India and New Zealand sign a free trade agreement to deepen economic ties

NEW DELHI (AP) – India and New Zealand on Monday signed a free trade agreement to deepen economic ties and expand market access, as both countries navigate mounting global trade disruptions. The deal comes as New Delhi moves to diversify export markets to offset the impact of steep tariffs imposed by the United States.

Sinking AI stocks and rising oil prices weigh on Wall Street

NEW YORK (AP) - Sinking AI stocks and another climb in oil prices helped to halt Wall Street's record-setting rally. The S&P 500 fell 0.5% Tuesday from its latest all-time high. The Dow Jones slipped 0.1%, while the Nasdaq composite fell 0.9% from its own record. Oil prices meanwhile rose by more than 2.5%.

Sumatra orangutan uses canopy bridge to cross a public road in Indonesia

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) – A Sumatran orangutan has been filmed for the first time using a human-made canopy bridge to cross a public road on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, conservationists said Monday. Rapid development has been shrinking the jungle habitat of the critically endangered species.

Top Asia Pacific Breaking News: Latest Updates

BEKASI, Indonesia (AP) – Rescuers finished removing victims from a damaged commuter train car Tuesday, confirming that the crash outside Indonesia’s capital killed 15 people, all of whom were women. The crash occurred Monday when a long-distance train crashed into the rear car of the stopped commuter train at Bekasi Timur Station outside Jakarta.

Energy shock ripples through kitchens, forests in Africa and South Asia

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) – Before sunset, a blue flame used to spring to life in Brenda Obare’s kitchen with a quick turn of the knob as she started dinner. Now, her stove is often cold as she crouches over a charcoal burner, coaxing a smoky fire to cook for her family outside her tin-roofed home in Kibera in Kenya’s capital Nairobi

Australia moves to tax Meta, Google and TikTok to fund newsrooms

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – Australia has proposed taxing digital giants Meta, Google and TikTok a proportion of their revenue to pay for news reporters. The government released draft legislation that would create a financial incentive for the social media companies to strike deals with news organizations to pay for journalism.

Suspect in missing students' killings asked ChatGPT about disposing of a body

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – The suspect in the killings of two University of South Florida doctoral students from Bangladesh had asked ChatGPT what would happen if a human body was put in a garbage bag and thrown in a dumpster, days before they went missing, according to a report filed by prosecutors over the weekend.

Editorials from The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post and others

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

Daughter of former Uzbek president goes on trial over money laundering

GENEVA (AP) – The daughter of a former president of Uzbekistan went on trial in absentia Monday in Switzerland in connection with alleged bribery and money laundering involving assets worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Gulnara Karimova, the daughter of former President Islam Karimov, is behind bars in Uzbekistan.