At Harvard University, earning straight A’s is about to get harder. Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday that it would limit the number of A grades awarded to undergraduates, adopting one of the most ambitious efforts by a major university to curb grade inflation. The decision was made by faculty vote earlier this month. The move comes after top grades became so common that some Harvard faculty argued they no longer reliably distinguished exceptional work. More than 60% of all grades awarded to undergraduates in recent years were in the A range, according to university data cited by faculty members who supported the measure.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/05/20/us/harvard-undergrad-grades-faculty-vote
Deep beneath the crystal turquoise water, white sandy beaches and thatched overwater bungalows of the Maldives lies a deep and narrow system of caves, devoid of light and the colorful marine life that inhabits higher waters. The seas were rough and the wind was picking up late Thursday morning when a team of five experienced Italian divers plunged toward these pitch-black caverns off the Vaavu Atoll, about an hour south by speedboat of the capital Malé. The group included instructor Gianluca Benedetti; Monica Montefalcone, an associate professor of ecology at the University of Genoa; her daughter Giorgia Sommacal; marine biologist Federico Gualtieri; and researcher Muriel Oddenino.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/05/20/world/maldives-cave-dive-narrative-dst-intl-hnk
Growing up in India, Shubhangi Seth had always imagined her dream wedding on the mesmerizing shores of Italy’s Lake Como, ringed by stunning alpine peaks and piercing blue water. It’s where celebrities like George and Amal Clooney as well as John Legend and Chrissy Teigen exchanged vows. But as the years passed, the Mumbai resident watered down her Lake Como fantasy, prioritizing traditions and culture instead.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/05/20/india/india-modi-domestic-wedding-economy-intl-hnk
President Donald Trump had a tense conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday that reflected their different views on how to proceed with the Iran war, a US official told CNN. It wasn’t their first conversation in recent days. When the two leaders spoke on Sunday, Trump shared that he was likely to move forward with new targeted attacks on Iran early in the week, the official said — an operation that, as CNN has previously reported, was expected to get a new name: Operation Sledgehammer. But roughly 24 hours after that initial conversation, Trump announced he was halting strikes that he said were planned for Tuesday at the request of allies in the Gulf, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. In the days since, the Gulf nations have been in close contact with White House and Pakistani mediators in working on a framework that could further diplomatics talks, the US official and a person familiar with the situation said.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/05/20/politics/trump-netanyahu-tense-phone-call
Video showing Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir taunting detained Gaza flotilla activists has sparked searing international condemnation, as well as a rare public reprimand from Israel’s prime minister. Two videos released by Ben Gvir’s office show activists who were aboard a flotilla aiming to deliver aid to Gaza being arrested by police, with some seen held in the stress position in a make-shift holding space at the port of Ashdod on Wednesday. In one video a woman is seen shouting in English: “Free Palestine!” before being pushed to the ground, as officers are heard telling her, “quiet, quiet”.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/05/20/middleeast/israel-flotilla-gaza-ben-gvir-videos-latam-intl