Judge weighs whether Venezuela can pay Maduro's legal costs

NEW YORK (AP) – A U.S. judge pressed the Trump administration Thursday about its basis for barring Venezuela’s government from paying former President Nicolás Maduro’s legal fees in the drug trafficking case that has put him behind bars in New York.

US stocks fall in another shaky day as oil prices keep climbing

NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. stocks fell again as oil prices keep climbing because of uncertainty about when the war with Iran could end. The S&P 500 fell 0.4% Monday and deepened its losses to pull 9.1% below its record set early this year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.7%. Caution was prevalent throughout markets.

China's BYD sees first profit drop since 2021

HONG KONG (AP) – Chinese automaker BYD said Friday its annual sales rose to a record $116 billion, outpacing Tesla’s, but its profit fell for the first time since 2021 under pressure from cutthroat competition. BYD, the largest electric vehicle maker, has been expanding into global markets including Latin America and Europe.

Fourth Anniversary of Bucha Atrocity in Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – European foreign ministers visited Ukraine on Tuesday to mark the fourth anniversary of atrocities committed in a town near Kyiv by Russia’s invading forces. European governments are keen to keep a spotlight on the continent’s biggest land war in decades, now in its fifth year.

Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro appears in New York City court

Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro returns to a New York courtroom Thursday as he seeks to have his drug trafficking indictment thrown out over a geopolitical dispute over legal fees. It’s the first time that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, will be in court since a January arraignment at which he protested “I am not guilty. I am a decent man.”

Iran strikes a fully loaded oil tanker off Dubai coast as gas reaches $4 a gallon

Authorities in Dubai said Tuesday morning they “contained” a Kuwaiti oil tanker after it came under attack from Iran. Officials said there was “no oil leakage and no injuries reported.” The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has caused major disruptions to the world’s supply of oil and natural gas, roiling global markets, and left more than 3,000 dead.

Brazil's Bolsonaro to be discharged from hospital to return to house arrest

SAO PAULO (AP) – Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will be discharged from hospital on Friday to return home and continue serving his 27-year sentence for a coup attempt, his doctor said.

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

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

Venezuela's Delcy Rodríguez pitches newly opened oil sector to investors

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) – Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez preached of lucrative long-term opportunities in her resource-rich country at a Saudi-backed investment summit on Wednesday, offering a window into how Venezuela’s government is trying to lure investors to its oil sector.