海角大神

The U.K. dismissed its ambassador to the U.S. over his connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Peter Mandelson was let go after emails surfaced showing he encouraged Mr. Epstein to 鈥渇ight for early release鈥� shortly before the sex offender was sentenced to prison.聽The diplomat has voiced his deep regret over his previous links with Mr. Epstein and said he knew nothing about his criminal activities. 鈥� The Associated Press

Belarus released 52 prisoners, including an EU employee and journalist Ihar Losik, after President Donald Trump appealed to President Alexander Lukashenko. Washington agreed to ease some sanctions on Belarus鈥� national airline in return. The move marks Mr. Lukashenko鈥檚 largest prisoner pardon in years and comes amid efforts to repair ties with the United States. Hundreds of political prisoners remain behind bars in Belarus. 鈥� Reuters

Saudi Arabia will supply Syria with 1.65 million barrels of crude to help rebuild the country after nearly 14 years of civil war. The deal aims to support refineries and improve living conditions. Syria鈥檚 economy and oil sector collapsed during the war and under sanctions, but investors have started returning since the fall of former President Bashar Assad last December. 鈥� AP

Albania made an AI bot its newest minister. Diella, which means 鈥渟un鈥� in Albanian, will be in charge of public tenders, part of Prime Minister Edi Rama鈥檚 plan to make government contracts 鈥�100% free of corruption.鈥� Diella has been at work since January as a virtual assistant, helping issue over 36,000 digital documents. Cracking down on corruption is one element of Albania鈥檚 bid to join the EU. 鈥� Staff

A mycologist paddled 26.4 miles in a kayak made entirely from mushrooms, completing a voyage from Catalina Island to San Pedro, near Los Angeles. Sam Shoemaker built the kayak using mycelium, the rootlike structure of fungi, which he cultivated in a mold and dried for months before testing it at sea, reports The Guardian. The material, which is lightweight, buoyant, and biodegradable, offers promise as an alternative to plastic. 鈥� Staff

Scenes and images of real-life violence spread rapidly on social media, where many Americans, including children, encounter them. This week's gruesome footage of the deaths of Charlie Kirk and a Ukrainian refugee has renewed debate about safeguards for online content.聽

Inflation聽posted a 2.9% annual rate in August, up from 2.3% in April. Job creation has slowed sharply. These key indicators put pressure on Republicans as the party in power 鈥� even as they push blame toward the Federal Reserve and Democrats.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro鈥檚 27-year prison sentence for an attempted coup is seen by many worldwide as a win for democracy. But in a deeply divided Brazil, what does it mean for faith in the justice system?

Pete Hegseth is now the 鈥渟ecretary of war,鈥� not 鈥渙f defense,鈥� but what does his boss, President Donald Trump, mean by 鈥渨ar鈥�? He has shown a distaste for conflicts that take more than a few days to resolve.

In an era when many schools鈥� arts budgets are dwindling, one nonprofit offers youths space to find purpose 鈥� through music lessons and practice.

Just weeks before his killing at a Utah event Wednesday, the conservative activist Charlie Kirk told a reporter that one of his 鈥渦ltimate purposes鈥� was to get young people 鈥渂ack to faith.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 trying to paint a picture of virtue ... lifting people up, not just staying angry,鈥� he told the Deseret News. If young people led 鈥渁 more virtuous, deeper existence,鈥� they would spend less time on social media, on videos 鈥� even on Mr. Kirk鈥檚 Turning Point USA videos. They would help move the country in a better direction, he believed. (One poll this year found 34% of college students support the use of violence in some circumstances to stop a campus speech, up from 24% in 2021.)

It didn鈥檛 take long after the tragedy for thousands of people to turn toward faith and console others feeling fearful 鈥� such as his widow and two children, those who witnessed the killing at Utah Valley University in Orem, and those struggling to act on the range of solutions for ending political violence and hate.

Professional counselors in Utah, both religious and therapeutic, offered their services to those traumatized by the murder. 鈥淎nything that we can do to restore that feeling of calm or safety is so important,鈥� Dr. Eric Monson, a psychiatrist with the University of Utah Health, told The Salt Lake Tribune.

Only hours after the shooting, prayer vigils were held across the United States. One was even planned by Mr. Kirk鈥檚 supporters in London. After a vigil of prayers and singing at the Utah State Capitol on Wednesday night, one woman told KUTV, 鈥淭his was Republicans, Democrats, and everybody coming together, denouncing this senseless violence that took Charlie鈥檚 life.鈥�

Even though many saw Mr. Kirk鈥檚 views as extreme, religious leaders in Utah gave advice on how to react to his killing. One, the Rev. Gregory Johnson of the Standing Together ministry, told the Tribune, 鈥淲e call upon the people of Utah and our nation to not return evil for evil.鈥�

Rather, the pastor pleaded for 鈥淕od-fearing individuals [to] fight evil with love.鈥