海角大神

Tariff tension: Dozens of U.S. tariffs go into effect today. Also, President Donald Trump doubled tariffs on India over its purchase of Russian oil, bringing the rate to 50%. India called the move 鈥渆xtremely unfortunate鈥� and vowed to protect its national interests, including energy security.

Moscow meeting: Yesterday Prime Minister Vladimir Putin hosted Mr. Trump鈥檚 special envoy, Steve Witkoff, two days before a Washington deadline for Russia to agree to peace in Ukraine 鈥� or face more sanctions. The president said on Truth Social the meeting brought 鈥済reat progress鈥� without naming specifics. The Kremlin said today the two leaders will meet in the coming days.

University funding: The chancellor of UCLA said $584 million of federal research grants have been suspended. It鈥檚 the first public university to be targeted by the Trump administration over allegations of civil rights violations related to antisemitism and affirmative action.

ChatGPT: OpenAI is offering ChatGPT Enterprise to the U.S. government for $1 over the next year, further deepening its ties to Washington. In other news, a found the chatbot giving alarming instructions about eating disorders, drug use, and suicide to researchers posing as troubled teenagers.

Rebuilding: After 14 years of civil war, Syria signed a dozen investment deals with international companies totaling $14 billion. The money will go toward infrastructure, transportation, and real estate projects, marking one step toward restoring the nation鈥檚 tattered economy.

Early schooling: China鈥檚 last year of public preschool will now be free, alongside new childcare subsidies for kids up to 3 years old. China is turning to more family-friendly policies to encourage people to have children, after decades of doing the opposite.

Successful search: American journalist Alec Luhn was rescued nearly a week after he went missing during a solo hiking trip in a remote part of Norway and injured his feet. Dozens of workers helped with the search.

鈥� Staff, The Associated Press, and Reuters

As the nonproliferation movement enters a tenuous new era, Japan鈥檚 first-hand experience with nuclear warfare is聽crucial in the fight for a nuclear-free world.听Yet, in Hiroshima, activists worry that growing tourism and business interests have overshadowed the city鈥檚 commitment.

Democratic lawmakers from Texas have decamped to Illinois in an effort to block a Republican gerrymandering bill back home. For now, it鈥檚 working 鈥� but the pressure is growing in their 鈥渇ort-like鈥� exurban hotel, hundreds of miles away from their families and lives back home.

President Trump has identified persistently high U.S. trade deficits as a problem. Many economists say the solution involves patterns of saving and investment that tariffs won鈥檛 fix.

Swimming in the Seine has long been a dubious proposition, not to say illegal. But the river now meets tough standards, allowing three in-river pools to open. Our intrepid correspondent dips her toes in the water.

British painter David Hockney鈥檚 work conveys an openness to new ways of seeing the world. In a glorious coffee-table-sized art book, images of his recent pictures demonstrate the full flowering of his 60-year career.

Mexico is reportedly on the cusp of signing a new security agreement with the United States. This comes in the wake of a near stop in illegal border crossings and a temporary reprieve on higher trade tariffs. According to President Claudia Sheinbaum, the pact would address intelligence sharing, the outflow of fentanyl from Mexico, and the inflow of smuggled guns from the U.S.

The tariff pause and security deal highlight Mexico鈥檚 measurable, if incremental, progress in tackling organized crime and violence. These efforts don鈥檛 just placate the country鈥檚 largest trading partner; they respond to citizen demands. Mexicans want the economic progress fostered by safety and rule of law.

Last month, Mexico announced a new strategy to combat extortion, which cost the economy an estimated $1.3 billion a year in 2023. The plan includes a reporting hotline and better investigations of suspicious cash flows.

In June, Ms. Sheinbaum pointed to a 25.8% drop in 鈥渋ntentional homicides鈥� since she took office, using September 2024 as a baseline. According to one think tank, 75% of killings are committed in just 7% of Mexico鈥檚 municipalities. The strategy of identifying violence hot spots for targeted security helps reduce such crime, stated security analyst David Mora on France 24 TV. He cited Guanajuato state, where homicides fell by half, as a 鈥減erfect example.鈥� (However, homicide statistics exclude Mexico鈥檚 large numbers of missing or 鈥渄isappeared,鈥� estimated at more than 121,000.)

Security Minister Omar Garc铆a Harfuch, who oversaw a dramatic plunge in the capital city鈥檚 homicide rate when Ms. Sheinbaum was mayor (2018-2023), is seeking to build a more effective, civilian-controlled federal security force. Earlier this year, he launched a new unit focused on strengthening intelligence networks and state-level presence. In February, his team extradited 29 alleged drug cartel criminals to the U.S. (This week, the U.S. said it would not seek the death penalty against them 鈥� a concession that could bolster Ms. Sheinbaum鈥檚 standing at home, where capital punishment was abolished in 2005.)

According to a 2025 report by the Institute for Economics & Peace, Mexico鈥檚 peace index recorded a 鈥渇ifth straight year of modest improvement.鈥� Scores improved in 18 states and deteriorated in 14. Common factors among states that showed improvement were increased presence and visibility of security, and a more responsive justice system. Economic opportunities also correlated with less violence.

President Sheinbaum鈥檚 ability to balance tariff negotiations with visible anti-crime efforts may just provide Mexico with a recipe for attaining stability and progress for its citizens.