By JON GAMBRELL

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia could have some form of uranium enrichment within the kingdom under a proposed nuclear deal with the United States, congressional documents and an arms control group suggest, raising proliferation concerns as an atomic standoff between Iran and America continues.

U.S. Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden both tried to reach a nuclear deal with the kingdom to share American technology. Nonproliferation experts warn any spinning centrifuges within Saudi Arabia could open the door to a possible weapons program for the kingdom, something its assertive crown prince has suggested he could pursue if Tehran obtains an atomic bomb.

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Already, Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan signed a mutual defense pact last year after Israel launched an attack on Qatar targeting Hamas officials. Pakistan’s defense minister then said his nation’s nuclear program “will be made available” to Saudi Arabia if needed, something seen as a warning for Israel, long believed to be the Middle East’s only nuclear-armed state.

“Nuclear cooperation can be a positive mechanism for upholding nonproliferation norms and increasing transparency, but the devil is in the details,” wrote Kelsey Davenport, the director for nonproliferation policy at the Washington-based Arms Control Association.

The documents raise “concerns that the Trump administration has not carefully considered the proliferation risks posed by its proposed nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia or the precedent this agreement may set.”

Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to questions Friday from The Associated Press

Congressional report outlines possible deal

The congressional document, also seen by the AP, shows the Trump administration aims to reach 20 nuclear business deals with nations around the world, including Saudi Arabia. The deal with Saudi Arabia could be worth billions of dollars, it adds.

The document contends that reaching a deal with the kingdom “will advance the national security interests of the United States, breaking with the failed policies of inaction and indecision that our competitors have capitalized on to disadvantage American industry and diminish the United States standing globally in this critical sector.” China, France, Russia and South Korea are among the leading nations that sell nuclear power plant technology abroad.

The draft deal would see America and Saudi Arabia enter safeguard deals with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog. That would include oversight of the “most proliferation-sensitive areas of potential nuclear cooperation,” it added. It listed enrichment, fuel fabrication and reprocessing as potential areas.

The IAEA, based in Vienna, did not immediately respond to questions. Saudi Arabia is a member state to the IAEA, which promotes peaceful nuclear work but also inspects nations to ensure they don’t have clandestine atomic weapons programs.

“This suggests that once the bilateral safeguards agreement is in place, it will open the door for Saudi Arabia to acquire uranium enrichment technology or capabilities — possibly even from the United States,” Davenport wrote. “Even with restrictions and limits, it seems likely that Saudi Arabia will have a path to some type of uranium enrichment or access to knowledge about enrichment.”

Enrichment isn’t an automatic path to a nuclear weapon — a nation also must master other steps including the use of synchronized high explosives, for instance. But it does open the door to weaponization, which has fueled the concerns of the West over Iran’s program.

The United Arab Emirates, a neighbor to Saudi Arabia, signed what is referred to as a “123 agreement” with the U.S. to build its Barakah nuclear power plant with South Korean assistance. But the UAE did so without seeking enrichment, something nonproliferation experts have held up as the “gold standard” for nations wanting atomic power.

Saudi-US proposal comes amid Iran tensions

The push for a Saudi-U.S. deal comes as Trump threatens military action against Iran if it doesn’t reach a deal over its nuclear program. The Trump military push follows nationwide protests in Iran that saw its theocratic government launch a bloody crackdown on dissent that killed thousands and saw tens of thousands more reportedly detained.

In Iran’s case, it long has insisted its nuclear enrichment program is peaceful. However, the West and the IAEA say Iran had an organized military nuclear program up until 2003. Tehran also had been enriching uranium up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90% — making it the only country in the world to do so without a weapons program.

Iranian diplomats long have pointed to 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s comments as a binding fatwa, or religious edict, that Iran won’t build an atomic bomb. However, Iranian officials increasingly have made the threat they could seek the bomb as tensions have risen with the U.S.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s day-to-day ruler, has said if Iran obtains the bomb, “we will have to get one.”

The Associated Press receives support for nuclear security coverage from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Outrider Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

By ELAINE KURTENBACH, AP Business Writer

BANGKOK (AP) — European shares were higher Friday after a mixed day of trading in Asia, as worries over risks linked to massive investments in artificial intelligence and a potential U.S.-Iran conflict weighed on major benchmarks.

Germany’s DAX rose 0.2% to 25,103.32 and the CAC 40 in Paris was up 0.7% at 8,460.35. Britain’s FTSE 100 picked up 0.4% to 10,672.75.

The future for the S&P 500 was up 0.3% while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.2%.

