France has joined Australia, Canada, Portugal and the U.K. in formally recognizing a Palestinian state, leaving the increasingly isolated Israel more dependent on U.S. support. America is “all that stands between Israel and a pariah status that would have dire implications for its diplomatic, legal and military security,” said The Economist. But there are “cracks deep within the foundations of the alliance.” 

What did the commentators say? 
Despite Benjamin Netanyahu’s “blithe assurances” that relations with the U.S. are strong, they are not, said The Economist. Israel’s prime minister has “riled the Trump administration” and is losing the support of U.S. voters across the board. 

Americans “rightly shudder” at the sight of starving children in Gaza, and Israel’s unilateral moves, such as missile strikes on Qatar, have frustrated President Donald Trump. For such a small country in a “dangerous and hostile neighborhood,” the loss of U.S. backing would be a “catastrophe.” 

Militarily, American support for Israel is underpinned by a decade-long agreement. The current deal, worth $3.8 billion a year to Israel, runs until 2028. U.S. military aid to Israel has at least tripled since the Oct. 7 attacks, and Washington directly provided a third of Israel’s defense budget in 2024, according to the Congressional Research Service. But there are fears that Trump will offer a less generous deal next time. 

Politically, American support has been the “gift that keeps on giving” to the Israeli right, Daniel Levy, a former Israeli government adviser, said to Al Jazeera. Without U.S. support, the right would lack “legitimacy.” 

Washington has also frequently used its veto on the U.N. Security Council to block critical motions against Israel, including demands for a ceasefire in Gaza. And the U.S. has supported Israel in the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court, making it a vital ally for Israel on the world stage. 

What next? 
With more countries set to formally recognize a Palestinian state, some Israeli ministers are pushing for the annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank. This controversial move, encroaching further into Palestinian territory, would “antagonize” the Arab world and potentially the U.S., said The Wall Street Journal. It would undermine the Abraham Accords, which established diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab countries, and “dent Trump’s hopes of establishing his legacy as a peacemaker.”

The parasitic kissing bug disease is not new, but it has become increasingly common to the point of becoming endemic in the U.S. Because of this, the insect-borne illness has become a point of interest for researchers. The disease can go unnoticed, but in severe cases, it can lead to lifelong chronic health issues.

What is it?
Also called Chagas disease, kissing bug disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. It’s spread by triatomine bugs, also called kissing bugs because they are “bloodsucking insects that tend to bite people’s faces,” said The New York Times. The parasite is “mainly found in rural areas of Mexico and Central and South America,” said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

These insects can infect people and other animals, and the disease goes largely unnoticed in most people. “Only about 1% of people“ infected with Chagas disease in the U.S. have been diagnosed,” said the Times. 

The disease may also manifest as an acute or long-lasting infection. The acute phase can cause swelling at the infection site, as well as fever, fatigue, body rash, eyelid swelling and body aches. A chronic phase can appear 10 to 20 years after infection in about 20% to 30% of cases. This can lead to perpetual heart issues, such as an “enlarged heart, heart failure, altered heart rate or rhythm, or sudden death,” as well as digestive problems, said the Mayo Clinic. 

How common is it?
Approximately 8 million people worldwide, including an estimated 280,000 in the U.S., have Chagas, according to the CDC. “Several triatomine species are common in the southern United States, where they transmit T. cruzi and invade human dwellings,” said a report in Emerging Infectious Diseases. 

Chagas is already considered endemic in 21 countries in the Americas. Despite this, many physicians think it’s either something “transmitted by ticks” or something that “doesn’t exist in the U.S.,” said Bernardo Moreno Peniche, one of the report’s authors, to The Guardian.

Experts recommend sealing windows to prevent insects from entering, as well as clearing wood piles, where they can congregate. The good news is that the chances of contracting the disease in the U.S. are still rare.

Residents shovel mud from their property after Super Typhoon Ragasa caused a barrier lake to burst its banks in eastern Taiwan’s Hualien County. The deadly storm has also wreaked havoc across the Philippines and China and is heading toward Vietnam.
Johnson Liu / Getty Images

The season of comfort is upon us. Master a new pasta dish, cook those hearty soups, tackle a cake that might be your next baking fixture — these recipes are autumnal slam dunks that will not merely draw you to the kitchen but also remind you that there’s sometimes no better place to be.

A Forever Cake
The world arguably doesn’t need another recipe for almond cake — until pastry whiz Nicola Lamb gets involved, that is. Lamb, in her curious, methodical way, tested a range of variables to achieve her optimal almond cake. 

She dubs it Forever Cake because it’s versatile, pleasant for all occasions, and reliable. She discovered during testing that whipped egg whites provide a beautiful lift to what can otherwise lean toward brickiness.

Buttery oyster sauce noodles
Six ingredients, salt included — this is the kind of pantry recipe that relaxes the mind and soothes the soul. Boil dried pasta, in whatever shape you have at hand, and toss with butter and a touch of the pasta cooking water to thicken. 

Glug on some hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, and a murmur of toasted sesame oil. Call it lunch, dinner, a late-night snack, or an anxiety coping mechanism.

Maraq misir
The Somali way with lentil soup requires a collection of savory perfumings: sautéed onions and tomatoes, plus xawaash, a spice blend comprising cumin, coriander, black pepper, clove, cinnamon, and cardamom. The requisite red lentils tend to undo themselves during the cooking process. 

If you want the soup even more textured, puree half. One wants their comfort to have a stance.