Spirit Airlines begins 'wind-down', cancels all flights

BOZEMAN,MT- Presley Whitaker, the wife of Montana State Head Rodeo Coach Kyle Whitaker was in a incident involving a horse.

Kyle Whitaker posted to Facebook that his wife got a rope wrapped around her arm and was drugged until she a fence, her job was broken and her hand was severed. He went on to say that she was flown to Salt Lake City, they attempted to reattach her hand but unfortunately the damage had already been done. He added his thanks to families who supported him in the immediate aftermath.

The rodeo team posted online they are working on an official fundraising page to support the family. When more information is available we will update this web copy.

Just yesterday, Kyle Whitaker was named Big Sky Coach of the year. The team made it congratulations post, and acknowledged the injury, asking for prayers.

This is a developing story, updates will be made here. 

Strasbourg could this week reach the first European final in their history, at the end of a turbulent season for the club which belongs to the same BlueCo consortium that owns Chelsea.

The team coached by Englishman Gary O'Neil host Rayo Vallecano at their Stade de la Meinau on Thursday in the second leg of their Conference League semi-final, looking to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first meeting.

Neither team has made it to the last four of a European competition before, and the winner will progress to the final in the German city of Leipzig on May 27 against Crystal Palace or Shakhtar Donetsk.

Not so long ago, the prospect of lifting a European trophy would have felt like a pipe dream for Strasbourg fans.

The club from a city which sits on France's border with Germany and is the seat of the European Parliament, have been French champions just once, in 1979.

Before this campaign, their best run in Europe came in 1980, when they lost to Ajax in the European Cup quarter-finals, although there was a memorable win against Liverpool in the UEFA Cup in 1997.

But the involvement of BlueCo in all of this is a point of tension for Strasbourg's supporters.

"We needed someone to accompany us to get to this step," the club's president Marc Keller, an ex-Strasbourg player, told RMC radio after the team beat German side Mainz in the last round.

He pointed out that Strasbourg were languishing in the regional, amateur fourth and fifth tiers of French football 15 years ago, after running into financial difficulties and going into liquidation.

They returned to Ligue 1 in 2017 after almost a decade away, and had managed to establish themselves again in the top flight.

However, Strasbourg hardly looked like becoming competitors in Europe before BlueCo took over in June 2023, a year after buying Chelsea.

"We were conscious that we had gone as far as we could with our existing model," insisted Keller.

- Silent protests -

Significant money has since been invested in new players, and Strasbourg qualified for this edition of the Conference League after an exciting last campaign under English coach Liam Rosenior.

Some talented players have come to Strasbourg from Chelsea, albeit mostly on loan, but what fans have noticed above all is something else: if a player or coach does really well in Alsace, the chances are they will soon be off to Stamford Bridge.

In September, Dutch striker Emmanuel Emegha, Strasbourg's captain, announced he would join Chelsea next season, upsetting many fans.

In January, Chelsea decided to poach Rosenior, whose own comments did little to calm the anger among supporters.

"I hope the fans are proud in a way that somebody who's worked here has been identified to be the manager of a Champions League-winning club and current club world champions," he suggested.

He was replaced by O'Neil, under whom Strasbourg have already lost in the French Cup semi-finals.

"Thursday's game is the biggest in the club's history. We will need the same support and energy that we got against Mainz," said O'Neil.

The problem is that the club's most vociferous supporters have, since last season, chosen to express their displeasure at the ownership by staging a silent protest in the first 15 minutes of matches.

What is happening at Strasbourg is "what the future could look like for the vast majority of clubs," said Ultra Boys 90, a leading supporters group, in an open letter earlier this year.

"They will be relegated to the role of feeder teams, without their own resources, with no soul and no link to where they come from."

The silent protest is expected to take place as usual on Thursday, even if Ultra Boys 90 are calling on fans to gather ahead of kick-off to welcome the team bus to the ground.

The stadium has been recently renovated, with a huge new main stand having taken capacity to around 32,000.

It is almost always sold out now, but many of the fans who fill it are unhappy, or at least conflicted, about the direction in which the club is heading.

