NEW YORK (AP) - The U.S. stock market roared back, as technology stocks recovered and bitcoin halted its plunge, at least for now. The S&P 500 jumped 2% Friday for its best day since May. The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared roughly 1,200 points and topped the 50,000 level for the first time, while the Nasdaq composite rallied 2.2%.

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) – Despite Costa Rica’s highest homicide rates occurring under outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves, Costa Ricans appeared poised to throw their support to his handpicked successor Laura Fernández in Sunday’s presidential election to continue Chaves’ efforts to tackle the crime.

WASHINGTON (AP) – House lawmakers tried Monday to interview Ghislaine Maxwell, but the former girlfriend and confidant of Jeffrey Epstein invoked her Fifth Amendment rights to avoid answering questions that would be self-incriminating.

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.

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) – Olympic fans came to Cortina with heavy winter coats and gloves. Those coats were unzipped Sunday and gloves pocketed as snow melted from rooftops – signs of a warming world.

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.

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

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.