NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. stocks pulled back from their record heights on a shaky Wall Street. The S&P 500 fell 0.4% Thursday to halt its weekslong rally. The Dow Jones lost 0.4%, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.9%. Stocks also took a hit after the price for a barrel of Brent crude briefly jumped above $107.

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) – An army colonel who seized power in a military coup was sworn in as Madagascar’s new leader Friday in a lightning-fast power grab that ousted the president and sent him fleeing the country and into hiding.

BANGKOK (AP) – China’s role as an unofficial mediator in the latest war in the Middle East is drawing attention across the world as it seeks to project the image of being a responsible global power while U.S. actions are straining its long-standing alliances.

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) – The head of an elite Madagascar military unit ousted the African island country’s president in a coup, capping weeks of youth-led protests over water and power cuts, the high cost of living and endemic poverty, among other issues.

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) – Pope Leo XIV urged the United States and Iran to return to talks to end the war Thursday and condemned capital punishment, in a wide-ranging press conference en route home from his trip to Africa.

JOHANNESBURG (AP) – Andry Rajoelina was a young, man-of-the-people mayor when he led popular protests against the Madagascar government 16 years ago. The uprising resulted in a military-backed coup that brought Rajoelina to power as the transitional leader of his Indian Ocean country at the age of just 34.

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) – The leader of Madagascar’s military coup told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he is “taking the position of president” and that the armed forces would be in charge of the African island nation for up to two years before any elections are held.