海角大神

Russian advance: Forces made a sudden thrust into eastern Ukraine in a move that may be meant to pressure Kyiv as the United States and Russia prepare to meet in Alaska on Friday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia wants the rest of Ukraine鈥檚 Donetsk region as part of a ceasefire, land he is not willing to cede.

Resettlement talks: Israel is talking with South Sudan about the possibility of resettling Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to the East African country, reports The Associated Press. Palestinians have long rejected any resettlement plans from what they see as their national homeland.

Inflation: Consumer prices rose 0.2% in July, keeping the annual inflation rate at a steady 2.7%. Wall Street climbed higher following the better-than-expected report, which could mean lower interest rates. President Donald Trump鈥檚 tariffs have so far not led to the level of inflation some economists predicted.

EV push: Ford is investing $5 billion in a new generation of electric vehicles. It hopes to compete with cheaper聽Chinese EVs, despite the industry facing stronger headwinds under the Trump administration. The first vehicle is set to start at $30,000.

Unity convention: South Africa is pushing ahead with a convention this Friday meant to foster national unity, after the second-largest party in the governing coalition pulled out of the process last month. More than 200 organizations, from businesses to youth organizations, will take part in dialogue about the nation鈥檚 development.

Taylor Swift: The iconic pop star announced a surprise new album, 鈥淭he Life of a Showgirl.鈥� Her previous release, 鈥淭he Tortured Poets Department,鈥� was the best-selling album of 2024. (But can she聽write poetry?)

鈥� Staff, The Associated Press, and Reuters

The U.S. already had a student absentee crisis. Then worries about potential ICE enforcement outside schools kept more children home last spring. As a new school year begins, Los Angeles and other districts are adding bus routes and crisis managers to encourage all students to come to class.

In the United States, government regulation is often viewed as the enemy of innovation. But China鈥檚 AI rise tells a different regulatory story 鈥撀爋ne that could shape the global race for AI dominance.

As Beijing faces off against the United States over tariffs, President Donald Trump鈥檚 latest trade maneuvers indicate his need to work out a deal 鈥� and the leverage that China retains through its control of rare-earth minerals.

In Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine, a battle is on over national identity. Russia wants Ukrainians to feel Russian, and teens are the front line.聽

New fashion, available fast and cheap, sounds great in isolation. But the faster the fashion, the more clothes ultimately end up as waste. France is reining in 鈥渦ltrafast鈥� fashion giants like Temu and Shein, with other nations weighing their own moves.

Strategically located on the Adriatic Sea, between Eastern and Western Europe, Albania is a small country. However, after the downfall of a repressive communist regime in the early 1990s, it gained an outsize reputation as a hub of organized crime and corruption.

Getting a handle on international drug-trafficking networks and pervasive graft at home has been a tall order. But pro-Western Prime Minster Edi Rama 鈥� at 6 foot, 7 inches, reputedly the world鈥檚 tallest leader 鈥� is proving up to the task. He decisively won a fourth term in May, riding on popular support for his cleanup campaign.

Just last week, 10 suspected members of a cocaine and money-laundering ring were arrested by SPAK, a specialized anti-corruption unit set up in 2019. In recent months, SPAK has also gone after senior public officials, including from Mr. Rama鈥檚 governing Socialist Party.

鈥淚 have told all those around me that everyone must answer individually for any wrongdoing,鈥� Le Monde reported Mr. Rama as saying last December.

Polls show that 76% of Albanians support SPAK. 鈥淔or at least two years,鈥� analyst Lorenc Vangjeli told the national CNN affiliate, 鈥淪PAK has been rising as the most trustworthy institution鈥� in the country, on the promise of ending impunity.

Combating crime and corruption and reforming the judicial system are key conditions for Albania鈥檚 bid to join the European Union. (The country joined NATO in 2009.) Several EU member states have provided training, technology, and other support to help Albania make headway against clan-based mafia operations as well as insidious, everyday bribery.

鈥淭he EU is an amazing source of know-how when you want to build a functioning democratic state,鈥� Mr. Rama told an interviewer on Polish TV in May.

Public education campaigns, such as the annual Week of Integrity, help raise awareness around business ethics and corruption-prevention mechanisms. And digital access to government services is another key tool.

鈥淒igital services reduce corruption by removing physical interaction, cutting queues, and creating transparency,鈥� Minister of Public Administration and Anti-Corruption Adea Pirdeni told a conference in June. With 95% of services now accessible online, Euronews reports, Albania is also developing artificial intelligence-powered tools to improve government procurement processes.

For Mr. Rama, joining with democratic EU states is both an impetus to get rid of corruption and a way to preserve gains in honest government and business practices.

鈥淔or the first time, people linked to political power are being investigated, indicted and convicted,鈥� he said on Polish TV. 鈥淲e need to make this irreversible 鈥� and that鈥檚 why we need to enter the EU.鈥