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Asian shares decline as oil prices soar amid the war in Iran, echoing last week’s Wall Street drop

<block>TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly dipped in Monday morning trading as worries continued about soaring oil prices and the potential for further escalation in the U.S. war with Iran. The drops in Asia follow the deep declines on Wall Street last Friday that finished off a fifth straight losing week, its longest such streak in nearly four years.Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 slipped 4.5% in morning trading to 50,979.54. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 lost 1.2% to 8,417.00. South Korea’s Kospi dove 3.2% to 5,264.32. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 1.7% to 24,519.63, while the Shanghai Composite shed 0.7% to 3,884.57.Worries have been great in Japan and the rest of Asia about the effective lack of access to the Strait of Hormuz because of the war in Iran, as the region relies greatly on such access for oil shipments. In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude jumped $2.28 to $101.92 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, soared $2.88 to $115.45 a barrel. Before the war, brent had been price at about $70 to a barrel. Investors are now bracing for the war to last for some time, which would likely set off inflation in global markets, and eventually may stunt Asia’s economic growth. “Although we do not expect the conflict to be protracted, we anticipate heightened volatility in the near term,” said Xavier Lee, senior equity analyst at Morningstar Research. Oil prices are again climbing after momentarily easing when President Donald Trump extended a self-imposed deadline to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants to April 6. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 fell 1.7% to close its worst week since the war with Iran began. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 793 points, or 1.7%, and fell more than 10% from its record set last month, while the Nasdaq composite sank 2.1%.The S&P 500 is 8.7% below its all-time high set in January. Big Tech stocks were among the heaviest weights on the market, including Amazon and Nvidia. All told, the S&P 500 fell 108.31 points to 6,368.85 last Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 793.47 to 45,166.64, and the Nasdaq composite sank 459.72 to 20,948.36. In the bond market, the yield for the 10-year Treasury rose as high as 4.48% before pulling back to end last week at 4.43%. That’s up from 4.42% late Thursday and from just 3.97% before the war began. In currency trading, the U.S. dollar inched down to 159.97 Japanese yen from 160.32 yen. The euro cost $1.1505, down from $1.1510. ___Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: <a href="https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama</a></block>

Braylon Mullins’ 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left gives UConn 73-72 win over Duke and Final Four spot

With Duke playing keep-away to prevent the Huskies from fouling, Cayden Boozer’s pass near midcourt was deflected, and after UConn came up with the ball, Demary made a shot from well behind the 3-point line.It’s the second straight season to end in a huge collapse for Duke, which was the top overall seed in this year’s tournament. The Blue Devils led by six with 1:14 remaining before falling to Houston in last year’s national semifinals.UConn missed 18 of its first 19 att

Portland police declare ‘unlawful assembly’ in clashes following ‘No Kings’ protest Saturday

“No Kings” protests in Portland Saturday were followed by incidents of property destruction and the city’s police bureau declaring an “unlawful assembly”.KOIN-TV reports that around 7:00 p.m., following a day of peaceful protests, hundreds of people gathered at the city’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility and broke down the facility’s front gate.Federal agents temporarily repaired the front gate, but then it was broken a second time.Law enforc

Chesney the kangaroo scales tall fence and flees petting zoo for three days on the lam

If you’re Chesney the kangaroo, you scale an eight-foot (2 1/2 meter) fence and go on the lam for three days, giving your keeper sleepless nights and sending residents of a small Wisconsin town on a search that would end happily on Saturday.The unprecedented leap at Sunshine Farm in Necedah, Wisconsin, last week was precipitated by some stray dogs that rushed the enclosure and spooked the 16-month-old Chesney, said his keeper, Debbie Marland. She and friends then trekked hither and yon in

One female dead, another injured in early-morning shooting in south Tacoma

Sunday.Officers arrived minutes later and found two females injured from a shooting.The officers who first arrived immediately began life-saving first aid.Tacoma Fire Department medics arrived soon after and took over their medical care.One of the victims did not survive and was pronounced dead at the scene.Medics transported the other female to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.So far, police have not identified any suspects and have not taken anyone into custody.Authorities say the

