海角大神

Minneapolis: Hundreds prayed, wiped away tears, and held each other during a packed vigil following a shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis yesterday. The gunman killed two children and injured 17 other people before taking his own life. Police said 14 of the injured were children, all of whom are expected to survive. 鈥淚t鈥檚 my strongest desire that no state, no community, no school ever experiences a day like this,鈥� said Gov. Tim Walz. 鈥� The Associated Press

Ukraine: Russia launched a large-scale overnight drone and missile attack on Kyiv, damaging residential and other buildings, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday. The Ukrainian Air Force said it downed 563 of 598 drones and 26 of 31 missiles launched in a country-wide attack. Russia, which denies targeting civilians, has stepped up in recent months on Ukrainian towns and cities far from the front lines of the war. Moscow, meanwhile, said that Russian air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 102 Ukrainian drones overnight across at least seven regions. Ukraine has targeted oil infrastructure in recent weeks to weaken Russia鈥檚 war economy, causing gas stations in some regions to run dry and prices to spike. 鈥� Reuters

Nvidia: Demand for the company鈥檚 artificial intelligence chips remained strong in the latest quarter, but not strong enough to calm investor concerns that the AI boom may be slowing. Worries also linger over the chipmaker鈥檚 China business, which has been caught in the trade conflict between Washington and Beijing. As the leading maker of AI chips, Nvidia has become a cornerstone of the tech economy. 鈥� Staff

South Korea: Lawmakers passed a bill on Wednesday banning the use of mobile phones and other digital devices in classrooms nationwide, as concern grows about social media鈥檚 impact on young people. The measure, set to take effect next March, makes South Korea the latest country to restrict smartphone use among minors. 鈥� Reuters

Tankers: Oil spills from tankers are far less common now than they were 50 years ago. In most years of the 1970s, spills topped 300,000 tonnes annually, a recent analysis by Our World in Data found. Since a major spill off China鈥檚 coast in 2018, yearly totals have not exceeded 15,000 tonnes. Spills have dropped by more than 90% since the 1970s, even though global oil shipping has grown, thanks to safer ship designs and tougher international rules. 鈥� Staff

Africa: Solar energy is surging across the continent. In the past year, 20 African countries set records for solar panel imports from China, up 60% overall, according to a new study from energy think tank Ember. China produced 80% of the world鈥檚 solar panels in 2024. 鈥淎frica鈥檚 just energy transition is no longer a future aspiration,鈥� Amos Wemanya from Greenpeace Africa told New Scientist. 鈥淚t is unfolding now.鈥� 鈥� Staff

Brazil has the world鈥檚 second-largest rare earth reserves, deposits of elements essential for 21st-century economies. It鈥檚 trying to rewrite who wins and loses in global extractive industries.

In-person schooling is better, it鈥檚 agreed. For students and teachers, the stresses of life in a war zone create even more needs that schools can help address. In-person summer programs in eastern Ukraine did just that.

Industry or environment? Communities across Europe are struggling to decide which matters more. The efforts to launch a pulp factory in Galicia, Spain, may suggest which priority will win out 鈥� or if there鈥檚 a middle ground to be found.

Can a family facing disarray move forward? The new movie 鈥淎 Little Prayer鈥� offers insight and humor, leading to a touching closing scene that our critic says moved him more than anything he鈥檚 seen all year.

Our reviewers鈥� picks this month include a novel based on the life of female photojournalist Dickey Chapelle, who covered conflicts from World War II to Vietnam. Also in historical fiction, a battle of wits ensues between a widowed shop owner and a dashing rogue in 1740s London. In nonfiction, 鈥淭he Martians鈥� looks at the craze for all things Red Planet in the early 20th century.

On Wednesday, one of Europe鈥檚 smallest, poorest, and most rural countries, Moldova, received a visit by the leaders of France, Germany, and Poland. Why this abundant attention from European elite? It was not only to celebrate the 34th Independence Day of the former Soviet republic. It was also an appeal to Moldovan voters before a crucial Sept. 28 election not to fall for the 鈥淜remlin鈥檚 propaganda,鈥� as French President Emmanuel Macron put it.

鈥淯nlike Russia, the European Union threatens no one and respects everyone鈥檚 sovereignty,鈥� the French leader said alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in the capital, Chisinau.

After recently losing much of its economic leverage over its tiny neighbor, Russia now backs an immense disinformation campaign in Moldova, along with paid public protests and vote-buying, to help pro-Russia political parties win the election.聽This digital equivalent of an invasion is so large that TikTok has set up a special team to help the country take down fake information on its site.

鈥淎head of Moldova鈥檚 parliamentary elections,鈥� TikTok announced this month, 鈥渨e have set up our Mission Control Centre Group, uniting local market expertise with global subject matter specialists in cybersecurity, misinformation, election integrity, and hateful behavior.鈥�

Despite the online onslaught from Russia, the pro-European party of President Maia Sandu remains ahead in the polls, although not by enough to win a majority in Parliament. Any loss of power might jeopardize the country鈥檚 advancing bid to join the European Union, which most Moldovans favor.

Ms. Sandu claims Russia is spending more than $100 million to influence the vote. Yet despite this attempt to confuse and mislead citizens, Prime Minister Dorin Recean told Ziarul de Garda weekly, 鈥淚 firmly believe that Moldovans will choose what is good for themselves and ... not choose something for a foreign state.鈥�

鈥淢oldova鈥檚 democracy is in the crosshairs, both online and offline,鈥� said German leader Merz during the visit. Yet as President Sandu told reporters, 鈥淢oldova鈥檚 future depends on what Moldovan citizens do, what information they consume and what they believe.鈥� Helping them make the right choice is now a whole-of-Europe task.