Harvard won a major victory Wednesday as a federal judge struck down $2.6 billion in research funding cuts imposed by the Trump administration. Judge Allison Burroughs wrote that officials invoked antisemitism as a pretext to punish the university after it resisted government demands to change campus policies. The ruling described the freeze as an attack on free speech and academic freedom. The White House said it will appeal, calling Ms. Burroughs biased. – Staff

Florida moved to eliminate all childhood vaccine mandates, expanding Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ efforts to curb requirements dating back to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some officials have said current vaccine mandates infringe on parental rights, while critics called the move dangerous. Separately, the Democratic governors of Washington, Oregon, and California announced an alliance to safeguard health policies. – The Associated Press

India is cutting local taxes on a range of consumer goods, from small cars to appliances, in response to U.S. tariffs. The move is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s strategy to insulate the economy. The tariffs, doubled to 50% by President Trump last month over India’s purchase of Russian oil, are expected to hit an estimated $48.2 billion worth of exports and have strained ties between the world’s two largest democracies. – AP

Iran expanded its uranium stockpile to near weapons-grade levels before Israel’s attack in June, according to a confidential U.N. nuclear watchdog report. As of June 13, Iran held 972 pounds of uranium enriched up to 60%, up 71 pounds since May. The report added that Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency have not reached an agreement on resuming inspections at sites bombed in June. – AP

Newsmax filed an antitrust lawsuit against Fox News, accusing the rival network of using intimidation and exclusionary tactics to stifle competition. The suit alleges Fox blocked distributors from carrying Newsmax, discouraged guests from appearing, and hired private investigators to probe executives. Fox rejected the claims, saying Newsmax is trying to “sue their way out of their own competitive failures.” – AP

Bees hold clues for making artificial intelligence more efficient, new research shows. The insects use their own flight movements to sharpen brain signals and recognize patterns with remarkable accuracy. Scientists at the University of Sheffield in England replicated the effect in a digital model of a bee’s brain, pointing to new ways of building machines that learn more effectively with less computing power. – Staff

Vladimir Putin and other world leaders alienated by the West gathered in China this week – first for an economic summit in Tianjin and then a military parade in Beijing. The meetings offer a glimpse of what Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s new world order might look like.

Americans have long rejected the idea of armed troops patrolling city streets, absent a security crisis. But President Donald Trump’s ability to normalize such dramatic actions has in some cases earned support or at least blunted opposition.

President Donald Trump wants the Pentagon to create a 'quick reaction force' using National Guard units. But U.S. law bars the military from being used as domestic law enforcement. With few details in the executive order, it's unclear how such a unit would navigate legal and political concerns.

Human traffickers prey on desperate women in the vast, vulnerable Sundarbans region. The co-founder of a grassroots organization is fighting for women to reclaim their legal power.

The gold rush may be long over, but the work of extracting valuable minerals from stream deposits – modern “panning for gold” – still goes on in Canada’s Yukon. Today, it’s a family business, passed down from generation to generation.

Until last year, a country at the heart of the Middle East was known for enduring one of world’s largest population displacements. About half of Syria’s 23 million were forced to flee their homes during a 14-year civil war. Since the ouster of a dictator nine months ago, however, more than 2 million citizens have returned. Most go back to pick up old lives and recreate a democratic country.

“When we were expelled, it felt as if our souls had been torn from our bodies,” Mamdouh al-Sattouf, a former school principal, told Al Jazeera. “Now that we have returned, it feels as if we have regained our souls.”

The rising pace in the number of Syrian returnees is due in part to a new government’s efforts to hold elections this month, revive the economy with foreign help, and restore Syria’s former social harmony between diverse ethnic and religious groups.

“Most people will want to participate in the new Syria, provided the government respects their regional and local interests,” Birgit Schäbler, a historian of the region at Germany’s University of Erfurt, told Deutsche Welle.

In a recent visit to the country, a top United Nations official for refugees found many returnees were busy replanting family and community roots. “I saw up-close how people have preserved their will to return, stay and rebuild despite the harsh reality of destruction,” said Kelly Clements, Deputy High Commissioner of UNHCR.

Parts of Syria have recently seen extreme violence between groups, highlighting the ongoing task of the interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, to build trust with all Syrians. A parliamentary election scheduled for Sept. 15-20 will be a crucial test along with his efforts to bring justice for past atrocities and reconcile a torn society.

The president’s task has been made easier given the almost-daily convoys of vehicles bringing Syrians back to their hometowns. To many people in the Mideast, home is not just a place but a religious obligation of hospitality - a “generosity of spirit ... which defines humanity itself,” states Mona Siddiqui, professor of Islamic and Interreligious Studies at the University of Edinburgh.

Or, as one returnee, Mustafa al-Hajj, told Le Monde as he crossed the border from Lebanon: “It’s the first time I’ve entered my country with love in my heart.”