Category: NYTimes

President Biden has arrived in Hiroshima, Japan, for the G7 summit, where he and other world leaders will discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine and the growing threat of generative artificial intelligence. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to address the leaders virtually, and the group will discuss how to better arm Ukraine as it enters its counteroffensive against the Russian invaders. The leaders will also discuss a common regulatory approach to generative artificial intelligence programs like GPT-4, and the need for transparency rules that make it clear what kind of data each system was trained on. The summit will also address the downward spiral in relations between China and the United States, and the possibility of a meeting between President Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The G7 leaders hope to find a way to support Ukraine and protect the world from the dangers of artificial intelligence.

In the war-torn city of Sloviansk, Ukraine, teenagers are living their teenage years in a holding pattern due to the ongoing conflict. With no prom, graduation ceremonies, movie theaters, parties or sports, the youths mostly use humor to cope with the ferocity of the fighting around them. The Russian invasion has caused tremendous direct damage, killing tens of thousands of people and forcing millions of Ukrainians from their homes. It has also stolen the normal experiences of teenage life.

The youths find themselves walking the streets of Sloviansk, passing soldiers in full combat gear, and watching military trucks rumble past. When explosions echo through the streets, they fall to the ground for safety, then start horsing around. They mostly handle the hardships of war with humor, making fun of everything around them, including one another.

Mykyta, 16, has not been in a classroom for more than a year. He hopes the war be over by the time he graduates next year, after finishing online classes from teachers who sometimes provide instruction from abroad. He also said he has affection for the city, even after living through the months of war.

The teenagers don’t talk much about the war, instead focusing on topics such as movies and music. They find solace in the empty bleachers of a soccer stadium, where no games are held lest a crowd form, inviting a more tragic outcome from a single rocket strike.

The Russian invasion has changed everything for these teenagers, and the normal angst of teenage years, and the first ventures of independence, it all now takes place amid the ruins of a mostly deserted city. War has not cured ennui, but the youths are determined to make the best of their situation.

For centuries, the mystery of Jomsborg, a Viking stronghold mentioned in ancient texts, has remained unsolved. Now, new archaeological discoveries on Wolin Island in Poland may provide a clue. Wojciech Filipowiak, a Polish archaeologist, has found charcoaled wood indicating the remains of a 10th-century stronghold that could help solve the mystery. The findings have sparked excitement among historians and archaeologists, as well as a surge in tourism to the area. With the help of modern technology and further excavation, the mystery of Jomsborg may soon be solved.

As the U.S. attends the G7 summit in Japan, China is hosting its own summit with five Central Asian countries. The inaugural China-Central Asia summit is part of China’s broader aim to strengthen economic and political partnerships with like-minded countries, to counter what it sees as a U.S.-dominated world order. China has invested billions of dollars into the pipelines, highways and railways that help bring Central Asia’s rich reserve of natural resources into China. The summit is taking place in Xi’an, the city in central China that was a key stop on the ancient Silk Road trade route. China is hoping to gain an edge with Central Asian countries without angering Russia, while the U.S. is encouraging the Central Asian countries to resist providing economic aid to Russia in the face of Western sanctions. China is watching closely as a growing number of Western actors are wooing Central Asia, and the summit is a way for China to show its commitment to the region.

Keiko Kawano, a smile coach in Japan, is helping her clients learn to smile again after three years of Covid-era masking. Ms. Kawano’s curriculum, typically taught in one-hour sessions online or in person, draws on yoga and emphasizes strengthening the zygomatic muscles, which pull the corners of the mouth. She also believes that the muscles just below the eyes are key and that weak ones create eyebrow-driven smiles, which can make the forehead look wrinkly. Her work has been received well by clients, and she even offers a one-day certification training for people who want to teach smiling. Smiling lessons may seem very Western, but they can help people improve their facial expressions and even build self-confidence. With Ms. Kawano’s help, Japanese people can learn to smile again and enjoy the happiness it brings.