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Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 fell 1.1% to 56,825.70 as shares in major banks and other financial institutions skidded on worries over the potential impact of weakening private credit companies that have lent to companies exposed to the risk that AI will steal away their businesses.

That includes market heavyweights like Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, which has a partnership with Blue Owl Capital, one such private-credit company. MUFJ’s shares dropped 2.2% in Tokyo after Blue Owl lost 5.9% on Thursday.

Toyota Motor Corp. fell 3.7% and Sony shed 3.2%.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng lost 1.1% to 26,413.35 as the market reopened following Lunar New Year holidays. Markets in mainland China and Taiwan remain closed until next week.

South Korea’s Kospi jumped 2.3% to a new record of 5,808.53, however, led by major defense contractors like Hanwha Aerospace, whose shares soared 6.4%. The company is one of many benefiting from a ramp up in military spending in many countries.

Elsewhere in the region, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 edged 0.1% lower to 9,081.40.

India’s Sensex added 0.7%, and the SET in Bangkok lost 1.1%.

On Thursday, the S&P 500 slipped 0.3%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.5% and the Nasdaq composite lost 0.3% to 22,682.73.

Booking Holdings dropped 6.1% for one of the market’s sharper losses, even though the company behind the Booking.com, Priceline and OpenTable brands reported a profit for the latest quarter that edged past analysts’ expectations.

It is one of many companies under pressure because of worries that competitors powered by artificial-intelligence technology could upend their industries and take away customers. Booking’s stock has lost roughly a quarter of its value so far this year already.

Walmart, meanwhile, pushed and pulled on the market after jumping to an early gain of 2.7% and then flipping to a loss of 1.4%. The retail giant delivered stronger results for the latest quarter than analysts expected, but it gave a profit forecast for the upcoming year that fell short of estimates.

Some of the bigger gains in the S&P 500 came from stocks of oil companies, which climbed with the price of crude. A barrel of benchmark U.S. crude rose 1.9%, while Brent added 1.9%. Crude prices have climbed to their highest level since early August as both the United States and Iran have signaled they are prepared for war if talks on Tehran’s nuclear program fizzle out.

Early Friday, U.S. benchmark crude shed early gains, falling 20 cents to $66.20 per barrel. Brent, the international standard, shed 17 cents to $71.49 per barrel.

Higher oil prices could lead the Federal Reserve to hold off on cuts to interest rates. Fed officials said at their last meeting that they want to see inflation fall further before they would support cutting rates further this year.

On the other hand, a report saying the number of U.S. workers applying for unemployment benefits eased could signal the pace of layoffs is slowing.

Other U.S. economic reports said that growth for manufacturing in the mid-Atlantic region is accelerating, but potential The U.S. trade deficit also widened in December by more than economists expected.

In other dealings early Friday, the dollar rose to 155.59 Japanese yen from 154.99 yen. The euro slipped to $1.1763 from $1.1775.

The price of gold rose 1% and the price of silver was up 2.7%.

Bitcoin’s price rose 1.9% to $68,135.

By PAN PYLAS

LONDON (AP) — Police continued on Friday to search the former home of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, a day after he was arrested and held in custody for the best part of 11 hours on suspicion of misconduct in public office linked to his friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Following one of the most tumultuous days in the modern history of Britain’s royal family, the former Prince Andrew is back at his new residence on the Sandringham estate, King Charles III ‘s private retreat, which is around 115 miles (185 kilometers) north of London.

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Police have concluded their search at Wood Farm, where Mountbatten-Windsor is living while waiting for his new home nearby, Marsh Farm, to be ready.

They are still searching Royal Lodge, his 30-room former home in the parkland near Windsor Castle, just west of the capital, where the king’s younger brother had lived for decades until his eviction earlier this month. Unmarked vans, believed to be police vehicles, have been entering the grounds throughout Friday morning.

Mountbatten-Windsor, who was pictured slouched in the back of his chauffeur-driven car following his release Thursday evening from a police station near Sandringham, remains under investigation, which means he has neither been charged nor exonerated by Thames Valley Police, the force responsible for areas west of London.

Arrest was years in the making

His arrest follows years of allegations over his links with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York prison in 2019. The accusation at the heart of his arrest is that Mountbatten-Windsor — who was known as Prince Andrew until October when his brother stripped him of his titles and honors and banished him from Royal Lodge — shared confidential trade information with the disgraced financier when he was a trade envoy for the U.K.

Specifically, emails released last month by the U.S. Department of Justice appeared to show Mountbatten-Windsor sharing reports of official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore.

