👋 Mogethin!*
Welcome to Tuesday, where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says “some progress” has been made to reach a hostage and ceasefire deal, protests erupt in Damascus after a Christmas tree is set on fire and Russian scientists find the remains of the “world’s best preserved” baby mammoth. Meanwhile, Carlos Madrid in La Marea is wondering why, in a world of rising sea levels, we keep building more artificial islands.
⛄ Starting tomorrow, Worldcrunch Today will be taking a short break from breaking news, offering in its place a selection of staff favorites published this past year. Each day a new article, picked by our very own team of journalists, translators and editors. Happy holidays!
[*Yapese - Micronesia]
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🗞️ FRONT PAGE
Italian daily La Stampa’s front page Tuesday features its selection of the 12 photographs of the year: among them, Donald Trump with his fist raised high after surviving the July 13 Pennsylvania assassination attempt, Syrian rebels freeing the Sednaya prison, French rape victime Gisèle Pélicot, and a Ukrainian soldier paying tribute to his fallen brothers-in-arms in a graveyard. The biggest image of them all, though, might come as a surprise to many: a passionate kiss between American mogul Elon Musk and Italian and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. No, you didn’t miss out — this never happened, the photo is AI generated. It’s a taunt, not a mistake: In an editorial, Andrea Malaguti reflects on the increasing impact these kind of images will have on our societies in the future.
🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
• Israel claims responsibility for Haniyeh's assassination, “some progress” on ceasefire deal. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed yesterday Israel's responsibility in the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "some progress" had been made to reach a hostage and ceasefire deal with Hamas, without giving more details. In Gaza, the Israeli army has shelled the al-Awda and Kamal Adwan hospitals, where at least 20 patients and medical staff have been injured.
• Hundreds protest in Syria over Christmas tree set on fire. Crowds have gathered in the Christian areas of Damascus after a video showing fighters from the Islamist group Ansar al-Tawhid setting a Christmas tree on fire emerged on social media. Demonstrators are protesting the "injustice against Christians", while al-Qaeda's leader has said all faiths will be respected in the country. What’s next for Syria after the demise of Bachar al-Assad? Yousef Okil and Mohamed Napolion look at the country's future for Al Manassa, in this article translated by Worldcrunch.
• Two dead in sinking of Russian cargo. An explosion in the engine room sank the Ursa Major in the Mediterranean sea, reported the Russian foreign ministry. Two crew members are missing and the 14 others have been rescued and brought to Spain.
• French prime minister announces new government. François Bayrou unveiled his picks for his cabinet on Monday night, including leading figures and former ministers, mostly conservative and centrist politicians. Former Prime Minister Manuel Valls is back as minister for France’s overseas territory, with the recovery of Mayotte, devastated by Cyclone Chido, high on his agenda.
• Tonga elects new Prime Minister after sudden resignation. 'Aisake Valu Eke was elected Prime Minister on Tuesday, two weeks after his predecessor abruptly resigned after clashing with the country's royal family. Valu Eke will be in office until November 2025, when the Pacific nation's next presidential election takes place.
• China plans $411 billion special treasure bond insurance for 2025. Chinese authorities have issued a record 3 trillion yuan worth of special treasure bonds to revive the country's faltering economy. The move also comes in preparation of an expected increase in U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports as announced by president-elect Donald Trump. How will Trump's presidency change the world economy? Maria Angela Holguin looks at the new President's approach in this piece for El Espectador.
• A 50,000-year-old baby. Russian scientists have unveiled the remains of a baby mammoth in the Yakutia region of Siberia. “Yana,” weighing 100kg and measuring 120cm, is the world's best preserved mammoth carcass and was discovered thawing out of the permafrost by people living nearby.
#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS
6.2 million kilometers
NASA's Parker Solar Probe, shielded from 1,400 °C heat, is making a record-breaking close approach to the Sun, at “only” 6.2 million km (3.8 million miles). It aims to unravel the mysteries of our star’s corona layer among the extreme heat and solar winds.
📹 ON THIS DAY VIDEO — 4 HISTORY-MAKING EVENTS, IN 57 SECONDS
➡️ Watch the video: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
📰 IN OTHER NEWS
🇸🇾 Rebuilding a functional Syrian state requires deep reflection and hard compromise on what the nation’s identity and laws will be.
— DARAJ
🏝️ Used as military bases, airports, residential areas, or platforms to drill for resources, artificial islands are growing, despite warnings that sea levels are rising. Why are we building more islands?
— LA MAREA
🎤 As James Mangold's A Complete Unknown biopic on “The Bard” is about to hit the screens, we've gathered a collection of people singing Bob Dylan songs around the world.
— WORLDCRUNCH
📣 VERBATIM
“It will damage this country forever.”
— El Salvador’s Congress just passed a law lifting a seven-year ban on metal mining, proposed by President Nayib Bukele. The legislation effectively makes metal mining possible again, although only outside nature reserves and sensitive watersheds, and only through joint ventures with the government. President Bukele has lauded the potential $3 trillion that could come from unmined gold, but the decision faced backlash from environmentalists, civic groups, and the Catholic Church. Archbishop José Luis Escobar Alas warned, “It will damage this country forever,” urging Bukele to reconsider. About 100 activists protested, voicing fears of ecological harm and water contamination.
✍️ Newsletter by Chloé Touchard & Gabriele Magro
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