April 27-28
- Colombia’s trans activism
- Venice Biennale’s “Breasts” exhibition
- Seagull Boy
- … and much more.
⬇️ STARTER
Iranian airstrikes can't touch Israel, but are killing Syrians all the time
While the whole world was shocked by Iranian drones attacking Israel, which caused no casualties, nobody pays much attention to the attacks being carried out by the same Iranian drones in northwestern Syria, where they regularly kill civilians.
Mohammed al-Sakaf was confident when he said that the drone launched by the Iranian militias, which injured his children while they were working in the olive farm south of Idlib, is the same type of drone that Iran launched on Israel earlier this month.
In an interview with Daraj, he asked: “Why was it unable to reach Israel on the night of April 14?”
Al-Sakkaf’s inquiry is a legitimate one since Iran’s missiles and drones didn’t hit any “meaningful” target in Israel. Most of the missiles and drones were intercepted and dropped over Jordan and Syria. A few reached Israel, according to the pictures published by the Israeli army.
Iran launched hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles that sought to overwhelm Israel’s air defenses earlier this month. It was the first air attack on Israel by a foreign power since Iraq's late leader Saddam Hussein launched Scud missiles at Israel in the 1991 Gulf War.
Israeli air defenses and fighter jets, backed by the U.S., the United Kingdom and neighboring Jordan, shot down the vast majority of the incoming fire.
The attack, which caused minor damage at the Nevatim air base in southern Israel, was a response to an Israeli strike on April 1 targeting the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital of Damascus, which killed two Guard generals and others. [...]
— Read the full article by Mosab al-Yassin for Daraj, translated into English by Worldcrunch.
🎲 OUR WEEKLY NEWS QUIZ
1. What is the total amount of the U.S. war aid package destined for Ukraine, Israel and other allies, that was finally signed into law?
2. The UK Parliament has approved a controversial deportation bill that plans to send illegal migrants to which country?
3. Portugal is celebrating 50 years of democracy, since its revolution in 1974 that was named after which flower?
4. What is the Italian city of Milan planning to ban as part of its fight against noisy streets? Eating pizza after midnight / Old Vespas / Sunday religious processions / Milan AC-Inter Milan games
[Answers at the bottom of this newsletter]
#️⃣ TRENDING
Thousands of TikTok users have taken to the viral “Asoka” makeup trend. Taking inspiration from the 2001 Hindi movie Asoka, social media users have started painstakingly recreating the Indian bridal look to the beat of one of the movie’s songs — a Bollywood throwback in outfits, makeup, accessories and geometric patterns drawn on the face and body.
🎭 5 CULTURE THINGS TO KNOW
• Breasts throughout art history at Venice Biennale 2024: An exhibition at the 60th edition of the international art festival, which opened last Saturday, is dedicated to the iconography and symbolism of breasts throughout the centuries, reflecting on various themes including motherhood, empowerment, sexuality, body image and illness. The “Breasts” exhibition, hosted at the Palazzo Franchetti, features artworks by Cindy Sherman, Robert Mapplethorpe and Salvador Dalí and will donate 30% of catalog funds to cancer research foundation Fondazione IEO-MONZINO.
• Spotify hits record profits: Swedish music streaming giant Spotify reported an increase of 14% in the number of paying subscribers as well as profits that topped €1 billion ($1.65 billion) for the first time, after a year of cutting costs and laying off staff. The tech company’s revenue also grew 20% year-on-year to 3.6 billion euros ($3.9 billion).
• Aboriginal spears taken by Captain Cook returned to Australia: The University of Cambridge has given back four spears, which had been taken more than 250 years ago from Australia by British explorer Captain James Cook, to the La Perouse Aboriginal Community during a ceremony at Trinity College, Cambridge. The four artifacts are the last remaining examples of a collection of 40 spears the Cook’s expedition snatched from the Gweagal people on their arrival in Australia in 1770.
• “Lost” Klimt painting fetches $32 million at auction: Gustav Klimt's Portrait of Miss Lieser, which was believed lost for the past 100 years, sold at auction for 30 million euros ($32 million). The unfinished work was commissioned by a family of Jewish industrialists in 1917, a year before the Austrian artist died. But it is unclear what happened to the portrait during the Nazi era.
• And the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees are…: Mary J. Blige, Cher, Ozzy Osbourne, A Tribe Called Quest and Kool & The Gang are among the stars who’ll be added to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year. Jimmy Buffett, MC5, Dionne Warwick and Norman Whitfield were also selected as the recipients for the Musical Excellence Award. The 39th annual induction ceremony will take place in Cleveland, Ohio on Oct. 19.
