Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles to attack Russia comes at a time when its Western allies and Russia are gearing up for expected peace talks involving the coming Trump administration.

• Iran uranium stockpile: The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog says Iran has defied international demands to rein in its nuclear program and has increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.
• New Zealand Indigenous law: Police say tens of thousands of people have arrived at New Zealand’s Parliament in protest of a proposed law that would redefine the country’s founding agreement between Indigenous Māori people and the British Crown.
• Brazil coup plot: Brazilian police have arrested five officers accused of a coup plot that included plans to overthrow the government following the 2022 elections and kill then-President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
• Pennsylvania Senate election: The state continues to count votes in the United States Senate election between Democratic Sen. Bob Casey Jr. and Republican David McCormick. On Nov. 18, the state Supreme Court ordered counties not to count mail-in ballots that lack a correct handwritten date on the return envelope.

Read these news briefs.

Hong Kongers once believed that Beijing would honor its agreement with London to preserve the former British colony’s political freedoms. Heavy prison sentences handed down Tuesday to 45 pro-democracy activists suggest instead a Chinese bid to crush a generation of dissenters.

In today’s world, access to fast, reliable broadband internet can be key to education and employment. Communities — especially rural ones — are finding innovative ways to use state, federal, and municipal funds to connect.

Farming by its nature puts people in touch with their land, their community, and their traditions. In besieged Gaza, after more than a year of war, the olive harvest and the production of its oil are a vital source of resilience.

Kamala Harris hoped to declare victory at Howard University on election night. That didn’t happen. So many students at one of America’s top Black universities are turning to the question: “Where do we go from here?”

Our picks for the 10 best books of November include poems by Billy Collins, nature essays by Robin Wall Kimmerer of “Braiding Sweetgrass” fame, and biographies of Woodrow Wilson, Johnny Carson, and Benjamin Franklin.

Sometimes advanced intelligence pops up in those deemed in need of intelligence. A survey earlier this year found 59% of students in American higher education routinely use generative artificial intelligence. Only about 40% of their instructors are using it.

Educators have taken note. Schools across the United States are actively deciding how to adapt the new technology. Potential uses range from creating personalized lesson plans for each student to helping them figure out financial aid for college. In some classrooms, it is being used to augment critical thinking by allowing students to see an inherent flaw in AI and then correcting it. That looks like creative problem-solving.

According to a Rand Corp. survey in early 2024, a small but growing number (18%) of K-12 teachers use AI regularly to teach. Another 15% said that they have used it once. Almost 30% said that they have policies in development on the use of AI, which is a great start.

It might be too early to assess whether AI-enhanced teaching can produce better educational outcomes and, if so, at what financial cost. But one thing is certain. Many schools are eager to use it to help ensure no student is left behind, especially underprivileged students. The Rand survey showed that schools most likely to have teachers using AI were mainly in white, affluent communities.

By the end of the 2023-24 school year, 60% of school districts had planned to train teachers on AI, according to Rand. The training includes deciding on guidelines for AI use as well as for how to deal with ethical issues, such as students using AI to generate content and submitting it as original work.

There will always be a need for human intelligence to give nuanced, thoughtful interpretations of information. AI can’t do this – at least not yet. Still, educators seem ready to follow students in adapting the technology. Some decision-makers are thinking big. In August, Yale University announced it would invest $150 million over the next five years in AI initiatives. That is worth noting. One of the world’s leading educational institutions realizes AI is something not to shy away from, but to embrace.