TFI Daily News

Trump Demanded Iran’s ‘Unconditional Surrender.’ But Iran had a secret weapon. (NYT) It was less than 15 weeks ago when President Trump, at the height of his bravado about how the war with Iran would end, declared “there will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER.” When the text of the deal intended to wind down the conflict was finally released on Wednesday, it read nothing like a surrender document. Instead, the Iranians emerged from a confrontation with the world’s most powerful military having not only survived, but with much to celebrate. It starts with the resumption of Tehran’s ability to reap billions of dollars in oil sales, lifting pressure on the struggling regime. It also suggests that, over time, Iran may negotiate some permanent way to exercise sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz. And the memorandum describes a pathway in which Iran could begin receiving billions of dollars in assets that have been frozen for years.       It was Mr. Trump himself who offered what may be the most cleareyed answer about why he needed to end this war so fast. He didn’t want comparisons to Herbert Hoover, he told reporters. “He was always the one I didn’t want to be,” Mr. Trump said of the 31st president, who presided over the market crash that ushered in the Great Depression. “I didn’t want to see economic catastrophe.” Later he noted that if the war continued, the world would have begun to run out of oil stockpiles. That combination—economic chaos and disrupted oil markets—is exactly what the Iranians viewed from the opening days of the war as their most potent weapon. They executed on that vision with precision, closing the strait and blowing up petrochemical facilities, desalination plants, hotels and air bases across the Gulf. And by the president’s own testimony, it worked.

The Iran War has altered the world order (NYT) No matter what happens, the war has permanently altered the world order, reports Patricia Cohen, who covers the global economy. For one thing, the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz has changed where nations buy their energy and what kinds of energy they’re buying. In some places, like South Korea and Japan, there’s been a turn toward coal, which pollutes the atmosphere. In others, it’s likely to propel a turn toward renewable sources like nuclear, wind and solar. China’s a big beneficiary of that because it’s so far ahead of the rest of the world in developing those energy technologies. That’s the second big change: Beijing is even more important on the world stage. “China looks to be an out-and-out winner,” concluded analysts from a global energy consulting firm. Third, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz may never truly return. Iran wants to impose a fee on ships that sail through the narrow waterway, which could violate international agreements. But even if it doesn’t, Tehran has demonstrated that it can disrupt trade there any time it wants to. Shipping companies don’t like the uncertainty. Finally, the World Bank says that growth of the global economy is slowing. Separately, inflation is starting to roar.

A city’s push for facial recognition on public buses ignites debate over security and privacy (AP) Officials in Kansas City, Missouri, are preparing to equip some public buses with facial recognition cameras capable of detecting whether a passenger appears on a list of banned riders or missing persons. Supporters and opponents alike view the effort as a major litmus test for tapping the AI-powered software on a U.S. public transportation system, positioning Kansas City as the latest epicenter in a fierce debate over whether the safety benefits of artificial intelligence are worth the privacy costs. “The idea of running face recognition on a camera that is pointed on live spaces in public is a line that until recently has never really been crossed in the last 25 years,” said Jay Stanley, senior policy analyst for the Project on Speech, Privacy and Technology at the American Civil Liberties Union. “It may be used for a very narrow watch list today, but there are very good reasons to think it’ll expand over time,” he said.

Two sides of a political chasm share one fear in Colombia’s presidential race: A return to the past (AP) The memories of Colombia’s six decades of armed conflict are still like open wounds etched on its victims’ bodies and minds. For Blanca Nubia Monroy, it’s a black-and-white scale of justice tattooed on her forearm, identical to the one used to identify her 19-year-old son’s body after he was kidnapped and killed by Colombian soldiers in 2008. For Sigifredo López, it’s flashbacks from the seven years he was held captive by guerrillas in the South American country’s dense jungles and the trauma of surviving after his companions were massacred in 2007. Both have radically different views of who should win Colombia’s presidency on Sunday. But their fear is the same: Returning to a more violent past. The armed struggle between Marxist guerrillas, Colombian military forces and right-wing paramilitaries has resulted in more than 10 million people—one in five Colombians—becoming victims of conflict, according to a government registry documenting killings, kidnappings, forced displacement and more.

Pentagon chief lashes out at NATO allies and announces a review of US forces in Europe (AP) U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth lashed out at NATO allies on Thursday, announcing a six-month Pentagon review of American forces in Europe that will depend on how fast they take responsibility for their own security. Hegseth lambasted European allies for failing to provide U.S. forces access to bases in Europe to launch attacks on Iran, calling it “shameful.” Hegseth said earlier Thursday that America’s allies in Europe must take the lead on the defense of their own continent and help turn NATO into “a read hard-line military alliance.”

Western Europe Braces for Another Round of Heat (NYT) Just two weeks after an unusually early and severe heat wave, Western Europe has been hit by another round of scorching weather, with temperatures expected to reach 113 degrees Fahrenheit by the weekend. Hot, dry air from North Africa has formed a dome over the Iberian Peninsula, trapping and pushing heat toward France, Switzerland, Italy and Germany, where temperatures of 95 degrees Fahrenheit or higher are expected to persist through next week. The high temperatures are a shock to residents, and also to many tourists who had avoided traveling in July and August because of the heat and expected milder conditions in Western Europe so early in the season. One of the biggest challenges of dealing with the summer heat is the rarity of air-conditioning in Western Europe. Traditionally mild summer conditions and strict building regulations make installation both difficult and costly. Outside four- and five-star hotels, a few modern developments, and some museums and restaurants, most places simply do not have it.

Moscow hit by largest Ukrainian attack since start of Russia's full-scale war (BBC) Moscow has come under the largest Ukrainian attack since the start of the full-scale war, with close to 200 drones hitting targets around the Russian capital and setting columns of thick smoke billowing high into the sky. Seventeen people were wounded in the Moscow region, according to local governor Andrei Vorobyov. Almost 1,000 drones and four Ukrainian cruise missiles were intercepted and destroyed across the country in 24 hours, Russia’s defence ministry was quoted as saying. An oil depot was struck in the southern Rostov region, where one person was killed. Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv had once again hit the Moscow region with “long-range sanctions”—a euphemism for Ukrainian long-distance strikes on Russia. “It’s time to end this war, and Russia must take the necessary steps in diplomacy,” he added. “We don’t want this war and have never wanted it,” Zelensky said. “But if Ukraine burns, your Moscow will burn too.”

Heat in India’s textile factories stifles workers (AP) For dozens of workers at a textile manufacturer on the edge of Surat, the blazing temperatures and high humidity on a recent afternoon were amplified by steam, radiating heat and chemical smells that emerged from the heavy machines that dominate nearly every inch of the low-ceilinged factory floor. The machines, called stenters, roared like engines, boilers hissed and drum washers released clouds of steam. The sound was relentless, the air heavy. “The heat does make us weak. We sweat a lot. Some people feel dizzy, unwell,” said Soni Pande, a 27-year-old worker and single mother. Like most other parts of the country, Surat is witnessing rising day and nighttime temperatures and longer summer months in part due to climate change, and workers say the heat inside factories is unbearable at times. The problem has proved stubborn, because even when factories install cooling equipment, the effects can be limited. And faced with losses due to United States tariffs and supply disruptions caused by the Iran war, factory owners seem less willing or able to invest the thousands of dollars needed to install and maintain cooling systems.

JD Vance tells Israel ‘you can’t kill your way out’ of security problems (Al Jazeera) United States Vice President JD Vance has been defending the memorandum of understanding to end the US-Israeli war with Iran, responding to criticism of the deal from members of the opposing Democratic Party and Republicans alike. But Vance reserved some of his harshest criticism for Israel, whose leaders have continually pushed Washington to continue the war. He pointed to criticism of the deal from Israeli officials, including far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir. “And I guess my response to them would be: What is your exact proposal? You’re a country of nine million people. You can’t just kill your way out of solving every single national security problem that you have,” he said. “Too many people have been killed,” Trump said from the G7 Summit in France. Speaking of Lebanon, he said, “You don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody, because there are a lot of people in those apartment houses, and they’re not all Hezbollah.”

Israeli military strikes in southern Lebanon in intense fighting as US-Iran talks postponed (AP) Israel’s military said Friday its forces struck targets throughout southern Lebanon overnight as Hezbollah reported intense fighting in the area, threatening the nascent agreement between Iran and the United States to end their war. Talks planned for Friday in Switzerland between Iran and the United States, which Vice President JD Vance had been scheduled to attend, found themselves postponed as the fighting intensified. Meanwhile, the death toll in Lebanon rose sharply. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported at least 18 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes, which the Israeli military said were ongoing. Israel, meantime, said four of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in southern Lebanon, including a lieutenant colonel. An explosive drone attack hurt another five, it added.

Israel seized more land from neighbors since 2023 than it has in decades (AP) Over the past two and a half years, Israel has taken control of swaths of Gaza, Lebanon and Syria that amount to its biggest expansion of militarily occupied lands in decades. It is an area larger than many major cities—roughly 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles)—and Israel has said it plans to stay indefinitely. The land seizures began in the aftermath of Hamas’ 2023 cross-border attack, which ignited wars on multiple fronts. The Israeli military took over large portions of Gaza as part of a broad invasion, and later seized control of chunks of Lebanon and Syria. Israel calls these areas “buffer zones” and says they are needed to prevent future attacks by militant groups. In Gaza and Lebanon, Israeli land seizures and evacuation warnings have pushed out more than 3 million people, and troops have demolished towns and neighborhoods, creating large depopulated zones.

US and Iran sign initial deal to end war, ease sanctions and open strait as nuclear talks continue (AP) President Donald Trump signed an agreement with Iran on Wednesday that calls for Tehran to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and waives U.S.-backed sanctions on the country, immediately allowing Iran to sell its oil freely in a major concession from Washington, according to details released by both countries. The initial deal to end the war takes “immediate effect” after leaders from both countries signed it, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who helped mediate the agreement, said online. The agreement calls for a permanent end to hostilities and starts a 60-day negotiating clock to reach a final deal on the future of Iran’s nuclear program, though Trump left the door open to resume attacks.

