June 22-23
- Gaza’s “stolen” Eid
- Kylian Mbappé’s on-the-nose joke
- Famous Brits in sushi
- … and much more!
⬇️ STARTER
The gruesome death of an Indian worker in Italy — and the true crimes of undocumented labor
Satnam Singh, an undocumented laborer from India, was left dead after losing his arm in a work accident near Latina — just 50 kilometers from the capital, Rome. Could it be that no one in power saw the realities like the one that sealed Satnam Singh's fate?
Satnam Singh did not make it. He died in Rome's San Camillo Hospital from the severe injuries he suffered on the farm near Latina, in central Italy, where he worked. But above all, he died due to the negligence of the cruel locals who had recruited and exploited him.
The incident was not "just" an occupational accident — one of too many that the news presents and dismisses every day. Terrible deaths in themselves, each has its own gruesome details, its aftermath of family members' grief and mourning, and sense of injustice.
But Satnam Singh's is still a different story, due to the abyss of inhumanity and barbarity it reveals.
It is a story that seems to have been written by a sick mind, by a twisted imagination.
Torn apart Monday morning by the plastic wrapping machine he was working with, Satnam Singh was thrown into a nine-seat mini bus (the kind used by gangmasters to transport their slaves) along with his wife and was dumped in front of his house. His severed arm resting on a fruit crate, he was left bleeding to death, as his employer's henchmen scurried away. [...]
— Read the full article by Marco Revelli for La Stampa, translated into English by Worldcrunch.
🎲 OUR WEEKLY NEWS QUIZ
What do you remember from the news this week?
1. With which world leader did Vladimir Putin sign a “comprehensive strategic partnership” pact?
2. On which topic did the U.S. and China hold their first talks in five years?
3. Which tech giant did chipmaker Nvidia temporarily dethrone as the world’s most valuable company?
4. What kind of new visa is South Korea launching to boost tourism? K-pop / Kimchi / Pungsan dogs
[Answers at the bottom of this newsletter]
#️⃣ TRENDING
“Any ideas for masks?” French superstar striker Kylian Mbappe asked on X (formerly Twitter) after breaking his nose toward the end of his team’s opening game against Austria at the UEFA European Football Championship. Making light of his injury, the 25-year-old former PSG player turned to social media for input about what his protective mask should look like. That gave the internet a chance to revive a long-standing joke that he looks like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and bring back a 2017 post-match picture of him wearing a Michelangelo mask.
🎭 5 CULTURE THINGS TO KNOW
• In memoriam: Canadian actor Donald Sutherland, whose career spanned more than half a century from M.A.S.H. to The Hunger Games, died on Thursday at 88 after a long illness; Nancy MacKenzie, a Peruvian-Mexican voice-over artist best known for dubbing Marge Simpson on The Simpsons for Latin American audiences, died aged 81 on Monday; French actress Anouk Aimee, one of the key faces of the New Wave, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 92; the death of Japanese poet Kazuko Shiraishi, dubbed “the Allen Ginsberg of Japan,”at 93 was announced on Wednesday; U.S. singer-saxophonist James Chance, who helped start the No Wave movement of the late 1970s in New York City, died aged 71 on Tuesday.
• Holocaust survivor makes cover of German Vogue. Margot Friedländer, 102, who survived the Theresienstadt concentration camp during World War II and who received the Order of Merit of Berlin in 2016, will feature on the cover of the July/August issue of Vogue Germany. In her interview with the fashion magazine, Friedländer said she was “appalled” by the growth of right-wing populism and the rise of antisemitic attacks. Asked about the current war in Gaza, Friedländer said “don't look at what separates you. Look at what unites you.”
• Gamers will be able to play as Princess Zelda for the first time. Nintendo surprised fans by announcing a new game in its Zelda saga with The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, which will be released on the Switch console on Sept. 26. While so far the games had usually revolved around the heroic elf Link, this time “it’s up to Princess Zelda to step into the protagonist’s role,” said Eiji Aonuma, producer of the series.
• New “mysterious monolith” appears in Nevada desert. The reflective, 10 foot-tall metal installation is similar to other puzzling monoliths which were spotted in Utah, California, Wales and Romania in 2020 and whose origins were never revealed, fueling conspiracy theories involving aliens. The first structure was discovered by accident in 2020 in a desert near Moab, Utah but mysteriously disappeared shortly after.
• What will be the song of the summer 2024? The Associated Press has made its predictions (including a Spotify playlist) across musical categories, with past winners for reference, from “Swifties’ song of the summer” (“Fortnight,” Taylor Swift and Post Malone) to “Viral hit of the summer” (“A Bar Song (Tipsy),” Shaboozey) or “Song of the summer for the yearners” (“Lunch,” Billie Eilish). What’s your pick?
