👋 Rojbaş!*
Welcome to Wednesday, where firefights are spreading around Gaza, the U.S. announces an extra $2 billion in foreign military aid to Ukraine and Messi the dog hams it up on the Cannes red carpet. Meanwhile, Safiyah Mahdy in Arabic-language independent digital media Daraj looks back on the life of Abdul Majeed al-Zindani, “the cleric with the red beard,” a controversial Yemeni Islamist, who died last month.
[*Northern Kurdish]
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🗞️ FRONT PAGE
Up to 65% of tortillas in Mexico may not be up to code, warns Mexico City-based daily La Prensa on its front page, warning about the dangers of “pirate tortillas” as it investigates the hygiene conditions of production of the flatbread staple. These tortillas are sold cheaply, attracting more customers in “informal” tortillerías in the city.
🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
• Street battles are intensifying across Gaza between IDF and various factions. Firefights between Israel and militants from Hamas, Islamic Jihad and smaller Palestinian are reaching the highest levels in months in both northern and southern Gaza. Israeli tanks entered densely populated neighborhoods and narrow alleyways of the militant stronghold of Jabalia in the northeast, and faced heavy resistance.
• U.S. to give $2 billion to Ukraine. Concluding his trip to Kyiv, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has announced the U.S. would provide an additional $2 billion in foreign military aid to Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has canceled all his foreign trips, as troops struggle to contain Russia’s new offensive in the Kharkiv region. Read about the upcoming peace summit for Ukraine that will be held in Switzerland, from Russian independent media Important Stories translated by Worldcrunch.
• Lawrence Wong became Singapore’s first new prime minister in 20 years. He is known for using Tiktok to engage with citizens, singing, playing guitar and posting on issues such as mental health. Behind that online personality is a man colleagues say is an able technocrat who was the public face of the government’s pandemic response action. He takes over for Lee Hsien Loong, who has held the position since 2004.
• Lula has fired the CEO of Brazil’s state-owned oil company, Petroleo Brasileiro. The move to oust Jean Paul Prates follows a dispute over dividend payments, with the Brazilian President announcing plans to nominate Magda Chambriard, the former head of Brazil’s oil and gas regulator, to take over. Read more about Brazil’s economic crisis here.
• Three people were killed in New Caledonia in rioting after France approved changes to a voting rule. Rioting broke out this week before lawmakers in Paris voted on a bill to allow French residents who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years to vote in provincial elections, a move some local leaders fear will dilute the Kanak vote (indigenous inhabitants of the South Pacific island).
• A French manhunt is entering Day 2 after drug dealer’s deadly prison escape. Gunmen wearing balaclavas ambushed a prison van in Normandy on Tuesday to free a drug dealer known as "The Fly," killing two prison guards and severely wounding three. It came on the same day that France's Senate released a major report on drug trafficking, warning that the country faces a "tipping point" from rising narco violence.
• The first official portrait of King Charles III has been unveiled at Buckingham Palace. The vast oil on canvas shows Charles in the uniform of the Welsh Guards. The vivid red work, measuring about 8ft 6in by 6ft 6in, is by Jonathan Yeo, who has also painted Tony Blair, Sir David Attenborough and Malala Yousafzai. Queen Camilla is said to have looked at the painting and told Yeo: "Yes, you've got him."
📰 STORY OF THE DAY
Death of a controversial Yemeni Islamist, linked to Bin Laden and a bogus AIDS cure
Abdul Majeed al-Zindani was one of the most prominent founders of what was known as the “Islamic Movement” — the Muslim Brotherhood affiliate in Yemen. He was sanctioned by the United States and United Nations’ Security Council over his links with al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden, reports Safiyah Mahdy in Arabic-language independent digital media Daraj.
🇾🇪 Al-Zandani was born in the southern Yemeni province of Ibb in 1942, and moved to Egypt to study pharmacology in the late 1950s, later joining the nationalist movement which began to sweep the Arab world, led by Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. But al-Zandani would quickly turn to the Muslim Brotherhood and the wider Islamic movement, which would guide him through his decades-long career as a preacher, political activist and ultimately, jihadist.
💥 Al-Zindani was one of the most prominent founders of what was known as the “Islamic Movement” — the Muslim Brotherhood affiliate in Yemen. His activities spread outside of Yemen, joining the Mujahideen in Afghanistan in their war against the Soviet Union, a war supported by the United States and many Arab countries. The Afghanistan jihad was a milestone for al-Zindani, emerging from it as one of the world's most prominent jihadi figures, along with al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden and his successor Ayman al-Zawahri. He later parted ways with Bin Laden and al-Qaeda.
🎓 As a religious leader and scholar, he established and chaired the Iman University in 1995 the capital Sanaa. He received funds from the government and donations from Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia. The university was seized by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels when they descended from their stronghold in the country’s north and took over power in 2014, unleashing the county’s ongoing civil war.
➡️ Read more on Worldcrunch.com📣 VERBATIM
“We’re not done yet.”
— Greta Gerwig, the first American woman to preside over the Cannes Film Festival jury, highlighted progress in female representation in directing, although she noted more work is needed. As the 77th edition of the festival kicked off yesterday in southern France, the Lady Bird, Little Women, and Barbie director said: “Every year I cheer because there are more women directors. We’re not done yet, but we are certainly moving in the right direction. It’s all about the long arc of history.”
📹 THIS HAPPENED VIDEO — TODAY IN HISTORY, IN ONE ICONIC PHOTO
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💬 LEXICON
Mateo
The latest list of top U.S. baby names was revealed with Mateo entering the boys' top 10 for the first time, reaching sixth place and displacing Benjamin. Mateo (etymologically meaning “gift of God”) is notable as the first identifiably Latino name in the top tier, reflecting its cross-cultural appeal and the growing Latino population. Olivia and Liam remained the most popular names for the fifth year in a row.
✍️ Newsletter by Emma Albright and Cory Agathe
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