• Artemis II Captures Earth's Brilliant Blue Beauty
  • Trump's Iran War Leaves Republicans Adrift
  • Rubio Accuses China of 'Bullying'
  • Russian Strikes on Ukraine Kill 8
  • Pope Leo XIV Revives Foot-Washing of Priests
Wall Street closed for Good Friday, but US futures inch lower

U.S. futures were trading modestly lower early Friday following surprisingly strong jobs data from the federal government. Equities markets are closed for Good Friday, but futures markets were trading into Friday morning, albeit quietly. Futures for S&P 500 dipped 0.3%, futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.2% and Nasdaq futures were down 0.4%.

Top Asia Pacific Breaking News: Latest Updates

BANGKOK (AP) – Myanmar’s parliament on Friday elected Min Aung Hlaing, a general who ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government in 2021 and kept an iron grip on power for the past five years, as the country’s new president. The move marks a nominal return to an elected government but is widely considered as an effort to keep the army in power.

US F15 Jet Shot Down Over Iran - 1 Crew Member Rescued and 1 Missing

WASHINGTON (AP) – US military says the American aircraft was ‘shot down,’ according to an email obtained by AP. One crew member has been rescued after an American aircraft was shot down in Iran, U.S. and Israeli officials said on Friday. Iranian TV had said at least one crew member ejected, and urged Iranians to deliver any "enemy pilot" to police.

US employers added a surprisingly strong 178,000 jobs last month

WASHINGTON (AP) – American employers added a surprisingly strong 178,000 new jobs last month, rebounding from a dismal February. And the unemployment rate dipped to 4.3%. The Labor Department reported Friday that hiring marked a turnaround from the loss of 133,000 jobs in February.

Amazon slaps 3.5% surcharge as Iran war drives up fuel prices

NEW YORK (AP) – Amazon is slapping a 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge on third-party sellers using its platform starting later this month amid a spike in fuel prices since the war in Iran started.

Why one Las Vegas newspaper just stopped printing its rival

LAS VEGAS (AP) – The Las Vegas Review-Journal announced Friday that it will no longer print its rival the Las Vegas Sun for the first time in decades, amid an ongoing legal dispute over the nation’s last joint operating agreement stemming from a 1970 law designed to preserve newspapers.

Russian strikes on Ukraine kill 8 as Kyiv holds door open for Easter truce

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Russian strikes killed at least eight people across Ukraine on Friday, including in a “massive” missile and drone attack near the capital, local authorities reported. Ukrainian officials claim the Kremlin is changing its tactics to increase civilian suffering, shifting to daytime barrages and preparing to target more key infrastructure.

French and South Korean leaders say they'll work together on Strait of Hormuz

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – French President Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung agreed Friday to work together to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz and ease global economic uncertainties caused by the war in the Middle East.

Rubio accuses China of 'bullying' for holding up Panama-flagged ships

WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday accused China of “bullying” by detaining or holding up dozens of Panama-flagged ships – though for a short period of time – after the Central American country seized control of two critical ports on the Panama Canal earlier this year from a subsidiary of a Hong Kong-based company.

NEW YORK (AP) – A drone maker backed by President Donald Trump’s two oldest sons is trying to sell to Gulf countries while they are under attack by Iran and dependent on the U.S. military led by their father. The sales drive by Florida-based Powerus positions the company to potentially benefit from a war that their father began.