Hopes for Israeli-Hamas cease-fire dims

Israeli troops seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday in what the White House described as a limited operation, as fears mount of a full-scale invasion of the southern city as talks with Hamas over a cease-fire and hostage release remain on a knife’s edge. We talk to James Gelvin a professor in the department of history at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and has written extensively on the history of the modern Middle East. Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up his two-day visit to France Tuesday — his first trip to Europe in five years. TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance are suing the U.S. And what is that sperm whale saying? Scientists say they may have found a path to understand their language.