Midnight train from Georgia: A view of America from the tracks as airports struggle in the shutdown

railroads, those factors diminished the network as auto manufacturers, oil companies, roadbuilders and, finally, airline manufacturers and airlines commanded favor from politicians and attention from consumers.Riding hours across rural areas, I noticed the junkyards where kudzu and chain-link fencing framed rows of rusted automobiles. I saw the farmland and equipment that helps feed cities and the rest of the nation. I awoke to see the night lights of office towers in Charlotte, North Carolina,

‘They need a break’: WA farmers, Spike plead Ferguson to pause CCA amid rising diesel prices

Jim Walsh and Spike spar over Supreme Court late ballots debate'We're losing our agricultural community': Fourth-generation eastern WA family ranch faces $3.7 million battle with state'People are freaked out': WA Policy Center director details unintended consequences of workers bill of rightsJake, Spike echo farmers’ Climate Commitment Act concernsJake Skorheim and Spike O’Neill, co-hosts of “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio, both agreed with the farmers’

‘I’m cooked’: Aurora business owner’s viral video draws customers to notorious strip

An Aurora Avenue business owner posted a video on social media that has since gone viral, stating people told her not to open her business in the area, and she is now hopeless, or as she described it, “cooked.”Demi, owner of Big Whale Consignment, joined “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio to provide a rundown of what business is like in an area that many Seattleites don’t look fondly upon, and how her business has performed following the viral video.“The

‘$200M gone lickety split’: Federal investigation targets race-based WA housing program

HUD believes this violates the 1968 Fair Housing Law because the money is being distributed to one group, but not another.Carleen Johnson from Center Square joined “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio to explain the reasoning behind the investigation initially highlighted by Corey Orvold, and why there may have been some questionable allocations of funds within the program.“HUD announced yesterday that they’re specifically targeting, through the Washington Housing Fin

Swift and widespread, efforts to rebrand César Chavez Day are fueled by emotion and duty

The movement’s co-founder, Dolores Huerta, also revealed that she was a victim of the abuse in her 30s.“It was a personal hurt and a betrayal,” said Jose Luis Chavez, founder and president of the committee that has organized the César Chavez Celebration for Mesa County, Colorado, for the past decade. The committee is made up of people who have worked in the agricultural industry and whose grandparents and parents cut grapes and picked peaches.“I think that’s what my committee was fee

Some familiar names to the Supreme Court in a death row case over racial bias in jury makeup

The state Supreme Court upheld the conviction.Just seven years ago, in a case involving the same district attorney, trial judge and state high court, the Supreme Court overturned the death sentence and conviction of Curtis Flowers because of what Justice Brett Kavanaugh described as a “relentless, determined effort to rid the jury of Black individuals.”Seven of the current nine justices were on the court then.The Supreme Court has in recent years taken a dim view of defendants’ claims in capital

Apollo vs. Artemis: What to know about NASA’s return to the moon

(AP) — NASA’s Apollo moonshots are a tough act to follow, even after all this time.As four astronauts get set to blast off on humanity’s first trip to the moon in more than half a century, comparisons between Apollo and NASA’s new Artemis program are inevitable.The world’s first lunar visitors orbited the moon on Apollo 8. The Artemis II crew will play it safe and zip around the moon in an out-and-back slingshot.Another key difference: Artemis reflects more of society, with a woman, person

‘A lot of votes may not count’: Supreme Court appears ready to upend WA mail-in ballot rules for federal races by November 2026

If a ballot arrives after Election Day, McKenna said the likely outcome is that only the federal portion gets thrown out.“Your votes in the non-federal races, including on statewide ballot measures, local offices, and state legislative races, those would be counted,” McKenna said. “But your votes in the races for Congress or Senate races, those would not.”So, in a year when Washington could see a ballot measure on the millionaire income tax alongside congressional races,

