Gaza offensive : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended plans for a new offensive against Hamas in Gaza City and central Gaza, calling it the “best way to end the war” in the face of growing condemnation at home and abroad. The assault would mean the mass displacement of Palestinians, many of whom are facing starvation . Multiple Al Jazeera correspondents were killed in an Israeli strike on Sunday.

Ukraine talks : European leaders stood behind Ukraine in a joint statement ahead of a Trump-Putin meeting set for this Friday in Alaska. They are pushing for Ukraine to be included in any negotiations. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy insisted that his country would not give up any territory to Russia after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that a peace deal could involve swapping some land.

Mexico’s pushback : President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke out against an alleged directive from the Trump administration to use U.S. military force against drug cartels in Mexico, a story first reported by The New York Times on Friday. Mexico and the United States have long cooperated on security.

London protests : Hundreds of people were arrested for protesting in defense of Palestine Action on Saturday. Parliament banned the activist group and made it a crime to publicly support the organization in July, after activists broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged two tanker planes.

Chip deal : Chipmakers Nvidia and AMD have reportedly agreed to give 15% of their revenue from selling chips in China to the U.S. government, in exchange for semiconductor export licenses. That’s according to the Financial Times, which described the move as unprecedented.

Air Force : Transgender members of the U.S. Air Force who have served between 15 and 18 years are no longer being offered the option to retire early with benefits and are instead being separated without benefits, reports The Associated Press. In May, the Supreme Court gave the Pentagon permission to ban all transgender troops in the military.

The Koreas : We noted last week that South Korea had begun dismantling loudspeakers that blasted anti-North Korean propaganda and K-pop along its border, in an effort to ease tensions . On Saturday, South Korea said its northern neighbor began doing the same. Still, friction remains, with North Korea today denouncing upcoming military exercises between South Korea and the U.S., calling them a direct “provocation.”

Japan’s day off : The country is celebrating what may be the most Japanese of holidays: Mountain Day. Japan’s newest national holiday – now in its tenth year – is meant for appreciating the thousands of mountains covering over two-thirds of the archipelago. (If you don’t happen to live in Japan, you can wait to celebrate International Mountain Day on Dec. 11.)

– Staff, The Associated Press, Reuters

Populists often gain traction in communities that feel left behind. In County Durham, England, many voters are finding common cause outside the current creaking political order.

President Donald Trump has focused on building military strength. Attracting new soldiers has required extra effort.

In one troubled region of Eurasia, the cause of peace and progress received a boost Friday. A framework for a peace deal signed between Armenia and Azerbaijan at the White House will set these longtime enemies on a path of cooperation.

Under the pledge, Armenia is giving up a narrow sliver of land to create the Zangezur corridor, allowing Azerbaijan a transit link to its territory of Nakhichevan and, beyond that, to Turkey. In an unexpected twist, the United States will develop this corridor under a 99-year lease, which can help avoid the appearance of Armenia ceding territory to Azerbaijan.

Yet a deeper significance than trade lies in the pact. Both of these former Soviet republics, sandwiched between Russia, Iran, and Turkey, have found common strength in trying to avoid the kind of big-power politics that have shaped their past. To be sure, Armenia and Azerbaijan still need to reconcile after more than 30 years of conflict over territory and other differences. Oil-rich Azerbaijan has been ruled by an authoritarian family dynasty; resource-poor Armenia transitioned to full democracy in 2018.

In the lead-up to this agreement, Armenian critics accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of capitulation. In 2023, Azerbaijan wrested control of an Armenian-settled enclave inside Azerbaijan. Swallowing pride and blame, Armenia pursued peace talks with its neighbor. Many Armenians now recognize that it will take courage to shed national narratives of conflict and historical victimization for a fresh start.

According to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, this process allows Armenians “to reframe how they see themselves, their history and their place in the world.” A poll in June found that 47% of Armenians supported a peace treaty with Azerbaijan, with 33% “strongly” opposed and 10% saying “it depends” on the final terms.

Mr. Pashinyan has noted that Armenia would also benefit from links with both Turkey and Europe. But to do so, he has indicated, requires breaking with the past. In May, he said, the “historical” Armenia “tells us: do not follow my path, but focus on the issue of building freedom, happiness, and prosperity.”

Like Mr. Pashinyan, Armenia’s youth have long wanted a fresh start. “If we speak about the Armenian victims all the time, our hands are tied,” a university student told researchers in 2021. “It is time now to talk about victories, brighter chapters in our history.”