Iran war and rising fuel costs could boost Panama Canal traffic

PANAMA CITY (AP) – Panama Canal Administrator Ricaurte Vásquez said Thursday that the conflict in the Middle East and rising fuel costs could ultimately benefit the interoceanic waterway as global shippers adjust routes.

Oil prices knock down stocks and erase hopes for interest rate cut

NEW YORK (AP) - Another climb for oil prices shook stock markets on Friday, as hopes collapsed for a possible cut to interest rates this year by the Federal Reserve. The S&P 500 fell 1.5% to close its fourth straight losing week, its longest such streak in a year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 443 points, or 1%, and the Nasdaq composite tumbled 2%.

Trump encourages Latin American leaders to use military action to help US fight cartels

DORAL, Fla. (AP) – President Donald Trump said Saturday that the United States and Latin American countries are banding together to combat violent cartels as his administration looks to demonstrate it remains committed to sharpening U.S. foreign policy focus on the Western Hemisphere even while dealing with five-alarm crises around the globe.

Trump threatens Iran's power plants if Strait of Hormuz isn't open in 48 hours

CAIRO (AP) - President Donald Trump on Saturday said the U.S. will "obliterate" Iranian power plants if it doesn't fully open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. Trump issued the ultimatum in a social media post while he spent the weekend in Florida. He said he's giving Iran exactly 48 hours to open the vital waterway or face a new round of attacks.

Hong Kong firm seeks $2 billion over Panama's takeover of 2 key canal ports

HONG KONG (AP) – A subsidiary of a Hong Kong-based company that has lost control of two critical ports on the Panama Canal said it is seeking $2 billion of compensation in damages from Panama over its “illegal” takeover of the ports.

Iran Targets British-US Base at Diego Garcia

CAIRO (AP) – Iran targeted a joint U.K.-U.S. base in the Indian Ocean, and Iran’s main nuclear enrichment site was struck again, as the war in the Middle East entered its fourth week. Iran’s attack on the Diego Garcia air base – about 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) away – suggested Tehran has missiles that can go farther than it had previously acknowledged.

Honduras weighs shift in China-Taiwan ties

WASHINGTON (AP) – Three years after Honduras parted ways with Taiwan and forged diplomatic ties with China in hope of economic gain, shrimp farmers in the Central American country are in revolt. Their sales to Taiwan fell to a mere $16 million in 2025, down from more than $100 million in 2022, and the Chinese didn’t fill the void as hoped.

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

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

Panama Canal ports drag Panama into tussle between superpowers

PANAMA CITY (AP) – Two ports run for years by a Hong Kong-based company at either end of the Panama Canal have thrust Panama into a geopolitical tug-of-war between the United States and China. Even before taking office for his second term, U.S. President Donald Trump complained that China was running the Panama Canal.