A stranded whale in Germany’s Baltic Sea weakens as hopes of its return to the Atlantic fade

BERLIN (AP) — A stranded humpback whale in Germany ’s Baltic Sea looks weaker, and experts fear it won’t be able to find its way back to the Atlantic despite several attempts at its rescue this week.A 500-meter (yards) restricted area was enforced around the whale so it could get some rest and hopefully free itself, officials said Sunday in a news conference in the eastern German coastal town of Wismar, near where the giant cetacean has been stuck.“He would be able to do so if he regains his str

Electric bikes can be fast and dangerous. Here’s how to stay safe

Force equals mass times acceleration, and also kinetic energy is mass times velocity squared,” Maa said.Learn where you can and can’t rideSpeed limits, helmet requirements and other rules for e-bikes are changing rapidly, and what’s legal in one city or state might be illegal in the next.New York City imposed a speed limit of 15 mph on all electric bikes in October, and Florida lawmakers recently sent the governor a bill limiting e-bike speeds to 10 mph within 50 feet of pedestrians. In Co

Replacement officials, kickoffs and other rule changes will be discussed at NFL’s annual meeting

<block>Replacement officials, potential rule changes, artificial intelligence, health and safety issues, international growth and flag football will be among many topics discussed when NFL owners, executives and coaches gather for their annual meeting this week in Arizona.One topic that dominated the conversation this time last year — the tush push — isn’t on the agenda because there is no proposal to eliminate the play even though it was nearly banned in a close vote in 2025.NFC coaches will speak to reporters on Monday, AFC coaches will do so on Tuesday and Commissioner Roger Goodell closes it out.Here’s a look at the several topics:<hl2>Replacement officials</hl2>The biggest proposal released by the NFL competition committee is a contingency if the league chooses to use replacement officials in case of a work stoppage as it did to start the 2012 season. The current collective bargaining agreement with the NFL and the NFL Referees Association expires on May 31.The proposal would allow the replay center in New York to advise the on-field officials on any missed roughing the passer or intentional grounding penalty, as well as any act that would have led to an ejection had a penalty been called.The NFL’s used of replacement officials for the first three weeks of the 2012 season resulted in several mistakes and wrong calls, including the disputed TD catch known as the “Fail Mary.”“The negotiations with the officials have not gone as quickly as we would have wanted,” NFL executive Jeff Miller said. “We’ve made a number of proposals. We’re looking to improve the accountability and performance of the officials, and we just haven’t gotten to where we need to go. So, we’re going to play football this fall, and we’re going to need officials to do it. So, this is part of the preparation, and we felt compelled to make these sorts of decisions in anticipation of playing football in a different environment.”<hl2>Dynamic kickoff changes</hl2>There are several minor tweaks being proposed for the dynamic kickoff rule that is entering its third season.“In 2024, we had 920 returns, and we had 25,000 return yards. In 2025, we had 2,076 returns, and we had 53,869 yards,” said Rich McKay, Atlanta Falcons CEO and Competition Committee Chair. “So that’s just a crazy change in the game, one that we’ve worked on for a long time. It’s a credit to the special teams coaches who’ve gotten together and really helped influence where we are on that play. It’s a credit to our head coaches for being able to be flexible enough to adopt and adapt, I should say, to the play. So, it’s a really good story.“But we won’t just leave it alone. This year, we’re going to propose that we allow the 5-4-2 alignment. … That really was the original alignment the special teams coaches wanted, but we were just taking our time and kind of being a little conservative, if you will, in how we allowed the alignment change. So, that’s kind of our process and how we got to where we are.”<hl2>Technology and AI</hl2>The league has embraced advances in technology and artificial intelligence, including putting chips in footballs and using virtual measurements to determine first downs.“The ability to use any modern technologies in media to advance the game on the field or with our fans, especially internationally, is coming at a really important time for the league’s growth,” Miller said. <hl2>International growth</hl2>The NFL is playing nine international games this season, including the first regular-season games in France and Australia. The goal is to eventually play 16 games abroad.“It’s an incredibly important area of our business and growth and takes up a good amount of time during these meetings,” Miller said.<hl2>Concussions</hl2>There were 35 concussions on kickoffs in 2025 compared to eight in 2024 mainly because moving the touchback to the 35-yard line resulted in 1,157 more returns. The kick return rate jumped to 74% from 33% last season, and it was the highest return rate in 15 years. Still, the overall injury rate is lower than previous kickoffs, when the coverage team had a running start compared to the standing start of the new rule.“The goal was to have a fewer, lower injury rate on that play, and to make it seem more like a play from scrimmage, which has been accomplished by and large,” Miller said. “But we always knew that we were going to revisit this play as soon as we had more data on it, and with an almost 75% return rate this year, we have a whole lot of plays that we’ve been working through and a lot of people and we’ve been working really diligently on this because we think the results are heading into a really good direction. But we do need to address the injuries that we saw to the returner and to the tackler this year.”___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL</block>

