👋 Demat !*
Welcome to Friday, where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects U.S. calls to seek a two-state solution, North Korea reportedly tests an underwater nuclear drone, and both Japan and Turkey have space news. Meanwhile, we put together a not-for-the-faint-hearted list of international cold remedies.
[*Breton, France]
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🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
• Netanyahu rejects U.S. push for Palestinian state: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a press conference that he opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state in a post-war scenario, rejecting the United States' calls to take a step towards the “two-state solution.” Meanwhile, Gaza has entered its seventh day of near-total communication blackout, and UN human rights officials report cases of abuse and humiliation of Palestinian prisoners in Gaza by Israeli security forces. Beirut-based Pan-Arab media Daraj probed into accusations of Israel’s “systematic torture” of Palestinian prisoners.
• Pakistan to conduct security review on standoff with Iran: Pakistan's top civilian and military leaders will carry out a national security review on the standoff with Iran. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar called a meeting of the National Security Committee on Friday morning, a day after strikes killed nine people in a border village in Iran, while two children died in Pakistan earlier this week.
• North Korea tests underwater nuclear drone, NATO holds biggest drill since Cold War: North Korea tested its underwater nuclear drone system, Haeil-5-23, in response to joint military drills conducted this week by South Korea, the U.S. and Japan. A North Korean ministry spokesman warned of “catastrophic consequences” regarding the countries’ “frantic” military exercises. NATO, meanwhile, announced the launch of its biggest military drills since the Cold War, rehearsing how U.S. troops could support European allies in countries bordering Russia if a conflict were to flare up. Around 90,000 troops will join the Steadfast Defender 2024 drills starting in May.
• Suspected Jordanian airstrikes kill 10 in Syria: Local media and activists report that at least 10 people, including children, were killed Thursday in suspected Jordanian airstrikes in southern Syria. Jordanian authorities have not commented on the attack, as the country has stepped up its crackdown on drug dealers at the Syrian border. Jordan and its Western allies say that highly organized Iran-backed militias operate in Syria to smuggle narcotics over the border.
• Gang violence escalates in Haiti: Gang members in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, have raided the Solino community, home to numerous police officers, and put the neighborhood under siege for four days. Residents of the area have been calling radio stations for help, reporting houses being torched and continuing gunfire. Casualties have been hard to assess, though there are multiple reports of dead bodies on the street.
• Japan starts countdown on “Moon sniper” landing mission: Japan aims at becoming the fifth country to put an aircraft on the Moon as it attempts a precision landing today with its “Moon Sniper” spacecraft. With this mission, Japan looks to play a bigger role in space and rival China, by partnering with Washington. The 20-minute touchdown phase is set to start at midnight on Saturday local time. French daily Les Echos looks at where Europe’s space program is heading.
• Spanish driver makes Dakar rally history: Spanish rally icon Carlos Sainz won the Dakar Rally for the fourth time on Friday, becoming the oldest winner of the race at 61. Sainz's victory earns Audi its first Dakar title in the car category.
🗞️ FRONT PAGE
Turkish daily Milliyet dedicates its front page to Turkey's first astronaut to be launched on a voyage to the International Space Station in the latest commercially arranged mission from Texas startup Axiom Space, along with three other astronauts representing Europe. A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carrying the Axiom quartet lifted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket about an hour before sunset from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral Florida, beginning a planned 36-hour flight to the orbiting laboratory.
💬 LEXICON
Saluto Romano
Italy’s Supreme Court has issued a new ruling on the legality of the Saluto Romano (Roman salute), the ancient gesture revived last century by Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini and later adopted by the Nazis. The Court ruled that the salute, in which the right arm is fully extended, facing forward, with palm down and fingers touching, is an apology for fascism, but is only considered a crime when, by its manner and context, it integrates the "concrete danger of reorganization of the dissolved fascist party." For a simple commemoration, the Supreme Court ruled it is simple nostalgic folklore.
👓 WORLDCRUNCH MAGAZINE
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📰 STORY OF THE DAY
Lizard soup, sniffing an onion and other international cold remedies
It’s cold out there! And while chicken soup and vitamins may help us battle runny noses and coughing fits, there’s a whole world of cold remedies out there. Check our international selection — you just may have to hold your nose (or cover your eyes) for some of them.
🤧 Next time you make a cup of comforting lemon and honey tea, add a little garlic to make this Hispanic cold remedy. In Spain and Latin America, the combination is thought to strengthen and revitalize the body. Buenos Aires-based Clarín reports that garlic is a source of vitamin A, B1, B2 and C, which help reduce the incidence and duration of colds. We recommend adding extra honey to save your taste buds — and breath.
🥛 Also called "Golden milk" (Haldi Doodh in Indian), this drink, made by mixing turmeric into warmed milk, is a well known anti-inflammatory and antiseptic. Just a teaspoon of turmeric is enough to naturally boost your immune system. Additionally, this magic spice is said to clear your skin, and improve your mood.
🦎 Snakes and lizards alike are a source of high protein, used to create the most nourishing soups in China. The reptiles, skinned alive, are then steamed and mixed with Chinese herbs. An AP report in Hong Kong found that locals believe lizard soup can also relieve stress, act as an aphrodisiaque and boost the immune system.
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📹 THIS HAPPENED VIDEO — TODAY IN HISTORY, IN ONE ICONIC PHOTO
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#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS
42
The Australian Open women’s draw included a record-breaking tie-break that will go down in grand slam history. Anna Blinkova eventually beat Elena Rybakina after a major effort in the deciding set, with the last-set tie-break consisting of 42 points, the longest in a singles match in grand slam history, according to the Australian Open. Viewers were captivated by the action on court which lasted two hours and 46 minutes while the tie-break itself lasted 30 minutes.
👉 MORE FROM WORLDCRUNCH
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• A Joint European Defense Force: If Not Now, When? — FRANCE INTER
• Sketches, Lingerie And Paris Memories: A Ukrainian Sniper On How She Survived Russian Captivity — VAZHNYYE ISTORII/IMPORTANT STORIES
✍️ Newsletter by Emma Albright, Anne-Sophie Goninet and Chloé Touchard
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