Samsung's union puts off strike after reaching last-minute wage deal with management

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – Samsung Electronics’ labor union said Wednesday it’ll hold off on launching a planned strike and put a tentative wage deal with management to a vote, alleviating immediate concerns about the operation of the world’s largest memory chip maker.

A turn lower for oil prices helps US stocks erase losses

NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. stocks ticked higher following the latest reversal for oil prices. The S&P 500 rose 0.2% Thursday. The Dow Jones added 0.6%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.1%. All three indexes erased early drops and gained strength after the price of a barrel of Brent dropped from $109 in the morning to settle below $103.

James Murdoch, media scion, strikes deal for New York Magazine and Vox

NEW YORK (AP) – Promising a commitment to “ambitious journalism and agenda-setting conversations,” media scion James Murdoch has struck a deal with the Vox Media digital company to acquire New York magazine, the Vox Media Podcast Network and the Vox editorial brand.

Top Asia Pacific Breaking News: Latest Updates

BEIJING (AP) – On the surface, Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s back-to-back summits with U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin looked pretty similar, with formal handshakes in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, enthusiastic greetings from flower-waving children, and marching columns of soldiers branching gleaming bayonets.

Finnish divers recover remaining 2 bodies of Italians from underwater cave in Maldives

MALE, Maldives (AP) – Divers on Wednesday recovered the last two bodies of four Italians who died deep inside an underwater cave in the Maldives last week.

The Trump Report: Latest Updates

The Trump administration’s indictment of former Cuban President Raúl Castro in the 1996 downing of civilian planes flown by Miami-based exiles is escalating pressure on the island’s socialist government. Meanwhile, Senate Republicans are expected to abandon a proposal for $1 billion in security money for the White House complex and Trump’s ballroom on Thursday.

Taiwan's Lai says he would tell Trump he hopes to continue arm purchases

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) – Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said Wednesday that if given the chance, he would tell U.S. President Donald Trump that he hoped to continue U.S. arms purchases, which he called essential for peace, while assuring people the island’s future would not be decided by external forces.

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

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

Torrential rain and floods batter China, killing at least 12

BEIJING (AP) – Torrential rain and floods hit parts of China this week, killing at least 12 people and forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate, state media reported.