Even if they might be heading for a European final, with the chance of lifting a trophy won last season by none other than Chelsea.

as/bc

On May 8, 2025, Robert Francis Prevost became the first pope from the United States, taking the name Leo XIV. 

Here are five things to know about his first year as head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.

- Understatement, tradition - 

Leo has an understated style which contrasts that of his Argentine predecessor Francis, who was known for his spontaneous and at times fiery temperament. 

Equally at ease in Italian and Spanish as his native English, the American rarely offers off-the-cuff remarks. He listens, consults and prefers long-term reflection over swift decision-making. 

The 70-year-old has revived several traditions abandoned by Francis, such as wearing the red mozzetta, or short cape, for formal occasions.

He has also moved back into the papal apartments in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace, which Francis rejected in favour of a more modest Vatican guesthouse, and has resumed the use of the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo.

- Social priorities - 

In line with his 19th-century namesake Leo XIII, who championed workers' rights during the Industrial Revolution, the pope has warned repeatedly of the challenges posed by the new technological revolution, specifically artificial intelligence. 

He has warned that AI can lead to "social control" and has denounced the ravages on the environment caused by the search for rare earth metals needed in technological devices. 

Leo's first major publication, "Dilexi Te", put the fight against poverty at the centre of the Catholic Church's mission.

During a recent tour of Africa, he denounced inequality, corruption, and the unjust exploitation of natural resources by "tyrants". 

Like Francis, and in keeping with the two decades he spent as a missionary in Peru, Leo has also made the plight of migrants a key part of his agenda. This summer, he will visit two landing points for arrivals from Africa, Spain's Canary Islands and Italy's Lampedusa.

- Fraught relationship with Trump - 

For the past month, Leo's papacy has been dominated by a clash with US President Donald Trump.

At first, he left it to US bishops to speak out against the administration's policies, only directly criticising Trump's immigration clampdown after several months.

His anti-war rhetoric has been growing since January and culminated in his condemnation of Trump's threat to destroy Iran as "truly unacceptable".

The US president slammed the pontiff as "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy" -- to which Leo replied that he had a "moral duty to speak out".

Observers said the episode marked a turning point, cementing the pope's refusal to allow himself to be used for political ends.

- The challenge of unity - 

Faced with ongoing tensions within the Catholic Church between conservative and reformist factions, the pope has multiplied his appeals for unity, reflected in his motto: "In Illo uno unum" (One in Christ). 

By allowing the return of the Latin mass in St Peter's Basilica, Leo reached out to traditionalists. 

To address criticism dating from Francis's time that the pope ruled unilaterally, Leo has also sought the input of more voices.

He summoned cardinals from around the world to Rome for two councils -- one in January, another in June -- to involve them more closely in the Church's major decisions.

He has nonetheless faced challenges to his authority, including from the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, a traditionalist Catholic community which has threatened to ordain new bishops without Vatican approval. 

- Tennis and White Sox -

Behind the gravity of his office, Leo cultivates ordinary tastes that make him more relatable -- he is a fan of tennis and swimming and wears a smartwatch under his cassock. 

Although he no longer goes to the gym, he continues to indulge his love of sport on Tuesdays, his day off, at Castel Gandolfo. 

A proud Chicago native, Leo remains a loyal supporter of the White Sox baseball team, happily echoing the team's slogans when they are shouted out by passers-by during papal drive-bys. 

The mathematics graduate never skips his daily game of Wordle, an online game in which players must guess a word in six attempts, competing with his brother John. 

cmk/ams/ar/ide

David Attenborough, a leading voice on climate change and biodiversity loss whose landmark documentaries transformed popular understanding of the natural world for a global audience, marks his 100th birthday on Friday.

Attenborough's natural history series, such as "Life on Earth", in which he had a famous encounter with mountain gorillas in Rwanda, have brought the most remote corners of the planet into living rooms worldwide.

"He's taken us all to places that we would never otherwise go. That's a huge gift," botanist Sandra Knapp, director of research at London's Natural History Museum, told AFP.