Turkey’s nail-biting presidential election has gone to a runoff, with incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his main challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, set to face off on May 28. Erdogan won 49.5% of the vote, while Kilicdaroglu won 44.9%. This is the first election in Turkey’s history in which no presidential candidate secured a majority in the first round. Erdogan appears to have the edge with his lead over Kilicdaroglu, just shy of an outright majority. The elimination of a third candidate, Sinan Ogan, leaves the 5.7% of voters who chose him up for grabs. Erdogan has tapped state resources to improve his chances, raising civil servant salaries and the national minimum wage. He has also used nationalist rhetoric to appeal to voters. Turnout for the election was 88.9%, with Turks taking elections seriously. The results demonstrate Erdogan’s enduring appeal and influence, and the outcome of the runoff will shape the course of Turkey for the next five years.

Thailand’s general election on Sunday saw a resounding victory for the two opposition parties, Move Forward and Pheu Thai. The two parties have agreed to form a coalition government, but it remains to be seen if the military-appointed Senate will allow them to do so. Move Forward has called for an overhaul of the military and amending a strict law that criminalizes criticism of the Thai monarchy. If the Senate blocks the opposition’s nomination for prime minister, it could lead to protests and further political turmoil. The election results are a stinging rebuke to the country’s military leaders, who have governed Thailand since seizing power in a coup in 2014.

As temperatures continue to rise, the World Meteorological Organization has warned that there is a two-thirds chance that one of the next five years could be 1.5 degrees Celsius, or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit, hotter than the 19th-century average. This could lead to intensified droughts and wildfires, as well as changes in global precipitation patterns.

In other news, Ukraine is mounting a counteroffensive against Russia, with Ukrainian forces taking back territory north and south of the ruined city of Bakhmut. Meanwhile, a new study has revealed that modern humans descended from at least two populations that coexisted in Africa for a million years before merging in several independent events across the continent.

Finally, Prince Harry and Meghan have spoken out about being chased by paparazzi in New York, President Biden is in Japan ahead of the G7 summit, and Texas has banned hormone and puberty-blocking treatments for transgender children.

Cambodia’s main opposition party, the Candlelight Party, has been disqualified from the upcoming July election by the National Election Commission. This is the second consecutive election in which the party has been barred from participating, eliminating the only credible challenge to Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party. The Commission cited failure to file required paperwork as the reason for the disqualification.

The government has taken several steps to neutralize the opposition, including jailing and convicting opposition figures of treason and other charges, shutting down a popular news outlet, and verbally attacking and assaulting members of the Candlelight Party. The United Nations Human Rights Commission has expressed concern that these actions are undermining the environment for free and fair elections.

Prime Minister Hun Sen has held power for 38 years and has indicated that the transition of family power would follow this year’s election. Opposition leader Sam Rainsy has called this a “very dangerous year” for Hun Sen, as he seeks to establish a political dynasty.

Ukraine has been promised billions of dollars in new military aid from its European allies during a whirlwind tour of the continent by President Volodymyr Zelensky. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of Britain pledged a major package of air-defense missiles and attack drones, while Germany, France, and Italy have also promised weapons. This show of support reflects a recognition that U.S. support for Ukraine is likely to come under pressure as the American presidential race heats up. The new weapons will fulfill many, but not all, of the demands for weapons that Ukraine has said it needs for a counteroffensive.

The U.N. for the first time officially commemorated the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the war surrounding the creation of Israel 75 years ago. The event was not attended by the U.S. and Britain, and it drew a sharp response from the Israeli ambassador to the world body.

John Durham, a Trump-era special counsel, has released a report accusing the F.B.I. of having “discounted or willfully ignored material information” that countered a narrative of collusion between the former president and Russia. Durham said he was not recommending any “wholesale changes” to F.B.I. rules for politically sensitive investigations and for national-security wiretaps.