One, dated November 2010, appeared to be forwarded by Andrew five minutes after he had received it. Another a few weeks later appeared to show him sending Epstein a confidential brief on investment opportunities in the reconstruction of Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

Thames Valley Police has previously said it was also reviewing allegations that a woman was trafficked to the U.K. by Epstein to have a sexual encounter with Andrew. Thursday’s arrest had nothing to do with that.

Other police forces are also conducting their own investigations into Epstein’s links to the U.K., including the assessment of flight logs at airports, large and small.

Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing in his association with Epstein but has not commented on the most recent allegations that have emerged with the release of the so-called Epstein files.

A journalist looks at today’s newspaper front pages in London, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026 after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested and held for hours by British police on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to his links to Jeffrey Epstein.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Arrest was sudden, investigation will take time

Police swept into the grounds of Mountbatten-Windsor’s home to arrest him at 8 a.m. Thursday — his 66th birthday — before taking him to Aylsham police station for questioning.

It’s not known what he told them. He may have said nothing, or “no comment,” as is his right.

Experts said that misconduct in a public office is notoriously difficult to prove.

“Firstly, it must be determined if Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was in a role within government that constitutes the title of public officer,” said Sean Caulfield, a criminal defense lawyer at Hodge Jones & Allen. “There is no standard definition to clearly draw on.”

The Crown Prosecution Service will ultimately make a decision about charging Mountbatten-Windsor, who remains eighth in line to the throne.

Andrew Gilmore, a partner at Grosvenor Law, said that prosecutors will apply the two-stage test known as the “Code for Crown Prosecutors.”

“That test is to determine whether there is a more realistic prospect of a conviction than not based on the evidence and whether the matter is in the public interest,” he said. “If these two tests are met, then the matter will be charged and proceed to court.”

FILE – Britain’s Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, looks round as he leaves after attending the Easter Matins Service at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, England, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

Arrest is not just unusual, it’s historic

Mountbatten-Windsor was the first royal since King Charles I nearly four centuries ago to be placed under arrest. That turned into a seismic moment in British history, leading to civil war, Charles’ beheading and the temporary abolition of the monarchy.

His arrest is undoubtedly one of the gravest crises to affect the House of Windsor since its establishment more than 100 years ago. Arguably, only the abdication of King Edward VIII in 1936 and the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997 have been as grave for the institution of the British monarchy in modern times.

Though the king and the royal family will carry out their normal duties as normal, the questions surrounding Mountbatten-Windsor will continue, not least because the investigations are likely to take time.

In a statement Thursday, the king said the “law must take its course,’’ but that as ”this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter.’’

FILE – Britain’s Prince Andrew, center, and his daughters Princess Eugenie, left, and Princess Beatrice leave Westminster Abbey after the wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton, in London, April 29, 2011. (AP Photo/Gero Breloer, File)

The allegations are not related to Epstein’s sex trafficking

The allegations being investigated Thursday are separate from those made by Virginia Giuffre, who claimed she was trafficked to Britain to have sex with the prince in 2001, when she was just 17. Giuffre died by suicide last year.

Reporters stand in front of Buckingham Palace in London, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026 after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested by British police on suspicion of misconduct in public office. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Still, Giuffre’s sister-in-law Amanda Roberts said that she was overjoyed when she got a phone call at 3 a.m. telling her the news of the arrest. But those feelings of elation were quickly complicated by the realization that she couldn’t share the feelings of “vindication” with Giuffre.

“We can’t tell her how much we love her, and that everything that she was doing is not in vain,” Roberts added tearfully.

When international hockey games go to a shootout, the same player is allowed to shoot again and again if that is what the coach prefers. That is a rule that forward Warroad High School star T.J. Oshie illustrated to the world a dozen years ago at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia.

With the Americans and Russians tied after overtime, the game went to a shootout, and Oshie served his country in one of the more memorable moments in Olympic hockey history. American coach Dan Bylsma sent Oshie out to face Russian goalie Sergei Bobrovsky six times, including the last five Team USA attempts in a row.

Bristol, CT – October 7, 2025 – Studio W: T.J. Oshie on the set of The Point prior to the opening night tripleheader Face-Off.

(Photo by Allen Kee / ESPN Images)

Oshie scored on four of them, ultimately winning the game.

Known for a dizzying array of shootout moves, Oshie’s go-to on that day was to aim for the gap between Bobrovsky’s knees, known in hockey parlance as the 5-hole.

Looking back, as he is asked to do every four years when the Winter Olympics come around, Oshie says his best memories from 2014 come from finally getting to play with all of the other American stars that he was usually tasked with stopping when he played against them early in his NHL career for the St. Louis Blues.

