海角大神

China showcased its rising power on Wednesday as leader Xi Jinping reviewed a defiant military parade in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un joined some two dozen other heads of state 鈥� mainly from Asia, the Middle East and Africa - in watching the military spectacle from the rostrum above Tiananmen Square. In a speech, Mr. Xi called China鈥檚 rejuvenation 鈥渦nstoppable,鈥� and said the world again faces a choice between war and peace. 鈥� Staff

President Trump cannot use the Alien Enemies Act to speed the deportations of people his administration accuses of membership in a Venezuelan gang, an appeals court ruled on Tuesday. The administration deported alleged Tren de Aragua members to a notorious prison in El Salvador in March. The appeals panel found the gang wasn鈥檛 a legitimate target for the 1798 law, which allows a president to expel citizens of an enemy nation in times of 鈥渄eclared war.鈥� In a separate but related development, the U.S. carried out a lethal strike on Tuesday in the southern Caribbean against a vessel that Mr. Trump said was operated by the same gang and had departed Venezuela with a cargo of drugs. 鈥� The Associated Press

Nine former CDC directors rebuked Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for dismissing director Susan Monarez, citing concerns over his approach to vaccine policy. In a New York Times opinion piece, they also criticized his earlier removal of a 17-member vaccine advisory panel, replaced with members skeptical of vaccines. Mr. Kennedy has argued that reforms are needed to restore trust by reducing conflicts of interest and focusing on transparency, innovation, and the agency鈥檚 mission. 鈥� Staff

Congo鈥檚 former justice minister has been sentenced to three years in prison for embezzling $19 million in public funds meant to build a prison. Constant Mutamba, who was appointed justice minister in 2024 and resigned in June over the case, pleaded not guilty. The conviction is viewed as a key test of the government鈥檚 promised crackdown on dishonesty. The vast nation at the center of Africa ranks 163 out of 180 countries on Transparency International鈥檚 global corruption index. 鈥� AP and Staff

Tennessee began requiring gun safety lessons for all K-12 students. Children will receive annual lessons on topics such as firearm parts, safe storage, and injury prevention, without exposure to live weapons or ammunition. The law requires instruction to remain politically neutral, steering clear of debates over gun rights. Supporters argue the measure promotes safety, while critics question oversight, parental choice, and resistance to stricter gun regulations. 鈥� Staff

OpenAI and Meta are adding new controls to their chatbots to better protect teens. OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, announced features launching this fall that allow parents to link accounts, disable certain functions, and receive alerts if the system detects 鈥渁cute distress.鈥� The move comes a week after the parents of a 16-year-old in California sued OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, alleging ChatGPT encouraged their son鈥檚 suicide. 鈥� AP

When President Donald Trump sent the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles, he violated a law prohibiting the use of military personnel for domestic law enforcement activities, a judge ruled Tuesday. The ruling could serve as a guide for how courts interpret National Guard deployments in other states.

Hispanic voters swung hard to Donald Trump last fall, helping him secure the White House. Were those gains an anomaly 鈥� or the beginning of a more permanent partisan realignment? The New Jersey governor鈥檚 race this year will provide an early test, in a state whose population is one-fifth Hispanic.

Their Instagram accounts became globally popular for showing the creative ways Palestinians in Gaza cooked and ate in a time of war. But as hunger spread, the story they were sharing began to change.聽

A new sculpture exhibition under the Tobin Bridge 鈥� the demarcation point between Charlestown and the Navy Yard 鈥� was designed to revitalize Massachusetts鈥� oldest neighborhood. Public art offers a chance for everyone to enjoy, as witnessed by the children clambering all over the octopus and residents enjoying coffee with a bronze hippo.

In our progress roundup, phone communications 鈥� both basic and advanced 鈥� are enabling new benefits. In New York state, incarcerated people can make calls for free, facilitating better connections to family and friends. And mobile money services developed in Kenya are now shown to help people accumulate savings.

Last week鈥檚 tragic school shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis saw hundreds of Minnesotans coming together to support the affected individuals and families 鈥� and each other.

They did this through small acts of commemoration and kindness, such as candles, flowers, and thanks to teachers and emergency responders. They also gathered in larger groups 鈥� in parks and places of worship 鈥� seeking to heal heartbreak and find ways to prevent a recurrence of the violence that killed two children Aug. 27. Eighteen other children and three adults were wounded in the attack during a Mass to kick off the school year.

At a Sunday service at Annunciation Church, the Rev. Dennis Zehren urged parishioners to cling to their faith amid 鈥渄arkness鈥� and grieving, until 鈥渁 little light starts to dawn.鈥� That, he said, is 鈥渨hat we wait for ... what we welcome.鈥�

Since the shooting, however, a political firestorm has ensued in the wake of comments by those impatient for greater action on gun control.

鈥淭hese are kids that should be learning with their friends,鈥� a visibly shaken Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told the press after the shooting. 鈥淭hey should be able to go to school or church in peace, without the fear or risk of violence.鈥�

鈥淒on鈥檛 just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying,鈥� he said.

The political right is now accusing the left of diminishing and disrespecting religious practice. The left contends 鈥渢houghts and prayers鈥� is a platitude to disguise inaction on weapons access and use.

Yet the dispute sets up a false dichotomy between political activism and the notion of prayer as passive acceptance. It would obscure the fact that a substantial portion of Americans rely on prayer for comfort and practical spiritual action. According to the 2025 Pew Religious Landscape Study, prayer is a part of life for more than 60% of Americans, with 44% saying they pray daily.

鈥淚 believe prayer works because it changes us,鈥� the Rev. Shannon Johnson Kershner of Central Presbyterian Church in Atlanta told CNN last week. 鈥淧rayer gives us the vision to see everyone as God鈥檚 beloved,鈥� she said, 鈥渁nd then it motivates us into acting that out in the way we live our lives and ... use our resources.鈥�

Father Zehren shared this prayer-rooted vision Sunday: 鈥淭here is no darkness that God can鈥檛 bring life from. There鈥檚 no sorrow that God can鈥檛 spring joy from,鈥� he assured the congregation.