海角大神

2025
October
14
Tuesday

President Donald Trump heralded 鈥渢he historic dawn of a new Middle East鈥 as work begins on the next phase of the peace deal he brokered.

鈥淲e had a lot of help from a lot of people that you wouldn鈥檛 suspect,鈥 he said in a speech before the Israeli parliament yesterday, crediting the leaders of the Arab and Muslim world as well as Israel for securing the cease-fire in Gaza and exchange of hostages and prisoners. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an incredible triumph for Israel and the world to have all of these nations working together as partners in peace.鈥

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid called on his nation to 鈥減rove ourselves worthy of what has been achieved.鈥 He cited the words of a woman at an Oct. 7 memorial last week whose mother and daughter had been killed by Hamas: 鈥淲e don鈥檛 want revenge. We want redemption.鈥

鈥淭oday,鈥 said Mr. Lapid, 鈥渢he redemption begins.鈥


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News briefs

Egypt鈥檚 president told a summit of world leaders yesterday that U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 Mideast proposal represents the 鈥渓ast chance鈥 for peace in the region. The summit in the Egyptian town of Sharm el-Sheikh was aimed at supporting the ceasefire reached in Gaza, ending the Israel-Hamas war, and developing a long-term vision for governing and rebuilding the devastated Palestinian territory. In his address, Mr. Trump called for a new era of harmony in the Middle East. 鈥 The Associated Press

News outlets from both sides of the political aisle, including the New York Times and Newsmax, have rejected the Pentagon鈥檚 new press rules. Reporters have until today to sign a document agreeing to be escorted in unclassified areas and allowing their credentials to be revoked if they publish any information not approved for release. Many say the restrictions violate constitutional freedoms and hinder reporting on the U.S. military, which risks troops鈥 lives and is funded by some $1 trillion in taxpayer dollars. 鈥 Staff

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy will begin serving a five-year prison sentence at Paris鈥 La Sant茅 Prison on Oct. 21, prosecutors announced yesterday. Last month, a court found him guilty of criminal conspiracy over a scheme to obtain campaign financing from late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Mr. Sarkozy becomes the first postwar leader and former head of a European Union country to go to prison. He has said he plans to appeal the judge鈥檚 ruling. 鈥 Staff

Washington and Beijing began charging additional port fees today on ocean shipping firms that move everything from holiday toys to crude oil. That makes the high seas a key front in the trade war between the world鈥檚 two largest economies. In a reprisal against China curbing exports of critical minerals, President Trump on Friday threatened to levy additional 100% tariffs on goods from China and put new export controls on 鈥渁ny and all critical software鈥 by Nov. 1. 鈥 Reuters

Youth-led protests in Madagascar escalated over the weekend when military units defected and joined the demonstrators. In a speech broadcast on social media late yesterday, President Andry Rajoelina said he had fled the country for his safety. Protests began on Sept. 25 over water and power cuts and spread amid frustration over corruption and poor economic conditions. So-called Gen Z protests demanding accountability have shaken countries from Nepal to Morocco in recent weeks. 鈥 Staff

Rescue teams in Alaska brought聽dozens of people to safety on Sunday聽after the remnants of Typhoon Halong swept through coastal villages. Crews used small planes and helicopters to reach the towns of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok, where they rescued more than 50 people and two dogs. One person had died and two remained missing on Monday. 鈥淪eeing Alaskans care for one another in this storm gives me hope,鈥 said Senator Lisa Murkowski. 鈥 Staff聽

Cape Verde qualified for its first ever FIFA World Cup yesterday, becoming the world鈥檚 second-smallest country to reach the soccer tournament. The achievement owes much to the far-flung Cabo Verdean diaspora, with players reconnecting with their roots to represent the African island nation. 鈥淲e鈥檙e all over the world,鈥 defender Pico Lopes, born and raised in Ireland, told the BBC. 鈥淚t鈥檚 great what we can achieve when we鈥檙e together.鈥 鈥 Staff


Today’s stories

And why we wrote them

Oded Balilty/AP
People watch a live broadcast of Israeli hostages released from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip, at a plaza known as Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Oct. 13, 2025.