The Latest: Regional powers to meet in Pakistan to discuss how to end Mideast fighting

condemned what it called “despicable terrorist attacks” by Iran’s militant groups, saying the strikes on Kurdish regional President Nechirvan Barzani’s residence in Irbil earlier that day were “a direct assault on Iraq’s sovereignty, stability and unity.” The attack caused material damage but no casualties, and the residence was empty at the time.Israeli strikes kill 17 in southern LebanonThe Lebanese health ministry said a strike Saturday evening on Hanniyeh town in Tyre province killed six Syr

Worries about global economic pain deepen as the war in Iran drags on

and Israeli attacks on Iran have driven up prices, darkened the outlook for the world economy, sent global stock markets reeling and forced developing countries to ration fuel and subsidize energy costs to protect their poorest.Ongoing strikes and counterstrikes on Persian Gulf refineries, pipelines, gas fields and tanker terminals threaten to the prolong the global economic pain for months, even years.“A week ago or certainly two weeks ago, I would have said: If the war stopped that day, the lo

Hacked hospitals, hidden spyware: Iran conflict shows how digital fight is ingrained in warfare

Many of those records appeared to be more than a decade old.It’s similar to a lot of the cyberattacks linked to pro-Iran hackers: splashy and designed to boost morale among supporters, while undermining the confidence of the opponent but without much impact to the war effort.Smith said these high-volume, low-impact attacks are “a way of telling people in other countries that you can still reach out and touch them even though they’re on a different continent. That makes them more of a

Actor James Tolkan of ‘Top Gun’ and ‘Back to the Future’ fame dies at 94

<block>James Tolkan, known for his roles as authoritarian figures in the “Back to the Future” and “Top Gun” films, has died. He was 94.Tolkan died Thursday in Lake Placid, New York, where he lived, his booking agent, John Alcantar, said Saturday. A brief obituary published on the “Back to the Future” website said Tolkan died “peacefully,” but no cause of death was given. In “Back to the Future,” Tolkan portrayed the bow tie-wearing vice principal Gerald Strickland, who eyeballed students for trouble in the halls of the fictitious Hill Valley High School — in particular Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox.“You got a real attitude problem, McFly,” Tolkan’s character says in the 1985 film. “You’re a slacker. You remind me of your father when he went here. He was a slacker, too.”Tolkan also appeared in “Top Gun” as commanding officer Tom “Stinger” Jardian. Near the end of the film, when Jardian asks Tom Cruise’s character, Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, about his choice for future duty, Mitchell replies that he wants to be a Top Gun instructor.“God help us,” Tolkan’s character replies, laughing.Born in Calumet, Michigan, Tolkan served in the Navy during the Korean War and eventually made his way to New York, where he spent a quarter century acting in theater roles. He was a member of the original ensemble cast of “Glengarry Glen Ross.”Tolkan is survived by his wife of 54 years, Parmelee Welles.</block>