A Situation In The Situation Room (Axios) It appears that there’s a leak in the most important room in America. The Situation Room is a command center located in the White House’s West Wing, where intelligence officers monitor global events around the clock, and where the nation’s leaders gather to hold emergency meetings during times of crisis. Normally, recording devices aren’t allowed in the Situation Room, but the Trump White House is now worried that the room’s security has been breached after New York Times reporters appear to have obtained audio recordings of Situation Room meetings for their upcoming book, “Regime Change.” The Times reporters published two articles related to conversations supposedly held in the Situation Room in order to drum up publicity for their book: one touched on a meeting about Trump’s role in the Epstein files, and another detailed a conversation between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding their war with Iran. Axios has reported that Trump is “furious about the blow-by-blow accounts,” but it’s unclear whether the reporters actually have recordings of the conversations or if they’re just publishing “reconstructed” dialogue from sources’ accounts of Situation Room meetings.

Deadly B-52 Crash Highlights Age of Bomber Fleet (NYT) In the 10 years or so that Jeromy Smith worked as a flight test engineer at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California, his wife said, he spoke over and over about the job’s risks. “He loved his work—as a child, he knew he wanted to go into aeronautics,” Lauren Smith, 30, recalled in an interview on Tuesday about her 32-year-old husband. But as the father of two young children, he also understood the danger inherent to frequent test flights in military aircraft. On Monday, his worst fears came to pass with the crash of a B-52 bomber shortly after takeoff from the base. The aircraft burst into flames, and all eight crew members were killed in the conflagration, which was visible across the Mojave Desert for miles. B-52 bombers, which have been in use by the U.S. military since the 1950s, are known for their immense size, reliability and safety, but also for their advanced age. The test flight on Monday had been part of an Air Force initiative to upgrade the plane’s outdated radar and other avionics.

Most Americans see freedoms under threat but core to nation’s identity, AP-NORC poll finds (AP) Most Americans believe civil liberties like the right to vote are under threat, according to a new AP-NORC poll, while also continuing to agree that the rights expressed in the nation’s founding documents are still core to American identity. The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that most Americans across demographics believe the right to vote, the right to free speech and freedom of religion are integral to the country. But it also reveals deep anxieties about the nation’s trajectory on the cusp of a summer filled with celebrations of the country’s semi-quincentennial birthday. “Our idea of rights has been very consistent in this country until the last few years,” said Louise Rochon, 85, of Connecticut. “Now, they’re all under threat. Every single last one of them.” About two-thirds of Americans view the right to vote as under some threat, with about one-third saying voting rights are under “major threat.” Additionally, nearly half of Americans say freedom of speech is under major threat, followed by about 3 in 10 who said the same about gun rights and religious freedom.

Argentina is defending its World Cup title, and its fans are as obsessed as ever (AP) As reigning champions Argentina returned to the World Cup stage Tuesday, there was no drive too long and no ticket too pricey for its most fervent fans. Three fans bicycled nearly 11,000 miles (17,700 kilometers) from South America to Kansas City, Missouri—without tickets in hand. One group drove 20 hours, living off sandwiches to save money. Daniel Otero, a 73-year-old attending his seventh tournament, is shelling out around $100,000 so he and his two sons can watch the team play over the coming weeks. The obsession was rewarded in Kansas City as the team made opened its World Cup defense, defeating Algeria 3-0. Scoring all three of those goals was the legendary Lionel Messi who, turning 39 next week, could be playing in his last World Cup.

UN chief visits Haiti, where a new international force will be deployed to help fight gangs (AP) U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres visited Haiti on Tuesday, where surging gang violence has left more than 1 in 10 people homeless. New statistics released by the U.N. reveal that 2,300 people have been killed across Haiti so far this year, with another 100 kidnapped, while 1.5 million have been displaced. Among those abducted is James Boyard, cabinet director of the Defense Ministry, who was kidnapped last week in one of the few relatively safe areas of the capital. Guterres’ one-day visit to Port-au-Prince comes after more than 30 people were killed, injured or missing last weekend in Cité Soleil, a seaside slum, according to Cooperative for Peace and Development, a local human rights organization. His convoy sped past a neighborhood once fully controlled by gangs that left in their wake decimated car dealerships, abandoned homes and dozens of concrete buildings pockmarked with bullet holes. Guterres’s first stop was the headquarters of the new gang-suppression force, which the U.N. Security Council approved in September. It replaces a U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police that aimed to help Haiti’s National Police fight gangs but remained underfunded and understaffed.

Ecuador declares new state of emergency (Drop Site News) Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared a new 60-day state of emergency across 10 provinces and several additional municipalities on Tuesday, suspending constitutional rights and authorizing security forces to conduct searches of private homes without a judicial warrant when organized crime is suspected, according to Anadolu. The decree cites 879 homicides between May 1 and June 12 in the affected areas, which include key cocaine trafficking routes linking Colombia’s border to Ecuador’s Pacific ports. Homicide and crime rates in Ecuador have risen to the highest in South America.

A far-right backlash is surging in Latin America as crime fears fuel Bukele-style crackdowns (AP) At the start of this decade, Latin America was hurtling to the left. Progressives, seizing on public outrage over entrenched inequities exacerbated by the pandemic, swept to power in many of the region’s biggest economies, including Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru. A political backlash is brewing, though. Although homicide rates have broadly declined across Latin America compared to a decade ago, spikes in some countries and a regionwide rise in other crimes, particularly extortion, have created the conditions for conservative populists to score votes by promising strong-arm tactics against crime and immigration. Stump speeches casting migrants as criminals and pitching heavy-handed security strategies popularized by El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, have won conservative candidates U.S. President Donald Trump’s backing and fired up their disaffected electorates.

AI executives gather at G7 as Europeans seek checks on American dominance (AP) Top artificial intelligence executives are gathering Wednesday in France against a backdrop of growing calls for tech sovereignty in Europe, fueled by concerns about American dominance in the industry. The wars in Iran and Ukraine have dominated discussions at the Group of Seven summit of major industrialized nations this week but AI will have its moment on the meeting’s final day. In Europe the distrust of American companies dominating AI and other tech ecosystems has shown up at the European Commission, which unveiled a tech sovereignty package this month with plans to boost homegrown AI. According to Zach Meyers, director of research at CERRE, a Brussels-based think tank, “There is a general anxiety about the state of Europe, the fact that we’re relying on other countries for quite important strategic infrastructure and a desire to do something about it, whatever that is.”

2 Christian communities navigate life in southern Lebanon (AP) In the predominantly Christian towns of Marjayoun and nearby Qlayaa in southern Lebanon, daily life continues in the shadow of a war that devastated many surrounding Shiite villages during months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. While the two towns largely escaped the widespread destruction seen elsewhere along the border, residents remain surrounded by villages still bearing the scars of airstrikes, shelling and ground combat. Home to about 2,000 to 2,500 residents each, Marjayoun and Qlayaa have become pockets of relative stability in a region grappling with conflict. Yet life remains challenging. Electricity and water shortages are common, economic conditions have worsened, and access to specialized medical care is limited, often requiring long journeys for treatment.

Trump goes after Netanyahu as he pursues deal with Iran (AP) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told President Donald Trump last year that he was the “greatest friend Israel ever had in the White House.” Now, as Trump tries to finalize a deal to end the war with Iran, he’s unloading on Netanyahu with rhetoric that no other American leader has dared to use publicly. He claimed credit for Israel’s existence—“without me, there would be no Israel”—and cursed his judgment in interviews. He even described him as “crazy.” Netanyahu’s tenure as prime minister spans four U.S. presidents, and he’s frustrated all of them at one point or another. But none has voiced that as openly as Trump, who started the conflict in tandem with Netanyahu. The tension comes as Trump criticizes recent Israeli attacks in Lebanon, which threatened to jeopardize negotiations between Washington and Tehran. There has long been a bipartisan consensus around supporting Israel in Washington, but that has frayed in recent years. Liberals have been increasingly outraged by Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, especially during the war in Gaza, and conservatives have questioned the importance of longstanding American support for Israel.

In Gaza, orphaned children navigate grief while trying to hold on to childhood (AP) Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has left tens of thousands of Palestinian children without one or more of their parents, adding to what UNICEF has said is the conflict’s “unconscionable” toll on the territory’s youth. The loss is among the war’s most lasting consequences, depriving children, many of whom are already traumatized, wounded or living in dire conditions, of the nurture and care provided by mothers and fathers as they negotiate their place in the world. As of earlier this year, nearly 59,000 children had lost at least one parent, UNICEF said, with around 2,700 having lost both their mother and their father. Gaza’s society is rooted in extended family networks, with many relatives living together or in the same neighborhoods. Amid the devastation, relatives and other caregivers have tried to give the orphaned children some semblance of a normal childhood.

Initial deal to end US-Iran war moves toward formal signing despite lingering questions (AP) An initial agreement between the United States and Iran to extend their shaky ceasefire inched toward a formal signing despite questions Monday over the fate of Tehran’s nuclear program and an offensive by Israel in Lebanon that could prolong the fighting and scuttle the deal. The agreement signed electronically Sunday is meant to provide a meaningful truce in a monthslong war that has killed thousands across the Middle East, including the top leaders of Iran’s theocracy, and raised the prices of fuel, food and other basic goods far beyond the region. But logistical and military challenges underscored the fragile nature of the deal, which was set for a ceremonial signing Friday in Geneva.

