NEW YORK (AP) - More drops for technology stocks weighed on Wall Street Wednesday. The S&P 500 fell 0.5% for its fifth modest loss in the last six days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 260 points, or 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 1.5%. More than twice as many stocks rose within the S&P 500 than fell, but sinking technology stocks weighed on the index.

PANAMA CITY (AP) – Latin American leaders, who gathered for a development forum Wednesday, called for regional unity in the face of increasing political polarization and the recent U.S. intervention in Venezuela.

MOSCOW (AP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping held a video call Wednesday to discuss the burgeoning economic cooperation between Moscow and Beijing and their relations with the United States. The Kremlin leader accepted an invitation to visit China twice this year.

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) – Trump-backed businessman Nasry Asfura was sworn in Tuesday as president of Honduras, and pledged to create jobs, crack down on crime and improve key social services like education and health care.

The Washington Post laid off one-third of its staff Wednesday, eliminating its sports section, several foreign bureaus in a widespread purge that represented a brutal blow to journalism and one of its most legendary brands. The Post’s executive editor, Matt Murray, called the move painful but necessary and said “We can’t be everything to everyone”.

WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. imposed sanctions on five Costa Ricans and five Costa Rican entities for allegedly helping to transport tons of cocaine from Colombia, storing the drugs in Costa Rica, then shipping them to the U.S. and Europe.

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) – The death toll from suspected gangsters’ attacks on Guatemalan police rose to nine Monday, as Guatemalans awoke to heavier security and curtailed rights after President Bernardo Arévalo declared a state of emergency.