海角大神

Trade: New tariffs on India go into effect today, bringing the overall rate to 50%. Indian exporters, facing some of Washington鈥檚 steepest levies, are bracing for a drop in U.S. demand. Trade negotiations broke down after President Trump raised the rate in retaliation for India鈥檚 imports of Russian oil, tensing the relationship between the world鈥檚 two largest democracies. 鈥� Staff

Maryland: A federal judge tossed the Trump administration鈥檚 lawsuit against all 15 of Maryland鈥檚 federal judges, filed over an order that stopped the immediate deportation of migrants who challenge their removals. The White House said the decision to dismiss the lawsuit was an assault on the president鈥檚 ability to enforce immigration laws. 鈥� The Associated Press

United Kingdom: Nigel Farage, the leader of Britain鈥檚 right-wing Reform UK party, said his party would repeal human rights laws to allow for mass deportations of asylum seekers if elected. While no elections are scheduled and Reform UK has only four members of parliament, it is leading opinion polls, which also show that immigration has overtaken the economy as British voters鈥� biggest concern. 鈥� Reuters

OpenAI: The parents of a teen who died by suicide after ChatGPT coached him on methods of self harm sued OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman. They said the company knowingly put profit above safety when it launched the GPT-4o version of its artificial intelligence chatbot last year. OpenAI said in a blog post that it is planning to add parental controls and exploring ways to connect users in crisis with real-world resources. 鈥� Reuters

Universities: President Trump said 600,000 Chinese students should be allowed at American universities, sparking backlash from some members of his base. His comments came after the administration has added new vetting for student visas and threatened to revoke those for students associated with the Chinese Communist Party and those studying sensitive subjects. While some view international students as a threat, others see them as vital to the university system. 鈥� Staff

Colombia: The father of Miguel Uribe, the Colombian presidential candidate fatally shot at a political rally earlier this year, launched his own presidential campaign. Miguel Uribe Londo帽o is running under the conservative party his son belonged to, promising to build a safer and more prosperous Colombia. The South American country is facing a new wave of violence. 鈥� AP

Tomato-fest: Today marks one of Spain鈥檚 favorite festivals, la 鈥淭omatina.鈥� Every August, tens of thousands of people gather in the village of Bu帽ol for one shared purpose: to throw tomatoes at friends and strangers alike, until tomato sauce flows down the streets. What began as a playful fight in 1945 has become a source of local and national pride, requiring over 250,000 pounds of tomatoes. This year鈥檚 festival is dedicated to the region鈥檚 resilience after deadly flooding last October. 鈥� Staff

Among all the shortages in war-ravaged Gaza, clean water is one of the most critical. Already facing the perils of famine and a new Israeli military offensive, families must engage in a daily hunt for water that often is barely usable.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement got a $75 billion budget boost from Congress and plays a key role in President Donald Trump鈥檚 deportation campaign. The Monitor interviewed Acting Director Todd Lyons about the agency鈥檚 current role and the criticism it faces.

America鈥檚 central bank is designed by Congress to be insulated from political pressure. That standard is under strain as President Donald Trump, seeking influence over monetary policy, tries to oust Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve Board.

Damascus isn鈥檛 the sort of city people would expect to go to for comedy. But with the Assad regime gone, local comedians are taking the opportunity to establish a new comedy scene 鈥� and challenge social taboos 鈥� using their own brand of humor.

The role of outside money in elections has grown exponentially since the Supreme Court ruled in 2010 that political spending is a form of speech. Now, some advocates of campaign finance reform hope to impose limits through the states, with Maine and Montana leading the way.

Surfing the ocean can be intimidating for those with mobility challenges. A program in Portugal makes the activity easier and fun for surfers 鈥� and for volunteers, who bask in the joy on the participants鈥� faces.

Across North America and Europe, high summer temperatures and low levels of water pollution are prompting city dwellers to dive into a new relationship with their rivers.

Paris, for example, made a splash in 2024 with its rapid cleanup of the highly contaminated Seine in time for hosting the Olympics. This summer, the city opened three areas along the river to the public. (Our intrepid reporter took the plunge recently.)

But other cities have also been consistently cleaning up their rivers. Portland, Oregon, after a major overhaul of its sewer and drainage systems, launched an annual 鈥淏ig Float鈥� that ran until 2022 to encourage use of the Willamette. This month, Hungary鈥檚 capital, Budapest, opened its second swimming beach on the Danube. And each year, more and more European cities participate in the continent-wide 鈥淏ig Jump,鈥� as rivers get cleaner and their residents gain confidence in the water quality.

In June, the Dutch city of Rotterdam hosted the first 鈥淪wimmable Cities鈥� summit. As reported by The Guardian, the city鈥檚 vice-mayor noted, 鈥淭his summit is not just about swimming 鈥� it鈥檚 about restoring our relationship with water, and leading together toward cleaner, more livable cities.鈥�

Concerted action by city officials and citizen groups has driven the change. When wariness over past pollution makes residents hesitant, the citizen groups educate the public about waterway protections and progress.

Trust in local government becomes a key factor. Citizens count on officials鈥� continuous monitoring and accurate reporting of negative changes in water quality.

Larger metropolises want to get in on the act, too. London Mayor Sadiq Khan has pledged to make the Thames 鈥渟wimmable鈥� by 2034, in part by building a 鈥渟uper sewer鈥� that skirts the city. New York City will test out a filtration-assisted, floating pool in the East River next year. Mayor Eric Adams wants to make the most of the city鈥檚 natural assets and expand 鈥渁ccess to swimming for all New Yorkers, especially our children.鈥�

For young people, such efforts are particularly meaningful.

鈥淓very citizen should feel that urban waterways are theirs to experience and protect,鈥� according to Oumaima Ouaissa, who represented the youth-focused nonprofit Wavemakers United at the Swimmable Cities summit. 鈥淐lean and safe urban waterways are not just environmental assets, they are vital spaces for connection, health and wellbeing.鈥