NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. stocks wobbled after feeling both the upside and downside of a surprisingly strong report on the U.S. job market. After initially rising toward its all-time high on Wednesday, the S&P 500 flipped between gains and losses before finishing with a miniscule drop of less than 0.1%. The Dow Jones slipped 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.2%.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers on Thursday that it believes the teenage daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is close to being designated as the country’s future leader as he moves to extend the family dynasty to a fourth generation. NIS officials are closely monitoring whether Kim’s daughter will appear with him before the Workers’ Party Congress.
BRUSSELS (AP) – European allies at NATO on Thursday brushed aside concerns that the United States has stepped back from its leadership role of the world’s biggest security organization, leaving them and Canada to do the lion’s share of defending Europe. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not attend Thursday’s gathering of defense ministers in Brussels.
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) – Federica Brignone tilted her head up toward the sky and watched the Italian Air Force’s acrobatic unit leave behind a trail of the country’s colors amid the jagged peaks of the Dolomites as the sun finally peeked through the clouds of what had been a gray day at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
MILAN (AP) – Francesca Lollobrigida of Italy claimed her second gold medal at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Thursday, winning the women’s speedskating 5,000 meters by an incredibly narrow margin to the delight of the home crowd.
MILAN (AP) – An all-time great comeback and a controversial exclusion are dominating the Milan Cortina Olympics on Day 6.
HONG KONG (AP) – China moved on Thursday to curb a fierce price war among automakers that has caused massive losses for the industry, after passenger car sales dropped nearly 20% in January from the year before, the fastest pace in almost two years.
WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. employers added a surprisingly strong 130,000 jobs last month, but government revisions cut 2024-2025 U.S. payrolls by hundreds of thousands. The unemployment rate fell to 4.3%, the Labor Department said Wednesday. The report included major revisions that reduced the number of jobs created last year to just 181,000.
Kraft Heinz said Wednesday it’s pausing its plans to split into two companies. Steve Cahillane, who became CEO of Kraft Heinz on Jan. 1, said he wants to ensure that all of the company’s resources are focused on profitable growth. “I have seen that the opportunity is larger than expected and that many of our challenges are fixable and within our control”.
The immigration crackdown in Minnesota that led to mass detentions, protests and two deaths is coming to an end, border czar Tom Homan said Thursday. “As a result of our efforts here Minnesota is now less of a sanctuary state for criminals,” Homan said at a news conference. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement launched Operation Metro Surge on Dec. 1.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Russia launched a barrage of ballistic missiles and drones at Ukrainian cities in overnight attacks, officials reported on Thursday as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow was “hesitating” about another round of U.S.-brokered talks on stopping the fighting.
BILZEN-HOESELT, Belgium (AP) – Leaders from across the European Union are meeting Thursday in a Belgian castle as the 27-nation bloc faces antagonism from U.S. President Donald Trump, strong-arm economic tactics from China and hybrid threats from Russia – challenges that have prompted a rethink of Europe’s approach to diplomacy and trade.
LONDON (AP) – In an earlier era, Britain’s royal family might have tried to bury the scandal surrounding Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. Not during the reign of King Charles III. Since October, the king has stripped his younger brother of the right to be called prince and forced him to move out of the royal estate.













































































































































