Stocks drifted mostly lower on Wall Street and oil prices slipped ahead of planned U.S.-Iran talks following a shaky ceasefire agreement. The S&P 500 fell 0.1% Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.6%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.4%. Trading remained choppy ahead of high-level talks between negotiators from Iran and the U.S.

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) – The Cuban diplomatic mission in Ecuador left the country Friday after a 48-hour deadline given by the government of Daniel Noboa to depart expired. Before the diplomatic staff left, the Cuban flag was removed from the embassy located in northern Quito.

WASHINGTON (AP) – In 2011, President Barack Obama declared it was time for America to leave behind the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and “pivot” to Asia to counter the rise of China.

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) – Colombian and Ecuadorian truckers and merchants gathered at a border crossing Tuesday to protest an escalating trade war between both South American countries.

BUDAPEST (AP) – European leaders heaped praise on Péter Magyar after his stunning election victory in Hungary, not just for what the vibrant campaigner and the country’s next premier might do but who he is not – long-serving Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who many saw as a direct threat to the continent’s peace and prosperity.

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) – Ecuador declared Cuba’s ambassador, Basilio Antonio Gutiérrez, and his diplomatic staff “persona non grata” on Wednesday and gave them 48 hours to leave the South American country.

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) – Ecuador and the United States have begun joint military operations against organized crime groups in the South American country, the U.S. military said, but neither government has given details of the location and scope of the operation.