海角大神

Gaza: The Israeli military says it has begun the first stage of a new offensive into Gaza City, where Israel vows to damage the 鈥渢error infrastructure鈥� of Hamas. Plans for the military expansion have drawn sharp criticism from around the world and will force hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to evacuate. Israel has not responded to a recent ceasefire proposal accepted by Hamas.

Gerrymandering: Texas approved new congressional maps meant to give Republicans an edge in the 2026 midterms, after Democratic lawmakers fled the state to stall the vote. Meanwhile, multiple members have resigned from the advisory board of California鈥檚 independent redistricting committee, Politico reports, as Democrats work to sidestep the group to redraw its own maps.

Immigration: Anyone applying for a visa to live or work in the United States will now be screened for views seen as 鈥渁nti-American,鈥� as well as any involvement in antisemitic or terrorist organizations. While critics question the scope of the new guidance, the spokesperson for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services insisted immigration is a 鈥減rivilege, not a right.鈥�

Ten Commandments: A federal judge has temporarily blocked a Texas law requiring the Biblical directives in public classroms. It marks a win for the families and faith leaders who say it violates the separation of church and state. Supporters of the bill see the Ten Commandments as a cornerstone of American heritage.

Denmark: Books will no longer be subject to a 25% sales tax in Denmark, part of a push to reverse what politicians call a 鈥渞eading crisis.鈥� The OECD has found that a quarter of Danish 15-year-olds cannot understand a basic text. In the United States, reading for pleasure has fallen by 40% over the past two decades.

Supernova: A new type of supernova gave scientists a rare peek inside a star. Usually astronomers detect only a star鈥檚 outer layers when it explodes, but a star known as 鈥淪N2021yfj鈥� had lost those thousands of years before bursting, revealing inner layers of silicon, sulfur, and argon. As one researcher put it, 鈥淭his star is telling us that our ideas and theories for how stars evolve are too narrow.鈥�

鈥� Staff, The Associated Press, Reuters

An era of abundant low-cost imports faces a reckoning 鈥� but not necessarily an end 鈥� as the Trump tariffs take hold. America鈥檚 long pivot from thrift toward consumption is deeply engrained. So is the economics of global supply chains.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is a second-generation West Bank settler who opposes a Palestinian state, talks of resettling Gaza, and uses his stature in Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 coalition to relentlessly pursue pro-settlement policies. His plan is advancing.

Art can help build bridges between rivals 鈥� or, in the case of India and Pakistan, to remind audiences how much culture the two nations still share. But in times of fighting, it鈥檚 often one of the first things to go, as shown by ongoing film and television bans.

Tabernacle and Ebenezer Baptist Churches have been sister congregations with a storied legacy including Martin Luther King Jr. 鈥淲e are the church that was literally born fighting for freedom,鈥� Sen. Raphael Warnock, pastor of Ebenezer, told Tabernacle鈥檚 congregation Sunday.

It is good news when a species is brought back from the brink of extinction. But sometimes conservation success stories have downsides. In the case of seals, the impression that an increased population is attracting sharks to beaches and decimating fish stocks has led to calls for tighter management of their numbers.

Just a decade after teetering on the edge of a national bankruptcy that shook Europe鈥檚 economy, Greece is restoring its financial and political bona fides. Its own citizens, fellow members of the European Union, and global observers are taking note of the country鈥檚 economic and governance makeover.

The Greek stock market is 2025鈥檚 best performer worldwide, well above other European bourses and the S&P 500. The country is in a position to pay off massive bailout loans a full 10 years before their due date. Last year, the Greek economy grew twice as fast as that of Germany, a major creditor. And in 2023, Greece regained investment grade status, a year after adopting a National Anti-Corruption Action Plan.

To curb a culture of tax evasion and bribery, for example, many government services are now digitized. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis hopes such steps will restore trust in institutions and improve investment.

鈥淐rucially,鈥� analyst Seema Shah wrote in London鈥檚 Sunday Times, Greece has demonstrated it can 鈥渓ive within its means in terms of public spending鈥� 鈥� while cracking down on its 鈥渟hadow economy.鈥�

In a land where democratic ideals bloomed centuries ago, the principles of financial discipline and transparent government are deepening their roots. The alignment between more growth and honest governance is not coincidental. Even if uneven, Greeks are discovering that both trends can reinforce each other.

Last year, Greece scored near or above average on several anti-corruption measures set by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. However, the country鈥檚 progress is not always smooth. In June, the European Union cited Greece on a fraud scheme in farm subsidies that began in 2017. Senior officials have resigned. Mr. Mitsotakis has acknowledged 鈥渢he state鈥檚 inadequacy,鈥� declaring that political graft 鈥渃annot govern the way we conduct business.鈥�

Political meddling, in fact, led to Greece鈥檚 2010 economic tailspin, as the then-government manipulated key financial statistics to hide negative trends. Coming clean about the numbers helped Greece make its case for financial support from the EU and the International Monetary Fund 鈥� and forced the former Socialist government to rein in profligate spending.

Accurate data is essential not only for government and international lenders. Businesses and individuals, too, rely on reliable statistics to make investments or plan for retirement.

鈥淭rust in official statistics is essential for many aspects of economic and social life, including the functioning of democracy itself,鈥� wrote Andreas Georgiou, who ran the national statistical office from 2010 to 2015, in The New York Times. 鈥淪tatistics enable democratic accountability.鈥