Jury convicts Sydney business consultant over deals with suspected Chinese spies

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – A Sydney business consultant was convicted Friday of breaking Australia’s foreign interference laws by providing reports to two people he should have suspected were Chinese spies. Alexander Csergo, 59, is only the second person to be convicted under Australian laws against covert interference and espionage.

US stocks slump on worries about higher oil prices, inflation and interest rates

NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. stocks slumped after a report said inflation was primed to worsen even before the war with Iran sent oil prices spiking. The S&P 500 fell 1.4% for its first loss this week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1.6%, and the Nasdaq composite slid 1.5%. Treasury yields climbed in the bond market, which in turn hurt the price of gold.

6 members of the Iranian women's soccer team granted asylum in Australia

GOLD COAST, Australia (AP) – Two more members of the Iranian women’s soccer team were granted asylum in Australia before their teammates departed the country, Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Wednesday, but one of the woman later changed her mind and will return to Iran.

Top Asia Pacific Breaking News: Latest Updates

WASHINGTON (AP) – Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sought to reaffirm her alliance with President Donald Trump on Thursday after the president this week seemed to complain that Japan was among the nations that did not join his call to help protect the Strait of Hormuz. Takaichi met with Trump at the White House.

Indonesian court sentences 3 men for shooting death of fellow Australian

DENPASAR, Indonesia (AP) – A court on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali sentenced three Australian citizens on Monday for the fatal shooting of a fellow Australian national in June after they claimed to have been paid by a man they will not identify.

State Department cut jobs with deep expertise in Middle East

WASHINGTON (AP) – In the escalating war in Iran, the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs would ordinarily be at the center of the geopolitical fray. Typically led by a veteran diplomat, the bureau’s role would be to coordinate U.S. foreign policy across an 18-country region, much of which has become a chaotic battlefield scarred by drone and missile strikes.

Australia grants asylum to 5 members of Iranian women's soccer team

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) – Australia has granted asylum to five members of the Iranian women’s soccer team who were visiting the country for a tournament when the Iran war began, Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Tuesday.

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

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

Bag containing weed and cash accidentally donated to New Zealand charity

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) – Two teenagers mistakenly left a knapsack containing marijuana and cash at a donation area outside a New Zealand charity shop then returned in a panic to retrieve the bag, police said Monday.