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%.

BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) – The president of the Central African Republic, Faustin-Archange Touadéra, was sworn in for a third term on Monday three months after a disputed general election.

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.

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) – A night attack on a community in Nigeria ‘s north-central region left at least 20 people dead, residents and authorities said. The attack occurred on Sunday night in Gari Ya Waye community in the Jos North area of Plateau state, Joyce Lohya Ramnap, the state commissioner for information, said in a statement.

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.

JUBA, South Sudan (AP) – Gunmen killed more than 70 people in South Sudan over a gold mining row on the outskirts of the capital over the weekend, police said Monday. A video of dozens of bodies lying on the ground was shared online, and a local journalist said many other victims are believed to have fled to the bushes.

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

GOMA, Congo (AP) – Congolese rapper Clem Cléopâtre took to the stage on the last day of a three-day music festival organized by women in Goma, firing up the crowd with rapid, punchy lyrics about social cohesion, peace, and unity.