👋 Konta!*
Welcome to Thursday, where Donald Trump is set to speak at the Republican convention in Milwaukee while Joe Biden tests positive for COVID, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen looks for a second term and we’ve got a robot World Cup. Meanwhile, Wael al-Sawah in Arabic-language independent digital media Daraj shines a light on the case of Luna al-Shibl, media advisor to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who was killed in a car crash under unclear circumstances.
[*Papiamento, Dutch Caribbean]
✅ SIGN UP
This is our daily newsletter Worldcrunch Today, a rapid tour of the news of the day from the world's best journalism sources, regardless of language or geography.
It's easy (and free!) to sign up to receive it each day in your inbox: 👉 Sign up here
🗞️ FRONT PAGE
Today, the European Parliament will vote to give Ursula von der Leyen a second term as president of the European Commission — the bloc’s most prominent position — in what Berlin-based daily Tageszeitung defines as a “fateful day for a president.” Von der Leyen needs at least 361 votes to be reelected, and the coalition set to back her bid for the presidency, composed of the right-wing EPP, the center-left S&D and the Liberal Renew Europe groups, counts 401 seats, well above the required threshold. Yet, many parliamentarians are set to vote against their group’s position, which has recently prompted von der Leyen and her group to look for support from other political groups, including the Greens and the far-right ECR, led by Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni. As of 12 am Paris time, neither group has made a decision on whether to support the current president for a second term.
🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
• Trump expected to speak at convention, Biden tests positive for COVID. All eyes are on the Republican Convention in Milwaukee, as Donald Trump is expected to speak for the first time since being shot. Trump is set to accept his nomination as Republican candidate for the presidential election in November. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has tested positive for a mild case of COVID-19, as pressure continues to mount to force him to drop out of the race against Trump. Read more on how Trump appears closer than ever to returning to the presidency.
• EU's von der Leyen vows defense push. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen vowed on Thursday to create a “European Defence Union” and to stay the course on Europe's green transition as she faces an approval vote in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, von der Leyen for a second term.
• Israel bombards central Gaza as tanks advance deeper in Rafah. Israeli forces bombarded Gaza’s historic refugee camps in the center of the enclave and struck Gaza City in the north on Thursday, killing at least 13 people. Meanwhile, tanks pushed deeper into Rafah in the south. The Israeli military said in a statement its forces killed two senior Islamic Jihad commanders in two airstrikes in Gaza City, including one whom it said had taken part in the Oct. 7 attack.
• Kenya police ban protests in the capital. Public demonstrations in the center of the capital, Nairobi, and surrounding areas are on hold “until further notice,” after a month of anti-government protests in which scores of people have been killed. More protests are planned for Thursday.
• At least 16 people have been killed in a fire at a Chinese shopping mall. The nighttime blaze started in the 14-story commercial building in the southwestern city of Zigong, as firefighters were working at the site until early on Thursday, with at least 75 people pulled to safety so far.
• South Korea’s top court has said that the state must provide health insurance for same-sex partners. The Supreme Court delivered the landmark ruling Thursday, opening the way for common-law couples of the same sex to now register as dependents on their partner’s health insurance.
• Cambodia has welcomed 60 baby Siamese crocodiles. This is a hatching record for the endangered species in this century, conservationists say. They have called it a “real sign of hope,” after more than 20 years of efforts to revive the reptile's numbers in the remote Cardamom Mountains.
#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS
$44.6 million
A dinosaur skeleton was sold for $44.6 million at an auction in New York City, setting the record for most expensive fossil ever. “Apex” — the dinosaur’s nickname — is a stegosaurus, the “finest to ever come to the market” according to the Sotheby’s auction house, adding that Apex “ranks among the most complete skeletons ever found.” The skeleton was bought by an anonymous individual, who stated that the dinosaur will stay on American soil. Apex was only discovered in 2022, and its auction price exceeded pre-auction estimates by more than 11 times.
📰 STORY OF THE DAY
Assad aide's fatal car crash: Was she the latest target of the Syrian regime?
Luna al-Shibl, a media advisor to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was killed in a car crash in Damascus. But many didn’t believe the official account of her death given the Syrian regime’s long history of targeting opponents inside and outside Syria, reports Wael al-Sawah in Arabic-language independent digital media Daraj.
🇸🇾 Luna al-Shibl, a 48-year-old media adviser to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, died on July 5, three days after being injured in a car accident near Damascus, the president’s office said last week in a statement. Rumors quickly circulated that the crash had been orchestrated to assassinate al-Shibl. Anti-government activists and politicians and others who do not believe the official account say that al-Shibl and her husband, businessman Ammar al-Saati were planning to leave the country. And that Al-Saati, who is a pillar of the Assad regime, had lost his seat in the ruling party's leadership.
🚨 They note that Syrian security forces also arrested al-Shibl’s brother, Brigadier General Molham al-Shibl, as part of investigations into allegations of “communicating with a party hostile to Syria,” apparently Israel or the United States, following the Israeli attack on Iranian consulate in Damascus that killed senior Iranian officers.
💥 The Syrian regime has a long history of getting rid of its opponents through assassination. While some tyrants uses their pistols — as Saddam Hussein repeatedly did — and kill their targets at a political meeting, the Assad regime has another tradition. Muhammad Umran, a Syrian general and a co-founder of the five-member Military Committee of the Ba'ath Party that led the March 8, 1963 coup in Syria, was assassinated by two men at his home.
➡️ Read more on Worldcrunch.com
✉️ Want to receive all Worldcrunch articles by email? Subscribe to The Latest here (and check our other — free! — newsletters while you’re at it!)
📹 THIS HAPPENED VIDEO — TODAY IN HISTORY, IN ONE ICONIC PHOTO
➡️ Watch the video: THIS HAPPENED
📣 VERBATIM
“President Trump represents America’s last, best hope to restore what, if lost, may never be found again.”
— J.D. Vance, Donald Trump’s running mate, addressed the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Wednesday night. The 39-year-old Ohio senator formally accepted his party’s nomination for vice-president and focused his speech on issues of national security and foreign policy. While analysts have mostly refrained from describing the vice-presidential candidate as an isolationist, Vance has argued that the U.S. cannot be entangled in Ukraine and the Middle East simultaneously, while advocating for a stronger American presence in East Asia to contrast China.
👉 MORE FROM WORLDCRUNCH
• How The Big Lie About Israel's "Most Moral" Army Has Come Crashing Down — DARAJ
• Why Trade With China Weakens Mercosur — And How South Americans Only Make It Worse — CLARÍN
• A Major Earthquake Is Due In The Middle Of The U.S. — And Scientists Can't Explain Why — UNDARK
✍️ Newsletter by Emma Albright and Fabrizio La Rocca
Let us know what’s happening in your corner of the world!