The BBC is leading the celebration of the Briton's centenary with a full week of programming dedicated to his life.

Classic episodes of series including "Planet Earth II" and "Blue Planet II" are being reshown along with others such as "Life in the Freezer" and "Paradise Birds" available on the BBC's iPlayer service.

The centrepiece will be a 90-minute live show on his birthday from London's Royal Albert Hall.

Knapp said Attenborough's programmes had "expanded people's horizons" and been an inspiration to many.

Jean-Baptiste Gouyon, professor of science communication at University College London (UCL), said Attenborough had made natural history as popular as football.

Attenborough's programmes succeeded in instilling in the public an unparallelled passion and wonder for the natural world, said Gouyon.

Attenborough's lifelong passion for the natural world began as child, and he went on to study geology and zoology at university.

Prince William, heir to the UK throne, has described him as a "national treasure". Attenborough was also a firm favourite of the late Queen Elizabeth II, who knighted him in 1985.

Showing Attenborough's cross-generational appeal, US singer-songwriter Billie Eilish has praised his "deep love and knowledge of our planet", adding: "The animal kingdom brings out the childlike curiosity within us all."

- Mountain gorillas -

Attenborough has often reflected on his "luck" in being able to "find and film rare creatures that few outsiders have seen in the wild".

And he has said he has been able "to gaze on some of the most marvellous spectacles that the wild places of the world have to offer".

In 2006, he added his voice to those raising the alarm on climate change and biodiversity loss.

He declared himself "no longer sceptical" about the issue, having waited for conclusive proof that humanity was changing the climate.

Attenborough's broadcasting career spanning nearly eight decades has been closely associated with the BBC, which he joined in the early 1950s.

"Life on Earth", released in 1979, has alone been watched by 500 million people worldwide, while dozens of documentaries and associated books have made him a household name.

Recalling the series' highlight, when he unexpectedly found himself up close with a group of mountain gorillas, Attenborough described the experience as "bliss" and "extraordinary".

"I was simply transported," he said ahead of his centenary, reliving how the adult female twisted his head and looked straight into his eyes and her two youngsters sat on him as the cameras rolled.

- 'Modern colonialism' -

Still making documentaries well into his nineties, he used his 2025 film "Ocean" to condemn the industrial fishing methods of wealthy nations, which he called "modern colonialism at sea".

Despite his fame, the broadcaster -- whose brother was the late actor and film director Richard Attenborough -- has always refused to be seen as a celebrity.

Gouyon said Attenborough always made sure to direct the viewer's gaze back to the subject matter.

On the threat to the natural world, Attenborough has said he hopes humanity will be able to change course.

"Perhaps the fact that the people most affected by climate change are no longer some imagined future generation, but young people alive today... will give us the impetus we need to rewrite our story, to turn this tragedy into a triumph," he said at the UN Climate Summit in Glasgow in 2021.

"We are, after all, the greatest problem-solvers to have ever existed on Earth," he said.

At 100, Attenborough no longer wanders the world's jungles and deserts.

But he has continued to tell the story of the planet closer to home.

In "Wild London", broadcast in early 2026, he marvels at the wildlife of the British capital, his birthplace, from foxes and beavers to hedgehogs and harvest mice.

After all his travels, he has confided that his favourite place remains Richmond, an affluent and leafy suburb in southwest London.

He has lived in the riverside town for many years, and still resides in the family home he shared with his late wife Jane and their two children.

ctx-har/jkb/jhb

A man accused of murdering 15 people in an antisemitic mass shooting at Australia's Bondi Beach is facing a raft of fresh charges, court records released Wednesday showed. 

Naveed Akram is accused of opening fire as families thronged Bondi Beach for a Hanukkah celebration in December. 

The 24-year-old has already been charged with dozens of serious crimes, including 15 murders and committing an act of terrorism.

Court records showed he is now facing 19 additional charges, including multiple counts of shooting with intent to murder, wounding with intent to murder, and discharging a firearm with intent to resist arrest.

