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.

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) – British teenager Bella May Culley, who was arrested in Georgia on drug smuggling charges earlier this year, could receive a two-year prison sentence after her family paid more than $180,000 in a plea deal, her lawyer said Tuesday.

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.

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) – Three Chinese citizens have been arrested in Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, while attempting to illegally purchase 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of uranium, the country’s State Security Service said Saturday. The suspects planned to transport the nuclear material to China through Russia, the security service said in a statement.

SAN SALVADOR (AP) – Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele on Wednesday signed into law constitutional reforms to permit life prison sentences for people as young as 12, a contentious reform that follows other heavy-handed measures pushed through by the populist leader.

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) – Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Sunday accused the opposition of trying to topple his government and vowed a further crackdown on dissent, hours after the ruling party claimed a landslide win in local elections snubbed by its main rivals.

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) – Police in Georgia used water cannons and pepper spray on Saturday to push back protesters who tried to storm the presidential palace, as the South Caucasus country held a municipal election boycotted by the main opposition blocs amid a sweeping crackdown on dissent.