Trump’s top economic adviser — President Donald Trump is strongly considering Christopher P. Liddell, a White House official who was an executive at Microsoft and General Motors, to succeed his top economic adviser, Gary Cohn, according to two people briefed on the discussions. Trump has not made a decision, those briefed on the process said. But Liddell, the White House’s director of strategic initiatives, is seen as a front-runner to replace Cohn as director of the National Economic Council. Cohn announced his resignation this past week after a battle over Trump’s economic policy.

Offshore drilling finds an ally — While attention has been focused on President Donald Trump’s disputed decision in January to reverse drilling restrictions in nearly all U.S. coastal waters, the administration has also pursued a rollback of Obama-era regulations in the Gulf of Mexico. Those rules include safety measures put in place after the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon rig in 2010. Smaller oil and gas companies, many backed by Wall Street and private equity firms, say they need the relief to survive financially, and the top safety official at the Interior Department appointed by Trump has appeared an enthusiastic ally.

World’s fastest-growing economy? — Ghana is on track to make a remarkable claim for a country mired in poverty not long ago: It is likely to have one of the world’s fastest-growing economies this year, according to the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the Brookings Institution. Its growth in 2018 is projected to be between 8.3 and 8.9 percent. And oil is not the only resource helping drive Ghana’s economy. Cocoa is Ghana’s other natural bounty, and producers are piggybacking on the oil boom. Ghana will still have to prove it can parlay its oil boom into high-quality jobs and sustainable growth.

Syrian rebels — Syrian government forces were close to splitting the besieged rebel-held enclave of eastern Ghouta in two Saturday, as rebel leaders said they had agreed with the government to evacuate fighters from a Qaida-linked group. Thirteen fighters from the Qaida-linked group, known as the Levant Liberation Committee, were bused out Friday, bound for the northern rebel-held province of Idlib, according to rebel statements and video footage. Those fighters were detained last year by the Army of Islam, the group that controls Douma, the main city in eastern Ghouta.

Trump to visit Latin America — President Donald Trump will make the first Latin America visit of his presidency next month, the White House said, traveling to Peru for a summit meeting of Western Hemisphere nations where he will meet with leaders who have criticized his statements and policies on immigration. The statement pointed to the significance of establishing relationships with countries that “share our values and believe that the promise of a safe and prosperous future rests in strong democracies, fair and reciprocal trade, and secure borders.”

Vandalism in India — A wave of vandalism in India has unleashed accusations and recriminations and sent political tensions boiling over as one by one, at least six monuments have been vandalized since Monday. Indian opposition parties blame the attacks on supporters of the governing Bharatiya Janata Party, emboldened after a landslide victory in state elections in the country’s northeast last weekend. The opposition parties say the backers of BJP and its allies foster a climate of intolerance and target other Hindus that oppose them, as well as religious minorities such as Muslims. But the BJP denied its supporters were behind the attacks.

Protest art — Heavy-handed efforts this winter by Beijing to drive out migrants and their families have drawn international criticism. Officials view the crowded, slum-like neighborhoods as fire hazards and eyesores, despite the fact that the migrants do the menial jobs that allow a city like Beijing to function. The forced demolitions have also inspired an outpouring of protest art in the form of paintings, photographs, songs and poetry, an unusual show of dissent in a country that routinely censors messages running counter to President Xi Jinping’s portrayal of an egalitarian society.