👋 Dumêlang!*
Welcome to Thursday, where Vladimir Putin uses a nuclear threat to respond to Emmanuel Macron, more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza according to the Hamas-run health ministry and Spain celebrates its soccer campeonas. Meanwhile, Beirut-based independent digital media Daraj reports on how the recent expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank is undermining a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
[*Northern Sotho, South Africa]
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🗞️ FRONT PAGE
“Invincible,” praises Spanish sports daily Marca on its Thursday front page as it celebrates the victory of Spain at the final of the inaugural edition of the Women's Nations League. The 2023 world champions were competing against France for the title and won 2-0, with Ballon d'Or Aitana Bonmati scoring one of the goals. The match took place in Seville, in front of 32,657 fans, a record crowd for Spain's women's team in the country.
🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
• Nuclear threat from Putin against Western targets: Vladimir Putin threatened Western countries with Russia’s nuclear weapon capacity, in response to a suggestion on Monday by French President Emmanuel Macron that Western countries could send troops to Ukraine. Speaking to lawmakers Thursday, Putin warned that Western nations “must realize that we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory.”
• Transnistria asks Russia for protection, raising fears of a new Moscow invasion: Transnistria, a small Russian-speaking breakaway territory inside Moldova, has asked Moscow for “protection” as it says it faces economic pressure from the Moldovan government. The call for help is reviving fears of Russian annexation that could open a new front after the invasion of Ukraine.
• Gaza death toll reported to top 30,000: More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza strip, the Hamas-run health ministry said on Thursday. At least 70 people who were waiting for humanitarian aid in Gaza City were reportedly killed during an attack by the Israeli military.
• U.S. Supreme Court to decide on Trump’s immunity claims: The Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether former President Donald Trump can claim immunity in an election subversion case linked to the Jan. 6, 2021 assault on Congress. The Court’s decision to hear the case will at the very least delay his federal trial as he continues his run as the likely Republican nominee for president.
• Winklevoss crypto firm Gemini to pay millions to former clients and in fines: Cryptocurrency exchange Gemini has reached an agreement with the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) to reimburse customers of its discontinued lending program with a minimum of $1.1 billion (£870 million). Additionally, the company will pay a $37 million fine for “significant failures” identified after it was forced to cease operations during a cryptocurrency market crash in November 2022, which ultimately led to bankruptcy.
• French Senate votes to call abortion women’s “guaranteed freedom”: France is one step closer to enshrining abortion rights in the nation’s Constitution, after the Senate approved an amendment guaranteeing “the freedom of women to have recourse to an abortion.” The constitutional change will require definitive approval by a three-fifths majority of a joint session of parliament, traditionally held at the Palace of Versailles.
• RIP Richard Lewis: U.S. comedian and actor Richard Lewis, known for his self-deprecating standup act and shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm and Anything but Love, has died at age 76 from a heart attack. His Curb co-star Larry David paid tribute to his passing, saying Lewis “had that rare combination of being the funniest person and also the sweetest. But today he made me sob and for that I'll never forgive him.”
#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS
$8.5 billion
Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries and U.S. giant Disney issued a joint statement announcing plans to merge their India TV and streaming media assets, thereby creating an entertainment powerhouse valued at $8.5 billion. The merged entity will have 120 TV channels and two streaming platforms.
📰 STORY OF THE DAY
Surge in attacks and outposts: How Israel unleashed settlers to quash the two-state solution
Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, which reached record levels in the first year of Netanyahu’s far-right government, have accelerated since Oct. 7 and are undermining a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, report Hala al-Zuhiri and Ramz Bisharat in Beirut-based independent digital media Daraj.
💥 For Abdullah Odeh and his family, who live in the northern West Bank town of Hawara, attacks by settlers have become a daily routine. The businessman, whose home has been targeted since 2012, says there has been a surge since Oct. 7, with settlers breaking the windows of his house and cars. “They break anything that can be broken. They beat my children. Sometimes 20 settlers gather and sometimes that number reaches 100 armed men. They attack us under the protection of the Israeli army and burn our houses, cars and property,” he told Daraj.
🇮🇱 According to the Israeli movement Peace Now movement, settlement activities in the West Bank reached “record levels” in the first year of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government. The NGO said Netanyahu’s government, which was formed in December 2022, has created “unprecedented conditions for the expansion of settlements.” Such activities have surged since the Gaza war began, it said.
❌ For Dr. Rezeq Salmoodi, law professor and dean at the Arab American University, Israel's practices are thwarting efforts to achieve an internationally recognized two-state solution. The recent expansion of settlements and surge in attacks are impeding a two-state solution, or at least the existence of an independent Palestinian state, he said, “settlement in the West Bank makes reaching an independent, sovereign state impossible."
➡️ Read more on Worldcrunch.com
📣 VERBATIM
“Stop drinking, take up skiing.”
— During his annual state of the nation address, Russian President Vladimir Putin referred to an old Soviet-era motto as he encouraged citizens to work on improving their health. As part of a national project called “A Long and Happy Life,” Russia aims at increasing life expectancy from the current 73 years to 78 years by 2030. The leader also urged Russians to “devote most of their time to the family.”
✍️ Newsletter by Agnese Tonghini, Bertrand Hauger, Laure Gautherin and Anne-Sophie Goninet
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