👋 Bula!*
Welcome to Monday, where a general strike in Israel is raising pressure for a deal with Hamas after six hostages’ bodies were recovered, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is “bitter” about the rise of far-right AfD in yesterday’s regional elections and the body of a suspected Russian “spy whale” is found floating off the coast of Norway. And with many of the world’s students heading “back to school,” Raquel C. Pico in Spanish online media Ethic looks at the “TeachTokers” influencing their way to the classrooms.
[*Fijian]
✅ 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.
🗞️ FRONT PAGE
The far-right is “the strongest force” in the state elections in Saxony and Thuringia, reports German daily Die Tageszeitung. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party “achieved a record result” in the eastern region for the first time since World War II, with 32.8% of the votes. Despite this historic win, the AfD will likely remain in opposition with the other parties, which have ruled out any direct cooperation with the far-right.
🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
• Israel hit by more protests and general strike after bodies of six hostages recovered in Gaza. Following nationwide marches and rallies, businesses, schools and transport have been affected Monday by a general strike and the blocking of roads. Tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets across the country on Sunday to urge the government to agree to a ceasefire deal that would free Israeli hostages after six more captives were found dead in Gaza. Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said that Israel was to blame for the hostages’ deaths as it refused to sign a ceasefire agreement, adding Israelis “should choose between Netanyahu and the deal.” Follow Worldcrunch’s international coverage of the situation in the Middle East here.
• Russia targets Kyiv with drones and missiles as Ukrainian children return to school. Russia launched 35 cruise and ballistic missiles and 26 Shahed drones at Ukraine overnight, injuring three people and damaging two kindergartens in the Ukrainian capital city. Children who were set to return to school after the summer vacation found classes canceled due to damage from the attack.
• Germany’s Olaf Scholz expresses worry over far-right surge in regional elections. The country’s chancellor called the results of two regional elections which saw big wins for the far-right AfD and losses for his coalition “bitter,” adding that Germany “cannot and must not get used to this.” Scholz also urged mainstream parties to form governments without “right-wing extremists.”
• French president to meet with former leaders as search for prime minister narrows. Emmanuel Macron is expected to host former Presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande on Monday amid growing pressure to find a new prime minister after inconclusive parliamentary polls in July. Whoever is selected will have to survive a no-confidence vote in the lower house National Assembly split between the New Popular Front (NFP) alliance of left parties, Macron’s centrist party and the far-right National Rally. For more, we offer this article by Gaspard Koenig for Les Echos: Why Macron Should Be France's Last All-Powerful President?
• Tropical storm Yagi leaves at least 11 dead in Philippines. The storm lashed the north of the country overnight into Monday, causing floods and landslides. Schools and government offices across Manila were shut down as a precaution. Yagi is expected to accelerate and exit the country by Wednesday, and could potentially reach a peak category of typhoon.
• Top Brazil court to vote on decision to ban Musk’s X. The country’s Supreme Court will vote on Monday on whether to uphold Justice Alexandre de Moraes’ ruling to shut down the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. X was suspended in Brazil in the early hours of Saturday after failing to meet a deadline set by Moraes to name a new legal representative in the country. Here’s a French look at Musk’s recent lurch to the political far right.
• Suspected Russian “spy whale” found dead in Norway. The white beluga whale nicknamed “Hvaldimir” — a combination of the Norwegian word for whale, “hval,” and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s first name — was first spotted off Norway’s far northern coast in 2019. It was wearing a man-made harness and what appeared to be a mount for a small camera stamped with the words “Equipment St Petersburg,” prompting suspicions it was a Russian spy. The body was found over the weekend by a father and son who were fishing in Risavika Bay.
#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS
32,814 kilometers
The Pope will travel 32,814 kilometers (20,380 miles) and visit four countries — Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore — within two weeks, as part of his upcoming trip to Asia, making it one of the longest papal visits both in days and distance. The pontiff will travel with a doctor and two nurses and is adding his personal secretaries to the traditional Vatican delegation, a novelty on a papal trip.
📹 THIS HAPPENED VIDEO — TODAY IN HISTORY, IN ONE ICONIC PHOTO
➡️ Watch the video: THIS HAPPENED
📰 IN OTHER NEWS
🇺🇸 Arab Americans are caught between outrage over the Biden-Harris administration’s reaction to the war in Gaza and Donald Trump who is a kindred spirit to Benjamin Netanyahu. Is there such a thing as the lesser of two evils?
— AL-MANASSA
⚖️ Should businesses be left responsible for making decisions about the costs of risks? And more questions raised by the detention of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France.
— VAZHNYYE ISTORII
🧑🏫📱 Influencer teachers or “TeachTokers” are increasingly popular on social media, but this success raises ethical and legal questions.
— ETHIC
💬 LEXICON
Allemannsretten
State-owned company Innovation Norway had to suspend its latest tourism campaign promoting ”allemannsretten,” or “right to roam,” which gives Norwegians permission to ski, camp, swim and roam freely regardless of land ownership. The government suspended the ads as “it may lead to more people wanting to explore vulnerable natural areas on their own,” according to Stein Ove Rolland, the head of the tourism board. While visitors are encouraged to enjoy the Norwegian outdoors, the government would rather they do so “through sustainable offerings provided by competent experienced companies,” added Rolland. Read more about sustainable tourism here on Worldcrunch.
✍️ Newsletter by Anne-Sophie Goninet & Chloé Touchard
Let us know what’s happening in your corner of the world!