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.

Strikes on cities across Iran have killed more than 25 people Sunday into Monday, while in Israel’s Haifa two people were found dead and two others were missing in rubble a day after an Iranian attack.

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.

BEIJING (AP) – China’s flag carrier resumed direct flights between Beijing and North Korea’s capital of Pyongyang on Monday not long after the restoration of passenger train services between the capitals.

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.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observed a test of an upgraded solid-fuel engine for weapons capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, and called it a significant development boosting his country’s strategic military arsenal, state media reported Sunday. Some experts speculate North Korea’s claim may be an exaggeration.

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held talks in North Korea’s capital on Thursday and signed a friendship and cooperation treaty. Lukashenko, who was in Pyongyang on a two-day official visit, hailed the document as “fundamental,” and said that relations between the two countries are “entering a new stage.”