海角大神

Immigration: Florida Gov. DeSantis announced plans for a second migrant detention center, following in the footsteps of 鈥�Alligator Alcatraz,鈥� which is facing legal hurdles from environmentalists. Dubbed 鈥淒eportation Depot,鈥� the new center is part of a broader crackdown on undocumented immigration under the Trump administration.

West Bank: As more nations move to recognize聽Palestinian statehood, an Israeli minister vowed to聽鈥渂ury鈥� the idea of a two-state solution with more than 3,000 new homes in a settlement area east of Jerusalem. Critics say building in and around the so-called E1 bloc, long delayed, would effectively divide the West Bank in two.聽

Redistricting: California is moving forward with a plan that would sideline its nonpartisan approach and redraw congressional maps in favor of Democrats, in response to Republican gerrymandering efforts in Texas. Other states have threatened to do the same. We look today at whether the battle is working for either side.

Inflation: Following a better-than-expected consumer price report on Tuesday, a Thursday report measuring producer prices showed wholesale inflation rose by 0.9%, the biggest jump in three years. That suggests businesses have so far borne the brunt of President Trump鈥檚 tariffs, and consumers may soon feel the sting.

Poverty drop: Over 8.3 million people climbed out of poverty in Mexico between 2022 and 2024, according to data released Wednesday, with extreme poverty falling by 23%. Experts credit new cash-transfer programs and a minimum wage that has tripled, though some worry the unprecedented social spending is not sustainable.

Flood relief:聽New river barriers in Juneau, Alaska, held back record levels of flooding after a melting ice dam released a huge surge of rainwater and snowmelt. Annual flooding has gotten worse in recent years as temperatures rise. Last year, over 300 home were flooded 鈥� damage that was avoided this week.聽

鈥� Staff, The Associated Press, Reuters

As Russian President Vladimir Putin prepares for his summit with President Donald Trump, his refusal to countenance a ceasefire in Ukraine before peace talks could pose a stumbling block to negotiations.

Redistricting has long represented zero-sum politics.聽The current political fight in Texas over redistricting,聽as well as聽the efforts it has inspired in California and other states, is a sign that hard-nosed politics聽are聽now, more than ever, the norm.聽

President Trump鈥檚 supporters say his apparently casual approach to Friday鈥檚 summit with Vladimir Putin will be key to his success. Critics fear he is simply 鈥渨inging it.鈥�

The budding U.S.-Pakistan friendship marks a seismic diplomatic shift in South Asia. But lingering distrust toward the American security establishment will color their cooperation.聽

Documentaries are often where notable celebrations of classical music are found. But, our film critic says, those are now joined by 鈥淭he Musicians,鈥� a French comedy-drama about a reluctant string quartet that crescendos with 鈥渢he unifying joy that great music-making can inspire.鈥�

StudioBE, whose exhibits tell the stories of Hurricane Katrina, civil rights leaders, Black history, and contemporary culture, sprang from an audacious exhibit that artist Brandan Odums launched more than a decade ago. Now, he says, it 鈥渉as become part of the conversation about what New Orleans is, what it means, and why it鈥檚 important.鈥�

Starting next month, sub-Saharan Africa heads into a busy voting season for the remainder of 2025. Nine countries, home to nearly 174 million people, are scheduled to hold elections. While that鈥檚 a sign of progress, it doesn鈥檛 present the whole picture.

Last year, the continent held nearly twice as many elections, during which nations such as Botswana, Ghana, Namibia, and South Africa saw smooth transfers of power. But, says the agency Human Rights Watch, much of the other balloting was 鈥渇arcical鈥� and 鈥渇raudulent.鈥�

Yet, despite the uneven track record, Africans demonstrate an impressively high level of civic engagement. They show a 鈥渞esolve ... to engage, to organise, to build, to vote, and generally to speak out,鈥� according to Amina Oyagbola, a Nigerian businesswoman, lawyer, and chair of the Afrobarometer research network.

And this resolve, she wrote in the recent African Insights 2025 report, is 鈥渙ur greatest hope for securing democratic, accountable, and inclusive governance across the African continent.鈥�

鈥淎lmost everyone gets involved,鈥� the report says succinctly, based on interviews with more than 53,000 individuals in 39 countries.

A full 94% of respondents were involved in at least one form of civic participation, with the average engaging in three to four types. About one-third (35%) attended a campaign rally prior to the last election, and 72% voted. (The voting rate in the 2024 United States presidential election was 65%.)

In addition, Africans also pursue transparency and transformation beyond the ballot box. Compared with other areas of the world, the study found, 鈥淎fricans lead the way 鈥� by wide margins 鈥� in working together for change.鈥� This reflects long-standing traditions of collective decision-making. Attendance at community meetings is 48% (it鈥檚 26% in Latin America). And 42% join with others to raise an issue (as compared with 12%鈥�17% in other regions).

Such regular participation strengthens democracy, says Kenya-based political analyst Nanjala Nyabola. 鈥淓lections then become the culmination of four or five years of regular exercises of democracy, not a separate process,鈥� she wrote in Al Jazeera in May.

Even accounting for regional differences and degrees of political dysfunction, the data is encouraging for good governance. Concepts of democracy and civic voice are not confined to educated, urban elites, but are more widespread. Participation levels for women and young people (below 35 years of age) could be higher. But overall, poor, less-educated citizens as well as rural residents are actively engaged.

As individuals across Africa continue to invest their time and thought in institutions that affect daily life, they have the potential to remake governments and societies.