The long-awaited day that saw the return of surviving Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners included an early indication of the tough challenges that await Donald Trump鈥檚 Gaza plan. Yet on a whirlwind trip to Israel and Egypt, the U.S. president said the time for peace is now.

The repercussions of government shutdowns affect all Americans. But for military families, who sacrifice to serve the country, the risk of losing pay over politics seems an unnecessary source of stress.


The Monitor's View

AP
Before she was forced into hiding, Mar铆a Corina Machado leads a protest against the reelection of President Nicol谩s Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, Aug. 28, 2024.

The winner of this year鈥檚 Nobel Peace Prize, Venezuelan opposition leader Mar铆a Corina Machado, has many striking similarities to two previous winners: Myanmar鈥檚 Aung San Suu Kyi and Iran鈥檚 Narges Mohammadi. Yes, all three are women. Yes, all are champions for democracy inside dictatorships. And all are either in prison or in hiding.

On those aspects alone, they are worthy of a Nobel and inspiring to millions of followers. Yet what really links them in a meaningful way is how they describe a mental strength that helps them stand for civic virtues such as individual freedom and democratic equality.

Perhaps Ms. Suu Kyi best describes how pro-democracy dissidents rely on each other for what she calls a spiritual freedom from fear. In 2011, she spoke of what helps sustain her during long confinements: 鈥淚 felt almost as a physical force the strong bond that linked those of us who had only our inner resources to fall back on when we were most in need of strength and endurance.鈥

She tells the people of Myanmar to 鈥渓ive like free people in an unfree nation.鈥 The winner of the 1991 Peace Prize said she has 鈥渁lways been free鈥 in her own mind and finds no need to forgive the rulers who arrested her because, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think they really did anything to me.鈥

In Iran, Ms. Mohammadi wrote a two-part book on how women dissidents endure torture and other cruelties in prison. She found they turn humiliation into a 鈥渟piritual experience鈥 to make themselves stronger. Some find 鈥渃ertainty in the ultimate victory of truth.鈥

鈥淭he Islamic regime cannot separate a woman from her love for her family, her fellow citizens, or her God,鈥 she wrote.

In Venezuela, as the Nobel committee put it, Ms. Machado has kept 鈥渢he flame of democracy burning against a growing darkness鈥 under the 12-year rule of President Nicol谩s Maduro. She describes her efforts as a spiritual struggle that endures 鈥渂ecause truth persists until it prevails.鈥 In the face of a regime that relies on fear and division, she says she does not divide people into friends or enemies. 鈥淭hey are all citizens,鈥 she told Forbes.

鈥淭his country is not polarized, it is profoundly united. In the pain that it feels, but also in hope. Our hope is certain, it is growing, and they will not stop it.鈥

Add humility to Ms. Machado鈥檚 traits. When told of winning the Nobel, she said it was the achievement of a whole society. 鈥淚 am just one person. I certainly do not deserve this,鈥 she said in a video message.


A 海角大神 Science Perspective

About this feature

Each weekday, the Monitor includes one clearly labeled religious article offering spiritual insight on contemporary issues, including the news. The publication 鈥 in its various forms 鈥 is produced for anyone who cares about the progress of the human endeavor around the world and seeks news reported with compassion, intelligence, and an essentially constructive lens. For many, that caring has religious roots. For many, it does not. The Monitor has always embraced both audiences. The Monitor is owned by a church 鈥 The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston 鈥 whose founder was concerned with both the state of the world and the quality of available news.

Recognizing that God鈥檚 love is constant and impartial frees us from resentment, opening the door to healing.


Viewfinder

Petros Giannakouris/AP
Tourists rest at Pnyx as the Parthenon temple stands free of scaffolding on the Acropolis hill in Athens, Greece, Oct. 10, 2025, after decades of restoration work. The monument to democracy was built in the fifth century B.C. after the statesman Cleisthenes established a new form of government based not on clan affiliation but on the membership of a deme, or township, that elected its own officials.
( The illustrations in today’s Monitor Daily are by Jacob Turcotte. )

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2025
October
14
Tuesday

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