👋 Inuugujoq kutaa!*
Welcome to Wednesday, where Donald Trump asks Elon Musk to lead a new “government efficiency” department, Ukraine’s capital is hit by Russian missiles for the first time since August, and China flexes its aerospace muscles. Meanwhile, Die Zeit’s Jana Petersen looks at the new ways allowing women to combat the systemic "medical gaslighting" they face.
[*Greenlandic]
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🗞️ FRONT PAGE
German daily Frankfurter Rundschau marks the countdown: “102 days left” until the country’s snap election on Feb. 23, 2025. The date for the federal vote comes nearly a week after the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government. The campaign kicked off amid rising tensions, with Scholz’s SPD polling third just behind the far-right AfD. Friedrich Merz, head of the opposition Christian Democrats, is currently leading in polls by a wide margin. This election comes at a crucial time, as Donald Trump’s return to the White House raises uncertainty over the United States’ NATO commitments and potential trade tariffs. With geopolitical pressures and internal fragmentation, Germany faces an urgent need to establish a stable government.
🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
• Trump appoints Elon Musk to lead new “government efficiency” department. The U.S. president-elect asked the tech billionaire to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency alongside former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Making the announcement on Tuesday night, Trump said the duo “will pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures and restructure federal agencies.” Army veteran and Fox News host Pete Hegseth was also announced as the new defense secretary. For more on Musk’s influence on the U.S., here’s an analysis by Agência Pública: Trump, Musk And The New Oligarchy Of Tech-Driven Political Power.
• Russia strikes Kyiv with missiles for first time since August. Moscow launched its first missile and drone attack on the Ukrainian capital city for the first time in 73 days on Wednesday, prompting Ukraine’s air force to put the whole country under air raid alert. Serhii Popko, head of the Kyiv City military administration, said damage is still being assessed. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet NATO and EU officials in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss the future of assistance to Ukraine ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House. Read more about how Trump’s victory shakes global conflicts in this analysis translated from French by Worldcrunch.
• Israeli airstrikes kill at least 46 in Gaza Strip, 33 in Lebanon. Medics said the airstrikes left at least 46 dead in the past day in the Gaza Strip, including 11 at a makeshift cafeteria in an Israeli-declared humanitarian zone, while in Lebanon, warplanes struck Beirut’s southern suburbs and killed 33 people across the country on Tuesday. This comes after the U.S. said it would not reduce its military support for Israel despite the 30-day deadline passed for allowing more humanitarian aid access in Gaza. Meanwhile, Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad released new video footage on Wednesday of Israeli hostage Alexander Troufanov in Gaza, the first in several months.
• UN nuclear watchdog chief heads to Iran. International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi is set to visit Tehran on Wednesday to discuss Iran’s nuclear program, after he warned “margins for maneuver are beginning to shrink” and that it was “imperative to find ways to reach diplomatic solutions.”
• China clears memorial to victims of Zhuhai car attack. Authorities in the southern Chinese city removed wreaths, candles and offerings at the scene of a deadly car rampage that killed at least 35 people on Monday, as the government scrambles to respond and censor online outrage. Online searches about what had happened were heavily censored and videos on the scene posted on social media were deleted. Questions have swirled on social media about why it took authorities so long to reveal the details of the deadliest mass killing in the country in a decade.
• Flood alerts spark evacuations in Spain’s Málaga province. Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes in the southern Costa del Sol region on Wednesday after a red weather alert was issued for extreme rain and flooding. Several other regions in Spain remain on alert as an extreme weather DANA phenomenon is expected to bring torrential rain and low temperatures. This comes just weeks after the Valencia region was devastated by flash floods that have killed more than 220 people. Read more in this reportage translated from Spanish by Worldcrunch: Valencia, Floods, Fate: When You've Been Spared From The Disaster Next Door.
• “Russian warship, go f*** yourself” can’t be trademarked, EU court rules. The slogan, famously uttered by a Ukrainian border guard as Russia attempted to capture Snake Island in the Black Sea on Feb. 24, 2022, is more political than commercial, the European Union’s General Court stated on Wednesday. The Ukrainian border service was trying to claim commercial rights to use the phrase on keyrings, bags and clothing.
#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS
41.6 billion metric tons
Global CO₂ emissions are projected to reach a record 41.6 billion metric tons in 2024, according to the Global Carbon Budget report, published during the UN’s COP29 climate summit, underway in Baku, Azerbaijan. The primary driver of this increase, up from 40.6 billion tons last year, is fossil fuel combustion, which will account for 37.4 billion tons, as well as land-use changes, such as deforestation and wildfires, which increased emissions by 13.5% this year due to severe drought conditions in regions including the Amazon. Some scientists have said that slow climate progress means the 1.5 °C climate target can no longer realistically be met.
📹 ON THIS DAY VIDEO — 4 HISTORY-MAKING EVENTS, IN 57 SECONDS
➡️ Watch the video: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
📰 IN OTHER NEWS
✊ For right-wing leaders who've lost their position in their countries, Donald Trump’s unprecedented comeback is becoming the playbook for how to capitalize on dissatisfaction and regain power.
— WORLDCRUNCH
💥 Last month saw a sudden uptick in violence on Syrian territory, carried out either by Israel or by the Assad government and its Russian and Iranian allies. Once again, innocent Syrians, including too many children, are paying the price.
— DARAJ
🩺 For centuries, doctors have taken women's diseases less seriously, saying they were psychological or made up. But now, social media is helping these women report their misdiagnoses and confront an unjust system.
— DIE ZEIT
📣 VERBATIM
“The executive cannot become a judge and demolish properties.”
— In a landmark ruling on Wednesday, India’s Supreme Court reinforced the principle of separation of powers by banning extrajudicial demolitions, commonly referred to as “bulldozer justice.” The ruling came after a series of demolitions targeting homes of individuals accused or convicted of crimes, primarily affecting minority Muslim communities. In a statement, the court emphasized that such practices violate the rule of law and issued strict guidelines requiring 15-day notice for demolitions and threatened contempt of court for non-compliance. Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, praised the decision, calling it a vital step in upholding citizens’ rights in India’s constitutional democracy.
✍️ Newsletter by Anne-Sophie Goninet & Ella Nigro
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