海角大神

Ukraine struck deep inside Russia. Its drone attack Sunday destroyed more than 40 Russian planes, Ukraine鈥檚 Security Service said, while Moscow hit Ukraine with missiles and drones ahead of peace talks in Istanbul. Russia鈥檚 Defense Ministry confirmed the attacks on five airfields. 鈥� The Associated Press

An attack in Colorado is being investigated. The FBI said Sunday it鈥檚 investigating an act of terrorism in Boulder, in which witnesses say a person threw an 鈥渋ncendiary device鈥� into a crowd. A man attacked a group that raises awareness of Israeli hostages, an organizer told local news. Eight people were hurt. Authorities say the suspect, now in custody, was heard yelling 鈥淔ree Palestine.鈥� 鈥� Staff

A conservative narrowly won Poland鈥檚 presidential election. The election was considered a crucial test for Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who wants to move Poland closer to the European Union and complete key reforms to strengthen judicial independence. Karol Nawrocki, an ally of the Trump administration who won 50.9% of the vote, is expected to block these efforts. The result shows how finely balanced Poland is between a desire to move Westward and a desire to prioritize sovereignty and more traditional Polish values. 鈥� Staff

Mexico began electing a judiciary. In a first, voters turned out Sunday to pick more than 2,600 judges and magistrates, including on the Supreme Court. Some voters said the ballots were confusing, with nearly 8,000 candidates, including people associated with organized crime. Opponents say the new model will make the justice system more susceptible to corruption. Supporters say it鈥檚 more democratic and will root out nepotism and fraud. A hand count will take days. 鈥� Staff

The border of Pakistan and India cooled. The countries鈥� militaries have brought troop levels almost down to levels from before conflict erupted between the nuclear-armed neighbors, a senior Pakistani general said Friday. Four days of clashes followed an April 22 attack in Indian Kashmir that killed 26 people, most of them tourists. New Delhi blamed the incident on 鈥渢errorists鈥� backed by Pakistan, a charge denied by Islamabad. 鈥� Reuters

France is preparing for a sweeping smoking ban. Beginning July 1, it will be outlawed in nearly all outdoor public areas where children may gather. That includes beaches, parks, playgrounds, and bus stops. The law hints at a cultural shift. Smoking has long been a strong element of French identity, fashion, and cinema. 鈥� AP

A glacial slide took a Swiss village, but not its heart. Vigilance and preparation mitigated losses when millions of cubic meters of ice, mud, and debris tumbled into Blatten, Switzerland, May 28, burying the Alpine village. One man was still missing Sunday, but nearly all of Blatten鈥檚 300 residents had been evacuated earlier in May after smaller slides were noted. Sheep and cows had been airlifted to safety by helicopter. 鈥淲e lost our village but not the heart,鈥� Mayor Matthias Bellwald said at a press conference. 鈥淲e are going to be in solidarity and rebuild. Everything is possible.鈥� 鈥� Staff

A waltz was beamed into space. 鈥淏y the Beautiful Blue Danube,鈥� by the Austrian composer Johann Strauss II, memorably played during a scene of dancing spacecraft in the 1968 film 鈥�2001: A Space Odyssey.鈥� But the iconic piece had been overlooked in previous audio postcards to the cosmos. 鈥淒anube鈥� was performed Saturday by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra 鈥� and the European Space Agency used a Spain-based radio antenna to send it to Voyager 1. On the twin occasions of the ESA鈥檚 50th anniversary and the 200th of Strauss鈥� birth year, an old slight was addressed. 鈥� Staff

In the early part of his second term, U.S. President Donald Trump has presented a vision of the Western Hemisphere that hearkens back to a 19th-century spheres-of-influence approach to international affairs: The regions of North, Central, and South America should be exclusively the United States鈥� economic, diplomatic, and military domain. This approach is disrupting the postwar global order and the system of regional alliances led by the U.S. and its allies for nearly 75 years, experts say. We looked at historical precedents, and at what鈥檚 different today.聽

