European markets have opened lower after a retreat in Asia, where Japan’s Nikkei 225 index slumped 2.7% on heavy selling of semiconductor-related shares and other market heavyweights. Oil prices jumped after the state-run IRNA news agency reported that Iran fired air defense batteries early Friday morning, following reports of explosions near the city of Isfahan. On Thursday, U.S. stocks drifted to a mixed finish in quiet trading. The S&P 500 index fell 0.2%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.5% following a mixed set of profit reports from big companies.

Shoppers and workers have returned to a “really quiet” Sydney mall, where six days earlier an assailant stabbed six people to death in an attack that police believe targeted women. Westfield Bondi Junction mall had opened Thursday for a “community reflection day" while the shops inside the mall reopened Friday. There was a large police and security presence, with guards wearing black stab-proof vests posted on each level of the mall. Visitors numbered in the hundreds, but were fewer than the usual expected on a Friday during school holidays. One visitor said the atmosphere was somber and another said it was really quiet. Authorities said counseling services were available for retail workers and visitors.

Indonesian authorities closed an international airport and residents left homes near an erupting volcano due to spreading ash, falling rocks and the possibility of a tsunami. Mount Ruang on Sulawesi Island had five large eruptions Wednesday, and smoke emitted from the crater all day Thursday. More than 11,000 people were told to leave at-risk areas, and at least 800 have done so. Indonesia's volcanology center noted it's possible part of the volcano could collapse into the sea and cause a tsunami. Residents on an island east of the volcano were among those told to evacuate. Such a collapse caused a tsunami during a Mount Ruang eruption in 1871 and in the 2018 eruption at Anak Krakatau.

April 12-18, 2024

Five Japanese autoworkers have narrowly escaped an attack by a suicide bomber who detonated his explosive-laden vest near their vehicle in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi. The local police chief said the van carrying the Japanese nationals was heading to an industrial area where they worked at Pakistan Suzuki Motors when it was targeted Friday. He said guards escorting the Japanese workers returned fire after coming under attack and all the Japanese who were the target of the attack were safe. Another official said police were escorting the van after receiving reports of possible attacks targeting foreigners and that the timely response from guards and police foiled the attack.

April 12-18, 2024

Marijuana advocates are gearing up for April 20. Known as 4/20, marijuana's high holiday on Saturday is often marked by large crowds gathering in parks, at festivals and on college campuses to smoke together. This year activists can reflect on how far the legalization movement has come. Medical marijuana is now legal in 38 states. Of those, 24 also allow recreational use. Additionally, the Biden administration has shown an openness to marijuana reform. Biden has pardoned thousands of people with federal “simple possession” convictions. The Department of Health and Human Services has recommended marijuana be reclassified as a lower-schedule drug, which would affirm its medical use under federal law.