NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. stocks rallied to the edge of their all-time high and crude oil prices eased. The S&P 500 rose 1.2% Tuesday, bringing the index within 0.2% of its record set in January. The Dow gained 0.7%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 2%.

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) – A court in Senegal has issued the first conviction under a new law increasing the punishment for homosexuality.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – The woman was furious. Standing in the muddy lane sloping up the hill in one of the Afghan capital’s poorer neighborhoods, she pulled her headscarf aside to reveal thick grey-white hair. “You see this hair? Even I with my white hair, I have to carry water.”

JUBA, South Sudan (AP) – The U.N. has expressed concern over violence in the strategic town of Akobo in South Sudan’ s Jonglei State, which was retaken by opposition forces after they ousted government troops.

ISLAMABAD (AP) – The standoff between the United States and Iran deepened Tuesday as the U.S. declared it had blockaded Iran’s ports, Tehran threatened to strike targets across the region, and Pakistan said it was racing to bring the sides together for more talks.

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) – The trial of a Ugandan man accused of killing four children began on Monday in a tent not far from where the crime was committed, after the president ordered a mobile court session that could be attended by locals.

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Iran war has stalled the world’s economic momentum this year, likely pushing growth lower compared to 2025, the International Monetary Fund warned Tuesday. The IMF downgraded its forecast for global growth to 3.1% in 2026 from the 3.3% it had forecast back in January.

COTONOU, Benin (AP) – Voters in Benin cast ballots Sunday to choose a successor to President Patrice Talon, who is stepping down after a decade in power, leaving a mixed legacy of economic growth, a growing jihadi insurgency in the north, and the suppression of opposition critics.