September 28-29
- Gauging Putin’s nuclear bravado
- Bad foodie experience
- 3D-printed veins
- … and much more.
⬇️ STARTER
I won’t return to Haifa — reflections on the destructive “icon” of Nakba
BEIRUT — The peasants of Tsarist Russia are among the most wrenched characters in Fyodor Dostoevsky's novels and short stories in the second half of the 19th century. Readers of Dostoevsky can never forget his detailed description of the life of the Russian peasant, completely isolated, impoverished and miserable as they emerged from the serfdom system of the time.
The world of that peasant was nothing more than the daily, arduous pursuit of gaining the minimum to survive — just to survive. Despite this, we find he lives a rich spiritual life surrounded by icons of saints and martyrs, with a yearly calendar of feasts to honor those saints and martyrs who are his patrons to herald the time when justice returns to prevail in the world and the weak are promoted to the status they deserved through their patience and faith.
Nothing was left for those wretched people, even the lowest level of impoverishment, something that would offer some meaning, any meaning, to their lives — except that faith. Without that, death would have been more merciful than the life they lived. If we suppose that an “intellectual” told one of those pious, gentle, contented wretches that everything he believes in is an illusion, it would not be surprising if this pious and peaceful man killed that would-be intellectual on the spot. Dostoevsky features such intellectuals, appearing with such rudeness, in a variety of circumstances.
If we were to transfer this vision of Dostoevsky into the Arab world in the 20th century, I don’t think I am exaggerating if I said that we will find the equivalent of all those icons combined into a single symbol: Palestine. That symbol has the same magical effect on all “believers,” — the wretched ones like the peasants of Tsarist Russia in our country, and there are many others too.
There is a spell employed by these resistance believers — from the right and the left alike — when it comes to the catastrophe of October 7. It says that what happened (the attack and the subsequent war) was not the beginning of the story, but rather was just one of its repercussions. The story itself had begun long before that. We're told to look instead at another date.
Of course, the date that everyone is referring to is the launch of the Nakba of 1948 — our “icon” that is linked in an inescapable way to that right which was taken from all of us (all Arabs) — not just the Palestinians. Perhaps this is why Palestine has become, over the course of generations, larger than the Palestinians themselves.
Palestine, with its “stolen right” in the catastrophe of the Nakba, remained an icon hanging on the wall of our regrets. But compared to the icon of the Russian peasants in the 19th century, which did not have any benefits but also didn’t cause harm, our icon has done nothing but destroy lives for generations upon generations [...]
— Read the full article by Shukri Al-Rayyan for Daraj, translated into English by Worldcrunch.
🎲 OUR WEEKLY NEWS QUIZ
What do you remember from the news this week?
1. When it fired a rocket toward Tel Aviv, what headquarters did Hezbollah say it was aiming for?
2. Which country has become the first in Southeast Asia to officially legalize same-sex marriage?
3. What animals is a Finnish zoo returning to China due to high maintenance costs?
4. In a speech, instead of “hostages,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has gaffedly asked for the return of…
otaries / cottages / hostesses / sausages
[Answers at the bottom of this newsletter]
#️⃣ TRENDING
Food experiences abroad aren’t always so pleasant for tourists. British influencer Sam Pepper ended up in a hospital after drinking what he called “Indian street milk” from a street vendor, which caused him severe vomiting and high fever. The traditional Indian drink, called “bhang lassi,” is made out of milk infused with cannabis, honey and spices. In a video that went viral on social media, Pepper explains how he caught a bacteria from the beverage and eventually had to be flown to Bangkok, Thailand, to receive treatment. Some users criticized the influencer, saying it was a stupid move to get views and that such a drink wasn’t for “beginners.”
🎭 5 CULTURE THINGS TO KNOW
• Iran pardons artist behind protest anthem. Iranian singer-songwriter Shervin Hajipour said in a video posted on Instagram that he was pardoned from serving a three-year sentence over his song “Baraye,” which became an anthem to the 2022 protests that rocked Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody. Hajipour, 27, had won a Special Merit Grammy Award in 2023 in the category “Best Song For Social Change.”
• Defaced Banksy artwork gets “anti-graffiti” protection. The piece, which features two elephants poking their heads out of blocked-out windows on the side of a house in Chelsea, had been vandalized with white paint shortly after it was discovered two months ago. The Kensington and Chelsea Council cleaned the mural and added a special coat to protect the artwork, in the hopes residents could enjoy it “for many years to come.” The mysterious Bristol-based street artist had unveiled nine artworks featuring animals across London over nine days in early August.
