From front-page news to powerful moments you may have missed, this gallery showcases today’s top photos chosen by Associated Press photo editors.
Pro-government demonstrators chant slogans as they hold Iranian flags and a poster of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei in a gathering after announcement of a two-week ceasefire in the war with the United States and Israel, at the Enqelab-e-Eslami, or Islamic Revolution, Square, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Cincinnati Reds' Elly de la Cruz reacts after scoring on a wild pitch by Miami Marlins relief pitcher Anthony Bender during the ninth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
A man prepares to attach a name tag of a Buddhist who made donation to a lantern for the celebration of upcoming Buddha's birthday on May 24 at at Jogye temple in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
A child plays in a ball pit during an immersive exhibit at the Megapolis Outlets Center in Panama City, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A lion yawns in the savannah of the Maasai Mara in Narok, Kenya, Saturday, April 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Indigenous protesters set fire to skull sculptures representing lawmakers to protest Congress during the annual "Acampamento Terra Livre," or Free Land Encampment, Brazil's largest annual Indigenous mobilization that focuses on land rights and environmental protection, in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, left, and U.S. Vice President JD Vance gesture at the end of a pre-election rally in Budapest, Hungary, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)
Women ride on the back of a motorcycle over floodwaters after heavy rain in Lahore, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Mourners carry the flag-draped bodies of three members of the Gershovich family, killed when an Iranian missile struck their building, during their funeral in Haifa, Israel, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
A gunman fires his gun as men carry the coffins with the bodies of Pierre Mouawad, an official with the anti-Hezbollah Lebanese Forces party, and his wife during their funeral in Yahshush, in Lebanon, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
In this image provided by NASA, the Artemis II crew captured this view as the Earth sets behind the Moon during a lunar flyby, Monday, April 6, 2026. (NASA via AP)
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Pro-government demonstrators chant slogans as they hold Iranian flags and a poster of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei in a gathering after announcement of a two-week ceasefire in the war with the United States and Israel, at the Enqelab-e-Eslami, or Islamic Revolution, Square, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Cincinnati Reds' Elly de la Cruz reacts after scoring on a wild pitch by Miami Marlins relief pitcher Anthony Bender during the ninth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
A man prepares to attach a name tag of a Buddhist who made donation to a lantern for the celebration of upcoming Buddha's birthday on May 24 at at Jogye temple in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
A child plays in a ball pit during an immersive exhibit at the Megapolis Outlets Center in Panama City, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A lion yawns in the savannah of the Maasai Mara in Narok, Kenya, Saturday, April 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Indigenous protesters set fire to skull sculptures representing lawmakers to protest Congress during the annual "Acampamento Terra Livre," or Free Land Encampment, Brazil's largest annual Indigenous mobilization that focuses on land rights and environmental protection, in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, left, and U.S. Vice President JD Vance gesture at the end of a pre-election rally in Budapest, Hungary, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)
Women ride on the back of a motorcycle over floodwaters after heavy rain in Lahore, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Mourners carry the flag-draped bodies of three members of the Gershovich family, killed when an Iranian missile struck their building, during their funeral in Haifa, Israel, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
A gunman fires his gun as men carry the coffins with the bodies of Pierre Mouawad, an official with the anti-Hezbollah Lebanese Forces party, and his wife during their funeral in Yahshush, in Lebanon, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
In this image provided by NASA, the Artemis II crew captured this view as the Earth sets behind the Moon during a lunar flyby, Monday, April 6, 2026. (NASA via AP)
TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares surged in Wednesday morning trading, as oil prices plunged after the U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire that includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 5.0% to 56,106.18 in early trading. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 jumped 2.6% to 8,952.30. South Korea’s Kospi soared 5.9% to 5,819.97. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng surged 2.6% to 25,767.42, while the Shanghai Composite added 1.7% to 3,957.55.
Benchmark U.S. crude sank $16.84 to $96.11 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard dropped $14.51 to $94.76 a barrel.
That came as a reaction to the ceasefire as the recent spike in their prices was directly in response to the war, which had effectively blocked passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Much of the world's oil supply is transported through the strait, including oil headed to resource-poor Japan.
“Yet the mood remains one of cautious optimism rather than outright celebration. The ceasefire is only two weeks long, and markets will be watching closely to see whether shipping through the Strait of Hormuz normalizes as promised and whether the fragile truce can pave the way for a more durable peace agreement,” Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade, said.
Late Tuesday, Trump said he was holding off on his threatened attacks on Iranian bridges, power plants and other civilian targets. Iran’s foreign minister said passage through the strait would be allowed for the next two weeks under Iranian military management.
Global stocks have gyrated in recent weeks since the war began in late February. Trump's deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz came at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
Earlier on Wall Street, shares rallied at the end of trading after Pakistan’s prime minister urged Trump to extend his deadline for another two weeks and asked Iran to open up the strait. The S&P 500 erased all its losses and ended with a modest gain of 0.1%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 85 points, or 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite added 0.1%.
In the bond market, Treasury yields eased on word of a potential ceasefire. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.24% from 4.30% earlier Tuesday.
In currency trading, the U.S. dollar fell to 158.54 Japanese yen from 159.52 yen Wednesday. The euro cost $1.1671, up from $1.1597.
AP Business Writer Stan Choe in New York contributed to this report.
Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama
Currency traders work at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
U.S. President Donald Trump is seen on a screen as traders work at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A person walks by an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index in Tokyo Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (Yuya Shino/Kyodo News via AP)
John Mauro works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Ed Curran works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)