“It was almost a sense of relief, finally getting to bond with the American guys,” said Oshie, now 39 and living in the Minneapolis suburbs with his wife Lauren and their four children. “I played with them briefly in World Juniors but even then, I was a fourth line guy and a lot of the guys on our team were older.”

The American team returned home from Sochi without a medal, falling to Canada in the semifinals and losing bronze to the Finns, but Oshie’s status as a Team USA legend was cemented. He went on to win the Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals in 2018, and officially retired from the NHL last summer after recurring back problems kept hime on long term injured reserve for all of the 2024-25 season.

After three seasons of college hockey at North Dakota, Oshie played more than 1,000 games for the Blues and Capitals in addition to his work with USA Hockey. Of the players with 100 or more career shootout attempts, Oshie’s 47.1% scoring rate is best in NHL history.

Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin (8), of Russia, and T.J. Oshie (77) celebrate a power play goal by Ovechkin against the Minnesota Wild during the first period of an NHL hockey game Sunday, March 1, 2020, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Hannah Foslien)

Hockey homecoming

With family in Minnesota, the Oshies made the tough decision to sell their home in northern Virginia and permanently relocate to the Twin Cities last summer. Thus far, they are loving the move — winter weather and all.

“In D.C., you don’t have time to drop someone off and go home and then get back, so a lot of our afternoons were spent sitting at practices with other parents,” he said. “Here, it’s so easy to get around. I know people complain about Minnesota traffic, but it’s actually unbelievable. And here nobody watches practice, so I don’t know what to do with my time now.”

Oshie’s free time has been snapped up quickly. He has transitioned mostly seamlessly from the players’ bench to a spot between the benches, wearing a tie and a headset. Originally he was just going to work for ESPN on occasion, but his plate has been filled by Monumental Sports, the regional network that televises Capitals games, and NBC, which has made Oshie a part of its Olympic hockey broadcast team (he works remotely from a studio in on the East Coast).

Before that, Oshie was seen, briefly, in a Super Bowl commercial for Michelob ULTRA, appearing as a ski race spectator alongside Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim and renowned actor Kurt Russell, well-known for his portrayal of Herb Brooks in the 2004 movie, “Miracle.”

Oshie is the founder of Warroad Hockey Company, which has quickly become one of the NHL’s top suppliers of undergarments and outerwear. The company is named after the town where Oshie’s ancestors were hockey stars in the 1940s, and where he moved following his freshman year of high school and won state high school titles in 2003 and 2005.

New kind of pregame prep

For Oshie, the preparation and production work that goes into a hockey broadcast has been an eye opener. He credited well-known broadcasters such as Steve Levy and John Buccigross for their help and guidance in this new world.

“I’ve had a lot of great people around me, just like in hockey, both at ESPN and at Monumental,” Oshie said. “Along with talent coaches and producers and coordinating producers, I’m super fortunate and super lucky that all these people helped me along the way to try to be competitive at being on TV. I want to be the best I can be and give the fans the best insight I can.”

He admits to accentuating the positive, more apt to point out a good play made by an offensive player to steal the point than to highlight a defensive player’s error in coughing it up. For new co-workers like Levy, who has been with ESPN more than three decades, the new guy has been a welcomed addition to the broadcast team.

“He’s got an infectious personality and a smile that sort of lights up on TV,” Levy said. “The first night we had him in studio we had a triple-header. We were in a break and he looks over and was all bewildered, and a mess. He said, ‘I’ve never watched this much hockey in my life.’ And that was the first night. Welcome to the grind.”

Bobrovsky has backstopped the last two Stanley Cup titles won by the Florida Panthers, and all these years later, Oshie admits that the two have never actually spoken. But they did have one memorable on-ice reunion in March 2017 when Oshie’s Capitals hosted Bobrovsky’s Columbus Blue Jackets. With the game tied after overtime, Oshie took the ice to face Bobrovsky with a chance to win the game.

“I honestly feel a little bad about it … but I scored 5-hole on him again,” Oshie said. “It was a little rude. I could’ve done something else, but I said, ‘I’m just going to try it again. If he saves it, good for him.’ It had worked before, and I did score 5-hole on him after the Olympics.”

In the Olympics, in the NHL, with his family and now in the broadcast booth, Oshie continues to get the job done.

USA forward T.J. Oshie prepares to take a shot against Russia goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky during a shootout in a men’s ice hockey game at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. Oshie scored the winning goal and the USA won 3-2. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

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