New road linking Baltic states to Poland opens

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) – A major road connecting the three Baltic states to Poland opened Monday at a time of rising tensions between Europe and Russia. The Via Baltica will pass through a narrow strip of land between Belarus and Russia ‘s Kaliningrad exclave, called the Suwalki Gap, which has often been described as a potential targe t if Russia were to attack NATO.

Wall Street rallies to the edge of its all-time high

NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. stocks rallied to the edge of their all-time high and crude oil prices eased. The S&P 500 rose 1.2% Tuesday, bringing the index within 0.2% of its record set in January. The Dow gained 0.7%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 2%.

Latvian women protest against domestic violence

WARSAW, Poland (AP) – Women’s rights activists taped their mouths shut at a demonstration Wednesday outside the Latvian parliament to protest the country’s possible withdrawal from an international treaty aimed at supporting women who are victims of violence.

Top Asia Pacific Breaking News: Latest Updates

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – The woman was furious. Standing in the muddy lane sloping up the hill in one of the Afghan capital’s poorer neighborhoods, she pulled her headscarf aside to reveal thick grey-white hair. “You see this hair? Even I with my white hair, I have to carry water.”

UK, Lithuania and Latvia detain people for spying for Russia

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) – British, Lithuanian and Latvian authorities have detained several people on suspicion of carrying out intelligence-related activities on behalf of Russia in the latest of a string of incidents to be linked to Moscow by Western officials.

Pakistan proposes second round of US-Iran talks as standoff deepens

ISLAMABAD (AP) – The standoff between the United States and Iran deepened Tuesday as the U.S. declared it had blockaded Iran’s ports, Tehran threatened to strike targets across the region, and Pakistan said it was racing to bring the sides together for more talks.

Baltic Countries puzzled by US plans to cut defense funding

WASHINGTON (AP) – Confusion emerged Friday over Trump administration plans to halt some security assistance funding to European countries along the border with Russia, with some Baltic defense leaders saying they have not received official notification.

Citing fallout from the Iran war, IMF cuts the outlook for global growth

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Iran war has stalled the world’s economic momentum this year, likely pushing growth lower compared to 2025, the International Monetary Fund warned Tuesday. The IMF downgraded its forecast for global growth to 3.1% in 2026 from the 3.3% it had forecast back in January.

Jude Law debuts portrays Vladimir Putin in 'The Wizard of the Kremlin'

VENICE, Italy (AP) – Jude Law transforms into Vladimir Putin for Olivier Assayas’ “The Wizard of the Kremlin,” which has its world premiere Sunday at the Venice Film Festival.