海角大神

The U.S. launched a second day of strikes on Iran. Iran has fired back at Gulf Arab states after President Donald Trump warned that Tehran would 鈥減ay the price鈥� for stalled negotiations. The new U.S. assault across multiple Iranian cities came on Thursday as efforts to negotiate an end the war again appeared stuck, with Iran insisting it would maintain its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, which has disrupted global energy supplies and sent oil prices higher. Iran retaliated with strikes targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, all of which host U.S. troops. 鈥� The Associated Press

A second wave of riots hit Belfast yesterday. The unrest is in response to a brutal knife attack by a Sudanese refugee, with a video circulating online. The victim was severely wounded but is in stable condition. The motive for the attack is not known but is not suspected to be terrorism. Leaders on the far right have called for protests against immigration, and police had to use water cannons Wednesday to disperse protesters throwing bricks, setting tire fires, and targeting immigrants. The violence comes as the United Kingdom is on edge, with numerous riots in recent months and years over the issue of refugees. The victim鈥檚 family called for calm. 鈥淧eaceful protest is only ever the way forward,鈥� it said in a statement.

Conflict reignited along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Pakistan鈥檚 information minister on Wednesday claimed that the military had killed 26 Taliban militants in a new round of airstrikes, shattering a period of relative calm along the border. Afghanistan says 13 civilians were killed and 14 others wounded in the attacks. Relations deteriorated between the former allies as Islamabad accused the Taliban government of harboring violent militant groups that carry out attacks within Pakistan鈥檚 borders 鈥� claims Kabul denies. The countries have been fighting since February.
Our coverage: How Afghanistan-Pakistan relations deteriorated into 鈥榦pen war鈥�

U.S. inflation hit a three-year high. The Bureau of Labor Statistics released Consumer Price Index numbers for May, in which inflation rose to 4.2%. That鈥檚 more than double the Federal Reserve鈥檚 2% target. The figures reflect the energy shock of the U.S.-Iran war and its cascading effects on other sectors of the economy, including airline prices. Core CPI inflation 鈥� which excludes food and energy prices 鈥� rose to 2.9%. Next week, the Federal Open Market Committee will vote on whether to change interest rates.
Our coverage: Balancing act for new Fed chair: Taming inflation amid rate-cut pressures.

A New Zealand company has been teaching AI how to speak Maori. Te Hiku, founded by Peter-Lucas Jones of the Te Aup艒uri tribe, launched a competition that encouraged Maori communities to submit recordings that could be fed into the AI tool. Mr. Jones hopes that the speech-to-text and text-to-speech tools can be adapted for endangered indigenous languages. It is already being used to catalog 驶艒lelo Hawai驶i (Hawaiian language). 鈥淎rtificial intelligence is way for us to not only preserve languages but contribute to the revitalization of those languages,鈥� Mr. Jones said in a new World Economic Forum video highlighting tech breakthroughs.

鈥� Compiled by Monitor writers around the world.

Editor鈥檚 note: A news brief in Wednesday鈥檚 newsletter misspelled the first name of California gubernatorial candidate Stephen Hilton. He is widely known by his nickname, Steve Hilton.

SpaceX debuts on a U.S. stock exchange this week in what鈥檚 anticipated to be a record-breaking public offering, with high stakes for investors and the U.S. economy.

As the U.S.-Israel war with Iran has dragged on far longer than President Donald Trump perhaps anticipated, he has alternately predicted an imminent peace deal and threatened punishing attacks. Is this calculated, or a sign he has lost control of the conflict?

The unmanned boat that helped rescue an Apache helicopter crew Monday night was the equivalent of a seaborne pickup truck. The U.S. has 鈥渦rgent mission needs鈥� for such autonomous Navy vessels, lawmakers are saying.

The shared democratic values between the United States and Europe that were once the bedrock of transatlantic cooperation are in tatters. On this year鈥檚 anniversary of the D-Day landings that turned the tide against Nazi Germany in World War II, the Trump administration offered a full-throated endorsement of Europe鈥檚 far-right political parties.

Mexico may have its challenges. But when it comes to being a host for the World Cup, it has its North American co-hosts beat. Mexicans are phenomenal soccer fans,聽as they declare themselves.

The novel 鈥淒eath of the Soccer God鈥� follows a celebrated Haitian-born striker whose world unravels. Author Dimitry Elias L茅ger loosely based his protagonist on Joe Gaetjens, who scored a match-winning goal for the U.S. against England in the 1950 World Cup. While sport is at the heart of the story, L茅ger packs in societal issues such as racism, class expectations, and world politics.

In the Middle East, drones, missiles, and airstrikes continue to streak across the Gulf and, with more intensity, between Israel and Lebanon.

Surrounded by these adjacent conflicts, Syria, however, as the Monitor鈥檚 Taylor Luck reports this week, is 鈥渁n island of calm in the stormy Middle East.鈥� And of buoyant hope.

That is a credit to Syrians鈥� resilience and faith in progress, as they confront economic and political challenges and emerge from the aftermath of years of repression and civil war. Some credit is also due their former insurgent turned president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who has sought to shore up stability and restore basic services, through civic conciliation and political pragmatism.

For the international community, Syria鈥檚 current situation validates the hope and confidence placed in the government that ousted a brutal dictatorship in December 2024. Gulf Arab states have made offers of aid and investment, and the United States and Europe have reopened embassies and lifted economic sanctions.

鈥淎l-Sharaa has gone through a massive personal transformation that may presage the political transformation envisaged for Syria,鈥� according to regional analyst Asaad Sam Hanna. Alongside shedding his camouflage fatigues for civilian attire, Mr. al-Sharaa has 鈥渁dopted a conciliatory approach to various communities within Syria, and sent a clear message to the international community that Syria would be governed by a president rather than [by] the military or religious councils,鈥� Mr. Hanna wrote in an Atlantic Council report in March.

But there is still much to do, to unite a nation characterized by ethnic, religious, and regional differences. In January, the government restored full citizenship rights and language recognition to its sizable Kurdish minority. And it is integrating militia fighters into the national security forces. The country has also made gains in freedom of expression, to the extent that some citizens are reportedly no longer as fearful to hold public protests to voice their demands.

On the economic front, a United Nations-supported Private Sector Dialogue was held in Syria this month. And the squeeze on oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz is offering an unexpected opportunity: Since March, both Iraq and the United Arab Emirates have begun using Syria鈥檚 roadways to truck their oil to its Mediterranean ports. The country now earns much-needed income from the hundreds of trucks that pass through it daily.

But, in addition to economic growth, Syrians also hunger for a full restoration of individual freedoms and democratic governance.

Initial steps toward transitional justice are being taken. The challenge will be to uphold accountability, without sparking retribution or revenge. The next major steps are for Mr. al-Sharaa and his colleagues to deliver on a promised new constitution and national elections.

These will likely require a combination of continued pressure and support from Syrians 鈥� as well as from their international allies and friends.