Higher prices for gas, groceries and flights will outlast the Iran war, experts say (AP) A tentative deal to end the Iran war makes it reasonable to ask how soon prices will drop for gasoline, groceries, airline tickets and other items that got more expensive during the conflict. Not so fast, experts say. Even after oil starts flowing again from the Middle East, it could take a while for consumers to see a difference at local fuel pumps, supermarkets and other places they shop, according to economists and industry analysts. Fighting over the Strait of Hormuz disrupted not only supplies of crude and refined fuel but also the supply chains for fertilizer, food and even footwear. Businesses expect higher costs to linger. “It is not clear, despite three months of war, that anything has been achieved that makes the American consumer better off,” Brett House, an economist who teaches at Columbia Business School, said. “In fact, by almost any measure, not just the American consumer, but the world, is worse off as a result of this attack.”

College sticker prices hit a new high at elite schools (Independent) A small group of American universities is crossing a threshold that once seemed absurd: $100,000 for a single year as an undergraduate. At least 16 institutions are now approaching or exceeding that figure when tuition, fees, housing and other miscellaneous costs are combined, according to a recent analysis by New York Magazine. The list—corroborated by data obtained by CNBC—is dominated by elite, high-demand schools, including the University of Chicago, Georgetown University and Wesleyan University. College costs have surged in the past 40 years but the leap to six-figure price tags—both a financial and psychological milestone—raises new questions about how colleges set prices, who ultimately pays and whether the higher education market is nearing a breaking point.

Cuba quantifies impact of US oil blockade on children’s health and daily life (AP) Some of Cuba’s sickest people are feeling the effects of the U.S. energy blockade, with surgeries delayed, kidney dialysis treatments disrupted and children with cancer facing a higher risk of death, according to a report published Monday by Cuban state-run media. The survival rate for children with cancer has fallen to 65% from 85% before the energy restrictions began in January, according to the report released by Cubadebate. It also said 100,000 children younger than 7 are no longer receiving the daily liter of milk previously provided by the state and that the country’s 16-vaccine immunization program for infants is “at risk.” Additionally, it said, another 100,000 Cubans are on waiting lists for surgery and the treatment schedules of nearly 3,000 patients requiring kidney dialysis have been disrupted. Regarding medication, 300 of the 395 essential medicines produced on the island are unavailable due to a lack of chemical components required to manufacture medications.

Surging Chinese exports threaten Europe’s economy, raising concern at G7 summit (AP) For eight years, the United States has waged economic war on China, slapping big taxes on Chinese products before they enter America. But the campaign hasn’t dented China’s industrial prowess. The world’s second biggest economy is exporting more products than ever. It’s just redirecting them away from the U.S. tariff wall and toward more open markets in Europe and elsewhere in Asia. The shift in Chinese trade risks creating a European sequel to the China Shock that wiped out hundreds of thousands of factory jobs in the American heartland in the 2000s and contributed to the political upheaval that put Donald Trump in the White House twice. Despite U.S. sanctions, China last year notched a record global trade surplus—an astonishing $1.2 trillion. China’s trade practices will be near the top of the agenda this week as leaders of the G7 rich democracies gather in Évian-les-Bains, France.

At G-7, allies plan for a world less reliant on the U.S. (Washington Post) At this week’s Group of Seven summit, President Donald Trump will find America’s closest allies in a new posture: increasingly willing to tell him no. After years of tariff threats, diplomatic whiplash and public confrontations, many world leaders have concluded that Trump is not an interruption to the international order but a feature of it—a reordering likely to endure regardless of who sits in the Oval Office. Rather than simply accommodating Trump, they are increasingly preparing for a future in which the U.S. is a less predictable partner and Europe is less inclined to follow America’s lead. Many of the leaders gathering here share some of America’s broader goals, but they are also increasingly willing to resist U.S. pressure. Yet even as European leaders prepare for a future less reliant on Washington, they remain eager to avoid an open rupture with Trump. “Historians will point to Greenland as a point when the transatlantic alliance began to break, when the divorce really started to happen,” said Max Bergmann, director of the Europe, Russia and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Ukraine Targets Moscow Oil Facility With Drones as G7 Leaders Meet (NYT) As the Group of 7 leaders gathered Tuesday for a summit focusing in part on Russia’s war in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukrainian drones had targeted an oil refinery in Moscow, about 10 miles from the Kremlin. Moscow’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said that the city had come under attack by dozens of drones, at least one of which struck the Moscow Oil Refinery. The Moscow Oil Refinery supplies more than a third of the city’s fuel demands, along with jet fuel and other petroleum products, according to industry publications. A day earlier, Russia bombarded the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and other cities with a missiles and drones that killed at least 11 people and injured dozens more. Some of Ukraine’s most cherished cultural institutions, including the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, one of the holiest cathedrals in the Eastern Orthodox church, were damaged in the strikes.

6.7 magnitude earthquake shakes part of Indonesia, causing scattered damage (AP) A 6.7 magnitude earthquake shook part of central Indonesia’s Sulawesi island Tuesday, causing scattered damage and rattling residents of a city devastated by a quake and tsunami eight years ago. The strong shaking sent people fleeing into open areas in and around Palu, a city of about 400,000 people and the capital of Central Sulawesi province. Several hospitals evacuated patients, some with IV drips, outdoors as a safety measure. Images from the area showed heavily damaged structures with partially collapsed roofs, shattered walls and debris scattered across the streets. The National Disaster Management Agency said information on the damage, possible casualties and displaced people was still being gathered.

Mines in the Strait (Reuters) While the United States and Iran are reportedly approaching a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, it will realistically be some time before the number of ships that pass through the Strait daily—currently around 12 to 15 vessels per day—recovers back to the 120 to 140 vessels from before the war began. One reason is mines, which naval forces have placed at some locations in the Strait. An operation by conventional minesweepers and underwater drones to clear the Strait could take 40 to 50 days before the insurance, shipping and oil companies are satisfied that it’s sufficiently safe to sail. Given that a supertanker and its cargo of crude oil are worth about $300 million, war risk underwriters can understandably get skittish at even a whiff of mines.

Interim US-Iran peace deal sparks anger among Israelis, who lash out at Netanyahu (AP) Israelis from across the political spectrum reacted angrily Monday to the news of an initial deal between the U.S. and Iran, calling it a disaster for Israel and directing their fury at one man: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli leader said at a news conference Monday that “with an agreement, without an agreement,” he would continue fighting to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, which Tehran has long maintained it isn’t trying to do, saying its nuclear program is for civilian purposes. Critics say Netanyahu led President Donald Trump into the war with Iran while overpromising what it could achieve, and Trump now might be dragging Israel out of the conflict before it feels ready. They say the prime minister misjudged Trump’s appetite for a protracted conflict, was outflanked by Iran in negotiations and grew increasingly sidelined by the region’s other major players.

Can you believe your eyes? (NYT) Hany Farid, 60, is the world’s leading expert in spotting deepfake images and video on the internet. A professor, Farid has built a career out of his ability to differentiate visual reality from fakery. Every day he gets requests from governments, from journalists, from law enforcement and others hoping for his help in understanding what’s a real image and what’s a fake, whether a voice is a person’s or an A.I. clone’s. Farid’s done the research to show that most people cannot tell the difference between the real and the fake. And now he’s becoming one of them. He spends hours and hours on this work: watching videos, geolocating, seeking inconsistencies, doing math. It used to be that he was proud to discover the rare fake in a world of reality. Now it’s the opposite. And the deepfakes are slowly breaking him. “I don’t trust anything,” Farid said. “Every image I see, I’m drawing lines for shadows and doing geometry in my head, trying to figure out what I’m looking at. It’s over. Within a year or two, our whole visual system will be utterly useless.”

U.S. and Iran Reach Agreement to Reopen Strait and Begin Nuclear Talks (NYT) The United States and Iran declared on Sunday that they would cease hostilities for the next 60 days, the first major agreement between the two nations since the start of a war that has gripped the Middle East since late February. For now, however, they left unresolved the critical issue of whether and how Iran would agree to strict limits on its nuclear program. Leaders of the two nations proclaimed that they had reached the agreement after an intensive flurry of last-minute negotiations complicated by an Israeli airstrike earlier in the day on a Hezbollah stronghold near Beirut. The framework commits both governments to halting military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, and immediately reopening the Strait of Hormuz, allowing the free flow of oil and other products from the Middle East into global markets.

Israelis denounce Trump’s deal with Iran (Washington Post) A “catastrophe.” A “bad deal.” An agreement that “throws a lifeline to the murderous regime in Tehran.” Among Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s supporters and critics alike, in the press and on social media, the mood was clear as Israelis woke up Monday to news of a peace agreement between the United States and Iran: President Donald Trump’s deal is not one that many in Israel like. The question now is whether Trump’s deal is one that Netanyahu will stomach—or one he will seek to derail. Trump in brief expletive-punctuated interviews Sunday already accused the Israeli leader of jeopardizing the accord. In the first official Israeli comments after the announcement of the deal, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel won’t withdraw from land seized in Lebanon as the interim deal is pending. Katz said Israel plans to stay “indefinitely” in lands it holds in Lebanon, as well as Syria and the Gaza Strip. Over the past 2 1/2 years, Israel has taken control of areas in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria amounting to 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) of territory.

For His 80th Birthday, Trump Brought a Cage Match to the White House Lawn (NYT) President Trump’s 80th birthday Ultimate Fighting Championship stunt on the South Lawn of the White House on Sunday night was a mass-media spectacle unlike any in the history of the presidency. Mr. Trump sat ringside beside his wife, Melania Trump, as fighters whaled on one another inches away inside an eight-sided cage wrapped in cryptocurrency advertisements. All five of his children and nearly all his grandchildren sat around him. Thousands more were there on the lawn beneath a 600-ton steel-arch contraption called the Claw. The White House loomed dramatically over a fighting pit packed with billionaires, cabinet members and Republican lawmakers. It was all such an astonishing sight for so many reasons: The use of the trappings of the White House for violent cage fighting. The corporate sponsorships. Much of the White House was given over to this production. Fighters were filmed walking out through various rooms inside the residence and warming up, barefoot, in the Indian Treaty Room of the Old Executive Office Building across the way.