🏳️🌈 One thousand and one transgender tales
Rodríguez Pineda came out as a trans man 14 years ago, after a lot of questioning about his own body and never believing he could ever become one. For the Colombian activist, there is no single way to be a person with trans life experience; our gender identities and our bodies are in constant construction. “There's a lot of misinformation on the trans world. People really do have crazy questions, because they've never interacted with a trans person,” he tells Bogotá-based daily El Espectador.
Read the full story: My Body, My Transition, My Identity — How A Colombian Trans Activist Stands His Ground
🥤⚡ Spain vs. energy drinks
The death of a minor in Madrid in February 2024, after allegedly drinking a can mixed with pink cocaine, has revived the debate over the potential dangers of energy drinks, especially for young people. A report also found that students who consume energy drinks have poorer academic performance and can lead the way to other substances. “In light of such data, is greater regulation of energy drinks necessary,” asks Raquel C. Pico in Spanish online media Ethic.
Read the full story: Deadly Boost? Why A Spanish Region Is Banning Energy Drinks For Teens
📚📚📚 Our never-ending stories
We love prequels and sequels to TV series and novels, from Harry Potter to The Handmaid's Tale. We want to rediscover the characters we loved and know everything about them — to the point that we are unable to let go and that we always want more. But is it right to pursue something that never ends? For Loredana Lipperini, writing for Italian daily La Stampa, we have actually “lost the sense of the end.”
Read the full story: Prequels, Sequels And Spinoffs — Why We Don't Let Stories End Anymore
✅📱 BRIGHT IDEA
The future of detection of breast cancer will be presented at the next VivaTech trade show and will be officially launched as part of the upcoming “Pink October.” Hope Valley AI, a French start-up founded by Hakima Berdouz, has created the first version of an AI mammogram: leveraging ultrasound tech combined with artificial intelligence, the company developed a smartphone app meant to facilitate the early detection of breast abnormalities, precursors to cancer.
🎤 SMILE OF THE WEEK
What do you mean, you’ve never heard of the European Championship Gull Screeching event? This year’s edition was won by Cooper Wallace, a British 9-year-old, who showed off his high-pitched vocal skills whilst clad in full seagull attire. And much like Spider Man got his powers from being bitten by a spider, Cooper “Seagull Boy” Wallace says his interest in seagulls dates back to when he was nipped by a seagull during a trip to the beach.
👓 WORLDCRUNCH MAGAZINE
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⏩ LOOKING AHEAD
• U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Saudi Arabia and Israel next week, following his trip this week to China. Blinken is expected to participate in a special meeting of the World Economic Forum that will take place in Riyadh on April 28-29. The Biden administration continues to work on a potential mega-deal that could pave the way for Saudi normalization with Israel. Blinken may also visit Egypt as part of the trip.
• China is scheduled to send Spain an adorable present next week: two pandas. Jin Xi and Zhu Yu are set to begin their journey from the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu on April 29. They will then start a 10-year residency at a zoo in Madrid. The previous couple returned to China nearly two months ago after living in Spain for more than a decade.
• Wednesday will mark International Workers’ Day, celebrated almost all over the world as a national holiday. In Berlin, although Myfest (one of the biggest street festivals in the German capital) was sadly canceled, demonstrations, parades and parties are still happening. How about celebrating May Day by clubbing at Berlin’s most famous techno club, Berghain, or “smashing capitalism” at the Revolutionary May Day demonstration?
⁉️ WHAT THE WORLD
From Paris’ “Lin Rouge” to an AI-generated Vladimir Putin, take a quick world tour of the internationally weird!
News quiz answers:
1. The U.S. Senate gave final approval to a $95 billion foreign aid package. It encompasses military support for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. It includes $61 billion in military aid for Ukraine, which the Pentagon says can start being delivered to the war-torn nation “within days.”
2. The UK has passed a bill allowing the deportation of asylum seekers to Rwanda, aiming to deter illegal arrivals. Despite legal challenges and criticism from rights groups, the government plans to start deportations as early as July.
3. Thousands of people gathered to commemorate the Carnation Revolution as Portugal’s democracy turns 50. The “Carnation Revolution” toppled the longest fascist dictatorship in Europe and ushered in democracy in Portugal.
4. Milan is considering a new law banning ice cream and pizza after midnight. The proposed effort by the city’s government would ban takeaway food, pizza, beverages, and ice cream after 12:30 a.m. on weekdays and after 1:30 a.m. on weekends in order to deter noisy groups on the street from disturbing residents.
✍️ Newsletter by Worldcrunch
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*Photo: Alexander Mitterer/ZUMA