• British Elections Hammer Starmer
  • Hungary's Péter Magyar Sworn in as PM
  • Israeli Airstrikes Kill 17 in Lebanon
  • Iran Ceasefire Appears to Hold
  • Experts Wonder 'Where is the CDC?'
US stocks rise to records after a solid jobs report

NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. stocks rose to records following the latest sign that the nation's job market is doing better than economists expected. The S&P 500 climbed 0.8% Friday to an all-time high after a report said employers added more jobs last month than expected, even though the war with Iran is raising fuel costs and uncertainty.

Top Asia Pacific Breaking News: Latest Updates

HONG KONG (AP) – China’s exports rose 14.1% in April from a year earlier, the government said Saturday, despite the Iran war and lingering impacts from higher U.S. tariffs. The data were released just days ahead of a planned meeting next week between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Trump's religious liberty commission rejects church and state separation

One member calls for a Presidential Medal of Freedom for a baker who refused to create a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. Another calls for court interventions by the Department of Justice on behalf of Amish parents fighting New York vaccine requirements and Catholic nuns challenging that state’s requirement that they accommodate hospice patients’ gender identities.

Trump's tariffs hit Toyota profit, though its global sales grew

TOKYO (AP) – Toyota’s profit fell 19% in the last fiscal year from a year earlier, as President Donald Trump’s tariffs bit into earnings at Japan’s top automaker. Toyota Motor Corp. reported a 3.85 trillion yen ($25 billion) profit for the fiscal year ended in March, down from nearly 4.8 trillion yen the previous fiscal year.

Japan's Sony reports declining profit but expects a record for this year

TOKYO (AP) – Japanese electronics and entertainment giant Sony Group Corp. reported a 3.4% drop in its annual profit but projected Friday a comeback to record profits for the current fiscal year.

US Employers Add Surprisingly Strong 115,000 jobs in April

WASHINGTON (AP) – America’s employers delivered a surprising 115,000 new jobs last month despite an economic shock from the Iran war. Hiring beat the 65,000 jobs forecasters had expected, though it decelerated from the 185,000 jobs created in March. The unemployment rate remained at a low 4.3%, the Labor Department reported Friday.

What to know about British elections that hammered Starmer's Labour Party

LONDON (AP) – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to revive his struggling government but faced growing calls Saturday to resign after a disastrous set of local and regional elections for his Labour Party. As the final results came in Saturday, Labour suffered a net loss of more than 1,100 local council seats across England.

Israeli drone airstrikes kill at least 17 in Lebanon

BEIRUT (AP) – Three Israeli drone strikes on vehicles just south of Beirut on Saturday killed four people while a series of airstrikes on southern Lebanon killed at least 13, including a man and his 12-year-old daughter, state media and the Health Ministry said.

Trump's religious liberty commission rejects church and state separation

One member calls for a Presidential Medal of Freedom for a baker who refused to create a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. Another calls for court interventions by the Department of Justice on behalf of Amish parents fighting New York vaccine requirements and Catholic nuns challenging that state’s requirement that they accommodate hospice patients’ gender identities.