👋 Halo!*
Welcome to Monday, where airstrikes carried out by the Syrian government and Russia kill at least 25 in rebel-held northwestern Syria, Olaf Scholz is in Kyiv for the first time in 2 ½ years, and the Würstelstand is officially recognized as part of Austria’s cultural heritage. And for French daily Les Echos, Yann Verdo tells you everything you always wanted to know about love — and what it does to your brain.
[*Bislama, Vanuatu]
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Tbilisi-based weekly Kviris Palitra lends its front page to the growing tensions in the country after the government announced it was delaying talks with the European Union on potential membership to the bloc. Thousands of Georgians took to the streets on Sunday, for the fourth night in a row to protest the decision. Outside the parliament, protesters clashed with police in Georgia's capital city in the early hours Monday. Hundreds had been arrested the day before in what is thought to be the largest demonstrations since the ruling Georgian Dream party claimed victory in October's contested parliamentary elections.
🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
• At least 25 people killed in Syria in Syrian and Russian airstrikes. Russian and Syrian jets struck the rebel-held city of Idlib in northern Syria on Sunday, as President Bashar al-Assad vowed to stop insurgents who had crossed into the city of Aleppo. Meanwhile, Iranian-backed Iraqi militias have deployed in Syria to back the government’s counteroffensive. Read more about Syria’s civil war reigniting in this piece by French Analyst Pierre Haski.
• President Joe Biden pardons his son despite previous pledges not to. U.S. President Joe Biden pardoned his son, sparing the younger Biden a possible prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions and reversing his past promises not to use the extraordinary powers of the presidency for the benefit of his family. The Democratic president had previously said he would not pardon his son or commute his sentence after convictions in the two cases in Delaware and California.
• German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Ukraine for the first time in more than 2 1/2 years. His visit comes just weeks after he was criticized by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for having a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. During his visit, Scholz pledged additional military support worth $680 million to Ukraine.
• Georgian opposition leader arrested after fourth night of protests. Georgian police arrested a prominent opposition leader early Monday after using water cannons and tear gas to scatter anti-government protesters who rallied outside parliament for the fourth straight night. The protests were sparked by the government's announcement last week that it was suspending talks on joining the European Union. Read more in this analysis translated by Worldcrunch: Georgia Election: On Kremlin Interference And Real Fear Of War
• Australian police have arrested 13 people in largest cocaine bust in country’s history. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) said on Monday that they had charged 11 men and two juveniles after tracking a fishing boat that travelled to meet a mother ship loaded with cocaine off the coast of Queensland. After the boat broke down, police seized 2.3 tons of cocaine with a street value of 760 million Australian dollars ($494 million).
• Dozens dead after stampede breaks out at Guinea football match. At least 56 people have been killed after violent clashes during a football match led to a stampede in Guinea’s second largest city of N’Zerekore. Local media said police had used tear gas after supporters of the visiting team, Labé, threw stones towards the pitch in anger at the referee.
• And the Oxford word of the year goes to… brain rot. It is a term that captures concerns about the impact of consuming excessive amounts of low-quality online content, especially on social media. The word's usage saw an increase of 230% in its frequency from 2023 to 2024. Psychologist and Oxford University Professor, Andrew Przybylski says the popularity of the word is a "symptom of the time we're living in." Brain rot beat five other shortlisted words including “demure”, “romantasy” and “dynamic pricing”. To know more about the concept of brain rot read this piece by Spencer Hooker for Worldcrunch.
#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS
$632 billion
A report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) revealed that global arms sales rose 4.2% in 2023, reaching $632 billion. The wars in Ukraine and Gaza and tensions in Asia drove up the sales by major arms makers, with manufacturers based in Russia and the Middle East getting a particular boost. According to a SIPRI researcher, the rise in arms revenues is likely to continue in 2024.
📹 ON THIS DAY VIDEO — 4 HISTORY-MAKING EVENTS, IN 57 SECONDS
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📰 IN OTHER NEWS
💥 As Syria’s never-ending civil war has reignited, the Middle East is now facing a whole new level of turmoil.
— FRANCE INTER
🇨🇳🇺🇸 Many overseas Chinese have openly celebrated Donald Trump's comeback. But how does such admiration align with his openly anti-China rhetoric?
— DIE ZEIT
— LES ECHOS
💬 LEXICON
Würstelstand
The Austrian UNESCO Commission has announced that Vienna’s iconic Würstelstand (sausage stand) has been added to the national list of intangible cultural heritage. A gathering point bringing together all kinds of populations and social classes, the humble stand has become a symbol of the capital and go-to place for locals and tourists alike to get the city’s signature snacks.
✍️ Newsletter by Emma Albright & Laure Gautherin
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