NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. stocks are flirting with a record Wednesday following their big rally the last two weeks on hopes that the global economy can avoid a worst-case scenario. The S&P 500 rose 0.8%  The Dow Jones was down 52 points, or 0.1%, as of 3:09 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.4% higher.

ANNABA, Algeria (AP) – Pope Leo XIV walked Tuesday in the footsteps of his spiritual father, St. Augustine, making a pilgrimage to the archaeological ruins in Algeria where the fifth-century titan of early Christianity lived, died and wrote some of the most important works in Western thought.

BEIJING (AP) – Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday that the stability and certainty of China-Russia relations are particularly “precious” in the face of an international landscape intertwined with change and chaos.

COTONOU, Benin (AP) – Benin Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni won the country’s presidential election held Sunday with over 94% of votes, according to election officials, fulfilling the expectation he was the anointed successor after President Patrice Talon’s decade in power.

TYRE, Lebanon (AP) – Israel pressed on with bombarding southern Lebanon on Wednesday, a day after historic talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials in Washington. Smoke rose over the coastal city of Tyre, underscoring the fragility of diplomatic efforts.

VATICAN CITY (AP) – Inappropriate. Ridiculous. Absurd. Visitors to the Vatican on Tuesday had some choice words for U.S. President Donald Trump after his harsh criticism of Pope Leo XIV for his calls to soften the rhetoric of war.

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) – English-speaking separatists in Cameroon say they will pause fighting for three days to allow “safe travel” for Pope Leo XIV ‘s visit on Wednesday to the central African country.