Oil-thirsty Asian nations seek Russian crude as Iran war strains supplies

BANGKOK (AP) – Asian nations are increasingly competing for Russian crude oil as an energy crisis mounts amid the month-old war by the U.S. and Israel against Iran, which has choked off roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply.

Disney's new CEO opens World of Frozen in Paris

CHESSY, France (AP) – A 118-foot mountain of ice rose over the suburban Paris countryside this weekend as Disney opened its Arendelle kingdom to the world – Elsa’s palace glowing at the summit, a “Frozen” Nordic fishing village below, and the company’s new CEO standing before a crowd of celebrities.

Founder of 'orgasmic meditation' company gets 9 years in prison

NEW YORK (AP) – The leader of a sex-focused women’s wellness company that promoted “orgasmic meditation” was sentenced Monday to nine years in federal prison for a scheme that a judge said exploited vulnerable women and coerced them into performing sex acts with the company’s clients and investors.

Editorials from The Washington Post, New York Times, The Guardian and others

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

Worries about global economic pain deepen as the war in Iran drags on

WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran have driven up prices, darkened the outlook for the world economy, sent global stock markets reeling and forced developing countries to ration fuel and subsidize energy costs to protect their poorest.

Oil spill deals economic blow to fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico

VERACRUZ, Mexico (AP) – Every year, fish markets in the seaside Mexican city of Veracruz flood with a crush of customers in the lead up to Holy Week. This year, they were virtually empty.

French police thwart suspected bombing outside Bank of America building in Paris

PARIS (AP) – French police have thwarted a suspected bomb attack outside a Bank of America building in Paris, authorities said Saturday. One suspect was detained and another escaped. The national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office, or PNAT, told The Associated Press that it has opened an investigation into alleged terrorism-related offenses.

Africa is hurting again from a global crisis it had no part in starting

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) – Lagos taxi driver Adegbola Isaac went to the gas station twice last weekend. Each time, the price in the Nigerian city had climbed further and hit 1,350 naira ($0.99) per liter, a nearly 35% increase since the Iran war started. That’s wiped out most of his daily profit.

China's BYD sees first profit drop since 2021

HONG KONG (AP) – Chinese automaker BYD said Friday its annual sales rose to a record $116 billion, outpacing Tesla’s, but its profit fell for the first time since 2021 under pressure from cutthroat competition. BYD, the largest electric vehicle maker, has been expanding into global markets including Latin America and Europe.