Akram, who is being held in a high-security prison, is yet to indicate how he will plead.  

His father and alleged co-conspirator Sajid, 50, was shot and killed by police during the assault. 

The charges were released after a sweeping inquiry opened public hearings into Australia's deadliest mass shooting for 30 years.

"The sharp spike of antisemitism that we have witnessed in Australia has been mirrored in other Western countries and seems clearly linked to events in the Middle East," inquiry chief Virginia Bell said in opening remarks earlier this week.

"It's important that people understand how quickly those events can prompt ugly displays of hostility towards Jewish Australians simply because they are Jews."

The mass shooting has sparked national soul-searching about antisemitism and widespread anger over the failure to shield Jewish Australians from harm.

Australia announced a suite of gun law reforms following the shootings, including a nationwide gun buyback scheme.

- 'Meticulously planned' -

The buyback scheme has since stalled as the federal government struggles to convince Australia's states and territories to sign on.

Naveed Akram was flagged by Australia's intelligence agency in 2019, but he slipped off the radar after it decided that he posed no imminent threat.

Police documents released following the attack said he and his father had carried out "firearms training" in what was believed to be the New South Wales countryside prior to the shooting.

They said the suspects "meticulously planned" the attack for months, releasing pictures showing them firing shotguns and moving in what they described as a "tactical manner".

The pair also recorded a video in October railing against "Zionists" while sitting in front of a flag of the Islamic State jihadist group and detailing their motivations for the attack, police said.

sft/djw/tc

A group of 13 Australians related to alleged Islamic State jihadists is returning home from Syria, Australian authorities said Wednesday, warning some will face arrest.

The four women and nine children, who had been living in Roj camp in Syria, are expected to land in Sydney and Melbourne airports on Thursday, according to local media.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said he received an alert Wednesday morning when the group's travel booking was made.

"The government is not assisting and will not assist these individuals," he told a news conference.

"They made an appalling, disgraceful decision. If any of these individuals find their way back to Australia, if they have committed crimes, they can expect to face the full force of the law, without exception."

Police said they collected evidence in Syria as they investigated whether Australians had committed crimes under Australian law, including travelling to a prohibited area and engaging in slave trade.

"Some individuals will be arrested and charged," Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said.

She did not indicate when they would be arrested, and said others in the group will remain under investigation.

"Children who return in the cohort will be asked to undergo community integration programmes, therapeutic support, and countering violent extremism programmes," she added.

- 'Horrific choice' -

The Australian government has issued an exclusion order preventing another woman in the Syrian camp from entering Australia.

"These are people who have made what is a horrific choice to join a dangerous terrorist organisation and to place their children in an extraordinary situation," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters.

Australia's Human Rights Commission president Hugh de Kretser in March urged the government to support the return of 34 Australian women and children living in the Roj camp, where they have been held for seven years, noting Australian citizens had previously returned from the camp in 2019, 2022 and last year.

Australia made it an offence to travel to the Islamic State's stronghold of Raqqa province in Syria between 2014 and 2017, an attempt to stop its citizens joining the militant group.

A woman who returned from Syria in 2022 was later charged by Australian police with entering a terrorist controlled area.

Around 2,000 foreign national women and children remain living in Roj camp, displaced after the collapse of Islamic State in March 2019, Syrian officials said in March.

kln/djw/tc

With provocative songs and glittering performances, the Eurovision Song Contest's festive 70th edition in Vienna next week will be held under tight security in the shadow of controversy sparked by Israel's participation.

The world's biggest live televised music event will bring together participants from 35 countries -- the fewest since entry was expanded in 2004 -- with several countries having pulled out over Israel's war in Gaza.

The semifinals on Tuesday and Thursday will yield an initial selection ahead of Saturday's grand final at a Vienna concert hall.

Some 95,000 tickets have been sold to fans from 75 countries around the world, with "strong demand" in the United States, Australia, Brazil, Japan and South Africa, according to the organiser, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

In 2025, 166 million viewers heard the opening bars of the legendary Eurovision theme, Marc-Antoine Charpentier's "Te Deum", according to EBU data.

