Allies of former presidents lead in Peru election

LIMA, Peru (AP) – Keiko Fujimori, the conservative daughter of a disgraced former Peruvian president, and Roberto Sánchez, a nationalist congressman and former minister, were leading in the race for Peru’s next president as ballots were being tallied on Wednesday for a fourth straight day.

US stocks rally to records, but Brent oil also tops $100

NEW YORK (AP) - The U.S. stock market set more records but caution still hung over Wall Street. The S&P 500 rallied 1%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.7%, and the Nasdaq composite set its own record after climbing 1.6%. The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil briefly topped $102.

Peru faces presidential runoff as election count drags on

LIMA, Peru (AP) – Peruvians will vote for a president in a runoff election after none of the 35 candidates in Sunday’s contest secured an outright victory, but the two contenders of the contest set for June were yet to be known Tuesday morning.

Top Asia Pacific Breaking News: Latest Updates

HONG KONG (AP) – The Hong Kong government is seeking to confiscate millions of dollars in funds and corporate shares it says are linked to crimes committed by jailed former media tycoon Jimmy Lai, according to a court document seen by The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Peru election stretches into a second day after ballot delivery failures

LIMA, Peru (AP) – Thousands of Peruvians were back at the polls on Monday for a second day of voting after failure to deliver ballots to voting centers extended Sunday’s election by a day.

Iran fires on container ship in Strait of Hormuz

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard opened fire Wednesday on a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz, damaging the ship and further raising the stakes as planned ceasefire talks in Pakistan failed to materialize.

Peru's voters face 35 contenders for ninth president in 10 years

LIMA, Peru (AP) – A former minister, a comedian and a political dynasty heiress are among the 35 candidates hoping to become Peru’s ninth president in just 10 years.

Editorials from The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post and others

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

Peru election highlights lack of plans to tackle illegal mining

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) – Peruvians head to the polls Sunday to elect a new president and Congress, but illegal mining – a major driver of deforestation and mercury pollution – has received little attention on the campaign trail, even as it spreads deeper into the Amazon and Indigenous territories.