SE Asia Quake Death Toll Tops 1,700, Le Pen Banned From Politics, Gold Record

👋 Allegra!*

Welcome to Monday, where the death toll in the wake of Friday’s Myanmar-Thailand earthquake surpasses 1,700, French far-right leader Marine Le Pen is found guilty of embezzlement and banned from running for public office, and today’s quiz question comes from the Miami Open. Meanwhile, for Germany’s Die Zeit, Tobias Landwehr explores the scientific evidence behind the “sound mind in a sound body” saying.

[*Romansh, Switzerland]

💡 SPOTLIGHT

In Turkey’s dark times, protesters are a democratic light

Ekrem İmamoğlu is the mayor of Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city. He received the majority of votes in the 2019 local elections twice — after the results of the March 31 election were canceled and a second election for mayor of Istanbul was held on June 23. He became the city's first mayor from the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) in 25 years. İmamoğlu was then reelected in the 2024 local elections, and the CHP became the country's leading party for the first time in 47 years.

Needless to say, İmamoğlu is the strongest rival for the seat of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who leads the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP).

On March 19, İmamoğlu and dozens of municipal officials were taken into police custody with accusations of “terrorism” and “corruption” — just days before İmamoğlu was nominated by the CHP as its candidate for the presidential elections in 2028. He was arrested under court orders and sent to the Silivri Prison, pending investigation into the corruption charges.

The court based its decision of pre-trial arrest on witness testimonies, police reports and reports from Turkey's Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK). Some of these reports are from investigations that started after İmamoğlu’s 2019 election, while others focus on his 17 real estate properties in the Provinces of Balıkesir, Istanbul and Çanakkale, including five properties the mayor inherited from his father.

Investigative journalists who inspected the reports say there are not solid findings in them. Ramazan Başak, a MASAK former deputy chair, agrees that the reports do not feature any findings concerning corruption. It seems that some of these reports were previously used in the government-controlled media for accusing the opposition municipalities with corruption. Yet none of these reports have led to any prosecutions before.

It is rather tragic for the government to rely on MASAK, which had previously reported on irregularities in AKP-controlled municipalities of Istanbul, public entities such as the Post Office (PTT), state banks Ziraat and Halkbank, the national electric distribution company (TEDAS) and Turkey's government-backed housing agency (TOKI). But nobody paid any attention to those; we never heard about them because the mainstream media did not report on them.

All of this comes as freedom of the press is being limited. And rule of law and democratic rights are being throttled. But political tactics are gaining pace.

There’s no way to sugarcoat it: This is a dark chapter for Turkey’s democracy. But it is a common story for political scientists who focus on populist regimes. [...]

— Read the full article by Diğdem Soyaltın Colella for Diken, translated from Turkish by Worldcrunch.

🗞️  FRONT PAGE

Bangkok-based Daily News’s front page features rescue efforts under way in Thailand as the search for survivors continues in the wake of Friday’s 7.7 earthquake that struck the region, with the death toll topping 1,700.

🌎  7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW

• French far-right leader Marine Le Pen banned from political office. A French court Monday found far-right leader Marine Le Pen guilty of misappropriating European Union funds and banned her from running for office with immediate effect. Although the length of the sentence is as of yet unclear, a five-year ban was sought — if confirmed, this means that Le Pen would not be allowed to run in the 2027 presidential race, upending politics in France where she’s seen as a front-runner in opinion polls. Eight other current or former members of her National Rally party received the same sentence.

• “Pissed off” Trump threatens tariffs on Russian oil. U.S. President Donald Trump said he is “very angry, pissed off” with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over recent comments about Ukraine’s President Zelensky. Trump threatened to impose secondary tariffs of 25% to 50% on buyers of Russian oil if he feels Moscow is blocking his efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials reported early on Monday that Russia attacked the city of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine for a second consecutive night, injuring three people. This comes as Ukraine is marking the third anniversary of Bucha’s liberation from Russian occupation. Read more on Putin’s strategy in this Die Zeit analysis translated from German by Worldcrunch.

• Netanyahu defies court freeze to name new domestic security chief. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu picked former navy commander Eli Sharvit to be the next head of the domestic security agency, his office said on Monday, despite Israel’s High Court freezing the dismissal of incumbent Ronen Bar. Netanyahu had fired Bar on March 21 due to an “ongoing lack of trust” following the October 7 Hamas attacks. Meanwhile, the Red Cross federation said on Sunday it was “outraged” at the deaths of eight medics killed on duty in Rafah in southern Gaza. For more, check this piece by French political analyst Pierre Haski.