- 'No politics' -

Bookmakers have placed Finland, Greece, Denmark, Australia and France as favourites to win.

Folkloric trends pushed by many eastern European countries in the past to assert their post-Soviet identity are less present this year, with Moldova among the exceptions.

Australia's decision to send accomplished singer Delta Goodrem, 41, has aroused strong media curiosity.

Romanian entrant Alexandra Capitanescu has added controversy in the run-up to the contest with her song "Choke Me", criticised for allegedly promoting strangulation during sex.

Capitanescu, 22, said the song "was never intended to represent anything sexual" and that the lyrics "are about taking back control over anxiety and emotions that are choking you".

Provocation is in line with the contest's "Eurotrash" tradition, or a "playful challenge of the good taste by the bad taste," said Cardiff University expert Galina Miazhevich.

Just like every year, many performers sing in English but the contest also features numerous different languages.

New rules approved in 2024 "put the onus on the artists not to politicise the contest", Eurovision historian Dean Vuletic told AFP, adding those who disobey the rule could face sanctions.

- 'Complex challenge' -

While Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania are returning to the Eurovision stage, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain will snub the contest this year in protest at Israel's participation.

More than 1,000 artists have also urged a boycott.

Protesters are planning to mobilise outside the venue against the war in Gaza, where Israel launched a military offensive in retaliation for the October 7, 2023, attack carried out by Hamas on its territory.

Among dozens of protesters who gathered last month in a Vienna rally, 67-year-old Ernst Wolrab told AFP he disagreed with this "international platform" being offered to the Israeli government to "legitimise" its actions.

Hosting Eurovision is a "complex challenge," Vienna's deputy police chief Dieter Csefan told AFP as police prepared to protect the delegations and guard festivities held across the city.

Austria, a central European country of 9.2 million people, already hosted the event 11 years ago, but the global situation has changed since then, added Csefan, who also cited a growing risk of cyberattacks.

He said Austria was working closely with the FBI to address any cyber threats.

He added that Vienna police had "experience in organising major events" as the Austrian capital -- home to several international organisations -- hosts many conferences.

In 2024, American star Taylor Swift cancelled her concerts in Austria following a terror plot that was foiled with the help of US intelligence.

For Eurovision, authorities have thoroughly vetted the profiles of some 16,000 staff involved, and equipment transported to the venue, the Stadthalle, has been meticulously scanned.

bg-frj/jza/rlp

Vacuum cleaners and vapes could get more expensive if the Iran war drags on for much longer, Chinese factory owners and traders warn, as the world's manufacturing hub reels from "crazy" costs.

Weeks of US-Israeli strikes on Iran and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz have choked Asia's oil supply, stymieing the production of plastic -- derived from oil -- across the region.

Manufacturing giant China has been comparatively sheltered from fuel shortages thanks to oil reserves and renewable energy, but local factories are picking up a ballooning raw materials bill.

"Basically, we've been losing money on all our orders," said Bryant Chen, a manager at vacuum cleaner factory RIMOO in southern Guangdong province's Foshan.

The price of plastic has risen roughly 50 percent since before the Iran war, Chen told AFP as workers behind him fastened suction tubes to metal tanks.

"The costs of the products that we are making are being very greatly affected," the 42-year-old said, listing plastic, copper for the vacuum's motor and raw materials in its power cords.

"Typically at this time we'd be entering peak season, but compared to the same period previously, shipment and production data aren't very optimistic." 

Two hours away, plastic traders in storage hub Zhangmutou said price fluctuations were the worst they've seen in decades.

"It has never been this crazy," said Li Dong, 46, who entered the industry two decades ago.

The plastic, rice-sized pellets he buys for local phone case and EV battery factories jumped wildly in March, triggering days of panic that jammed the small town's roads as factories rushed to stock up.

- 'Mutual state of decline' -

Exporters in Zhangmutou showed AFP a vast range of products their pellets would become, including drones and badminton birdies.

