Associated Press
Latest stories
Hopes for reopening Hormuz Strait push world shares higher

World shares jumped on Thursday, with Tokyo's Nikkei 225 gaining almost 6% to a new record as investors waited to see if the U.S. and Iran will strike a deal allowing tankers to deliver crude from the Persian Gulf again.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index jumped more than 3,300 points to 63,086.00 as markets in Tokyo reopened following "Golden Week" holidays.

W140 Full Story
How court case and loyal fans helped to shape Kneecap's second record, 'Fenian'

The seven-week period that Kneecap spent recording their second album, "Fenian," was eventful to say the least, as the Irish hip-hop outfit were fighting a legal battle at the same time as they were working in the studio.

Member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh — who performs as Mo Chara — had been charged with a terror-related offense for displaying a flag of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, (which is banned in Britain as a terrorist organization) during a London concert in 2024. The case was eventually thrown out and the band used the experience of going to court, and the party that ensued in their support, as inspiration for some of the tracks on "Fenian."

W140 Full Story
Pope comforts 13 priests from south Lebanon with surprise video call

Pope Leo XIV surprised 13 priests from southern Lebanon, near the border with Israel, by joining a video call from Rome on Wednesday, telling them they were in his prayers and that he hoped peace would soon prevail along the tense frontier.

The Lebanese Catholic and Maronite priests were asked to attend an online morning meeting with the Vatican's ambassador to Lebanon, Archbishop Paolo Borgia. Once online, Borgia told them Leo was also present and would like to speak with them.

W140 Full Story
What to know about the 2026 Champions League final

Arsenal became the first team to book its place in the 2026 Champions League final by beating Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.

Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich will join the Premier League club in the showpiece at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary this month.

W140 Full Story
Russia snubs Ukraine's unilateral ceasefire, firing dozens of drones

Russia fired dozens of drones at Ukraine in nighttime attacks, Ukrainian officials said Wednesday, disregarding a unilateral ceasefire announced by Kyiv that began at midnight.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that Ukraine hadn't abided by its own ceasefire, saying that air defenses shot down 53 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions, the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula and the Black Sea between Tuesday evening and dawn Wednesday.

W140 Full Story
Trump says Pope Leo is 'endangering Catholics'

Trump is renewing his criticism of Pope Leo XIV even as Rubio prepares to visit Vatican City, ostensibly to ease tensions between Washington and the Holy See.

W140 Full Story
Death toll in Lebanon reaches 2,702 since Israel-Hezbollah war began

The Health Ministry in Beirut said Tuesday that 8,311 people were also wounded during the same period.

W140 Full Story
Melkite Catholic bishops express concern over Israeli demolitions in southern Lebanon

A branch of the Catholic church expressed deep concern Monday over reports that Israel was demolishing civilian and religious buildings in parts of southern Lebanon under its control, following claims that a convent had been bulldozed.

The Council of Melkite Greek Catholic Bishops in Lebanon urged the Lebanese government and the United Nations to protect the property of civilians and religious institutions in southern Lebanon, citing in particular the village of Yaroun where officials said Israeli troops destroyed a Melkite convent earlier this month among other demolition. The bishops called the destruction of buildings, after residents of the area had evacuated, a "deep wound in the national and human conscience."

W140 Full Story
US claims progress in reopening Strait of Hormuz, saying 2 merchant ships have transited

The U.S. military said Monday that two American-flagged merchant ships had successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz after it launched a new initiative to restore traffic. Iran has effectively controlled the critical waterway since the U.S. and Israel launched the war in late February.

Breaking Iran's chokehold over the strait would ease global economic concerns and deny Tehran a major source of leverage in talks aimed at ending the war. But U.S. President Donald Trump's latest effort also risks reigniting full-scale fighting as the U.S. and Iran steadily ramp up pressure.

W140 Full Story
Wall Street hesitates, oil prices climb with uncertainty about Strait of Hormuz

The U.S. stock market is holding tentatively around its record heights Monday, while oil prices climb with uncertainty about when oil tankers can resume crossing the Strait of Hormuz and restore the world's flow of crude. Dueling claims about a possible Iranian strike on a U.S. Navy vessel in the strait heightened the tensions.

The S&P 500 rose 0.1%, coming off its latest all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 76 points, or 0.2%, as of 10:30 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.1% higher.

W140 Full Story