Most AAPI adults say the US is no longer a great country for immigrants, new poll finds (AP) Many Asian American and Pacific Islander adults have experienced or witnessed some degree of upheaval because of the Trump administration’s heightened immigration policies, a new AP-NORC/AAPI Data poll finds, while most say the U.S. is no longer the land of opportunity for immigrants. A new poll released Monday from AAPI Data and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows about half of AAPI adults say they—or someone they know—have been detained or deported within the last year, started carrying proof of immigration status or U.S. citizenship, upended travel plans or significantly changed their routines because of immigration status.

San Andreas Fault stress hits 1,000-year high, raising quake risk (USA Today) Tectonic stress along Southern California’s San Andreas and San Jacinto fault systems has reached—and in some areas exceeded—the highest levels seen in the past 1,000 years, according to new research led by Earth scientists at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Researchers say the system is not showing signs of an imminent rupture, but is operating under unusually high stress in a long-term seismic cycle that could support large earthquakes, including multi-fault events. Lead author Liliane Burkhard, a research affiliate at the University of Hawaiʻi’s Institute of Geophysics and Planetology and scientist at the University of Bern, said the system is highly stressed after more than 160 years since the last major rupture.

Starmer says Britain will ban under-16s from using a range of social media apps (AP) Britain will ban under-16s from using a range of social media apps, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday, calling it “a big moment for our country.” The move makes the U.K. part of growing global movement to tighten online safety for children. Australia, Canada, Brazil and Indonesia have introduced legislation or announced age-based restrictions or requirements for children’s access to social media. France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand and South Korea are among others studying or developing similar approaches.

Trump goes to the G7 summit (Politico) “Trump is poised to face a swirl of questions from allies about the status of the Iran deal and his day-after plan,” POLITICO’s Myah Myah writes. “Administration officials told reporters this weekend that as soon as it’s signed, the U.S. will shift its focus to demining the strait” (and will probably ask G7 countries for help). But Trump’s relations with G7 leaders have probably never been this bad. His relationship with Macron has always been tempestuous, and hit new lows after Trump mocked the French president over an apparent spat with his wife. Once-warm friendships with a trio of Europeans—British PM Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian PM Giorgia Meloni—have all but disintegrated over their respective criticisms of the war. And don’t forget he just abruptly decided to leave last year’s G7 in Canada after a single day.

Deadlocked Wars: How Major Powers Misread the Regions They Attacked (NYT) President Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir V. Putin, both resist the idea that ostensibly weaker powers fought them to a stalemate. Iran and Ukraine have pushed back robustly against this “might makes right” mentality, with top officials adopting an even more defiant tone in recent days. In an open letter to Mr. Putin this month, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine derided Mr. Putin for clinging to power as he aged. “You did not expect full-scale resistance from Ukraine, and you did not foresee that things would go this far,” Mr. Zelensky wrote. After Iran unleashed a missile barrage against Israel last week in retaliation for attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Parliament and Iran’s top negotiator, threatened more. “Until there is a sincere commitment to restoring trust, Iran’s response will not change,” he wrote on X. “Both conflicts have produced a similar outcome: a weaker power has trapped a stronger one in a costly confrontation,” Fiona Hill, who ran Russian and European affairs at the National Security Council during the first Trump administration, wrote in a policy paper for the Brookings Institution this week. “Like Putin, Trump did not have a plan for what would happen next.” The root of the issue is that both presidents sparked wars with limited understanding of the opposing side, Ms. Hill said.

Switzerland Rejects Measure to Cap Its Population at 10 Million (NYT) Swiss voters defeated a nationwide ballot initiative on Sunday to limit the population to 10 million people. The vote rejected what would have been one of the most drastic measures taken by a European country to stem the arrival of new immigrants. Final returns, which came in quickly after polls closed at noon local time, showed the measure failing, with about 45 percent in favor and 55 percent opposed. Federal officials announced on Sunday afternoon that the initiative had failed. The measure’s support was heaviest in rural states, and its opposition was strongest in cities and in border regions, including the French-speaking areas in the west.

Some Chinese youth turn to virtual parents (BBC Chinese) During mealtimes, Vincent Zhang, a tech worker in Shanghai, has a habit of whipping out his phone to check on his “virtual parents”: a middle-aged couple online, armed with an endless stream of warm words for their imaginary child. Many call the couple mum and dad, telling them about their lives and asking for birthday blessings. With nearly two million followers on Douyin—China’s version of TikTok—Pan Huqian and Zhang Xiuping are among a niche group of content creators called “virtual parents”. They have exploded in popularity, drawing young Chinese followers who feel increasingly squeezed between the pressure of succeeding and the expectations of their families. “My parents are never the ones who tell me not to drive myself too hard or that I am already good enough,” says 33-year-old Vincent. “But virtual parents will ask me whether I am happy today.”

A rare posthumous trial shows how slowly justice moves in Japan (CNN) When a Japanese court granted Hiromu Sakahara a retrial, there was no defendant in the dock celebrating the prospect of freedom. Instead, family members gathered around his grave to share news that he had longed to hear in life after a decades-long fight for justice. Sakahara died in 2011 while serving a life sentence for murdering a store manager in the rural town of Hino in 1984—based on a confession that he said was forced. A rare posthumous retrial is expected to begin soon, but the long delays in Sakahara’s case added momentum to calls for reform to speed up the excruciatingly long process people must go through to seek redress in Japan. Sakahara first filed for a retrial in 2001. Even after his death a decade later, his family kept pushing for a new hearing. Part of the problem in Japan is the lack of legal representation for those brought in for questioning over an alleged crime. Japan hasn’t made access to lawyers during interrogations an absolute right. Japan’s legal system has also been criticized for handing prosecutors too much power.

The economy in the occupied West Bank is being dismantled, report says (AP) The economy in the West Bank is teetering toward collapse as Israel maintains a web of restrictions that limit opportunities for Palestinians living under long-term military occupation, according to a new report from a leading conflict tracker. The International Crisis Group says that Israeli measures restricting movement, withholding revenue and taking land are not only crippling the Palestinian economy but also fueling deep instability. It says Israeli policies suggest a concerted effort to “advance Israel’s own declared goal of extending its control and preventing a Palestinian state from emerging.” The roughly 3.4 million Palestinians living in the West Bank today face roughly 30% unemployment and have seen their economy contract substantially since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

Canada’s Carney says middle-power countries shouldn’t compete for favor with the US (AP) Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney continued his efforts to pivot away from the United States and align with Europe, meeting with the leader of Ireland on Saturday ahead of the upcoming G7 summit and saying middle power countries shouldn’t compete for favor with America. Carney said that Canada and the European Union have a combined population that is more than twice that of the United States, with a similarly sized economy and a collective defense budget that is twice that of China’s. He said smaller nations can multiply their strength by partnering with like-minded allies. “In a world of great power rivalry, middle powers have a choice—to compete for favor or to combine to create a third path with impact,” Carney said at Trinity College in Dublin. He made similar comments at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, which became a symbol of middle-power resistance in January, when he declared the global rules-based order over and condemned coercion by great powers on smaller countries.

Trump at 80: A President ‘Really Uncomfortable’ With Aging (NYT) He stays up late, phoning lawyers and lawmakers, while posting up to 150 times a night on Truth Social. His mornings involve calls with world leaders about the war in the Middle East, or talks with landscapers about replanting a bothersome tree. When he arrives in the Oval Office, his unstructured days unfold like a time-lapse video, with people zipping around him as he stays seated at the center of the frame. As President Trump turns 80 on Sunday, he is so intent on projecting an image of relentless energy that he has installed a massive, mixed martial arts octagon on the South Lawn to mark the occasion. After watching the fight, Mr. Trump will depart Washington in the middle of the night and cross an ocean for a diplomatic summit in France. It is a schedule that seems devised to ward off questions about age and stamina as he begins his ninth decade. But even for a president known for imposing his own reality on every situation, Mr. Trump is facing scrutiny over his age that has grown more intense with each passing year. A Reuters/Ipsos poll taken in February showed that nearly six in 10 Americans think Mr. Trump is growing more erratic. And the oldest president ever to be inaugurated and his advisers spend a lot of time hitting back at people who have drawn a different set of conclusions about his health based on what they believe they can plainly see.

Wages Are Falling. Wealth Is Surging. No Wonder Americans Are Unhappy. (NYT) Two events from the past week help crystallize this strange, contradictory moment for the U.S. economy. On Wednesday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the surge in energy prices had wiped out a year and a half of wage gains for the average American worker. On Friday, the public-markets debut of SpaceX made Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire. That stark juxtaposition helps explain why many Americans, in survey after survey, say they no longer believe the U.S. economy is working for them. A few people are getting fabulously, unimaginably wealthy at the same time that entire generations of families worry they will never be able to afford to buy a house, raise children or enjoy a comfortable retirement. Inequality is hardly a new feature in America. But the explosion of wealth at the very top is without precedent in U.S. history. At the height of the Gilded Age at the end of the 19th century, the richest handful of Americans had a net worth equivalent to about 3 percent of the country’s annual economic output, according to data compiled by the French economists Gabriel Zucman and Emmanuel Saez. Today, the fortunes of the same 0.00001 percent—about 20 individuals—make up roughly four times as large a share, equivalent to 12 percent of annual output.

US strike against Tren de Aragua leader in Venezuela (AP) The U.S. military attack in Venezuela Friday that killed the leader of the Tren de Aragua gang reflects a strategic shift by U.S. President Donald Trump toward direct U.S. involvement in the war on drugs that began earlier this year, with a special focus this time on gaining access to Venezuela’s lucrative mining sector, analysts told The Associated Press. Trump announced Friday the death of gang leader Hector Rusthenford Guerrero in an airstrike on his compound in rural Venezuela. He has long accused Guerrero’s organization, also known as TDA, of terrorizing communities across the United States, where it has been linked to extortion rackets, drug trafficking and illegal immigration. The group was listed as a foreign terrorist organization by the State Department last year. Venezuela’s government said in a statement Friday that it worked with the U.S. to kill the gang leader, also known as El Niño Guerrero, and described the airstrike as part of a “joint operation” to fight organized crime.

