Perceptions of the economy loom large as the Harris and Trump campaigns compete for every last vote in Pennsylvania. Part of a series on the issues that may tip key swing states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. 

• Lebanese evacuation: For the first time in the Israel-Hezbollah war, the Israeli army has issued an evacuation warning for residents in the entire eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek.
• RFK Jr. on ballot: The United States Supreme Court denies a bid by former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be removed from the ballot in Wisconsin and Michigan for the Nov. 5 election.
• Virginia voter rolls: The U.S. Supreme Court is allowing Virginia to resume its purge of voter registrations that the state says is aimed at stopping people who aren’t U.S. citizens from voting.
• European migration policies: Greece is seeking stricter European Union migration policies as it braces for a potential surge in migrants and refugees due to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.
• Japan same-sex marriage ruling: A second high court rules that the Japanese government’s policy against same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.

Read these news briefs.

The United States still dominates in space, but China’s star is rising. As the country’s latest crewed launch highlights a rapidly advancing space program, some wonder, Could China surpass the U.S.?

U.S. foreign policy may not be a top priority for American voters this year, but it is certainly a concern around the world, much of which is riveted by next week’s election. A key question: how the next U.S. president will treat allies and alliances.

Amid all the turbulence surrounding the Harris-Trump presidential race, Wall Street isn’t panicking. The stock market is up, in part because politics don’t drive the whole economy. Still, the Trump tariff proposals draw warnings.

For years, Tanzania’s government has been trying to push Maasai pastoralists off their ancestral land to make way for conservation projects. But the community is fighting to stay put.

The riot of russet tones, the brisk air, the glow in the sky. A veteran writer of The Home Forum sings the praises of fall, and reminds us that the answer to what ails us is often as simple as stepping outside and breathing in nature’s glory.

One trend of recent decades has been that of small countries trying to prevent a foreign invasion by making themselves indispensable to big countries around them. Singapore, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates, for example, have become global tech hubs or finance centers. A would-be invader might think twice before destroying what it is dependent on.

The secret of this strategy? Build up trust in your economy and bring out the creativity of your people. Rely on qualities more than on armaments.

Now Armenia, population under 3 million, is racing to go down the path of becoming the next Silicon Valley – especially after seeing Russia invade Ukraine. In fact, the former Soviet state got a big head start in 2022 when thousands of Russian techies fled their country after the invasion and chose Armenia, a democracy, because of its ecosystem of hundreds of dynamic tech startups.

About the size of Maryland, Armenia faces a foe different from Russia, with which it has recently had mixed relations. Last year, neighboring Azerbaijan (population 10 million) invaded a disputed region called Nagorno-Karabakh, forcing more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee the enclave.

Both countries are currently negotiating a peace deal, but Azerbaijan still has eyes on a vital transit route in Armenia called the Zangezur Corridor. Iran and Turkey, which border Armenia, have strong opinions on that hot territorial dispute.

“For Armenia, a country that faces complex geopolitical challenges, leveraging science and technology is not only about economic growth but also national security, resilience, and sustainability,” Alen Simonyan, speaker of Parliament, said at a conference in October.

Last year, Armenia doubled the number of tech workers from the year before. Several American tech giants have opened offices or research centers in the country. In early October, the country hosted the World Congress on Innovation and Technology.

“Armenia’s survival, which now faces existential threats, is of great importance,” Valery Safarian, head of the Belgian-Armenian Chamber of Commerce, told Armenpress Armenian News Agency. “It’s important to underscore that Armenia has strategic assets, particularly in the sector of semiconductors and electronic chips.”

But it is the country’s fearless drive to innovate that may be its first defense. “When creating startups people think ‘what if we aren’t good enough’?” Tigran Petrosyan, a co-founder of the Startup Armenia Foundation, told Armenpress last year. “I’d advise everyone to make the steps forward and understand the reality while doing so. There’s only one way here, keep moving forward regardless of anything.”