Tensions are spiking between India and Pakistan. New Delhi eyed Pakistani involvement, whether direct or indirect, after Tuesday’s deadly Islamist militant attack on tourists in India-administered Kashmir. It suspended a key water-sharing treaty with neighboring Pakistan Wednesday and closed its only land crossing. Thursday, Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian airlines and suspended trade. On Friday, Indian officials said the army had a brief exchange of fire with Pakistani soldiers along their militarized frontier. Disputes over the rule of Muslim-majority Kashmir have been the cause of two of three wars between the neighboring nations. – Reuters
Related Monitor story: Last year, we reported on efforts to restore Kashmir’s special status.

The president was blocked from denying money to sanctuary cities. A federal judge in California ruled Thursday that portions of President Donald Trump’s executive orders denying the federal funds were unconstitutional. There is no strict definition for sanctuary policies. It generally describes limited cooperation with immigration enforcement. Leaders of sanctuary jurisdictions say their communities are safer because immigrants feel they can communicate with local police. The administration argues sanctuary jurisdictions “shield illegal aliens from deportation.” – The Associated Press
Related Monitor story: As cities fight to retain “sanctuary” status, some immigrants question the policy. 

A dozen states sued the Trump administration over tariffs. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York, challenged Mr. Trump’s claim that he could impose tariffs based on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. It maintained that only Congress has the power to impose tariffs and that the president can only invoke the act if there is an “unusual and extraordinary threat” from abroad. – AP

President Trump signed executive orders on education. One called for the enforcement of a federal law requiring colleges to disclose foreign gifts and contracts valued at $250,000 or more. Another challenged DEI efforts by accrediting bodies that set standards colleges must meet to accept federal financial aid from students.

Mr. Trump also ordered the Education Department to establish a uniform standard for discipline in the nation’s K-12 schools. Previous guidance from Democratic administrations directed schools not to disproportionately punish underrepresented minorities. The administration says equity efforts amount to discrimination. – AP

New Jersey’s wildfire continues to burn, as arson is charged. Smoke was wafting into New York City Thursday as a 19-year-old man was charged with arson and aggravated arson related to an improperly extinguished bonfire. About 15,000 acres in Ocean County have burned in what local officials said may end up being the state’s largest wildfire in 20 years. Firefighters reported 50% containment. Late-week rain could help. Fires in the area called the Pine Barrens were common before the modern era of fire suppression. Amid recurring drought, more communities in the forested Northeast are recognizing the need to prepare for wildfire. – Staff

As Catholics and non-Catholics around the world mark the life of Pope Francis at his funeral Saturday, many are celebrating his focus on social justice. That has centuries-old roots in Catholic teachings, but Francis approached issues of inclusion, peacemaking, and mercy with a personal style that touched not only leaders but also ordinary people and those overlooked by society. His stands were seen by some as threats, while others were frustrated he didn’t push harder for change in the church. Yet, as you’ll see in our report from around the world, he inspired many people to emulate his values.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again movement, or MAHA, encompasses a wide range of Americans – from those who support healthier eating to those with concerns with the medical establishment. But MAHA has also been polarizing. Many of Mr. Kennedy’s stands – advocating to remove fluoride from drinking water and pushing for new research into certain vaccines – have raised alarm bells. Still, MAHA proponents appreciate Mr. Kennedy’s willingness to challenge what they see as industry groupthink.

In an online world filled with vitriol, Gidon Lev – a Holocaust survivor, recent TikTok star, and a grandfather of 15 – continues to be a social media influencer who tries to teach where hate can lead, with a mix of stories, dancing, and humor. Mr. Lev was imprisoned from age 6 to 10 at the Theresienstadt camp north of Prague. Although his life is bookended by major wars, and parts of the world are sliding toward authoritarianism, he holds close to his message: the “power of harnessing our past for a better future.”

President Donald Trump set ambitious targets and timelines to negotiate peace in Ukraine and Gaza. But the complexities of those conflicts are confounding his hopes. He and his main diplomatic point man, Steve Witkoff, will need to draw on the lessons of old-style diplomacy: that peacemaking is hard, that even the weakest parties have red lines, that progress requires painstaking attention to detail. Now, the question is whether he will stay the course even if there are no prospects for early deals.

The American dream beckons many migrants. And circular migration helps them strengthen their communities back home. Our photo essay today looks at Juan Francisco Yucute, who lives in Guatemala and did farmwork legally in the United States for a few months through a program that allowed him to secure an H-2A visa. Then he returned home and was able to reinvest his earnings in land, housing, and local businesses. Now, he is waiting for his chance to be called back to the U.S. to work again.

Our reviewers’ picks this month include novels about a Canadian hockey team trying for a comeback and a Scottish family’s quest to save the Earth. Among the nonfiction titles are an immersive history of Russian spy networks and a reappraisal of the American Revolution tied to the 250th anniversary of its first battle.

The people of Kenya are bucking a worldwide trend of antimigrant polemics and actions. With the recent launch of a landmark refugee integration initiative, they are modeling a compassionate and respectful embrace of the many “strangers” in their midst. 

Large-scale refugee in-migration to this East African country had been a feature since the early 1990s. An island of relative stability, it hosts more than 800,000 refugees, mainly in two sprawling encampments. Each month, several hundred more civilians arrive, fleeing Sudan where rival militaries have been waging war since April 2023.

The government’s new Shirika initiative marks a shift from the conventional “encampment” approach to what is often seen as a burdensome humanitarian obligation. The new strategy implicitly recognizes the determination, ingenuity, and survival skills of refugee populations as potential contributions to local and national development. Shirika therefore seeks to transform camp areas into formal towns with infrastructure that will foster economic growth and eventual self-reliance for refugees and host communities.

“Kenya is showing the world that a story of cooperation, inclusion and hope is not only possible, but also necessary and of advantage to all,” said United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.

Significantly, this new approach has wide support among Kenya’s citizens. According to a Stanford University survey, more than two-thirds of respondents support increasing refugees’ access to work permits, financial resources, and social services. Nearly 60% believe refugees should be allowed freedom of movement.

Ordinary citizens express empathy as well as appreciation for the entrepreneurial spirit of refugees. “They’re humans and they’re supposed to be helped. ... It’s [about] brotherhood,” said one respondent. “The interaction they bring to our country will help us upgrade by bringing new ideas and different ways of managing business,” said another. 

Shirika’s extended time frame – which runs through 2035 – may be a tacit acknowledgment that quick fixes are unlikely. With their lives upended, many refugees are still in distress and lack education or workplace skills. Rural Kenyans struggle to eke out a living in drought-prone areas around the camps. And there are demands for more grassroots consultation. 

But, in the words of President William Ruto, Kenya’s “bold, homegrown solution” can offer a new foundation on which to build “hope and dignity for refugees, and give host communities due recognition.”