NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. stocks climbed as hope remains on Wall Street that the global economy can still avoid a worst-case scenario because of the U.S.-Iran war. The S&P 500 rallied 1% Monday and is back to within 1.3% of its record. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.6%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 1.2%.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) – As the late afternoon sun settles over Freetown’s main transit park, Hawa Mansaray pulls up her motorized three-wheeled vehicle and steps away for a break and to pray.