One trader sifted through pink, green and purple beads that she said would be moulded into e-cigarette casings sold in the Middle East.

The Iran war has hit plastic production even harder than bottlenecks caused by the Covid pandemic, when ships could not come and go from China, Li said.

Some sellers cashed in on the plastic panic, he added, fighting to take advantage of surging costs.

Li said the price of plastic had dropped around 10 to 20 percent from its height, but he cautioned against further oil hold-ups.

"The factories we supply to will suffer the most because their direct costs will rise," he said.

For exporters, the Middle East crisis has added to the hangover still lingering from Donald Trump's sweeping global tariffs last year.

The US Supreme Court struck down those levies as illegal, but tolls on Chinese goods entering the US still sit at around 20 percent.

On the outskirts of Guangzhou, one garment factory owner lamented the chaos triggered by the US President's trade war.

Overseas clients are afraid to place orders, while Chinese manufacturers cannot pin down changing costs.

"As a result, everyone is in a mutual state of decline," garment boss Zhou, 55, said.

While 80 percent of his clients have returned, the fabrics scattered on his factory floor made into sweatpants headed for Europe and North America have risen 10 to 20 percent in cost due to the Middle East war.

As overseas orders dropped, seamsters went months without a job.

- 'Tensions rise, orders disappear' -

Migrant worker Jingjing returned to her hometown in Hubei province for two months, where she made half the 400 yuan ($60) she now earns in Guangzhou's garment factories.

"When tensions rise... orders suddenly disappear," the 42-year-old said.

But this year she said she always has something to do.

In a damp back alley, Jingjing joined job-seekers milling about leisurely, haggling for higher wages while garment bosses perched on scooters brandished hiring signs, desperate for day labourers.

Chen, the vacuum factory manager, said he was "still worried" about surging shipping costs should the Iran war drag on.

"If shipping costs rise, it will cause the final costs for our customers to increase sharply," he said. 

They "will have no way to sell normally, because the costs are just too high".

Chen said RIMOO plans to expand to other markets beyond the Middle East where around 60 percent of its customers are based.

"We are still optimistic," he said. "The market demand still exists."

But analysts warn the war's impact on costs will be felt for months.

"The problem is all of these costs will filter through the supply chains for the rest of the year," said supply chain consultant Cameron Johnson.

"The longer it goes on, that kind of cascades into much bigger problems, particularly if there's not enough oil in general to run stuff."

mya/dhw/dan

New Zealand, which attracts millions of tourists each year with its pristine nature and spectacular landscapes, is facing a legal challenge over "magical thinking" in its climate promises.

After unravelling a string of green policies since it came to power in 2023, the right-leaning government is accused of relying too heavily on unproven future technologies to meet its legally binding carbon emission targets.

Lawyers for Climate Action and the Environmental Law Initiative took Climate Change Minister Simon Watts to court in March, arguing the government was not doing enough.

Watts has declined to comment because the matter is before the courts, with a decision due later this year.

New Zealand's goal, enshrined in law, is to have net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, excluding methane produced by waste and agriculture. 

Wellington sets five-yearly targets to meet its goal, which was passed overwhelmingly by lawmakers in 2019.

Lawyers for Climate Action co-founder James Every-Palmer, a senior barrister, told AFP the five-yearly climate budgets were "an extremely important part of the parliamentary response to climate change".

But the centre-right ruling coalition has rolled back key climate policies put in place by the previous Labour government of Jacinda Ardern.

- Law and magic -

It cancelled a clean car discount incentivising electric vehicle uptake, reversed a ban on oil and gas exploration, and began a fast-track scheme for mining permits.

In January 2025, the government said it aimed to reduce carbon emissions by 51 percent from 2005 levels by 2035 -- barely changed from a 50-percent cut targeted for 2030.

Every-Palmer said Wellington now risked missing its legislated targets, and exceeding its so-called climate budget.

"The minister has a legal obligation to ensure that the budget's met," he said. 

"The government's own analysis was that effectively it was a coin-toss chance that we would meet the targets."

