👋 ¡Bonos díes!*
Welcome to Thursday, where Donald Trump is preparing to select his top team ahead of his White House comeback, Germany’s coalition government collapses after a key minister is fired and Australia’s viral breakdancer announces her retirement. We also feature a piece by Marta García Miranda for La Marea about an avant-garde artistic project that transforms forests into a stage.
[*Asturian, Spain]
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Antwerp-based daily De Morgen joins the rest of the world in spotlighting former U.S. President Donald Trump’s reemergence onto the political stage. The front page, bearing the bold statement “There he is again,” captures a silhouetted Trump stepping toward a crowd to give his victory speech. Belgium, like most of Europe, is watching closely as Trump’s win stirs debates on nationalism, populism, and shifting transatlantic alliances. Check out our collection of international front pages reacting to Trump’s “incroyable” comeback.
🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
• Donald Trump to select top team ahead of return to White House. In a decisive victory, Trump looks on track to win all seven battleground states and is ahead in the nationwide popular vote. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has conceded the race but promised to keep fighting for democracy and the rule of law. Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden is set to address the country on Thursday, the White House says. Follow our international coverage of the U.S. elections here.
• Israeli strikes on Lebanon kill 40 around eastern city of Baalbek. Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have exchanged fire for more than a year in parallel with the Gaza war but fighting has escalated since late September, with Israeli troops intensifying bombing of Lebanon's south and east and making ground incursions into border villages. To understand how Arab regimes are reacting to the violence in the Middle East, read this piece by Al-Manassa, translated into English by Worldcrunch.
• Germany's governing coalition collapses after Chancellor Olaf Scholz fires key minister. He also said he would call a vote of confidence in his government early next year, which is expected to lead to new national elections in the spring. The chancellor said he had no trust in Finance Minister Christian Lindner, who heads the pro-business Free Democrats and has been part of the coalition along with Scholz's Social Democrats and the Greens.
• South Korea is “not ruling out” providing weapons directly to Ukraine. This statement from South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol comes amid North Korea’s deployment of troops to support Russia in its war. Pyongyang’s involvement in the conflict presented a threat to Seoul, as the reclusive state’s soldiers get much-needed combat experience, which its military lacks, and additionally gets rewarded by Moscow with sensitive military technology transfers, Yoon told a news conference on Thursday.
• This year set to be the first to breach 1.5 °C global warming limit. The year 2024, punctuated by intense heatwaves and deadly storms, will be the world's warmest on record, according to projections by the European climate service. Global average temperatures across the year are on track to end up more than 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels, which would make 2024 the first calendar year to surpass this mark.
• Cuba suffers nationwide blackout due to Hurricane Rafael. The country's national energy company said strong winds had caused the shutdown of the electricity system. At least 70,000 people were evacuated from their homes before the category three storm made landfall on Wednesday evening with warnings of storm surges, flash flooding, and mudslides.
• Australian breakdancer Rachael “Raygun” Gunn announces retirement from competition. This comes amid a “really upsetting” backlash following her performance at the Paris Olympics. Raygun, 37, was mocked online and in the mainstream media for everything from her underwhelming moves to her green official team kit. Gunn told Sydney radio she was still breaking but not competing.
#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS
-30.6%
Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon dropped by 30.6% in the annual period beginning August 2023, per Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE). This reduction brought forest loss down to 6,288 square kilometers, marking the lowest deforestation rate in nine years. Brazilian President, Lula da Silva, has pledged to end illegal deforestation in the Amazon by 2030, although he faces significant challenges with competing interests from agricultural, logging and mining sectors. This reduction signals progress in Brazil’s environmental goals, as experts warn reforestation is crucial to prevent the Amazon from hitting an irreversible tipping point.
📹 ON THIS DAY VIDEO — 4 HISTORY-MAKING EVENTS, IN 57 SECONDS
➡️ Watch the video: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
📰 IN OTHER NEWS
🇺🇸🇪🇺 Donald Trump’s victory is not some unforeseen accident. Europe should have been preparing for this… But it didn't. The actions we take now are vital for the future of democracy and the free world.
— DIE ZEIT
🇺🇦 Could Donald Trump’s win at the U.S. election turn out to be a blessing in disguise for Ukraine in its war against Russia
— GAZETA WYBORCZA
🌳 “Shared Landscapes” is an avant-garde artistic project performed in the forest, temporarily converted into a stage and scenery, which explores our links with nature and the landscape.
— LA MAREA
📣 VERBATIM
“Social media is doing harm to our kids, and I’m calling time on it.”
— Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, announced plans to introduce legislation preventing children under 16 from accessing social media. This initiative, aimed towards platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube, puts the responsibility on tech companies to block underage users. This legislation, backed by both major parties in Australia, will be presented to parliament this year and would take effect 12 months after being passed. Australia’s approach is among the strictest worldwide, as other countries have introduced age restrictions but often with parental consent exceptions, a caveat Australia does not plan to include.
✍️ Newsletter by Emma Albright & Ella Nigro
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