New US ambassador to India pushes for deeper trade ties

NEW DELHI (AP) – The U.S. and India are actively engaged on a bilateral trade agreement to deepen economic and strategic partnership, the U.S. ambassador-designate to New Delhi said Monday. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, India has emerged as the second biggest buyer of Russian crude after China.

Wall Street ticks to records after shaking off feud with the Fed

NEW YORK (AP) - Wall Street ticked to more records Monday after bouncing back from losses. The S&P 500 tacked 0.2% onto its prior all-time high set on Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average recovered an early loss of nearly 500 points and added 86, or 0.2%, to its own record, while the Nasdaq composite gained 0.3%.

Stocks of credit card companies slump

NEW YORK (AP) – Stocks of credit card companies are dropping Monday after President Donald Trump threatened moves that could eat into their profits. The rest of Wall Street, meanwhile, is showing only modest signs of concern after tensions ramped to a much higher degree between the White House and the Federal Reserve.

Top Asia Pacific Breaking News: Morning Edition

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Myanmar began a second round of voting Sunday in its first general election since the military takeover five years ago. Voting expanded to additional townships including some areas affected by the civil war between the military government and its armed opponents. Critics say the polls organized by the military government are neither free nor fair.

UN hearings on whether Myanmar committed genocide against the Rohingya

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) – Myanmar will face accusations Monday it is responsible for genocide against the Rohingya ethnic minority at the top court of the United Nations, as long-awaited hearings are set to begin.

Malaysia, Indonesia become first to block Musk's Grok over AI deepfakes

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) – Malaysia and Indonesia have become the first countries to block Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s xAI, after authorities said it was being misused to generate sexually explicit and non-consensual images.

Buddhist Monks Captivate Americans While Walking For Peace

A group of Buddhist monks and their rescue dog are striding single file down country roads and highways across the South, captivating Americans nationwide and inspiring droves of locals to greet them along their route. In their flowing saffron and ocher robes, the men are walking for peace. It’s a meditative tradition more common in South Asian countries.

Hong Kong court to hear plea for lighter sentence for Jimmy Lai

HONG KONG (AP) – A Hong Kong court convenes a hearing on Monday to hear arguments about the sentencing of democracy advocate and onetime media magnate Jimmy Lai, whose conviction under a national security law could land him in jail for the rest of his life.

Red lines reshape Hong Kong's once freewheeling press scene

HONG KONG (AP) – From 18th place to 140th. That’s how much Hong Kong’s ranking plunged in a global press freedom index over some 20 years.