Rubio accuses China of 'bullying' for holding up Panama-flagged ships

WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday accused China of “bullying” by detaining or holding up dozens of Panama-flagged ships – though for a short period of time – after the Central American country seized control of two critical ports on the Panama Canal earlier this year from a subsidiary of a Hong Kong-based company.

Intel leads the US stock market to more records

NEW YORK (AP) - A surge for Intel following a blowout profit report led the U.S. stock market to more records Friday, while oil prices kept yo-yoing in the wait for what's next with the Iran war. The S&P 500 climbed 0.8%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 79 points, or 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 1.6%.

Costa Rica to accept 25 'third country' deportees from US every week

SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica (AP) – Costa Rica said Thursday that it would accept 25 migrants deported from the United States per week as part of an agreement to help the Trump administration’s latest policy of deporting immigrants to “third countries.”

Top Asia Pacific Breaking News: Latest Updates

BANGKOK (AP) – Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Friday during a visit aimed at strengthening the countries’ strategic partnership and expanding cooperation. The two agreed to strengthen collaboration in fighting transnational crime and cyberscams and other areas.

US attack on alleged drug-smuggling boat leaves 2 dead

WASHINGTON (AP) – A U.S. military attack on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean has left one survivor and two people dead, U.S. officials said Friday, as the Trump administration pursues its campaign against alleged traffickers in Latin America.

US won't renew Iranian and Russian oil waivers, Bessent says

WASHINGTON (AP) – Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Friday that the U.S. does not plan to renew a waiver allowing the purchase of Russian oil and petroleum products that are currently at sea. And, he said, a renewal of the one-time waiver for Iranian oil at sea is totally off the table.

El Salvador's Bukele pushes through life sentences

SAN SALVADOR (AP) – El Salvador’s Congress approved a constitutional amendment pushed forward by President Nayib Bukele on Tuesday to permit life sentences in a country that has imprisoned more than 1% of its population in its war against gangs.

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:

US demand $15,000 bonds for visa applications from 12 more countries

WASHINGTON (AP) – The State Department says it is adding 12 countries whose citizens must post bonds of up to $15,000 to apply for U.S. visas. Effective April 2, passport holders from Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles and Tunisia will be required to pay the bond.