Record number of young people in England fear long-term unemployment (Guardian) Young people in England are increasingly “losing faith in their futures” according to a report, as record numbers fear long-term unemployment. Analysing survey data, including from the Office for National Statistics, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said 16- to 21-year-olds were less confident about being successful than a decade ago. Younger people are also less convinced than their older counterparts that hard work will be rewarded, the IPPR said. Just one in four 16- to 29-year-olds agreed with the statement that “everyone has a fair chance to go as far as their talent and hard work will take them”. Policymakers have become increasingly concerned about the challenges facing young people, with the number of people aged 16 to 24 who are not in education, employment or training (Neets) recently exceeding 1 million for the first time in a decade.

Germany and Japan Are Rearming Again, 80 Years After World War II (NYT) In 1940, the imperial regimes of Germany and Japan joined what would be known as the Axis powers, bound by mutual opposition to the United States. They fought a world war, and they lost it, and their populations spent the next 85 years with shrunken militaries and a heavy reliance on their former enemy, America, for security. Now, both countries’ wariness of America has resurfaced, alongside heightened fears about a surging world power, China, and an aggressive Russia. Tokyo and Berlin are rushing to rebuild their militaries. And, once again, they are strengthening ties. Their cooperation is expected to gather momentum at the meeting of the leaders of the Group of 7 nations in Evian, France, this week. It already includes sharing know-how, technology and weapons, like drones and helicopters, critical to the countries’ respective efforts to rearm. It is hardly an Axis redux. This time, Japan and Germany are banding together from a defensive posture, with Berlin supporting Ukraine’s defense against Russia, and Tokyo wary of threats posed by China and North Korea. They are joining other like-minded “middle powers,” like fellow Group of 7 members Britain, Canada and France—their enemies in World War II. And they are casting themselves as champions of international law and institutions that serve as bulwarks against the bullying behaviors of the world’s most powerful countries.

Downtown Geneva boards up as drastic security tightens ahead of anti-G7 protests (AP) Scores of shops and businesses in downtown Geneva boarded up their storefronts with wooden panels ahead of planned anti-G7 protests on Sunday. French and Swiss authorities have imposed extensive security measures as U.S. President Donald Trump and other leaders attend a G7 summit of leading industrialized nations starting on Monday. There are concerns the gathering could trigger violent unrest. The June 15-17 summit of some of the world’s richest nations being held in the French town of Evian-les-Bains, on Lake Geneva, is meant to discuss the Middle East, Ukraine and global economic imbalances.

Ukraine’s drone commander wants to cut Crimea off from Russia (Reuters) Deep in an underground bunker, where walls of screens stream live data from across the battlefield, the commander of Ukraine’s drone forces is poring over terabytes of information to ​map out his next campaign: cutting Crimea off from Russia. Ukraine’s escalating drone strikes across Russian-occupied parts of the country have disrupted military logistics and fuel supplies, prompting authorities last month to introduce fuel rationing in ‌Crimea. Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, said the campaign has reduced the traffic using the Novorossiya highway—a critical Russian military supply route through occupied southern Ukraine to Crimea—by more than two thirds over the past month. “We will isolate Crimea in the near future,” Brovdi told Reuters in his cramped cubicle inside the bunker.

With a Deal Seemingly Close, the U.S. Faces an Iran More Willing to Withstand Pressure (NYT) The United States and Israel went to war in Iran seeking regime change. Nearly four months later, there has been regime change, but not the kind they wanted. The Islamic Republic 3.0, as some call it, is now less a theocracy and more a military junta dominated by the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Washington and Jerusalem also went to war to eradicate Iran’s nuclear program and end the threat it poses. So far, this conflict has only produced a wounded Iran more willing to take risks and more likely to persist in its goal of advancing its nuclear program. In the course of this war, Iran has gone from appearing weak and defenseless to a regime not only surviving, but also retaining important military and nuclear abilities. Iran’s extensive security apparatus seems firmly in control of all aspects of governing, society and foreign policy.

Lebanese army withdraws from southern village after Israeli troops advance nearby (AP) The Lebanese army on Saturday withdrew its troops from a base in a southern Lebanese village after Israeli troops advanced in an area nearby, a military official said. Israel’s military appears to be trying to make as many gains as possible in case a U.S.-Iran agreement is reached to end the war in the region, which is likely to include Lebanon. The departure from the army barracks in Kfar Tebnit came as the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning for about 20 locations, including the southern city of Nabatiyeh and nearby villages. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported airstrikes on Saturday on different villages near Nabatiyeh. It added that Nabatiyeh was subjected to artillery shelling on Saturday.

A Dangerous Limbo Leaves Iran, and the World, Between Peace and War (NYT) In just the past five days, the United States and Iran traded missile strikes after the downing of an American helicopter; Israel bombarded Lebanon, drawing retaliation from Iran; and the Iran-backed Houthis joined the reprisal from Yemen. Then in a matter of hours on Thursday, President Trump called off another major attack on Iran and again held out the prospect of a peace accord, which Iran downplayed. In the two months since the U.S. and Iran nominally declared a cease-fire, the line between peace and war has been all but erased across the Middle East, with attacks and counterattacks alongside promises to end the hostilities that never quite materialize. It is less a cease-fire than a “lesser fire,” in the words of the United Nations secretary general, António Guterres. Even if the combatants manage to get a framework for a deal this time, this gray zone of “neither war nor peace” may persist for weeks or months, analysts and diplomats say. Such a stalemate would consign the Middle East to a purgatory of sporadic violence and constant anxiety. And it would force the rest of the world to confront a stark new economic reality. Long-term disruption of oil and gas shipments would ripple into global supply chains, causing food shortages and driving up prices at the fuel pump and in grocery stores.

Elon Musk Becomes World’s First Trillionaire on SpaceX’s First Day of Trading (NYT) SpaceX, Elon Musk’s rocket and artificial intelligence company, capped the biggest-ever initial public offering by rising 20 percent in its trading debut on Friday, turning the world’s richest man into the first trillionaire and setting the stage for fast-growing A.I. companies to reach the stock market in a once-in-a-lifetime bonanza. The pop in SpaceX’s share price also catapulted Mr. Musk, 54, to trillionaire status. The entrepreneur, who not only leads SpaceX but also runs the electric carmaker Tesla and other businesses, has long been the planet’s wealthiest person. But passing the trillionaire milestone is significant, further augmenting Mr. Musk’s fortune and influence. In recent weeks, SpaceX, which has contracts with NASA and other federal agencies, has also faced questions about its business, including its spending and how it can justify its valuation. In its I.P.O. prospectus, the company reported that it had lost more than $4.9 billion last year.

Tornadoes in Illinois and Indiana leave residents grappling with damage (AP) Residents in tornado-ravaged areas in Illinois and Indiana were grappling with the damage to their homes and neighborhoods on Friday, after the strong line of storms barreled through communities south of Chicago and left trails of destruction. Thursday’s storms ripped roofs off of buildings, flattened homes, brought down scores of trees and power lines and caused hundreds of thousands of power outages and major air traffic disruptions. Officials said there were no reports of deaths or life-threatening injuries, though there were several people treated for minor injuries.

Once beset by power outages, Puerto Ricans also hit with severe water shortages (AP) Thousands of Puerto Ricans are struggling with water shortages so severe that the governor of the U.S. territory has activated the National Guard and emergency responders are fielding calls every day. Officials have not publicly pinpointed the cause, with shortages largely affecting some areas in the island’s most populated cities, including the capital San Juan. Residents are being forced to buy potable water, spend money at laundromats and haul heavy buckets up several flights of stairs to wash dishes, flush toilets and take showers. The elderly and disabled struggle the most, with community leaders noting that some have been hospitalized as water shortages persist.

Pope Leo had to catch a ride from the king of Spain after plane’s engine failed (Washington Post) For Pope Leo XIV, it pays to have friends in high places—even earthly ones. Shortly after Leo closed his seven-day trip to Spain on Friday with an outdoor Mass in the Canary Islands, off the northwest coast of Africa, he arrived on board his chartered Iberia flight back to Rome. A few moments later, a dejected captain announced a system failure on board, and in no time, Spain’s King Filipe VI, who has been shadowing the first U.S.-born pontiff, boarded the plane and personally whisked Leo off as journalists in the back gaped. Soon, the Vatican put out a statement saying the king had offered Leo the services of his private Falcon jet for a flight to Rome—which Leo accepted.

Donald Trump’s son-in-law accidentally sparked an Albanian uprising (Politico) When Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner decided to invest in a luxury holiday development on Albania’s idyllic southern coast, he probably didn’t count on provoking a national uprising. But Albanians, it turns out, weren’t crazy about wealthy foreign investors concreting over their natural treasures to build hotels for wealthy foreign holidaymakers. The proposed 10,000-bed resort near a protected wildlife area that’s home to flamingos, turtles and one of Europe’s most pristine river deltas ignited perhaps the biggest popular demonstrations since the small Balkan country abandoned communism more than three decades ago. Within two weeks the “flamingo revolution,” as it’s become known, has grown from a narrow environmental protest into a nationwide campaign directed at Albania’s entire ruling class. Years of perceived government corruption, unchecked tourism, frustration over Albania’s economic development (it’s one of Europe’s poorest countries) and a general perception that the nation is being run for the wealthy few rather than the general population, have tipped many Albanians over the edge. Demonstrators are now calling for the resignation and even imprisonment of Prime Minister Edi Rama.

EU agrees to launch membership talks with Ukraine next week even as war with Russia drags on (AP) European Union nations agreed on Friday to open membership talks with Ukraine next week, officially launching the process for the war-torn country to eventually join the world’s biggest trading bloc. At a meeting in Brussels, ambassadors from the 27 EU nations decided to officially open negotiations with Ukraine as well as with Moldova, which Russia has also tried to drag back into its orbit, on Monday in Luxembourg. Ukraine sees EU membership as an important “security guarantee” for a stable future once war with Russia ends.

