海角大神

Libertarian President Javier Milei is undertaking a far-reaching overhaul of Argentina鈥檚 economy. Will people accept the pain and give him time to do it?

鈥� Hezbollah leader killed: Hashem Safieddine briefly helped run Lebanon鈥檚 strongest military and political force. His death marked Israel鈥檚 latest heavy blow to Hezbollah.
鈥� Enduring friendship: At the BRICS meeting of 36 leaders in Kazan, Russia, Chinese leader Xi Jinping told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Beijing鈥檚 strategic partnership with Moscow was a force for stability in a chaotic world.
鈥� U.S. election poll: Democratic U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris held a marginal 46% to 43% lead over Republican former President Donald Trump, with a glum electorate saying the country is on the wrong track, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
鈥� Georgia ruling: The state鈥檚 top court declined to hear an expedited appeal by Republicans of a decision blocking a new rule that would have required poll workers to hand-count ballots.
鈥� Airline fined: The U.S. Department of Transportation fined American Airlines $50 million for failing to provide wheelchair assistance to passengers with disabilities and damaging thousands of wheelchairs over a five-year period.

Read these news briefs.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu initially described Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar鈥檚 death as 鈥渢he beginning of the end鈥� to the war in Gaza. Yet intense fighting continues. Are there any indications that pressures for a cease-fire will bear fruit?

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump both paint a future with abundant energy. Her plans center on renewable sources. He backs traditional fuels, rejecting climate change as a priority.

A network of community aid groups is providing pivotal support for communities affected by Sudan鈥檚 civil war. By doing so, they are also showing that the ties that bind Sudanese together are stronger than the violence tearing their country apart.

The career and technical education of today doesn鈥檛 look the same as the vocational ed of years ago. Not only have the offerings changed, but so, too, have the expectations about where it leads. Part 1 of 2.

In our progress roundup, we鈥檙e focused on the ways we care for young and old. In Australia, Indigenous nations win rights to ancestral land the size of the U.S. state of Indiana. In New Mexico, child care is free to most families. And in Kenya, citizens are reforesting.

The signs point to a democracy derailed. Barely 1 in 3 voters turned out for the Oct. 9 elections in the African nation of Mozambique. An opposition candidate declared himself the winner. Days later, two of his closest associates were fatally shot. Street clashes broke out between protesters and security forces.

Official results are due Thursday. The national election commission is widely expected to declare the ruling party鈥檚 candidate the winner. Opposition leaders have called for two days of nationwide protests. Court challenges are likely.

For decades, turbulence during elections in Africa meant hope deferred. Now it more often confirms an extraordinary moment of transformation across the world鈥檚 youngest and fastest-changing continent.

Fed up with corruption, extremist violence, and economic dysfunction, Mozambicans are breaking the grip of two political factions that have battled each other for decades at the cost of their nation鈥檚 development. Many who didn鈥檛 vote went to polling stations anyway to call for 鈥� as a coalition of civil society organizations put it 鈥� 鈥�mais integridade鈥� (鈥渕ore integrity鈥�).

鈥淭he ideologies and alliances of the past are starting to crack鈥� in Mozambique, noted Emilia Columbo, an Africa analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. 鈥淰oters who did show up to the polling stations arrived with a deep commitment to exercising their civic duty, waiting in lines for hours in the heat to cast their ballot.鈥�

In many societies, from Myanmar to Venezuela, a key challenge for pro-democracy activists is how to get rid of ruling parties that have worn out their welcome. The shift can often happen suddenly. Already this year, youthful protesters in Senegal and Bangladesh forced recalcitrant leaders from power, while South African voters broke 30 years of one-party rule.

In one sign of how democratic norms are deepening in Africa, the incumbent president in Mozambique, Filipe Nyusi, is giving up power peacefully after reaching the constitutional limit of two terms. That鈥檚 just a start.

For the first time, the two main presidential candidates were born after independence. The ruling party, in power since Portuguese colonialists left in 1974, looks set to retain power. Independent observers say the voting process was flawed and should be thoroughly investigated.

But what may matter more is who comes in second. A new opposition party called Podemos 鈥� 鈥淲e Can鈥� 鈥� is poised to hold a majority in parliament. Across Africa, no trend has mattered more in advancing democracy than the growth of competent oppositions.

鈥淲e must form a government that does not depend on party criteria,鈥� insisted Ven芒ncio Mondlane, the opposition candidate. 鈥淚t will depend on patriotic criteria, meritocracy and, above all, commitment to the country.鈥�

That kind of rhetoric has fed the civic expectations of a new generation of African voters. More and more, their leaders are listening.