News

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were trading mostly lower on Wednesday after a decline overnight on Wall Street, while Tokyo’s main benchmark momentarily hit another 30-year high. U.S. shares were set to drift lower with Dow futures down 0.3% at 37,429.00. S&P 500 futures fell 0.5% to 4,775.25. Japan’s

By MUNIR AHMED and JON GAMBRELL Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan on Wednesday condemned Iran for launching airstrikes the previous day that Tehran claimed targeted bases for a militant Sunni separatist group. Islamabad angrily denounced the attack as a “blatant violation” of its airspace and said it killed two children. Tuesday’s strike on Pakistan’s

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — China’s ambassador sought to reassure Australia that China’s increased involvement in the Pacific, particularly in policing efforts, should not be a cause of alarm. Xiao Qian, speaking in Canberra on Wednesday, said China and Australia can contribute together rather than asking Pacific nations to chose between them. He also said China’s

By CLAIRE RUSH Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Parts of the Pacific Northwest were under an ice storm warning through Wednesday morning, threatening to add to the damage brought by a powerful winter storm that hit the region over the weekend. Area of southwest Washington and western Oregon — including that state’s largest cities

By ZEN SOO AP Business Writer HONG KONG (AP) — China published youth unemployment data Wednesday for the first time since the jobless rate hit a record high in June last year, using a new method that showed an apparent improvement. China announced a 14.9% jobless rate for people between 16 and 24 in December,

By PAOLO SANTALUCIA Associated Press BARI, Italy (AP) — The year has gotten off to a slow start for a rescue ship that typically plies the Mediterranean Sea looking for migrants and refugees in distress. The Ocean Viking has been impounded, its crew accused of having deviated from a designated course, as Italy targets charity

By ANNA FURMAN Associated Press Watermelons have emblazoned banners, T-shirts, balloons and social media over the past three months in global protests against the Israel-Hamas war. The colors of sliced watermelon — with its red pulp, green-white rind and black seeds — are the same as those in the Palestinian flag. So from New York

By DAVID McHUGH and HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s hard-won economic stability is under threat again as the government faces a large budget hole and its two biggest allies and sponsors — the United States and the European Union — have so far failed to decide on extending more aid. Without

By JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — The top diplomats of Iran and the United States sit down for public — and separate — one-on-one chats while the U.N. chief and leaders of France, Argentina and Spain will deliver speeches as the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting saunters into a busy second day

By SHEIKH SAALIQ and BISWAJEET BANERJEE Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — Frenzied preparations were underway Wednesday in India’s northern holy city of Ayodhya to mark the opening of a grand temple for Lord Ram, Hinduism’s most revered deity. The Ram Mandir’s opening Monday would fulfill a decadeslong Hindu nationalist pledge that is expected to

By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is taking up challenges by commercial fishermen to a fee requirement that could achieve a long-sought goal of business and conservative interests, limiting government regulations. Arguments are Wednesday. Billions of dollars are potentially at stake in front of a court that was remade during

By HOLLY RAMER Associated Press ROCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Drug overdose deaths in New Hampshire have increased in recent years, and some residents want to hear more from the presidential candidates about how they’d help. Much of the talk from the Republican presidential hopefuls has focused on the supply side. Former President Donald Trump, who

By MICHAEL R. SISAK, LARRY NEUMEISTER and JAKE OFFENHARTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Less than a year after convincing a jury that former President Donald Trump sexually abused her decades ago, writer E. Jean Carroll is set to take the stand again to describe how his verbal attacks affected her after she came