• Iran’s Supreme Leader rebuffs Trump threat over nuclear deal. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday the U.S. would “surely receive a strong reciprocal blow” if it acts on U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to bomb unless Tehran reaches a new nuclear deal with Washington. Trump told NBC News on Sunday that “if they don't make a deal, there will be bombing.” Read more in this analysis translated from Persian by Worldcrunch: After Zelensky, Will Trump Try To Corner A Weakened Iran For A Deal?

• Myanmar-Thailand earthquake deaths exceed 1,700. Rescuers continue to search for survivors as Myanmar has declared a week of national mourning, as the death toll from Friday’s powerful earthquake surpassed 1,700. In Bangkok, emergency crews are working to free 75 missing workers trapped under the rubble of an under-construction skyscraper that collapsed as thousands have been evacuated from cracked buildings in Thailand’s capital city on Monday. The United Nations has put out an urgent appeal for $8 million in aid.

• UK hosts first international illegal migration summit. Representatives from the U.S., China and France are among 40 nations taking part in a landmark two-day summit in London on Monday, which aims at tackling illegal migration. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in his opening address that countries needed to work together to stop this “evil trade.” This comes as a record 6,642 migrants have crossed the Channel in 119 boats so far this year.

• News Quiz! Czech player Jakub Menšík won the Miami Open by defeating 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic. What record did the game break?
A. Biggest age gap between finalists
B. Most rackets broken
C. Longest tie-break
D. Most humid match
[Answer below]

🔢 BY THE NUMBERS

$3,128.06

Gold hit a record high this Monday morning, on track for its biggest quarterly gain in over 38 years, valued at $3,128.06. This bullion’s appeal is linked to concerns over U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff plans widening the global trade war and triggering an economic slowdown. Trump has promised to unveil a massive tariff plan on Wednesday, which he has dubbed “Liberation Day.” He said on Sunday that reciprocal tariffs will include all nations, not just a smaller group of 10 to 15 countries with the biggest trade imbalances. “Keeping gold in high demand is a defensive play" which results from “markets’ anxiety,” said KCM Trade chief market analyst Tim Waterer.

📹 ON THIS DAY VIDEO — 4 HISTORY-MAKING EVENTS, IN 57 SECONDS

➡️ Watch the video: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

📰 IN OTHER NEWS

✝️ By most accounts, Pope Francis was close to death in his recent illness, before recovering. He said the experience was "brutto" bad. Just what did he mean by that? Should death be faced with obedience or resistance? Should we cling to life or welcome what comes next?
— LA STAMPA

🗳️ Describing itself as economically liberal and nationalist, Poland’s far-right Konfederacja party has been rising in the polls ahead of the upcoming presidential election, with growing support from women, young people and the LGBTQ+ community.
— GAZETA WYBORCZA

🏋️ Physical activity has profound effects on brain performance, cognition and resilience. How often and how intensely should you train to maximize these benefits?
— DIE ZEIT

📸 PHOTO DU JOUR

Muslims perform Eid al-Fitr prayers marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan with the active volcano Mount Merapi in the background, on March 31 in Sleman, Indonesia. Each year in Indonesia, nearly three-quarters of the population of the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country travel for the annual homecoming known locally as “mudik” that is always welcomed with excitement. People pour out of major cities to return to villages to celebrate the holiday with prayers, feasts and family gatherings. This year, however, the festive mood has been dampened by the general rise in prices for food, clothing and essential goods, leading to a drop in consumption and travel compared to the previous year. — Photo: Antonius Jagad SR/ZUMA

📣 VERBATIM

“We don't belong to anyone else.”

— Greenland’s new prime minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen responded to the U.S. president's latest claims to take over the Arctic country. “President Trump says the United States ‘will get Greenland.’ Let me be clear: the United States will not get Greenland. We don't belong to anyone else. We decide our own future,” Nielsen said in a Facebook post. Trump had said on Saturday in an interview with NBC News that “We'll get Greenland. Yeah, 100 percent,” also telling the interviewer Kristen Walker that he had “absolutely” had real conversations about annexing the semi-autonomous Danish territory.

✍️ Newsletter by Anne-Sophie Goninet and Cecilia Laurent Monpetit