🇵🇸 A “stolen” Eid al-Adha for Gaza’s population
No sheep to slaughter as a sacrificial rite, a relentless bombardment, no celebrations in the street, destroyed homes… In Gaza, this year’s Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday was unlike previous feasts, as the Israel-Hamas war entered its ninth month. Most of the population are unable to secure basic necessities, including food, for their families. “This war has stolen our Eid and our loved ones,” Rizq Hammad, a young Palestinian who lost his father during this war, tells Arabic-language independent digital media Daraj.
Read the full story: Eid al-Adha In Gaza: No Peace, No Sheep, No Sign Of Hope
🇮🇹 Why it’s lazy to call Italy’s prime minister “extreme right”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz recently said that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is from the extreme right-wing, and therefore should be excluded from the future European majority. But is this assessment fair, given Meloni's strong support for Ukraine and responsible economic decisions — or is there some demonizing and distracting at play? “The question about extremists stands at a crossroads today, after years of making agreements based mainly on the fear of barbarians at the gates,” writes Flavia Perina in Italian daily La Stampa.
Read the full story: The Problem With Calling Giorgia Meloni "Extreme Right"
💌 What happened to the love letter?
Do young people write love letters these days? Betina González asks in Buenos Aires-based daily Clarín. Although today’s youth prefers WhatsApps and social media, they “cannot resist the temptation or need to record the emotion of love” and to allow themselves to “be cheesy or ‘cringe’” in an email or paper. But then, judging by some compilations by famous artists, love letters have always been slightly “ridiculous,” the Argentine writer notes.
Read the full story: Dear Love Letter, Where Have You Gone?
👀📱 BRIGHT IDEA
A team of researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas has developed an imaging chip that will allow our mobile devices to “see” through walls and other obstacles. Inspired by Superman’s X-ray vision, the chip uses technology similar to package security scanners used by airline personnel. Initially developed to help people scan through packages before opening them or even find hidden wires or studs behind a wall, the team says they are also exploring uses for doctors but also firefighters or industrial workers who need to see through smoke or fog.
🍣 SMILE OF THE WEEK
What better way to celebrate World Sushi Day than to make sushi art? British sugarcraft artist Michelle Wibowo did just that, creating portraits of UK celebrities' made out of sushi (including singers Elton John and Ed Sheeran, actor Benedict Cumberbatch or soccer player Harry Kane) which she hopes others will find as “hilarious” as she does. The creations were made of authentic Japanese sushi ingredients, including sushi rice, smoked salmon and pickled ginger. Each work of art measured 18 cm tall and 10 cm wide — about the size of a grapefruit. The artist, who is used to making sculptures out of unconventional materials, said she found this project to be among the most challenging.
⏩ LOOKING AHEAD
• Next Thursday, U.S. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are set to debate for presidential elections. They both have similar goals: to describe their opponent as unfit for the job, since both are involved — Trump directly, Biden because of his son – in crimes and criminal offenses. Biden is expected to focus on policy and to try to hold Trump accountable on the debate stage. While Trump, who has struggled with policy in past debates, is reportedly focused on rhetoric.
• Iran's special presidential election will be held on June 28, following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last month. Six candidates, all loyal to the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have been approved to run, with Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Saeed Jalili emerging as the frontrunners. The election is expected to maintain Iran's current political trajectory, with conservative dominance likely continuing between the ongoing regional tensions and the internal anti-government sentiments.
• Russia’s trial of U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich on espionage charges will begin behind closed doors on June 26. The Wall Street Journal reporter is accused of collecting secret information for the CIA, claims that he, his family and his employer strongly deny, and that the United States has said are baseless. Washington has declared him "wrongfully detained," viewing him as a political hostage, and is pushing for his release amid broader accusations of Russia using such detentions for political leverage.
• Following disappointing box office performance, Furiosa is set to land on streaming platforms as early as June 25. The new installment in George Miller's Mad Max series, featuring Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth can already be pre-ordered via Amazon.
News quiz answers:
1. Russian President Vladimir Putin has shook hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, signing a deal providing immediate military assistance if either faces armed aggression.
2. After five years, the U.S. and China held their first informal nuclear talks. After the U.S. raised concerns about China threatening to use nuclear weapons in its conflict with Taiwan, Beijing stated that they would be able to prevail in a conventional fight without the need to resort to nukes.
3. Tech giant Microsoft was temporarily dethroned as the world’s most valuable company by Nvidia. The chipmaker controls about 80 percent of the market for chips used in data centers needed to run AI models such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
4. South Korea is launching a K-pop visa in an effort to boost tourism. The “K-Culture Training Visa” will allow foreigners to attend K-pop, choreography, and modeling classes for extended periods.
✍️ Newsletter by Worldcrunch
Sign up here to receive our free daily Newsletter to your inbox (now six days/week!)
*Photo: LVMPD/X