👋 Salam!*
Welcome to Friday, where U.S. and UK strike Houthi targets in Yemen, floodings lead Indonesia to consider drastic measures and the discovery of a “Big Ring” in galaxies have scientists question just about everything. Meanwhile, Luis Rubio in Latin American business magazine América Economía looks at the possible outcomes of the upcoming general elections in Mexico: more democracy, or downright tyranny?
[*Azeri - Azerbaijan]
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🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
• U.S., UK strike Houthi targets in Yemen, rebels vow retaliation: U.S. and UK forces have carried out strikes from the air and sea against several Houthi military targets in Yemen overnight, in response to attacks by the Iran-backed group on ships in the Red Sea since November. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak insisted the strikes were “limited, necessary and proportionate action in self-defense” while Houthi senior official Hussein al-Ezzi warned the U.S. and the UK will “pay a heavy price” for this “blatant aggression.” Read more in this Worldcrunch analysis on how Houthi attacks have raised the risks for international escalation in the past few weeks.
• Israel defends itself against genocide charges at international court in the Hague: Israel on Friday rejected South Africa’s accusation of genocide. At the International Court of Justice South Africa has presented "a sweeping counter-factual description" of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Israeli lawyer Tal Becker told the ICJ. South Africa is also calling on the court to order Israel to halt its military activity in Gaza. Even if Israel is sure to ignore any condemnation by the ICJ, Pierre Haski argues that the process can be useful to put pressure on parties during wartime.
• Taiwan political parties to make final push for support on eve of pivotal vote: Tens of thousands of supporters of Taiwan's three political parties are expected to rally on Friday evening in a final push for votes for candidates one day ahead of critical presidential and parliamentary elections amid increased pressure from China on the island. Is a war between China and Taiwan inevitable, sooner or later, asks French daily Les Echos.
• Polish president set to pardon arrested lawmakers: Polish president Andrzej Duda is set to pardon two convicted lawmakers. The two populist Parliament members were arrested on Tuesday inside the Presidential Palace for corruption, leading tens of thousands of people to gather in the streets of Warsaw to protest for their release. Duda had already pardoned the pair in 2015, but was overruled by the Supreme Court.
• North Korea to admit first known tourists since 2020: A group from Russia is to be the first known tourists allowed into North Korea since anti-pandemic border lockdowns began in early 2020. The trip, advertised by a Vladivostok-based agency, was arranged when the governor of Russia's far eastern region of Primorsky Krai, which borders North Korea, visited Pyongyang for talks in December.
• Greek government set to legalize same-sex marriage: The center-right Greek government plans to legalize same-sex marriage and allow adoption for LGBTQ+ couples in the country. The plan is set to be approved by Parliament with the backing of the left-wing opposition, despite backlash from the Orthodox Church.
• Big Ring puts Big Bang theories into question: The discovery of a ring-shaped cluster of galaxies in space by Alexia Lopez, a PhD student at the University of Central Lancashire could put into question the guiding principles of astronomy — and the Big Bang theory itself, according to scientists.
🗞️ FRONT PAGE
Johannesburg-based daily Sowetan devotes its front page to the case opened by South Africa against Israel, as the latter defend itself in court against genocide accusations. South Africa called on the International Court of Justice to order the halt of military operations in Gaza. Israel rejected the claims in court on Friday.
💬 LEXICON
Baldacchino
The Vatican announced plans to restore the monumental baldacchino (canopy) of St. Peter’s Basilica, marking the first comprehensive work on the 10-story tall baroque masterpiece in 250 years. The yearlong restoration, which will cost about 700,000 euros and will be funded by global Catholic fraternal order the Knights of Columbus, is expected to be complete by the Jubilee year 2025. The structure dates back from the 1620s, when Pope Urban VIII commissioned sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini to create a canopy for the apostles’ tomb.
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📰 STORY OF THE DAY
Mexico's 2024 elections: time to boost democracy or cement authoritarianism
As Mexico's president seeks to consolidate his power ahead of the 2024 general elections in the fall, will voters and institutions react to safeguard the country's democracy or fall deeper into outgoing President López Obrador's authoritarian impulses? asks Luis Rubio in Latin American business magazine América Economía.
🇲🇽 Since Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s election in 2018, the current administration has not only worked to consolidate its power but also eliminate any counterweight or outpost of resistance. Many institutions have been eradicated, starved of funds or neutralized. The president says parallel bodies are “onerous” to the public purse and are being removed to save people money. Yet this downsizing has more to do with his vision of power — call it a blast from the past — that excludes citizens and gives preference to total presidential control.
⚖️ Looking ahead, two fundamental questions hang over the president's institutional plans. Firstly: how will candidates (for the 2024 general elections) react to his proposals? The answer to this question will reveal these candidates' inclinations to side either with their citizens or with tyranny? The second concerns parliament: will it fulfill its responsibilities, or continue to submit to the president as nothing more than a rubber stamp?
🗳️ Our country has a big opportunity in September and October 2024, with the formation of a new parliament and a new government. People have a chance to vote in a system of checks and balances that constitutes collective governance. This means a new framework of full legitimacy consisting of three branches of government. Put simply, it is the chance to end our decline towards authoritarianism and begin a new stage of development.
➡️ Read more on Worldcrunch.com
📹 THIS HAPPENED VIDEO — TODAY IN HISTORY, IN ONE ICONIC PHOTO
➡️ Watch the video: THIS HAPPENED
📣 VERBATIM
“Folks still aren’t understanding that COVID is still a more severe disease than flu.”
— Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Mandy Cohen lamented in an interview that low vaccination rates against COVID and influenza has placed a substantial burden on health care systems. The United States, several European countries, and other parts of the world have reported a rise in hospitalization linked to respiratory infections in recent weeks. Infectious disease experts and health officials emphasized that governments are struggling to communicate the risks COVID still poses and the benefits of frequent vaccinations.
👉 MORE FROM WORLDCRUNCH
• Rafah, Gaza Border Town Swells With Refugees Facing Famine And Forced Exile — WORLDCRUNCH
• Hijabs, Whips And Liberation: The Twisted History Of Women's Rights In Iran — KAYHAN-LONDON
• The South African Pastors Taking On Gang Violence In Johannesburg Townships — RELIGION UNPLUGGED
✍️ Newsletter by Emma Albright, Anne-Sophie Goninet, Cory Agathe, Spencer Hooker and Chloé Touchard
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