👋 Osiyo!*
Welcome to Tuesday, where Iran strikes what it claims are Israeli “spy headquarters” in Iraq’s Kurdish region, Donald Trump secures an overwhelming victory in the first 2024 Republican presidential contest in Iowa and Chinese Apple customers get a rare iPhone discount. Meanwhile, Ukrainian news website Livy Bereg looks at how the Houthi Red Sea blockade and the U.S. response could impact global security, with competing powers like Russia and China ready to cash in.
[*Cherokee]
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🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
• Iran missile strikes in Iraq and Syria aimed at Israeli “spy” targets: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched ballistic missiles at what it claimed were Israeli “spy headquarters” in Iraq’s Kurdish region and hit targets it said were linked to ISIS in northern Syria. The U.S. has condemned Iran over the attacks, calling them a “reckless and precise set of strikes.” Four people were killed and six were wounded in the attack. For more, read this recent analysis by Abeer Mohsen for Beirut-based independent media Daraj, translated by Worldcrunch: What's Driving Houthi Escalation? Inside A Yemen War That Was Always Fueled From Abroad.
• Hamas releases new video claiming two hostages are dead: Hamas has issued a new video showing the bodies of two Israeli hostages claiming that they died in air strikes on Gaza. It comes a day after Hamas released another video of the hostages when they were alive, but warning they could die if Israel continued its bombardment. Israel denied they were killed by strikes. Its defense minister accused the militants of “psychological abuse.”
• Trump’s runaway win in Iowa caucus: Donald Trump secured an overwhelming victory in the first 2024 Republican presidential contest in Iowa on Monday, displaying his command over the party despite facing scores of criminal charges as he seeks an election rematch with U.S. President Joe Biden. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, finished behind Trump in second place, edging out former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, as they both failed to emerge as a viable opponent. Follow Worldcrunch’s international coverage of Donald Trump here.
• Zelensky in Davos tries to rally support for Ukraine: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is attending the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, where top officials from the United States, the European Union, China, the Middle East and beyond will take center stage Tuesday. Zelensky will continue to keep his country's defense against Russia in the minds of political leaders.
• North Korean leader vows to dismantle reunification arch: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to remove a massive monument to the possible reunification of the Korean Peninsula that his father constructed in Pyongyang. Kim’s call during a speech at a Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA) meeting in Pyongyang comes amid recent statements from the North Korean leader, including a New Year’s declaration that the North was ending a policy of seeking reconciliation with South Korea. He added that his country does not want war, but will not try to avoid it.
• Global tobacco use decreases despite industry lobbying: Global tobacco use has decreased in a generation with one in five people smoking versus one in three in 2000, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday. The drop comes despite what the UN global health agency said were continuous efforts by Big Tobacco to influence global health policies to its own advantage.
• TV show Succession among Emmy winners, Elton John achieves EGOT status: Succession, Beef and The Bear were the big winners at the Emmy Awards, which took place on Monday in Los Angeles. Also at the ceremony, Sir Elton John won his first Emmy Award, giving him EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards) status.
🗞️ FRONT PAGE
Geneva-based daily Le Temps reports on the Swiss government’s announcement that the country has agreed to host a global peace summit on Ukraine, following a request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Further details “are now being worked out” the government said, but Zelensky has already hinted about who he wanted to attend the event. “We would like the Global South to be present ... It is important for us to show that the whole world is against Russia's aggression, and the whole world is for a just peace,” the Ukrainian leader said. Here’s the English edition of a Ukrainska Pravda piece on Zelensky’s evolving relationship with Western allies.
📰 STORY OF THE DAY
How Russia and China will try to exploit the Houthi Red Sea blockade
Houthi rebels are now blocking the strategic Red Sea, by striking or seizing merchant ships, while also attempting to launch rockets into Israeli territory. This has sparked a strong response from the U.S. and Britain, escalating a situation that could impact global security in major ways, with competing powers ready to cash in, writes Oleksandr Demchenko in Ukrainian news website Livy Bereg.
🚢 The Houthis have gained control over the strategically vital Bab-el-Mandeb strait, which links Yemen to Djibouti and Eritrea in Africa, and connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. This narrow passage is a crucial conduit for transporting approximately 250 million tons of oil and oil products annually, with a significant portion flowing from Middle Eastern countries to Europe. The Red Sea, along with its interconnected waterways, constitutes around 10-15% of global maritime trade, and this critical trade route is currently disrupted by the Houthis' actions.
🌍 At present, merchant vessels face only two viable transportation alternatives: circumnavigating the Cape of Good Hope, incurring an additional 14 days of transit time, or navigating the Northern Sea Route, which is predominantly under Russian control and operational for only a few months each year. Numerous shipping companies have already announced intentions to alter their shipping routes.
🇷🇺🇨🇳 At first glance, the escalating tensions in the Red Sea appear to be counterproductive for both Russia and China. While Russia faces challenges in sending oil to India, a major importer, it benefits from the resulting surge in oil and gas prices. Conversely, China, amid a slowing economy, would prefer to avoid an increase in energy prices. Despite these apparent drawbacks, both nations seem to have a strategic plan aimed at undermining the U.S.'s position in the Middle East, particularly as Russia engages in conflict with Ukraine and potential tensions loom between China and Taiwan.
➡️ Read more on Worldcrunch.com
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-$70
Apple is offering a temporary discount of up to 500 RMB ($70) on its products in China. The decision, which is a rare move from the tech giant, comes amid the increasing competition in the Asian smartphone market.
📣 VERBATIM
“The ship doesn’t necessarily have to be heading to Israel for us to target it. It is enough for it to be American.”
— Nasruldeen Amer, a spokesperson for the Houthis, told Qatar-based media Al Jazeera that both British and American ships had become “legitimate targets,” whether or not they were heading to Israel. Yemen's Houthi movement vowed to keep attacking ships in the Red Sea region in retaliation to British and American strikes on Yemen. Amer added that “the U.S. is on the verge of losing its maritime security,” as tensions escalate in the region and amid the Israel-Hamas war.
👉 MORE FROM WORLDCRUNCH
• The Israel-Hamas War, And The Futility Of Diplomacy — FRANCE INTER
• The Real Message Of Lai’s Victory: Don't Trust Xi Jinping — Or Donald Trump — LES ECHOS
• "Bicycle Chicken" Blues: Why Burkina Faso Is Losing Taste For Its Local Birds — STUDIO YAFA
✍️ Newsletter by Emma Albright, Chloé Touchard, Cory Agathe and Anne-Sophie Goninet
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