• UK Leader's Chief of Staff Quits Over Mandelson
  • Lindsey Vonn Crashes Heavily in Downhill
  • ICE Ruses - Hard Hats And Dummy Plates
  • Russian Airstrike on Ukraine Kills 1
  • Meloni Condemns Anti-Olympics Actions in Milan
US stocks soar to their best day since May as the Dow tops 50,000

NEW YORK (AP) - The U.S. stock market roared back, as technology stocks recovered and bitcoin halted its plunge, at least for now. The S&P 500 jumped 2% Friday for its best day since May. The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared roughly 1,200 points and topped the 50,000 level for the first time, while the Nasdaq composite rallied 2.2%.

Top Asia Pacific Breaking News: Morning Edition

TOKYO (AP) – The governing party of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi secured a more than two-thirds majority in a key parliamentary election on Sunday, Japanese media reported, citing preliminary results. Takaichi, in a televised interview with public television network NHK, said that after the sweeping victory she is now ready to pursue her policies.

FBI: Jeffrey Epstein wasn't running a sex trafficking ring for powerful men

NEW YORK (AP) – The FBI pored over Jeffrey Epstein’s bank records and emails. It searched his homes. It spent years interviewing his victims and examining his connections to some of the world’s most influential people. Investigators found scant evidence the well-connected financier led a sex trafficking ring serving powerful men.

Italy enjoys record-breaking day at Winter Olympics claiming 5 medals

MILAN (AP) – This could turn out to be Italy’s best Winter Olympics ever after a record-breaking day on home snow and ice.

Breezy Johnson's winding road leads to Olympic downhill gold for US

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) – For Breezy Johnson, the road to an Olympic gold medal was similar to the winning downhill run she turned in Sunday: It was full of jarring bumps that nearly knocked her off course, but not off target.

Sander Eitrem of Norway adds speedskating 5,000 meters Olympic gold

MILAN (AP) – Sander Eitrem put aside an awkward stumble at the start to win a gold medal for Norway in the men’s speedskating 5,000 meters at the Milan Cortina Games on Sunday, adding an Olympic record time to the world mark he set last month.

Apps to boycott US goods gained traction in crisis over Greenland

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) – The makers of mobile apps designed to help shoppers identify and boycott American goods say they saw a surge of interest in Denmark and beyond after the recent flare-up in tensions over U.S. President Donald Trump’s designs on Greenland.

Washington Post publisher Will Lewis says he's stepping down, days after layoffs

Washington Post publisher Will Lewis said Saturday that he’s stepping down, ending a troubled tenure three days after the newspaper said that it was laying off one-third of its staff.

Super Bowl ads try to overcome tough times with the usual laughs

At a difficult time for America, Super Bowl advertisers ask viewers to take care of themselves and others – and maybe even crack a smile. Ring shows how neighbors can use their doorbell cameras to find lost pets. A Budweiser Clydesdale protects a bald eagle chick from the rain. Novartis touts a blood test that can detect prostate cancer. Toyota reminds viewers to wear their seatbelts.

UK leader's chief of staff quits over appointment of Mandelson

LONDON (AP) – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer ‘s chief of staff resigned Sunday over the furor surrounding the appointment of Peter Mandelson as the U.K. ambassador to the U.S. despite his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Morgan McSweeney said he took responsibility for advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson, 72, to Britain’s most important diplomatic post in 2024.

ICE Ruses - Hard hats and dummy plates add to fears in Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – For days, Luis Ramirez had an uneasy feeling about the men dressed as utility workers he’d seen outside his family’s Mexican restaurant. They wore high-visibility vests and spotless white hard hats, he noticed, even while parked in their vehicle. His search for the Wisconsin-based electrician advertised on the car’s doors returned no results.

Russian airstrike on Ukraine kills 1 as US pushes June deadline for peace deal

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – A Russian airstrike on a residential area in eastern Ukraine killed one person and wounded two, officials said Sunday, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the U.S. has given Ukraine and Russia a June deadline to reach a peace deal.

MOSCOW (AP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping held a video call Wednesday to discuss the burgeoning economic cooperation between Moscow and Beijing and their relations with the United States. The Kremlin leader accepted an invitation to visit China twice this year.