Trump bans import of new foreign-made routers, citing security risks

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration has banned imports of new, foreign-made routers citing supply chain vulnerability and cybersecurity risks. The newest addition to the U.S. “covered list” targets consumer-grade routers, the boxes that connect home computers, phones and smart devices to the internet.

Possible end to war with Iran send US stocks higher

NEW YORK (AP) - Hope for a possible end to the war with Iran pushed stocks higher again, while oil prices eased. The S&P 500 rose 0.5% Wednesday in its latest flip-flop. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.7%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.8%. Stock indexes rose more than 1% across Europe and Asia.

China protests to Japan over alleged break-in at its embassy in Tokyo

TOKYO (AP) – China says it has protested to Japan over an alleged break-in at the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo. An individual who claimed to be a Japan Self-Defense Forces officer scaled the wall and forced his way into the embassy compound on Tuesday morning, Lin Jian, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said in a news conference in Beijing.

Middle East War: The Latest Updates

Iran on Wednesday dismissed an American plan to pause the war in the Middle East, issuing its own counterproposal instead, as it launched more attacks on Israel and Gulf Arab countries. The 15-point U.S. proposal addressed sanctions relief, a rollback of Iran’s nuclear program, limits on missiles and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Top Asia Pacific Breaking News: Latest Updates

BANGKOK (AP) – Asian countries are turning to coal as the Iran war disrupts oil and gas shipments. The continent is exposed because it relies on imported fuel, much of it passing through the Strait of Hormuz – a chokepoint for about a fifth of global oil and natural gas trade. LNG is a natural gas cooled to liquid form for easy storage and transport.

Conservatives gather for CPAC with the right openly divided over Iran war

GRAPEVINE, Texas (AP) – Conservatives are holding one of their largest annual gatherings at a perilous political moment for President Donald Trump and with open division on the right over the war he launched in Iran.

1,000-year-old cliff-top temple lies battered after Cambodia-Thailand border clashes

PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia (AP) – It’s been three months since a ceasefire ended bitter border fighting between Cambodia and Thailand, but signs of combat are cut deep in this 11th-century Hindu temple atop a 525-meter (1,722-foot) cliff in the Dangrek Mountains.

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

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

Afghanistan releases American national Dennis Coyle

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities on Tuesday released American academic Dennis Coyle after holding him for over a year, with the Foreign Ministry saying the release came on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim holiday that marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.