Instead, it has announced an "adaptive management policy", which Every-Palmer characterised as meaning that "if things are going off the rails, we will look at what we can do at the time".

That risks waiting to do something until it is too late to stay on track for the 2050 goal, he said.

"It's fine to have policies that you implement if you need them, but they have to be real policies," he said. 

"They can't be just magical thinking that we'll come up with something at the time."

He and other campaigners argue the government is relying too heavily on theoretical technologies to mitigate climate change.

He cited Wellington's decision to invest in science and businesses seeking to build methane-reducing, carbon capture, and green hydrogen technologies in the future.

- 'Back to reality' -

The case is part of a growing body of climate litigation around the world, with courts from South Korea to Germany pushing governments to take climate change more seriously.

The German decision in 2021 found the government's plans were unconstitutional because they relied too much on future developments, leaving much of the emissions-cutting burden to the next generation.

"The law generally doesn't have much truck with magic," said Jenny Cooper, another senior barrister and co-founder of Lawyers for Climate Action. 

"That's one of the reasons why we see litigation as quite a good way to air these issues and bring them back to reality."

bes/djw/sah/fox

Oil prices extended losses and stocks rallied Wednesday on fresh hopes for an end to the Iran war and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, while Samsung blasted past the $1 trillion valuation mark as the AI tech boom continued apace.

Investors welcomed Donald Trump's decision to pause efforts to help stranded ships through the crucial waterway, which drew Iranian attacks, threatening an already fragile ceasefire.

The US president, who had been quoted as warning that Iran would be "blown off the face of the Earth" if it attacked US ships, appeared to take a more conciliatory tone Tuesday.

"Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed," he wrote in a social media post.

He cited "the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran" for the decision, adding that it came at the request of mediator Pakistan. 

The US blockade of Iranian ports remained, however.

The announcement came hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the offensive side of the US campaign, called "Operation Epic Fury", had concluded.

"The operation is over -- Epic Fury -- as the president notified Congress. We're done with that stage of it," Rubio told reporters at the White House.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth had said the United States was "not looking for a fight", but warned attacks would face "overwhelming and devastating" force.

Oil prices sank around four percent Tuesday, and on Wednesday they continued to fall, with West Texas Intermediate briefly dipping below $100 a barrel.

The cheaper oil prices provided support to equities, with investors taking their cue from another record day for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq, fuelled again by tech firms.

Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Wellington, Taipei, Manila and Jakarta were all up.

"Investors found some reassurance in comments from President Donald Trump... despite ongoing disruption to shipping routes," said Fiona Cincotta, a senior market analyst at City Index.

"Investors are also finding some reassurance in the fact that the diplomatic push to resolve the conflict continues."

She added that strong US earnings were also boosting risk appetite as they had largely been in line with forecasts.

However, she added: "Sentiment remains vulnerable. Even US entities could face serious headwinds should the Strait of Hormuz remain closed for an extended period."

The standout performer was Seoul's Kospi index, which piled on more than five percent to pass 7,000 points for the first time.

That came on the back of an eye-watering surge by Samsung, which rocketed as much as 12 percent to hit a market capitalisation of more than $1 trillion thanks to huge demand for its AI chips.

That makes it just the second Asia firm after Taiwan's TSMC to reach the figure.

Rical SK hynix soared around 10 percent.

Samsung's shares have risen around 300 percent over the past year as the AI boom boosts South Korean growth.

- Key figures at around 0230 GMT -

West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 1.6 percent at $100.62 a barrel

Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 1.7 percent to $108.06 a barrel

Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.9 percent at 26,128.13

Shanghai - Composite: UP 1.1 percent at 4,157.29

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: Closed for a holiday

Dollar/yen: DOWN at 157.73 yen from 157.85 yen on Tuesday

Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1721 from $1.1696

Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3574 from $1.3544

Euro/pound: DOWN at 86.35 pence from 86.36 pence

New York - Dow: UP 0.7 percent at 49,298.25 (close)

London - FTSE 100: DOWN 1.4 percent at 10,219.11 (close)

dan/fox