that he has worked to bend to his will over the years and whose members are rattled by his latest comments casting doubt on the U.S. commitment to its mutual defense guarantees. Trump’s comments en route to […]
1 year ago

Officials say a US citizen in the Dominican Republic awaiting deportation was found dead in her cell

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — A U.S. citizen who was arrested in the Dominican Republic and faced deportation was found dead in her cell, authorities said Tuesday. The woman, whose name was not released, had been arrested in April because she did not have any identification, according to a statement from the General Directorate […]
1 year ago
In this photo taken from video distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Tuesday, Ju...

Russian attacks kill 13 civilians in Ukraine as Zelenskyy seeks more Western aid

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian drones, missiles and artillery killed at least 16 civilians and injured almost 100 others in Ukraine, officials said Tuesday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sought guarantees of further Western military aid for his country’s efforts to repel Russia’s invasion. Russian forces have relentlessly blasted civilian areas of Ukraine throughout the […]
1 year ago
FILE - A man walks past U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong, March 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu, File)Cre...

US consulate condemns Hong Kong’s government for ‘repression’ of Independence Day celebrations

HONG KONG (AP) — The U.S. consulate in Hong Kong on Tuesday condemned the city’s government for what it called repression of U.S. Independence Day celebrations after local education authorities reportedly cautioned teachers and students not to attend events marking the day and organized by American diplomats. The consulate accused the Hong Kong government of […]
1 year ago
Firefighters battle with a large wildfire burning in Kofinas, on the eastern Aegean island of Chios...

Firefighters battle a wildfire burning out of control on the Greek island of Chios

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Hundreds of firefighters backed up by aircraft were battling a wildfire burning out of control for the third day on the eastern Aegean island of Chios Tuesday, with authorities issuing multiple evacuation orders. Towering walls of flames tore through forest and agricultural land on the island, where authorities have declared a […]
1 year ago
A smoke trail from the Israeli Iron Dome air defense system streaks across the sky as it intercepts...

Status of ceasefire unclear after Iranian missile barrage strikes Israel after a first deadline

BEERSHEBA, Israel (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a “complete and total ceasefire” soon after Iran launched a retaliatory limited missile attack on a U.S. military base in Qatar. But the status of a possible ceasefire remained tentative on Tuesday as an Iranian missile barrage struck Israel […]
1 year ago

Asian shares rally after Trump announces Israeli-Iran ceasefire

BANGKOK (AP) — Stocks rallied Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire in the Israel-Iran conflict, although the situation remained unclear as attacks continued. Trump said Israel and Iran had agreed to a “complete and total ceasefire” soon after Iran launched limited missile attacks Monday on a U.S. military base in Qatar, retaliating […]
1 year ago
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, center, speaks with from left, Malta's Foreign Minister I...

Europe scrambles to revive diplomacy after the US strikes Iran’s nuclear sites

LONDON (AP) — European nations worked Monday to keep diplomatic efforts to curb the Israel-Iran war alive as the two countries traded strikes following the United States’ weekend attack on Iran’s nuclear program. Calls for Tehran to enter talks with Washington appeared to fall on deaf ears as it reached out to ally Russia for […]
1 year ago
Syrians gather inside Mar Elias church where a suicide bomber detonated himself in Dweil'a in the o...

Mideast governments condemn Syria church bombing as death toll jumps to 25

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The death toll from an attack on a church in Syria has gone up to 25, state media said Monday. The attack Sunday on the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox church during a Divine Liturgy in Dweil’a near Damascus was the first of its kind in Syria in years, and comes as […]
1 year ago
FILE - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures while speaking before a joint meeting of ...

Tarnished by Oct. 7, Netanyahu’s legacy may be reshaped by war with Iran

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — In the days after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seemed a shellshocked shadow of himself. He looked diminished and downtrodden by the surprise assault that created a national emergency and caused his public support to plummet. Now, as Israel faces another unprecedented crisis in […]
1 year ago
A B-2 bomber arrives at Whiteman Air Force Base Mo., Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/David Smith)C...

How the US bombarded Iranian nuclear sites without detection

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — It was an unprecedented attack years in the making, with some last-minute misdirection meant to give the operation a powerful element of surprise. U.S. pilots dropped 30,000-pound bombs early Sunday on two key underground uranium enrichment plants in Iran, delivering what American military leaders believe is a knockout blow […]
1 year ago

US strikes 3 Iranian nuclear sites, inserting itself into Israel’s war with Iran

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United States attacked three sites in Iran early Sunday, inserting itself into Israel’s war aimed at destroying the Iranian nuclear program in a risky gambit to weaken a longtime foe that prompted fears of a wider regional conflict as Tehran accused Washington of launching “a dangerous war.” U.S. […]
1 year ago