What Happens to an Economy When It’s Too Hot to Work? (Bloomberg) In the scorching heat of Kanpur, the center of India’s leather industry, workers move slowly and deliberately as temperatures hit 46C (115F). AKI Chief Executive Officer Asad K. Iraqi has his 100 workers drink oral rehydration salts solution twice a day, and he recently invested in additional cooling systems. But it’s not enough. Some workers are falling sick, while others are returning to their villages. “My productivity is down 40%,” Iraqi says, his brow glistening with sweat. “Workers can’t survive in this heat without proper hydration and cooling.” It’s a scene playing out across India as summers become increasingly unlivable. “The impact of heat is like death by a thousand cuts,” says Aditya Valiathan Pillai, a visiting fellow at the Sustainable Futures Collaborative think tank in New Delhi who researches climate adaptation, citing the hit to productivity. India is emerging as one of the clearest examples of how extreme heat can become a structural economic constraint, particularly for developing economies dependent on physical labor. Lost labor from rising heat and humidity could jeopardize 2.5% to 4.5% of India’s gross domestic product by 2030.

China and Myanmar detain U.S. citizens in separate incidents, sparking alarm (Washington Post) China on Friday said it had arrested a U.S. citizen who researched Myanmar politics and accused him of espionage. In a separate incident, on Thursday, authorities in Myanmar detained an American businessman who ran a security consultancy there, according to people who were briefed on the incident. Min Zin, who was arrested in China, and Adam Castillo, who was detained in Myanmar, are well known among diplomats, journalists and analysts interested in Myanmar’s political situation. Both also have been vocal commentators on China’s growing influence on Myanmar’s civil war, and they traveled periodically to Washington to share their views with policymakers and legislators. News of the detentions has spread panic among the community of people focused on Myanmar. Saw Zin Maung Soe, founder of the nonprofit CAN-Myanmar, said, “While we already know [the Chinese] don’t tolerate issues regarding Tibet, Uyghurs or Tiananmen Square, we now have to question whether ‘Myanmar’ has also become part of that list.”

Syria is an unexpected beneficiary of the Gulf war (Economist) These days the 860km-long road from Ramadi in Iraq to western Syria is lined with lorries heaving with oil. They rumble past ancient ruins and deserted villages before emptying their tanks at the Baniyas terminal on Syria’s Mediterranean coast. They then return to Iraq to fill up and make the journey again. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz means the oil giants of the Middle East are scrambling for new routes to get their product to global markets. Iraq, which is the world’s sixth-largest producer, has been searching for a way to shift its 4m barrels of oil a day. The current answer is Syria. Iraq’s state firm in charge of oil exports, SOMO, has given three firms the job of trucking 650,000 tonnes of oil per month out of the country. The Syrian route is shorter than those through Jordan or Turkey, and takes the oil straight to the Mediterranean. Syria provides police escorts for the thousand-odd lorries a day, receives a transit fee, and the remainder goes to the Syrian Petroleum Company, a new state-backed firm, whose subsidiaries manage the storage and pumping of oil onto tankers at Baniyas. With Hormuz blocked, Syria could become a key transit hub, making it a rare beneficiary of the Iran war.

El Niño is officially here, bringing domino weather effects across the planet (Washington Post) El Niño is here, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A chain-reaction process in the atmosphere is underway and will influence global weather patterns in the months ahead. And this installment of El Niño looks to be particularly intense and could develop into a highly anticipated super El Niño. Unlike a storm that suddenly hits your town, El Niño’s influence on the global climate will gradually build in the months ahead. Drought is likely in southern Africa, Australia, India, the Indochina peninsula and Oceania. Southeast Asia, meanwhile, could see above-average rainfall and more flooding. And in the United States, a stronger, straighter west-to-east wintertime jet stream is expected over the southern part of the country. That will mean wetter conditions and more severe weather along the Gulf Coast, but drier and warmer conditions to the north. That could lead to a less intense winter across northern parts of the Lower 48.

World Bank Says Two-Thirds of Economies Face Hit From Iran War (Bloomberg) The decision by US President Donald Trump and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to wage a surprise war on Iran, and the global energy crisis triggered by its retaliation, has damaged two-thirds of the world’s economies. This from the World Bank, which on Thursday cut its outlook for growth in part because of the war’s disruption of commodity flows and rising import costs. The global economy will expand 2.5% in 2026, it said, the slowest pace since the Covid-19 pandemic caused a global recession in 2020. “This is the biggest supply shock in more than 50 years,” said Chief Economist Indermit Gill. “If the conflict persists, the next thing that will be affected is food prices.” The bank said risks to its outlook are skewed to the downside. Global growth could fall to 1.3% this year if “energy supply disruptions prove more severe than assumed and are accompanied by substantial financial stress.”

Trump Isn’t Giving Up on His Slush Fund (The Atlantic) Despite insisting that a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund has been scrapped, the administration is quietly assuring allies that payout plans remain on track. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche recently asked Congress to take him at his word that President Trump’s project for rewarding those who were allegedly victimized by the Biden-era Justice Department had truly been abandoned. (Although Blanche refused requests from a representative to put that in writing.) Behind the scenes, Justice Department and other Trump-administration officials have quietly assured allies that plans for some form of payout remain on track. I spoke with eight people familiar with the so-called Anti-Weaponization Fund—including current and former Justice Department officials, current and former members of Congress, a defense attorney, and political operatives close to the administration. All said that Justice Department officials and people close to the White House have indicated that the payout idea has not actually been scrapped.

U.S. Plan Is Said to Pull a Third of Fighter Jets It Provides NATO for Europe (NYT) The United States plans to significantly reduce the aircraft and warships that it makes available for NATO operations in Europe, according to two senior European officials, accelerating America’s effort to scale down the protection it has offered to European allies for eight decades. The decision would limit NATO’s ability to launch long-range strikes and conduct surveillance. It was communicated to allies in early June in a written document, parts of which were reviewed by The New York Times. The European officials, who were briefed on the decision, spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak more freely about sensitive military plans. The Pentagon has not yet publicly revealed the timeline for the drawdown but American officials have indicated it will take effect very soon—far earlier than European counterparts had been preparing for.

Argentina’s inflation slows to 8-month low in a boost for President Milei (AP) Argentina’s inflation slowed for the second straight month in May, economic data released Thursday showed, providing some welcome news for President Javier Milei after almost a year of stubbornly persistent price increases. Consumer prices rose 2.1% last month compared with April, the government statistics agency INDEC reported—a rate hailed by Economy Minister Luis Caputo as the lowest monthly level in eight months. But annual inflation rose marginally to 33.2% this May. Rising prices are squeezing households and fueling public frustration with Milei’s government as it grapples with a series of corruption scandals and struggles to respond to a slump in economic activity across the labor-intensive sectors of retail and manufacturing.

In the U.K., a Violent Cycle: Hateful Attacks, Right-Wing Agitation and Riots (NYT) The cycle of violence and right-wing agitation in Britain has become all too frightening and frequent. It can start with a stabbing, horrific in nature, that causes fear and anger. Condemnation from political leaders and law enforcement swiftly follows. But when the attacker is an immigrant or a person of color, a malign, distorted narrative often explodes onto the internet. Right-wing politicians and commentators seize on it to foment outrage in support of their anti-immigrant agenda, aided by social media algorithms that feed on conflict and division. Within hours, the anger they stoke online has jumped to the real world, setting off protests that become angry riots. There are pleas for calm and promises of action by government and law enforcement. But soon afterward, the cycle begins again.

Pope’s visit highlights migrants’ plight (BBC) Pope Leo has arrived in Gran Canaria as part of a two-day tour of the Canary Islands. Recognition and solidarity is the theme of the Pope’s visit, a clear counterpoint to the portrayal of migration in Europe by others as a crisis or invasion. In the southern port of Arguineguín—often used by migrants—Pope Leo stressed the need for alternative “legal and safe pathways” above all. He called on the “conscience of Europe” not to “grow accustomed” to its seas becoming unmarked graves or to a world where “so many risk death to seek life.” Bakary Jaiju sees himself as one of the lucky ones. First, his boat with around 160 people on board managed to evade naval patrols. Days later, they were rescued off the tiny Spanish island of El Hierro. He then spent three months in a migrant camp in Tenerife until he joined a project helping him to learn Spanish and find a way to stay on the island legally. The driving force behind that is Padre Pepe, a chatty parish priest in jeans and checked shirt. The Good Samaritan Foundation now offers accommodation and all kinds of workshops to about 170 young men. “The labour market could absorb all these people, there is huge demand,” the priest insists.

Ukraine hits fuel supplies to Crimea, sparking a fuel crisis on the Russian-held peninsula (AP) Ukrainian drone strikes on refineries, depots and pipelines. Tanker trucks attacked and left ablaze along the land corridor from Russia to Crimea. Motorists waiting in long lines at gas stations. In a new blow to the Kremlin’s narrative that Moscow is winning the 4-year-old war in Ukraine, Kyiv’s forces have targeted supplies to Crimea, triggering the worst fuel crisis on the Black Sea peninsula since it was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014. The persistent attacks reflect the growing intensity and efficiency of Ukraine’s drone strikes and have caught Russia off guard and struggling for a response.

Whipsawed Between Fear and Relief, Iranians Hope for War’s End (NYT) For days, Iranians have gone to bed hearing the sounds of explosions or reports that their country and the United States were trading fire. And then they have awakened to news that the attacks had concluded and negotiations for a peace deal were still ongoing. On Thursday, the pendulum again swung wildly—within a few hours. First, President Trump threatened to hit Iran “VERY HARD” and take over Kharg Island, Iran’s oil export hub. Then he abruptly canceled attacks because, he said, progress had been made in peace negotiations. Between the president’s two statements, Tehran’s armed forces had threatened retaliation against energy infrastructure in the region if attacked. For ordinary Iranians, the constant vacillation between fear and relief, anxiety and hope, has been emotionally taxing. In phone interviews and text messages, some said that they just wanted the war to end, one way or another. “They go to war at night, they stop the war by morning, it’s all ridiculous,” said Vahid, a 37-year-old resident of Tehran. “Either fight or don’t fight,” he added. “We are fed up.”