In the aftermath of Oct. 7, 2023, Maoz Inon, an Israeli whose parents were killed in Hamas鈥� attack, joined with a fellow entrepreneur, Aziz Abu-Sarah, a Palestinian from East Jerusalem whose older brother was killed in the first intifada. Under the banner of their group, Standing Together, they advocate for reconciliation, equality, and justice. They say they can see their impact growing. Invitations to speak in Israel now come from schools and universities. It can be difficult for Israelis and Palestinians to work together openly. Activists can be viewed as traitors. But they are offering, says Mr. Abu-Sarah, 鈥渢he only viable answer to the current reality.鈥�

After looking imminent only weeks ago, peace talks on the war in Ukraine have been halting. The latest attempt to hash out a deal looks set for Monday, but Russia, Ukraine, and the United States all still seem far apart. Russia maintains that at least the outlines of a final settlement must be reached before any ceasefire can be implemented. Meanwhile, reports suggest that Russia is preparing a major summer military offensive regardless of the course of the talks.

The shift toward electric cars in the United States hit a speed bump in May when the Senate voted to revoke a California mandate that sought to kick in next year and raise the percentage of new passenger vehicles sold there that must be zero-emission to 100% by 2035. Nearly a dozen states were in step. We looked at why California plays such an outsize role in auto emissions standards, why this has met strenuous pushback, and where things might go from here.

As the housing crisis spreads, California鈥檚 Santa Clara County is pioneering a private-public model. Working directly with landlords, and using private capital, the Homelessness Prevention System provides short-term cash assistance for tenants facing an eviction. That keeps families in their own homes instead of waiting for them to become homeless to help. Since the program鈥檚 launch as a pilot in 2017, it has helped thousands of people from falling into homelessness each year. That鈥檚 a win for the whole United States, too.

A newly released survey of public opinion across the European Union finds an amazing sentiment: Most people put democratic rule of law above many other EU priorities, such as climate protection or the sharing of financial resources.

鈥淐itizens take the fundamental norms of the EU seriously and are also willing to engage in costly actions to sustain these principles,鈥� wrote three scholars who commissioned the poll.

A second finding was just as stark: Even in member states where norms of democracy are backsliding, 鈥淪ignificant portions of the population might welcome EU sanctions, even at the cost of losing EU funds for their country.鈥�

The poll was timely. On May 27, EU officials again ratcheted up pressure on Hungary for its 鈥渞ule of law聽breaches.鈥� The union is already withholding 鈧�18 billion ($20.4 billion) in funds from the country, which is facing budgetary and economic woes. And as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orb谩n continues to support measures restricting basic freedoms and judicial independence, more European leaders are moving toward what is called the 鈥渘uclear option,鈥� or ending Hungary鈥檚 voting rights in the bloc. At least 19 out of 25 other member states support such a move, reported Politico.

As the survey suggests, the wind is in the EU鈥檚 sails if it takes such a drastic step. On May 22, more than two dozen members of the聽European聽Parliament urged the bloc鈥檚 leaders to freeze all of Hungary鈥檚 EU funds. In July, the EU will begin to discuss its next seven-year budget and could tighten up conditions for that money on countries that violate its core values.

鈥淗ungary鈥檚聽European聽isolation and drift towards political pariah status have accelerated,鈥� concluded the Hungarian opposition daily newspaper Nepszava.

Meanwhile, inside the country, Mr. Orb谩n now faces a serious challenge in next year鈥檚 elections from a conservative 鈥� and more EU-friendly 鈥� opposition leader, P茅ter Magyar. On May 18, tens of thousands of Hungarians marched in a protest against the government鈥檚 erosion of civil liberties.

The survey made one more point: Citizens who identify with Europe perceive the EU as a community bound by shared values. Threats to that collective identity can fuel support for sanctions to protect those values. And among those values, rule of law rules the roost.