海角大神

Since last fall, the United States, having learned its own lessons, has urged Israel to envision a political endgame for the military campaign against Hamas in Gaza. The government鈥檚 continued refusal to do so is creating a widening rift with the military.

鈥⒙燡udge blocks Biden gun rule:聽A federal judge has blocked the Biden administration from enforcing a new gun rule in Texas.
鈥⒙營srael seizes AP equipment:聽Israeli officials have seized a camera and broadcasting equipment belonging to The Associated Press. Officials accused the news organization of聽violating a new media聽law.
鈥� Biden gas price plan:聽The Biden administration will release 1 million barrels of gasoline from a Northeastern reserve in a bid to lower prices at the pump this summer.
鈥⒙燝aza food aid suspended:聽The United Nations has suspended food distribution in the southern Gaza city of Rafah due to lack of supplies and insecurity.

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By rolling out AI Overview, Google is in effect competing with its own internet search results. This comes as lawsuits and artificial intelligence rivals threaten Google鈥檚 dominance.

Chinese nationals are growing rapidly as a share of migrants crossing the U.S. southern border. In this first of two parts, we talk to them about how and why they move.

As access to child care evades many parents, employers are trying to fill the void. Is on-site child care a short-term fix or an integral solution? Part of the series 鈥淔ixing the Child Care Crisis,鈥� from the Education Reporting Collaborative.

Unfair imprisonment is an immense problem in Nigeria. One nonprofit organization is fighting for the rights of defendants.

Over the past 15 years of various protests in Iran, one theme has stood out: equality. First, that the ruled are equal to their rulers, especially in elections. Second, that women have a right equal to men on whether to wear a head covering. And third, that individuals must be judged equally by their qualities and talents, not by family ties and bloodlines, in gaining top state jobs.

That last line of protest 鈥� against hereditary privilege and nepotism 鈥� has surged since the death on Sunday of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash.

The president鈥檚 death has renewed speculation over who will succeed the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Mr. Raisi was a leading candidate. Now the spotlight has turned to the ayatollah鈥檚 second son, Mojtaba Khamenei, a low-ranking Shiite cleric who could become Iran鈥檚 third all-powerful theocrat since the Islamic Revolution in 1979 that toppled a monarchy.

More than equality 鈥� or the value of merit over kinship 鈥� is at stake. Any successor to the senior Khamenei, who has ruled for 35 years, could shift or reinforce Iran鈥檚 menacing role in the Middle East. He might also worsen or lessen the exodus of young Iranians seeking jobs abroad in part because of nepotism in business and government.

The junior Mojtaba, whose given name means 鈥渢he chosen one,鈥� has long served his father closely, especially in guiding Iran鈥檚 second-most-powerful institution, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and its vast security and business network. While the supreme leader often says Islam is against hereditary rule, he has carefully groomed his son for a leading role. Most of Iran鈥檚 history is about the personalization of power, whether secular or religious, and passing it on to relatives.

That tradition was openly challenged by political dissidents starting in 2018. They have used social media to expose the privileges that dominant families enjoy in government and business. The hashtag #WhereIsYourKid? demands that officials explain their children鈥檚 wealth or the jobs they hold. 鈥淎re [the kids] reaping the fruit of their own effort or eating from our riches?鈥� wrote one activist on the social platform X. Official media have been forced to join in, challenging high-level nepotism.

Such a shift in public thinking weighs against the anointing of Mojtaba as the next leader.

As more Iranians demand equality in all aspects of life, a regime led by clerics is being advised by the people to select leaders from Iran鈥檚 vast talent pool, not from its gene pool. In nearly every protest, Iranians are embracing a key concept of sovereignty 鈥� that each individual is worthy and equal. They are laying a cornerstone for a free and fair democracy, perhaps one with a peaceful purpose.