海角大神

President Trump announced a new travel ban. The administration is barring people from countries it deems dangerous, including Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. The president鈥檚 first travel ban was issued in 2017 and affected citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries. The new ban goes into effect on Monday. 鈥� The Associated Press

Food aid was suspended in Gaza. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation made the decision after health officials said dozens of Palestinians were killed in a series of shootings near its three sites this week. The group said it was in discussions with the Israeli military on increasing safety. The United Nations says the new system violates humanitarian principles.

Also on Wednesday, the U.S. vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza because it was not linked to the release of hostages, saying it would embolden Hamas militants.聽All 14 other members of the council voted in favor of the resolution, which described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as 鈥渃atastrophic鈥� and called on Israel to lift all restrictions on the delivery of aid. 鈥� AP
Related Monitor story:聽In May, we reported from Gaza on the mounting effect of food-aid delays聽on children.

The U.S. skipped a meeting of Ukraine鈥檚 Western backers. Ukraine鈥檚 president on Wednesday urged the group of around 50 countries to speed deliveries of air-defense systems to counter Russian missile strikes and help boost weapons production. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not attend, the first time a Pentagon chief was not in attendance since the forum was set up three years ago. The U.K. and Germany chaired the meeting. 鈥� AP

A Guatemalan man deported to Mexico was returned to the U.S. President Trump鈥檚 administration brought the man back to the U.S. after a court ordered facilitation of his return. His lawyers say that after landing in California, he was taken into custody and was being transported to a detention facility in Arizona. The man, who is gay, was protected from being returned to his home country under a U.S. immigration judge鈥檚 order at the time. 鈥� AP

Vietnam abolished its long-standing two-child limit. The country aims to reverse declining birth rates and ease the pressures of an aging population on its developing economy聽with the legislation, passed Tuesday. The birth rate in 2021 was 2.11 children per woman, just over the replacement rate required for a population to avoid shrinking over the long term. Since then, the birth rate has steadily declined. 鈥� AP
Related Monitor story: Last year, as part of a series, we looked at falling birth rates worldwide, and at the hard choices they raise for societies.

Bulgaria is set to adopt the euro. The European Commission on Wednesday gave the country the green light to join the eurozone next year. The approval could mean more foreign tourists and investment for the European Union鈥檚 poorest country. Still, widespread corruption, stark income inequality, and a four-year political crisis have eroded trust in authorities. And many worry about a rise in prices during the switch. 鈥� Reuters

Lee Jae-myung鈥檚 victory in South Korea鈥檚 presidential election on June 3 fills a leadership void that was hobbling Asia鈥檚 fourth-largest economy. It heralds a liberal shift in South Korea鈥檚 domestic agenda and efforts by Seoul, a key U.S. ally, to ease tensions with China and North Korea. But while voicing relief over a return to relative normalcy after unrest over the martial law debacle involving its previous leader, some voters and analysts worry that more institutional reform is needed 鈥� and about the concentration of power under Mr. Lee, whose party now holds the presidency and a supermajority in parliament.

From the shooting of a Jewish couple outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington to the arson attempt at the home of the Jewish governor of Pennsylvania to last Sunday鈥檚 attack in Boulder, Colorado, antisemitism in the United States is reaching generational highs. And beyond the attacks on people of the Jewish faith, researchers have noted with alarm growing waves of public support for violence aimed at those who espouse ideas seen by some as dangerous. What鈥檚 coming into focus: a shifting definition among Americans more broadly of what free speech means.

Iran and the United States are preparing for a sixth round of nuclear talks as they seek a way to limit Iran鈥檚 uranium enrichment program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. But even as both sides grapple with each other鈥檚 red lines, the simple fact of talks between the U.S. and Iran 鈥� sworn enemies since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and U.S. Embassy seizure 鈥� underscores a pragmatic, if dissonant, turn for Iran regarding President Donald Trump. Rhetoric is yielding to diplomacy. 鈥淭he entire discourse [about the U.S.] within Iran,鈥� says a regional expert at Tehran University, 鈥渉as changed.鈥澛�

Of all of President Donald Trump鈥檚 deals, there may be none more consequential than one he struck in 2016 with Leonard Leo: The Federalist Society, of which Mr. Leo is co-chair, would manage the president鈥檚 judicial appointments. Four years and 226 judges later, Mr. Trump has remade the federal judiciary. But now, as the courts have stalled his policies, the president and some of his supporters seek another transformation. That has widened a rift on the right between supporters of Trump-loyal potential judges 鈥� like Emil Bove, his former personal lawyer 鈥撀燼nd 鈥渕ainstream elites.鈥� That鈥檚 likely to fan already heated political rhetoric on the courts even further.

Shaun Walker opens his nonfiction book 鈥淭he Illegals: Russia鈥檚 Most Audacious Spies and Their Century-Long Mission To Infiltrate the West鈥� with an electrifying account of a couple鈥檚 arrest in Massachusetts in 2010. If the setup sounds straight out of the 鈥淭he Americans,鈥� that鈥檚 because the story helped inspire the show鈥檚 creation. This book 鈥� consistently fascinating and at times thrilling 鈥� covers highlights from a 100-year-old program that sent Russians to live abroad as deep-cover spies. It also examines the toll on the agents and their families.

This week, a Nigerian startup called Terra Industries 鈥� led by two 22-year-olds 鈥� beat out international competition for a $1.2 million contract to provide drone security to hydropower plants. With only 36% of Africans having internet access, this win signals how far the continent has come 鈥� and can go 鈥� in terms of global tech success.

鈥淚 want to see Africa work in my lifetime,鈥� said company co-founder Nathan Nwachukwu. According to the site Techpoint Africa, he wants 鈥渢o build something that matters, ... that will be a sign of hope for the continent.鈥�

From artificial intelligence and online banking to drones and data centers, sub-Saharan Africa is on a roll these days. One reason is that 70% of its people are under the age of 30. And around a quarter of youth aspire to start their own business and be self-employed.

Another reason is rapid urbanization, which affords better internet access. Many young urbanites are creating their own 鈥減latform livelihoods,鈥� small (or not-so-small) businesses that leverage online information-sharing, order-taking, and market outreach.

This week, Ghana signed a $1 billion agreement with the United Arab Emirates to build a technology and innovation hub. It鈥檚 expected to support regional startups, as well as draw global AI behemoths. Google, Microsoft, and Amazon Web Services have already invested in large data center operations in Africa.

Kenya has become one of Africa鈥檚 high-tech centers, dubbed 鈥淪ilicon Savannah.鈥� Local firm M-KOPA has opened the first and largest smartphone assembly plant in East Africa. It now provides internet-based financial services to hundreds of thousands of 鈥渦nbanked鈥� businesses and customers in multiple countries.

A May report by McKinsey consulting firm estimates that 鈥渁t-scale deployment鈥� of various forms of AI and cloud-based computing could unlock billions of dollars in added economic value for African economies. Innovation in African tech is not always about creating from scratch; it鈥檚 also about skillfully adapting successful approaches from elsewhere. Terra Industries says it drew lessons from a Silicon Valley defense tech company to pursue contracts to both build drone fleets and license operating software for sustained income.

Tony Elumelu, one of Nigeria鈥檚 wealthiest businessmen and philanthropists, tells young entrepreneurs that business success requires flexibility to adapt to change, excellence in setting standards that inspire others, and a curiosity that explores possibilities in technology. When 22-year-old Africans win a big contract for drones, they鈥檙e living up to that potential.