👋 ສະບາຍດີ*
Welcome to Wednesday, where at least 93 Palestinians are killed in an Israeli strike on the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahia, flash floods kill at least 51 in eastern Spain, and Australian police bust a major heist — with a Bluey twist. For Clarín, Marcelo Cantelmi shines a light on what Cuba’s blackouts mean for the future of the island nation.
[*Sabaidee - Lao, Laos]
✅ 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
Valencia-based daily Las Provincias dedicates its front page Wednesday to torrential rain which triggered devastating flash floods in southeastern Spain. In the town of Chiva near Valencia, more than a year's worth of rain fell in just eight hours. The death toll has reached 51 as of Wednesday morning, with many people still unaccounted for. More than 1,000 troops are being deployed to help with the rescue operation.
🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
• At least 93 Palestinians killed and dozens wounded in Israeli strike. The attack hit a residential building in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahia, with the U.S. calling the incident “horrifying.” Medics said at least 20 children were among the dead. Read more about Israel's new offensive in northern Gaza in this Al-Manassa article, translated from Arabic by Worldcrunch.
• Ukraine plans new mobilization drive. Ukraine is planning to draft another 160,000 troops into its military as Russia gains ground in the east. It comes amid reports that a number of North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia. Meanwhile, nine people were injured, as several apartments and a kindergarten were damaged in Russia's 19th attack on the Ukrainian capital this month. Read more about North Korean troops joining Russia in this piece for German daily Die Zeit.
• At least 51 people killed in flash floods in eastern Spain. This comes after torrential rain hit the region on Tuesday, leaving roads and towns under water. Rescuers using dinghies worked in the dark rescuing several people. Dozens of videos shared on social media overnight appeared to show people trapped by the floodwaters, with some climbing onto trees to avoid being swept away.
• In U.S. swing states, officials brace for conspiracy theories and violence. With the U.S. election days just away, officials in the most competitive battleground states are bracing for misinformation, conspiracy theories, threats and possible violence. In Philadelphia, Detroit and Atlanta, three of former President Donald Trump’s favorite targets for false claims of voter fraud, officials have fortified their operations against a repeat of the chaos of 2020. Follow Worldcrunch’s international coverage on the upcoming U.S. elections here.
• Australia to boost missile production after China tests ICBM in Pacific. This comes after China’s test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in the South Pacific raised “significant concerns.” Australia is among several Asia Pacific nations that are dramatically increasing defense spending.
• China declares success as its youngest astronauts reach space. A Chinese spacecraft with a three-person crew, including the country's first female space engineer, has docked after a journey of more than six hours. The crew will use the space station as a base for six months to conduct experiments and carry out spacewalks as Beijing gathers experience and intelligence for its eventual mission to put someone on the Moon by 2030.
• Police recover more than 40,000 stolen Bluey coins. The limited-edition coins based on the hit children’s television show Bluey, produced by the Australian Mint, had been stolen from a warehouse in Western Sydney, about two months before they were due to enter circulation. The coins, which are worth $1AU ($0.65) a piece, had previously been selling online for 10 times their face value.
#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS
35.3%
The European Union passed a new increase of tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles after a probe from Brussels found that China's state subsidies were unfairly undercutting European automakers. The extra tariffs range from 7.8% for Tesla to 35.3% for SAIC Motor, and come in addition to the already existing 10% standard import duty for cars to the EU. They are set to come into effect as soon as this Thursday and will last five years. China denounced the EU’s move, and filed a complaint under the World Trade Organization's (WTO) dispute settlement mechanism. Read more on this topic in this analysis translated from German by Worldcrunch: China-Germany: Trying To Avoid A Head-On Collision Over Electric Cars.
📹 THIS HAPPENED VIDEO — TODAY IN HISTORY, IN ONE ICONIC PHOTO
➡️ Watch the video: THIS HAPPENED
📰 IN OTHER NEWS
🇱🇧 “Our loss is not limited to memories and dreams, but also to the stories of our villages.” People in southern Lebanon are seeing thousands of houses end up in piles of rubble.
— DARAJ
⚡ Cuba’s current energy crisis is a dramatic illustration, symbolic and otherwise, of the overall downfall of a country that could have followed the successful models of its Asian cousins.
— CLARÍN
🏥 Mpox is sweeping through eastern DRC, into Uganda and beyond. Data from various health and government sources is often contradictory, but one thing is clear: Children now bear the brunt.
— GLOBAL PRESS JOURNAL
📣 VERBATIM
“There is no safe place in Sudan now.”
— A new UN report is accusing warring parties in Sudan of committing sexual violence on a "staggering" scale since the conflict started in April 2023. Mohamed Chande Othman, former chief justice of Tanzania and investigation's chair, commented on the alarming report that shows violence and sexual slavery used to "terrorizing and punishing civilians". The UN probe found evidence of women and girls being abducted for sexual slavery, and both the Sudanese army (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) engaging in torture, amounting to war crimes.
✍️ Newsletter by Emma Albright & Laure Gautherin
Let us know what’s happening in your corner of the world!