Israel deports French journalist over coverage critical of its policies in Gaza and the West Bank (AP) Israeli authorities on Thursday deported prominent French journalist Alice Froussard after she was refused entry upon landing at the country’s main international airport the day before, her employer and the Foreign Press Association in Israel said. Several Israeli media outlets quoted the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism as saying it recommended Froussard be denied entry for coverage that was critical of Israeli actions in Gaza and the West Bank. In a post on X, Israel’s Minister for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, Amichai Chikli, celebrated her deportation. “I am pleased to announce that at this very moment, Alice Froussard, a French journalist who supports Hamas, and who claims that the October 7 massacre must be viewed ‘in context,’ is making her way from Ben Gurion Airport back to Paris,” he wrote. The Foreign Press Association, a nonprofit representing journalists who work for international outlets in Israel and the Palestinian territories, called the allegations against Froussard “outrageous.” “This is not the first case in which the Israeli government decides that the journalist coverage is ‘one-sided,’” the FPA said in a statement. Press freedom groups have condemned Israel for its attacks on journalists since the start of the Gaza war on Oct. 7, 2023. Since then, Israeli forces have killed 259 media workers and journalists, mostly in Gaza but also in conflicts in Iran, Lebanon and Yemen, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, a nonprofit promoting press freedom worldwide.

First group of Nigerians returns home after anti-immigration protests in South Africa (AP) The first group of Nigerians returned home from South Africa on Thursday as part of repatriation ordered by the government following violent anti-immigration protests. A total of 262 passengers and three officials were on board the flight to Lagos, according to Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ministry earlier said over 1,000 Nigerians have registered for voluntary return. Authorities in South Africa said the returnees were found to be in the country illegally, contradicting Nigerian officials that they were fleeing xenophobic attacks. Nigeria is the latest African nation to organize such evacuation flights from South Africa. Since April, a series of anti-immigration protests have led to attacks against some foreigners. The protests highlight tensions between foreign workers and locals who claim foreigners are taking their jobs.

Trump calls off latest threats to strike Iran, citing a breakthrough in talks to end the war (AP) U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday he had called off new military strikes on Iran, claiming a breakthrough in negotiations to end the war just hours after the American leader threatened to escalate the conflict by seizing control of Iran’s oil industry. Trump has said multiple times in recent weeks that the warring parties have been on the cusp of a deal without anything coming to fruition. A spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a live phone call on state television that mediators were active and nothing had been finalized to end the conflict that began Feb. 28 when the U.S. and Israel jointly attacked Iran.

White House Again Shrugs Off High Prices Amid War With Iran (NYT) Prices jumped in May for the third straight month, leaving U.S. families and businesses to suffer the sting from the war with Iran. And for the third time, the White House largely shrugged off the news, insisting that the problem was temporary—and that President Trump’s agenda was working. “No, I love it, the numbers were great,” the president told reporters on Wednesday. “I love the inflation.” It was a familiar pattern, one that appeared to underscore the widening chasm between Mr. Trump and the majority of Americans who say they are frustrated with the direction of the economy.

$60M and 7 federal agencies required to stage Trump’s UFC fight at White House (AP) President Donald Trump’s planned UFC fight on the White House’s South Lawn has required a monumental effort from more than seven federal agencies, hundreds of staff working onsite daily and at least $60 million, according to a legal filing that offers a glimpse into the preparations. The event is part of the 250th anniversary of America’s founding, and is scheduled for the weekend with the main attraction—seven mixed martial arts matches—on Sunday.

Mexico City installed a chandelier in its metro for the World Cup. Then came the crush of memes (AP) The sound of construction roared over the most memed metro station in Mexico City as workers hammered at marble floors under a chandelier and rows of lamps reminiscent of a scene from “Harry Potter” or “Titanic,” racing to finish ahead of the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony Thursday. Mexicans milling through the busy Hidalgo metro station pointed and laughed, occasionally snapping pictures of the face-lift that has become the subject of a cascade of internet memes. The cosmetic makeover that authorities have attempted to give the capital as visitors arrive from around the globe also has become a symbol of criticisms that the government is prioritizing its superficial appearance for World Cup fans over fixing critical structural issues that have long plagued the city. “People make fun of it because it’s a failed aesthetic, it doesn’t make a lot of sense,” said Silvia Escamilla, 28, who was hustling to work among a crowd of Mexican commuters. “All these renovations are like putting makeup on the city, because the infrastructure they could actually invest in just isn’t there.”

Pentagon’s Hegseth warns Cuba that arms procurement could invite confrontation (Reuters) On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth traveled to the U.S. naval base/prison/CIA black site on Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. There, he warned Cuba’s government against procuring weapons which could be used against the U.S., even as the Trump administration has drummed up consent for a future invasion of the island nation. “It would be unwise of the government of Cuba to try to procure or get access to the types of weapons that could reach this base or the American homeland,” Hegseth said. “They would be inviting the kind of confrontation not only do they not want but ​they could not stand. No country on Earth can match the capabilities of the United States of America.” The state of Cuba’s economy has become increasingly dire over the past few months, as Trump has maintained the U.S.’s economic sanctions on the island nation while also blocking it from importing fuel. The White House has threatened to slap steep tariffs on countries that sell oil or gas to Cuba, leading to endless power outages as the Cuban government struggles to keep the lights on.

Peru’s presidential runoff shows a razor-thin gap between candidates (AP) The gap between Peru’s two presidential candidates narrowed to less than 20,000 votes Tuesday with 96% of ballots counted after Sunday’s runoff contest. The winner will be the South American country’s ninth president in 10 years. Official figures showed nationalist congressman Roberto Sánchez with 50.055% of votes, while conservative politician Keiko Fujimori had 49.945%. The electoral body has counted more than 17.8 million votes.

Only 11% of Europeans view US as ally, survey shows (Reuters) Only 11% of Europeans across 15 countries view the United States as an ally, a historic low and down from 16% half a year ​ago and 22% in November 2024, according to a survey published ‌by the European Council on Foreign Relations on Wednesday. The findings, released ahead of G7 and NATO summits, highlight Europe’s waning confidence in Washington as a reliable security partner. Majorities in ​all surveyed countries expressed doubts that the U.S. would come to their ​defence in the event of an attack. Majorities in every country polled ​except Bulgaria ⁠thought U.S.-European relations would improve when U.S. President Donald Trump left office.

Europe shakes off innovation gloom (CSM) The handful of U.S. firms that dominate global tech and artificial intelligence has almost universal name recognition. And it’s quite widely known that they rely on semiconductors manufactured in East Asia, mainly Taiwan. But it’s safe to say that very, very few people realize that the world’s only maker of the complex lithography machines—used by Asian firms to fabricate the chips that power American tech advances—is headquartered in ... Europe. (The Netherlands, to be precise.) Not knowing this little factoid is about more than industry trivia. It points to long-standing, and not entirely merited, views of the continent as an economic has-been, held back by red tape, capital constraints, and innovation inertia. In fact, the European Union is making quiet, consistent progress in undoing both limiting perceptions and policies. “Europe is no musty backwater,” The Economist stated in April. “It has the talent, resources and incentive to lead. It should start to think, and act, like it.”

The War in Ukraine Has Now Gone On Longer Than World War I (NYT) The war in Ukraine has often been compared to World War I for its brutal infantry assaults and heavy casualties. Yet the idea that it could, by any measure, surpass a conflict so long and bloody that French soldiers hoped it would be “the last of the last” once seemed unthinkable. That is just what happened on Thursday. The war in Ukraine—which reached 1,569 days, or more than four years and three months—has now outlasted World War I. When President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia sent his troops into Ukraine in February 2022, he believed the country would fall within days. After Ukraine pushed the Russians back and the conflict settled into a war of attrition, even many of those fighting could not imagine it would last this long. But the war has raged on, and, with peace talks stalled, it shows no sign of ending soon. Polls suggest that about half of Ukrainians believe it will not end before next year, which would push it closer to another threshold: the duration of World War II, which lasted six years.

Washington Is Testing Singapore’s Patience (Foreign Policy) One of the United States’ most important strategic partners in Southeast Asia—Singapore—is beginning to lose faith in the Trump administration. U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, coupled with the acute energy crisis caused by his war against Iran and U.S. government pressure to force Singapore into even closer alignment, have severely frustrated Singaporean leaders. As Singapore seeks a stable place in an increasingly disorderly international system, this could result in a more diversified Singaporean foreign policy, including a more prominent role for China. Alienating Singapore would be an unforced error—and perhaps a significant one. The city-state sits on a small island strategically located on the vital Strait of Malacca that connects the Indian and Pacific oceans, and it serves as a de facto security ally of the United States. Singapore hosts and maintains U.S. warships at its Changi Naval Base and participates in a range of other military agreements, making it a potentially critical node of support to U.S. military forces defending Taiwan or addressing any number of other future contingencies throughout the Indo-Pacific.

Philippine town seeks immediate airlift of food to ease hunger in quake-hit villages (AP) The mayor of a southern Philippine town that was devastated by a powerful earthquake pleaded Thursday for helicopters to transport food to stave off hunger in several landslide-isolated villages. The 7.8 magnitude offshore quake, one of the strongest to hit the Philippine archipelago in a half century, struck Monday off the southern province of Sarangani and has left at least 47 people dead and injured 688 with 31 still missing. More than 45,000 people remained displaced, about half in emergency shelters, after the quake damaged more than 12,600 houses in farming towns and cities. Many were still too traumatized to return home due to aftershocks, provincial officials said.

