海角大神

A ceasefire in Syria faltered. Clashes continued in the southern Syrian city of Sweida on Wednesday after a ceasefire between government forces and Druze armed groups broke down, and Israel threatened to escalate its involvement in support of the Druze religious minority. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates over 250 deaths since Monday including civilians and soldiers. 鈥� The Associated Press

Fissures widened in Israel鈥檚 government. The ultra-orthodox United Torah Judaism party announced its departure from the governing coalition, citing disagreements over a bill granting military draft exemptions for religious students. The issue has long divided Israelis and intensified amid war in Gaza. The move will increase Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 reliance on far-right parties during ceasefire discussions. 鈥� AP

There was a deadly stampede at a Gaza food distribution site. The Gaza Humanitarian Fund said 19 people were trampled in a stampede and one person was fatally stabbed in the violence at a distribution hub in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. The United Nations reports 875 Palestinians have died near aid sites since May. At a gathering of 30 nations in Colombia, a UN special rapporteur called Tuesday for nations to take action to stop what she described as the 鈥済enocide鈥� in Gaza. 鈥� AP

Some federal troops are leaving Los Angeles. The Trump administration said Tuesday it is ending the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops in the city, out of the roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines who had been deployed. The troops were tasked with protecting federal buildings and guarding immigration agents as they carry out arrests. It wasn鈥檛 immediately clear how long the rest would stay. 鈥� AP

The U.S. sent five deportees to Eswatini. The government already deported eight men to another African nation, South Sudan, after the Supreme Court lifted restrictions on sending people to countries where they have no ties. The Trump administration has said it is seeking more deals with African nations to take deportees. 鈥� AP

A team of astronauts returned from space. NASA-retiree-turned-private-astronaut Peggy Whitson splashed down in the Pacific Tuesday after her fifth trip to the International Space Station. She was joined by crewmates from India, Poland, and Hungary returning from their countries鈥� first space station missions. The 18-day trip, organized by Texas-based Axiom Space in collaboration with SpaceX, included more than 60 microgravity experiments. 鈥� Reuters

鈥淪everance鈥� led Emmy nominations. The surreal workplace series won 27 nods in a boost for Apple TV+, which is vying for HBO鈥檚 crown as the home for prestige television. Apple TV+ also scored 23 nominations for its Hollywood comedy 鈥淭he Studio.鈥� Plus a first-ever Emmy nod for Harrison Ford in 鈥淪hrinking.鈥� HBO and Max, meanwhile, netted a record combined 142 nominations, including for DC Comics adaptation 鈥淭he Penguin.鈥� As for Network television? Veteran actor Kathy Bates, the nominee for Best Drama Actress, is favored to win for 鈥淢atlock.鈥� The Emmy Awards air on CBS Sept. 14. 鈥� Staff

Ice cream is going natural. Dozens of U.S. ice cream producers are planning to remove artificial colors from their products by 2028, a dairy industry group and government officials said Monday. The producers, which represent more than 90% of ice cream sold in the country, are the latest food companies to remove dyes voluntarily since Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in April said the U.S. aimed to phase out many synthetic dyes. 鈥� Reuters

By one estimate, 233,000 people, including 19,000 Americans, have lost their jobs either with the U.S. Agency for International Development, as USAID is formally known, or with its contractors. This is a story about two of them 鈥� two people who found fulfillment serving their country by serving others. It is also a story about a sector in transition. Pruning foreign aid may lead to new strategies for helping people in poorer countries succeed. 鈥淚f we as development professionals do a good job, we eventually put ourselves out of business,鈥� says Tracy Kijewski-Correa, director of the Pulte Institute for Global Development at the University of Notre Dame.

If there鈥檚 one thing everyone knows about Germany, it鈥檚 that its trains are on time. Except that鈥檚 not true at all. These days, one-third of long-distance trains run late.聽More than the German reputation is at stake. For a nation accustomed to competence from its government, the railway crisis is a pivotal test for the new government.

New England has been undergoing a quiet river revolution: the removal of thousands of small dams 鈥� used to power mills during the Industrial Revolution 鈥� that have clogged local waterways for more than 250 years. There are attending costs and trade-offs to reconcile. But despite federal reversals of eco-friendly protections, environmental stewards here in America鈥檚 most densely dammed region see a path to healthier waterways 鈥� better oxygenated and teeming with fish and other forms of life.

For years, South Korea鈥檚 version of the White House has effectively been a public museum. Now, President Lee Jae-myung 鈥� elected in June after his predecessor was removed from office for his short-lived imposition of martial law 鈥� plans to return to the Blue House. Tours of the residence are being curtailed in mid-July and will end Aug. 1 to prepare for Mr. Lee. That has thousands of tourists flocking to catch a final glimpse inside. It also has some South Koreans debating the proper use of the Blue House and similar palatial offices, and exploring what such buildings can mean to a nation.

Many of us fantasize about getting away to a remote island. For one writer, a summer spent helping with duck-breeding season on a remote island off the聽Norwegian coast聽taught him the importance of slowing down. Our book reviewer finds stories about people who engage with the natural world and the critters that inhabit it particularly soothing. And she found that 鈥淭he Place of Tides鈥� by James Rebanks,聽a bestselling author who鈥檚 also a farmer in northwestern England鈥檚 Lake District,聽really fits the bill.

As its citizens demand integrity in their government, South Africa鈥檚 recent moves against corruption are gaining traction. In June, for example, a global financial watchdog indicated that Africa鈥檚 largest economy has made progress in curtailing illegal money transfers, perhaps allowing it to raise its credit standing. And a South African government watchdog found anti-corruption tribunals have shown 鈥渟ignificant鈥� effectiveness in recovering stolen public funds and holding perpetrators accountable.

Now a new challenge is testing President Cyril Ramaphosa and his commitment to rooting out corruption, especially among his political allies.

In early July, a provincial police chief publicly claimed that the national minister of police had sought to sabotage investigations of political killings. The claim also alleged the minister鈥檚 collusion with criminal syndicates and the involvement of other politicians as well as law enforcement officers and judicial officials.

Acknowledging that the allegations 鈥渞aise serious concerns,鈥� Mr. Ramaphosa placed the police minister on leave and announced a commission of inquiry. The incoming acting police minister, Firoz Cachalia, is a respected legal expert and veteran of the anti-apartheid struggle. He is expected to implement recommendations for police reform recently proposed by the National Anti-corruption Advisory Council, which he led.

Mr. Ramaphosa鈥檚 actions are being met with cautious optimism, perhaps heavier on the caution. A recent study showed that pervasive distrust of government and personal encounters with corruption have exerted a toll on civic norms.

Yet for crime reporter and author Caryn Dolley, who has faced death threats for her work, the latest antigraft moves offer 鈥渁 fragment of hope that deep-rooted corruption will finally be dealt with.鈥� To Omphemetse Sibanda, a law professor at the University of Limpopo, the commission on police corruption could 鈥渕ark the beginning of a new era of integrity.鈥�

Uprooting corruption requires 鈥渏ustice through the rule of law,鈥� commentator Rudi Kimmie wrote in The Mail & Guardian on Sunday. But, he noted, that task is not government鈥檚 alone. 鈥淚t is everyone鈥檚 responsibility,鈥� he wrote, one that calls for 鈥渃ultural ... shifts, and personal agency.鈥