NEW YORK (AP) - Stocks rushed higher worldwide, and oil prices eased as hopes built that the war with Iran could end soon. The S&P 500 rose 0.7% and added to its leap from the day before, which was its best since last spring. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite jumped 1.2%.

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) – Eritrea on Friday withdrew from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, accusing the East African regional bloc of nations of acting against the country’s interests.

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump sought on Wednesday to explain his rationale for the war against Iran at a pivotal moment at home and abroad, but he offered few new details as he amasses extraordinary executive authority to prosecute the military operation.

ZWOLLE, Netherlands (AP) – A Dutch court opened a trial Monday of an Eritrean man accused of involvement in a brutal migrant smuggling network Prosecutors say Tewelde Goitom ran an operation bringing East African migrants to Europe under horrific conditions, demanding huge sums of money.

President Donald Trump said U.S. forces will keep hitting Iran “very hard” in the next two or three weeks and bring the country “back to the Stone Ages,” even as he touted the success of U.S. operations and argued that all of Washington’s objectives have so far been met or exceeded.

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) – Sexual violence against women and girls is being used as a weapon of war in Sudan ‘s fierce conflict between the military and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, international aid group Doctors Without Borders said in a report Tuesday.

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) – A parliamentary public hearing on proposed constitutional amendments that could extend the term of Zimbabwe’s 83-year-old president descended into chaos on Tuesday, underscoring rising tensions over the contentious changes.