Amnesty accuses Israel’s government of ‘ethnic cleansing’ of Palestinians from the West Bank (AP) Amnesty International accused Israel on Wednesday of carrying out a campaign of “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians from the occupied West Bank with the intention to annex the Palestinian territory. The accusation came in a new, 149-page report alleging that the forced displacement of West Bank Palestinians resulted from a concerted state policy, and not just the actions of violent settlers. While much of the displacement is driven by settlers who build outposts on Palestinian land, the report asserts that the process could not occur without the support of the government. U.N. data says that over 100 West Bank villages have been fully or partially emptied out between January 2023 and April 2026. At the same time, the United Nations has tracked more than 7,280 instances of individual Palestinian displacement because of demolition of homes and structures by Israeli forces, a figure that includes people who were displaced more than once.

US launches a second day of strikes on Iran and Iran fires back at the Gulf states and Jordan (AP) The United States launched a second round of airstrikes on Iran into Thursday morning after U.S. President Donald Trump warned that Tehran would “pay the price” for stalled negotiations, and Iran responded with strikes targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan. The new U.S. assault across multiple Iranian cities came as efforts to negotiate an end the war again appeared stuck. The American attack appeared more intense and wider than the day before, but Iran released little information on the extent of the damage. Kuwait closed its airspace for several hours because of the Thursday morning attack, but did not elaborate on any damage. Jordan said it intercepted 20 Iranian missiles fired toward an area that is home to an air base hosting U.S. troops, though no one was hurt.

A Challenge in the U.S.-Iran Talks: Both Sides Demand Victory (NYT) For weeks, the parameters of a preliminary agreement to end the war between the United States and Iran have been clear to its negotiators. The hang-up? How to devise a deal so each side can claim a win. Washington and Tehran—both neither fully victorious nor completely defeated in the war—badly want a deal. But they also need something they can present as favorable to the hawks and hard-liners back home. Added to this fundamental dispute are the peculiarities of the two countries’ leaders. One of them is in hiding and slow to sign off on any proposal; the other is so unpredictable, his own envoys struggle to negotiate on his behalf. Unsuccessful efforts at devising this alchemy of wording have mired the two sides in a state of neither war nor peace. They have left the global economy in limbo, too, as both sides continue their blockades of the vital Strait of Hormuz.

Social Security at Risk for Cuts by 2032, Unless Congress Acts (NYT) The financial forecast for Social Security worsened this year, according to the annual financial report released on Tuesday by the program’s trustees. If Congress does not develop a plan to shore up the program, it will need to cut benefits for millions of Americans in just a little more than six years. Social Security’s deteriorating finances have long been thought of as a future problem—for another president, or another Congress, to resolve. But now, it is creeping ever closer because funds will run out before the end of the next president’s term. The Social Security Old-Age and Survivors Insurance trust fund, which helps pay retiree and survivor benefits to more than 68 million beneficiaries, is now expected to run out of money at the end of 2032, one quarter earlier than projected last year. That means incoming revenue would be enough to pay only 78 percent of benefits, in other words, a reduction of 22 percent, according to the report.

Billionaires’ Billions Are Increasing Faster Than Ever (NYT) Fifteen years ago, the world’s billionaires collectively had $4.5 trillion. By 2024, their wealth had more than tripled to $14.2 trillion. Now, their combined wealth totals $20.1 trillion—an amount that is equivalent to nearly a fifth of the entire world’s total yearly output. The stunning figures—calculated by the French economist Gabriel Zucman, director of the International Tax Observatory, a research organization funded by the European Union—reveal more than a surprisingly rapid increase in the concentration of wealth at the tippy top. They also reflect a series of important global trends: the growing dominance of a few technology companies leading artificial intelligence development; the shrinking slice of the economic pie that goes to workers; and a deepening inequality that will be handed down to the next generation. These developments are particularly prominent in the United States, where roughly one-third of the world’s nearly 3,000 billionaires reside.

Two more Texas screwworm infections found in animals far apart, USDA says (ABC News) On Monday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it had confirmed two more cases of the New World screwworm infecting animals in Texas. Those confirmations bring the total number of screwworm cases in the U.S. up to four, after the worm was found in two calves living miles apart late last week. According to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, though, the U.S. cattle industry is “not at risk” from the larva. “This is not a virus, it’s not a disease, it’s just a little pest, a larva that lands in a calf’s wound, for example, and it can be treated,” she said. Meanwhile, the USDA is racing to set up a new facility for breeding and releasing sterile flies into the wild, which will curb the pest’s population in the U.S. by preventing future generations from being born—unfortunately, that operation will only reach full capacity in November 2027. The fly was originally eradicated from the U.S. in 1960s and was kept at bay thanks to eradication efforts across Central and South America, but Elon Musk’s DOGE cut U.S. funding for a screwworm monitoring and containment program last year, even as the parasite’s population was inching closer to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Violent anti-immigration protests erupt in Belfast after brutal stabbing attack (Washington Post) Masked men set houses, vehicles and a city bus ablaze in Belfast on Tuesday night, torching neighborhoods across the city after a graphic video of an alleged knife attack by a Sudanese asylum seeker went viral, igniting the latest anti-immigration violence to convulse the United Kingdom. Ignoring pleas for calm from politicians and clergy, rioters rampaged through heavily immigrant neighborhoods in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, in some cases going door-to-door and causing some families to flee under police protection. Men in balaclavas and hoods shouted “foreigners out,” witnesses said. One family with children had to be escorted from a burning house, according to the BBC, and a family of Ukrainian refugees fled through their back door as the front door burned. The riots spread from Belfast to towns across Northern Ireland and reached into Scotland and England by nightfall.

Vote looms in Switzerland after foes of migration put proposal to cap population at 10 million (AP) Swiss voters will take up an unprecedented proposal to limit Switzerland’s population, part of a longtime push by right-wing leaders to cap the number of foreigners who migrate to the rich and economically vibrant Alpine country. A national vote on whether to cap Switzerland’s population at 10 million in coming decades culminates with in-person balloting on Sunday. Recent polling suggested that it could be a close contest. Supporters of the initiative dislike an influx of expatriates from the neighboring European Union, and say Swiss infrastructure, housing, social programs, natural resources and way of life have been strained under demographic growth.

Ukraine’s Neighbors Seek Shelter as More and More Drones Fly Overhead (NYT) The red alert came from a crisis control room buried under the Lithuanian capital. It sent the president, prime minister, mayor, school children and hundreds of thousands of other residents racing to underground shelters for cover from a fast approaching drone. Military radar showed the drone coming in from the east, where Russia and its close ally Belarus have long loomed as a menace to NATO’s eastern flank. But, according to Lithuanian officials, the drone that triggered the take-cover order last month in the capital, Vilnius began its journey in Ukraine, as did dozens of others that in recent weeks have entered the airspace or waters of Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Finland and Romania. All are members of NATO and strong supporters of the Ukrainian military’s battle against the Kremlin. Ukraine has been sending swarms of drones to hit Russian ports, oil terminals and other facilities on the Baltic Sea. But some veer off course en route and end up menacing countries that have been among Ukraine’s staunchest allies. Repeated recent episodes of drones changing direction highlight how the devices are scrambling clear lines between friend and foe, intent and result.

Aftershocks complicate Philippine recovery from quake that killed 45 and displaced thousands (AP) Dozens of rescuers in hard hats scrambled out of a partially collapsed grocery in a southern Philippine city Wednesday as it was rattled by an aftershock from a powerful earthquake that left at least 45 people dead and 17 others missing in the region. A safety officer blew his whistle and others screamed to warn about 30 firefighters and coast guard personnel to dash to safety as concrete debris crashed down from the leaning three-story building in General Santos city in a frantic scene witnessed by an AP video journalist. The earthquake has been followed by more than 2,100 aftershocks including a few that ranged up to 6.4 magnitude, which is strong enough to cause more casualties and damage. More than 25,000 people remain displaced, many of them staying in 45 government-run emergency shelters and still too traumatized to return home, officials said.

Sea of tents in heart of Beirut lays bare Lebanon’s crisis (Financial Times) In a central Beirut parking lot, between waterfront nightclubs and restaurants popular with parliamentarians, about 1,000 people who fled Israeli bombings sleep in identical blue tents, differentiated only by numbers spray-painted in white. The tent grid looks like a refugee camp, even if neither its inhabitants nor the Lebanese government will call it one. It has become a symbol of the uprooting of Lebanon’s people during Israel’s war with Hizbollah, and of the struggle to shelter them indefinitely. Nearly 1mn, about a fifth of Lebanon’s population, remain displaced more than a month and a half after the ceasefire that nominally halted the conflict. For Lebanon’s leaders and its people, the vast displacement has begun to look less like a temporary emergency than something more permanent. Lebanon’s impoverished state can ill afford a drawn-out crisis. Lebanese minister Haneen Sayed said that while the country received $700mn in aid, including from Gulf countries and the UN, during the 2024 war between Israel and Hizbollah, the total this time was less than $250mn. Shipments of donated supplies were also a quarter of what they were during the last war.

Israel is tightening its grip on east Jerusalem with evictions and demolitions (AP) Fakhri Abu Diab fought for decades to save his home. But when Israeli authorities arrived with bulldozers two years ago, he was powerless to stop them. He and his wife now live among shards of memory: a bicycle where his bedroom stood; the garden where he planted tomatoes as a boy; a portrait of his late mother painted on a wall, based on a photograph lost in the demolition. Their mobile home, set up amid the rubble, is also marked for removal. For decades, Israel has worked to expand the Jewish presence in annexed east Jerusalem—the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and home to major Jewish, Christian and Muslim sites. Settlers have exploited discriminatory policies and archaeological claims to evict Palestinians far from the region’s war zones. Activists say those efforts have gone into overdrive in recent years, as Israel is no longer constrained by U.S. pressure and attention has shifted to Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. Over 260 homes and other structures were demolished in 2025, a 70% increase from three years earlier.