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New visa restrictions could make it harder for international students to study in the U.S., in another example of how the Trump administration's goals for cutting immigration are at odds with the aims of American higher education.

The Department of Homeland Security says it's cracking down on foreign students who intentionally take a long time to earn their degrees. It's adding strict time limits to student visas and restricting how international students transfer schools or change their study plans.

The rule announced last week could have a big impact on college campuses, where international students can make up as much as a fifth of the student body. Foreign students bring diversity and alternative worldviews, and they contribute heavily to colleges' financial health — they don't qualify for federal aid, so many pay full tuition. They also help fuel American innovation in a countless number of fields, in graduate programs, Ph.D. programs and research positions.

"What is at stake is frankly the preeminence of American higher education," says Fanta Aw, the executive director and CEO of NAFSA: Association of International Educators. She called the move misguided and unnecessary bureaucracy. "At a time when there's increased competition, we continue to shoot ourselves in the foot every single time."

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President Volodymyr Zelensky announced he expects to hold “key conversations” on Monday to formulate a strategy aimed at concluding the war, following a weekend of extensive consultations with military commanders.

In his evening video address on Sunday, July 19, Zelensky stated that the priority is evaluating active operations and establishing a future strategy to compel a conclusion to the conflict on terms acceptable to Ukraine.

“This has various components, and I want to hear how the commanders in our Defense and Security Forces see it,” Zelensky said. “Tomorrow I have key conversations. Ukraine must achieve its goals, and it will.”

The president noted that over the weekend, he held discussions regarding the situation on the front line and broader military strategy with several experienced military personnel.

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US President Donald Trump’s "Board of Peace" has shrunk its Gaza "recovery plan" from rebuilding territory to a temporary camp of "portable cabins" under Palestinian administration, police and a small international security force. 

The pilot scheme will be located in the so-called buffer zone along the ceasefire line near Rafah, according to a Guardian investigation published on Thursday. Its blueprint reflects little of what Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, presented in his "free market Gaza" slideshow in January, which assured basic infrastructure within 100 days.

No construction or preparatory work has begun for the scheme through the International Stabilisation Force (ISF), a United Nations-mandated multinational peacekeeping force establised by the 2025 Gaza peace plan. 

A logistical base for the ISF is nearly complete at the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza, and the force is expected to be trained in Egypt with troops from Morocco, Kosovo, and possibly Albania and Kazakhstan. It will take months to train them, and a legal framework for their presence remains under negotiation with the Israeli government.

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Arab diplomats familiar with the discussions said regional governments increasingly view Netanyahu as an impediment to Trump's diplomatic ambitions in the Middle East.

Several Arab leaders have privately urged US President Donald Trump to reconsider his support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli public broadcaster KAN News reported on Wednesday.

According to the report, the leaders described Netanyahu and his government as "an obstacle to realizing his vision in the region."

Additionally, Arab diplomats familiar with the discussions said regional governments increasingly view Netanyahu as an impediment to Trump's diplomatic ambitions in the Middle East, left-leaning Israeli daily Haaretz reported.

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Polish fighter jets intercepted a Russian Ilyushin Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft over the Baltic Sea and forced it to withdraw, in what Warsaw described as another attempt by Moscow to probe NATO’s air defenses.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced this on Tuesday, calling the situation “another Russian provocation over the Baltic Sea.”

“I remind you. It is Russia that is the aggressor,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said, adding that the aircraft was “gathering intelligence on the defense systems” and that “Russia is testing the Alliance’s readiness in this way.”

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Sam Neill, a smoothly elegant and versatile actor whose career moved from art film to blockbuster as he dodged velociraptors in "Jurassic Park" to playing Holly Hunter's husband in "The Piano," has died. He was 78.

In 2023, Neill disclosed he had been diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Neill died on Monday in Sydney, according to a statement posted to the actor's social media page.

His death was "sudden and unexpected," the statement said, adding that he "remained cancer free" when he died. A cause of death wasn't specified.

"Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life," his family wrote.

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