👋 Mbote!*
Welcome to Tuesday, where Donald Trump gets a raucous welcome for his first public appearance since surviving an assassination attempt on Saturday, a senior North Korean diplomat defects to South Korea, and scientists spot a cave on the Moon that could come in handy for the future. Meanwhile, Bolivian-based feminist magazine Muy Waso shares the testimonies of former inmates of La Paz’s Miraflores Women's Penitentiary Center.
[*Lingala, DRC and Republic of the Congo]
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🗞️ FRONT PAGE
Rosario-based daily El Ciudadano opens with the suspicious movement of large amounts of gold reserves out of Argentina's central bank that is being executed by Javier Milei’s administration. Sergio Palazzo, General Secretary of the Banking Association, has submitted an official enquiry request to the Argentine central bank, as suspicions mount over the transparency and motives behind the transactions.
🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
• Donald Trump receives hero’s welcome at the Republican National Convention. Republican delegates stood and cheered the former U.S. president as he arrived at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Monday, two days after he was struck in the ear by a bullet during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Trump, who was sporting a thick bandage over his right ear, was formally nominated to head the Republican ticket, and announced J.D. Vance as his running mate. The junior Ohio senator is also known for being the author of a best-selling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, about his experience of rural poverty. For more, we offer this recent article from Italian daily La Stampa, translated by Worldcrunch: Where The Trump Attack Fits Into A Global Pattern Of Hate Speech And Violence.
• Israeli strikes across Gaza kill at least 13 people. Israeli forces battled Hamas-led fighters in several areas across Gaza on Tuesday, while Palestinian health officials said at least 13 people had been killed in Israeli bombardments in southern and central areas of the enclave. Meanwhile, two attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted ships in the Red Sea on Monday, as a new U.S. aircraft carrier approached the region to provide security for the key international trade route that has been under assault since the Israel-Hamas war began nine months ago.
• European Parliament convenes as far right seeks greater influence. The newly elected European Parliament will convene today in Strasbourg, France, for the first time, following elections in June. Tensions are high as the 720 lawmakers start their five-year term, with a bolstered far right bloc demanding more influence in the assembly and incumbent European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's future on the line. Read more about the rise of the far right in Europe here.
• Kagame wins Rwanda vote in landslide. Rwandan President Paul Kagame is on course to extend his 24-year rule by another five years in a landslide victory in Monday’s election, with 99.15% of the vote so far. The 66-year-old again faced no meaningful opposition, with leading figures banned.
• Four shot dead near mosque in Oman. A shooting near a mosque in Oman killed at least four people, including two Pakistanis, and wounded several others in a rare act of violence in the Gulf nation. The attack early on Tuesday took place in Wadi al-Kabir, a district east of the capital city, Muscat, during a major religious event for Shia Muslims. The police provided no details about the identities of the attacker and the victims, as well as the apparent motive. Pakistan’s foreign ministry said the "terrorist attack" had caused the deaths of two Pakistani nationals.
• Senior North Korean diplomat defects to South Korea. A high-profile North Korean diplomat stationed in Cuba has defected to the South. The political counselor is believed to be the highest-ranking North Korean diplomat to escape to South Korea since 2016. The diplomat defected in November, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said.
• Scientists confirm cave on the Moon that could be used to shelter future explorers. Scientists have confirmed a cave on the Moon, not far from where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed 55 years ago. An Italian-led team reported on Monday that there’s evidence for a sizable cave accessible from the deepest known pit on the Moon. The pit, like the more than 200 others discovered up there, was created by the collapse of a lava tube. Check out this Les Echos article on the future of lunar exploration, translated from French by Worldcrunch.
#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS
93
Visitors from 93 countries will be allowed to access Thailand without a visa. The scheme, which will allow the citizens of these countries to stay in Thailand for up to 60 days, is an attempt to revitalize the tourism sector after it took a hit during the pandemic. The visa-free scheme — which is effective from July 15 — will be applied to nations from all continents: 40 in Europe, 28 in Asia, 12 in the Americas, 4 in Oceania and 9 in Africa. The scheme only applied to 57 states previously.
📰 STORY OF THE DAY
Bolivia: Solidarity inside the Miraflores maximum security women's prison
Former inmates of the Miraflores Women's Penitentiary Center — where former Interim President Jeanine Anez is now serving her sentence — share their stories of solidarity and support among the women there, but they also call for changes within the prison system and society, reports Bolivian-based feminist magazine Muy Waso.
🫂 When an inmate at the Miraflores prison in La Paz gets sick, another one takes care of her. When one cries, another one hugs her. Whenever one needs help, another one shares what she has at hand. And when one needs to talk, another listens. There are, of course, also differences and conflicts. But caring for one another is a fundamental part of the daily life and functioning of this maximum security prison for women — the only one of its kind in Bolivia.
💸 Most of the jobs available to women in Miraflores are precarious, and even the best paid ones do not provide minimum wage, says Sofia, a former inmate who was released a few months ago, adding that “with normal jobs, women can earn 100 bolivianos (about $14) a month, which is enough to live on. But often, they also have to send money to their children." Even in prison, women are still in charge of caring for their families.
💬 Communication with the outside world by phone was cut off for a few weeks this year, and desperation took over the prison. “Many mothers call their children every day to find out if they have done their homework, if they went to school or if they have eaten. But during that time, they were not able to do so,” Sofia said. In these conditions, rather than protest or riot, which could add years to a sentence, the inmates create alliances and support networks to cope.
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📣 VERBATIM
“We have started but we are not yet finished.”
— The European Parliament, convening for its first plenary session after last month’s elections, confirmed Roberta Metsola as president during a vote held earlier today. “I will continue to work tirelessly to bring people together. This must be a house that cannot be afraid to lead and to change,” said the Christian Democrat MEP from Malta, who was elected with a comfortable majority — 562 favorable votes out of 623 cast ballots — and will stay in charge for the next two years and a half. Metsola is part of the European People’s Party (EPP) group, the largest one in the parliament, and her election comes as Ursula von der Leyen attempts to confirm the coalition that has governed the EU for the past five years, which also involves the Socialist and Liberal groups.
👉 MORE FROM WORLDCRUNCH
• Post-Shooting, Trump Appears Closer Than Ever To Returning To The Presidency — CLARÍN
• The Fight To Save Tunisia's Ancient Troglodyte Villages — INKYFADA
• How Modi Is Using Architecture To Build His "New Idea" Political Legacy — THE WIRE
✍️ Newsletter by Emma Albright and Fabrizio La Rocca
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