👋 Om Swastiastu!*
Welcome to Wednesday, where Israeli attacks in Gaza and Lebanon continue unabated, Donald Trump accuses the UK Labour Party of election interference and German police say a pizzeria was serving up cocaine to customers as a side dish. We also feature a story Worldcrunch translated from Al-Manassa about how war too often leads not only to death and injury, but also divorce.
[*Balinese]
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🗞️ FRONT PAGE
As the BRICS Summit launched Tuesday in Kazan, Russia, the Shanghai committee of the Chinese Communist Party's newspaper Jiefang Daily dedicates its front page to President Xi Jinping's roadmap for this international meeting. The Chinese leader held talks with Vladimir Putin and confirmed the “profound friendship” between their two countries, sending "positive signals of unity and cooperation", writes the daily. The three-day conference is also an opportunity for Xi to promote strategic collaboration and practical cooperation among BRICS original countries as well as potential new members, like Laos, whose President Thongloun Sisoulith was pictured with Xi at the Summit.
🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
• Israel strikes Lebanon, Blinken calls for more aid to Gaza. Israel has begun attacks on the Lebanese port city of Tyre, following evacuation threats made late Tuesday. The Israeli military reported the death of three Hezbollah commanders, and 70 fighters in the south of the country. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on a tour of the Middle East, is pushing ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon. Blinken told Israeli leaders that “much more needs to be done” in regards to humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza. The head of Gaza's health ministry reported that medical supplies had not entered the north for 18 days. How will families survive the winter in Gaza? Salem Al Rayyes looks at the fate of Palestinian refugees in this piece for Al-Manassa.
• European Parliament approves €35 billion loan to Ukraine. The European Parliament pledged a loan of up to €35 billion to Ukraine as part of a larger G7 initiative to support Ukraine's economy. The loan will be paid back using the profits generated by frozen Russian assets held in Western banks. The UK and Canada will each lend $3 and $3.6 billion under the G7 plan, but the U.S. and Japan have yet to announce their contribution.
• Taiwan says Chinese blockade would be act of war. Taiwan's Defense Minister Wellington Koo said a real Chinese blockade of Taiwan would be considered an act of war, following Chinese military drills that practiced the scenario. China has been carrying live-fire drills and military exercises near the island since last week, as tensions have reached an all time high between the two countries.
• Gisèle Pelicot takes the stand at mass rape trial. Gisèle Pelicot, the woman at the center of the mass rape trial shaking France, is set to take the stand for the second time today to comment on the evidence examined in court so far. The 72-year-old woman was unknowingly drugged and raped by her husband, who invited men to abuse her over a nine year period. Over the past two months, the court has heard from dozens of the 50 accused men. The trial has been made public according to Gisèle Pelicot's wishes, who said “shame must change sides.” Learn more about the trial in this piece by Alice Bota for Die Zeit.
• Ex-Abercrombie CEO arrested on sex trafficking charges. Mike Jeffries, the former CEO of the clothing brand Abercrombie & Fitch, and his partner Matthew Smith, have been arrested and charged with running an international prostitution and sex trafficking business. The 16-court indictment was unveiled on Tuesday by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn following a BBC investigation accusing Jeffries of baiting aspiring young models into performing sexual favors.
• E.coli outbreak caused by McDonald's burger. An E.coli food poisoning outbreak linked to the chain's Quarter Pounder hamburgers has made at least 49 people sick in 10 states according to federal health officials. One person died and 10 have been hospitalized, including a child with severe kidney complications. A preliminary investigation suggests the slivered onions used in the burger are a likely source of contamination. McDonald's has halted their distribution.
• A slice and side of coke. Police in western Germany raided a pizzeria which allegedly served customers a side of cocaine when they ordered item number 40 on the menu. Drug squad officers started watching the restaurant in March following a tip.
#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS
$700,000
The Commonwealth, via its entity Parks Australia, which manages national parks and conservation areas in Australia, has been condemned to pay more than $700,000 in fines and compensation after pleading guilty to disturbing a sacred site in Kakadu national park. The agency had built a walkway near rock art without permission from the sacred sites watchdog, the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority, leading to the closure of the site and a five-year legal battle.
📹 THIS HAPPENED VIDEO — TODAY IN HISTORY, IN ONE ICONIC PHOTO
➡️ Watch the video: THIS HAPPENED
📰 IN OTHER NEWS
🇪🇺 In Moldova, as in Georgia, Russian President Vladimir Putin is playing the same game as in Ukraine: preventing the components of the former USSR from joining Europe.
— FRANCE INTER
💔 “Most of the couples who have divorced had model relationships before the war.” The situation in Gaza has pushed many couples to the brink.
— AL-MANASSA
⚽ A 19-year-old Polish-Nigerian and a 24-year-old Polish-Ghanaian are making their debut on the international stage as members of the Polish national team, opening a new era in soccer and beyond.
— GAZETA WYBORCZA
📣 VERBATIM
“When representatives of the British government previously sought to go door-to-door in America, it did not end well for them.”
— Donald Trump's campaign announced it has filed a Federal Election Commission (FEC) complaint against the UK's Labour Party, accusing it of “blatant foreign interference” in the U.S. election in aid of the Harris-Walz campaign. The complaint bases its evidence on media reports about contact between Labour and the Harris campaign as well as apparent volunteering efforts, arguing that this amounts to illegal “contributions.” In a statement announcing the FEC complaint, the Trump campaign claims that “the far-left Labour Party has inspired Kamala’s dangerously liberal policies and rhetoric,” adding “When representatives of the British government previously sought to go door-to-door in America, it did not end well for them,” in a reference to the American War of Independence.
✍️ Newsletter by Chloé Touchard & Laure Gautherin
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