海角大神

A big week in U.S.-China trade continued. Talks in Stockholm entered a second day Tuesday, with a trade truce set to expire August 12. President Donald Trump has said that his administration was close to reaching a deal. But China appeared to be set to make new demands, owing to some recent global export wins and other momentum: China has seen the U.S. allow the sale of Nvidia chips to China and stop seeking to pull the visas of Chinese students on U.S. campuses. 鈥� Staff, Reuters

The U.S. shortened Russia鈥檚 deadline on Ukraine. Mr. Trump said he will set a new 10- or 12-day deadline, having previously cited 50 days. At meetings with European leaders in Scotland, he expressed frustration over Russian President Vladimir Putin鈥檚 lack of progress on a deal over the three-year war in Ukraine, threatening additional sanctions on Russia and buyers of its exports unless an agreement is reached by early September. Overnight, Russia struck a Ukrainian prison and a medical facility, killing at least 22 people, Ukrainian officials said. 鈥� Reuters, The Associated Press

A judge blocked the administration鈥檚 bid to defund Planned Parenthood. A federal judge ruled Monday that the organization鈥檚 clinics nationwide must continue to be reimbursed for Medicaid funding. The order replaces a previous edict that had granted a preliminary injunction specifically blocking the government from cutting Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood members that didn鈥檛 provide abortion care, or didn鈥檛 meet a threshold of at least $800,000 in Medicaid reimbursements in a given year. 鈥� AP

The president called for more Gaza food aid. Mr. Trump also met Monday in Scotland with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to discuss the deepening crisis in Gaza, Russia鈥檚 war in Ukraine, and tariff rates. The U.S. president said Israel 鈥渉as a lot of responsibility鈥� for what鈥檚 happening but is hampered by what its actions might mean for the prospects of Israeli hostages Hamas has been holding. Mr. Starmer will hold an emergency cabinet meeting Tuesday to discuss Gaza. He is under mounting pressure from his own party to recognize a Palestinian state.聽鈥� AP, Reuters

The Netherlands will ban two far-right Israeli ministers. The Dutch foreign minister announced the ban in response to the deteriorating situation in Gaza. It targets National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, key partners in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 coalition. The pair are champions of Israeli settlement and support continuing the war. Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway imposed financial sanctions on the two men last month. 鈥� AP

Sudan鈥檚 paramilitaries formed a parallel government.聽The move is expected to worsen the crisis in Sudan, which escalated in April 2023. Tensions between the military and the Rapid Support Forces have led to fighting in Khartoum and other areas. The RSF, accused of atrocities, has named Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo as head of a new 15-member council. The internationally recognized government in Khartoum called it a 鈥渇ake government.鈥� 鈥� AP

Women legislators are pushing for bathroom parity. And statehouses across the United States are now addressing longstanding facility disparities. In Kentucky, a $300 million renovation, expected to be finished by 2028, will add more bathrooms for the 41 women lawmakers who risk missing debates or votes if they need to wait in line. Similar efforts are underway in Georgia. Advocates say these changes symbolize a shift toward respect and equality, ensuring public spaces meet the needs of all lawmakers and the public. 鈥� AP

The Trump administration faces pressure to release additional files from investigations of sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein. Here鈥檚 what鈥檚 known from two decades of lawsuits and what could come from efforts to reveal more.

One of the biggest challenges to rebuilding Syria may prove to be environmental. Years of drought causing crop yields to fall dramatically are compounded by the dearth of post-war resources to address the problem.

In a letter to readers and a new generation of journalists, retiring correspondent Francine Kiefer offers a peek behind the scenes at how reporters do their jobs and what really matters over the course of a long career.

The ceasefire reached between Thailand and Cambodia on Monday could help hundreds of thousands of displaced people return home 鈥� but it will not end the countries鈥� long-simmering border dispute, or address the troubling precedents set during the latest bout of fighting.

What鈥檚 the secret to fine phyllo, or anything, really? As our writer learns from her Greek teacher, it鈥檚 not in exact measurements or complicated techniques 鈥� it鈥檚 cooking something meaningful by heart and feel.

Last week, Ukraine saw its first political protests since Russia鈥檚 2022 invasion. They were an eye-opener on how fast a people can reveal their civic integrity.

Over several days in most big cities, thousands of young Ukrainians took to the streets, despite the war, to demonstrate against a new law that restricts the independence of two anti-corruption agencies.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to be like Russia,鈥� one protester, Sasha Kazintseva, told The Guardian.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who came to power in 2019 on a campaign to root out corruption, quickly reversed his support of the law, which gave him powers over graft investigations. He submitted a new bill that would largely restore the autonomy of the two bodies. Parliament is expected to vote on it in coming days.

鈥淚t is important that Ukrainians are responding with such dignity,鈥� Mr. Zelenskyy said.

The president and others in the political elite may not have been aware of a shift in society鈥檚 values, especially among young people. In opinion surveys done in Ukraine for the United Nations in recent years, key values such as freedom, equality, justice, and dignity have become much more relevant. The surveys found, for example, that people have become more interested in fundamental rights and 鈥渓ess concerned about their wallets and wellbeing ... in the context of wartime uncertainty.鈥�

That growth in values includes higher support for a 鈥渓evel playing field鈥� over paternalism and for liberty over stability and personal safety. Since 2020, 鈥淭he Ukrainians have started to protect their rights by contacting the police, appealing to lawyers and the free legal aid system or local authorities more often.鈥� Among young people, 59% believe that what happens to Ukraine is their problem 鈥� an increase of 24 percentage points from 2021.

鈥淭he Ukrainian nation is rapidly maturing,鈥� said Tetiana Pechonchyk, head of a human rights group.

A 2024-2025 survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found a sharp rise in the belief of equal opportunity 鈥� that 鈥渢he state should provide equal starting conditions, and then individuals succeed through effort.鈥�

The war has helped unveil the natural volition of Ukrainians to create good governance and ensure equal rights. When such values appear in jeopardy, the new civic consciousness drives people to the streets.