• Nintendo releases new Zelda game. The Japanese gaming company unveiled The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom on its Nintendo Switch. For the first time, the game allows users to play as Princess Zelda, rather than the warrior Link. It also marks the first time that a woman heads a Zelda project, as Tomomi Sano becomes the first female director in the franchise’s 38-year history.
• Researchers unearth Ice Age mastodons in Peru. The remains of the mammoth-like beasts, believed to be between 11,000 and 12,000 years old, were discovered as part of excavations in the valley of Chambara, about 300 km (186 miles) east of Lima. Scientists believe that the mastodons migrated from North America down to South America in search of food and water as climate conditions changed.
• Italian designer Alberta Ferretti resigns from eponymous brand. Ferretti, 74, announced she was stepping down as creative director of the brand she founded in 1981, saying that “it’s time for me to make room for a new chapter for my brand, a new narrative.” The brand, owned by fashion group Aeffe, will continue to bear the designer’s name.
📸 SMILE OF THE WEEK
The images shortlisted for this year’s Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards have been revealed. A panicked owl, slapping seals, a desperate mantis, a squirrel stuck in a tree and a contemplative chimpanzee are among the chosen shots — picked from 9,000 entries from 98 countries. “These images capture not only the humor and charm of wildlife, but also highlight the importance of conservation in a way that resonates with people of all ages and from all different walks of life,” said Stefan Maier, Nikon Europe senior general manager of marketing.
📰 IN OTHER NEWS
💥 The first calls for ceasefire were ignored by the belligerents Hezbollah and Israel, for different reasons. The risk of escalation, including an Israeli ground invasion, grows with each passing day.
— FRANCE INTER
🇱🇧 The people of Lebanon are paying a price for both a failing of Hezbollah security, and more broadly for a “support war” so ambiguous that it’s impossible to understand its cause, purpose, or if anything has been achieved.
— DARAJ
☢️ The world is getting a glimpse at the true state of Moscow’s nuclear arsenal — and it puts Vladimir Putin’s atomic threats and bluster in a whole new light.
— LIVY BEREG
🎖️ “We have to start seeing the world through the prism of security.” The war in Ukraine has reopened the debate over the need for a European army.
— ETHIC
🌈 “They can live as openly as they did at home.” Retirement homes in Germany are increasingly improving their levels of care for queer residents… yes, even the Catholic ones.
— DIE ZEIT
🧬 BRIGHT IDEA
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati are using 3D bioprinting to create artificial blood vessels that they could soon use to test cures for glioblastoma, a highly aggressive brain cancer. The innovation was led by the fact that most drugs can’t cross the blood-brain barrier, meaning that there just aren’t many therapies available for brain tumors, unlike other cancers. Led by Professor Riccardo Barrile, the team hopes to develop models that might speed up drug testing from months to hours and pave the way for personalized therapies.
👓 WORLDCRUNCH MAGAZINE
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⏩ LOOKING AHEAD
• UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will go to Brussels to meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and discuss Britain's relationship with the European Union.
• Bangladesh will begin enforcing a ban on plastic grocery bags, in an effort to crack down on polythene producers. The country was the first to implement such a ban, back in 2002, but had so far failed to take legal action.
• A new museum devoted to video game giant Nintendo is scheduled to open its doors on Wednesday in Kyoto, Japan.
• It’s Fat Bear Week! Employees at Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve will kick off the yearly celebration by casting their votes next week to elect the chunkiest bear of them all.
News quiz answers:
1. Hezbollah said the ballistic missile it launched into Israel was targeting the headquarters of Mossad near Tel Aviv. The missile was intercepted by Israeli air defense systems after it was detected crossing from Lebanon.
2. Thailand’s king signed a marriage equality bill into law, making the country the first in Southeast Asia to recognize same-sex weddings.
3. Finland’s Ähtäri Zoo announced it was returning two giant pandas to China in November, more than eight years ahead of time, as the facility said it could no longer afford their upkeep.
4. In a conference speech, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for the return of “sausages” from Gaza instead of “hostages” — a slip-up that swiftly went viral.
✍️ Newsletter by Worldcrunch
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*Photo: Cover Images/ZUMA