👋 Mhoroi!*
Welcome to Wednesday, where the Gaza ceasefire is under growing strain, China accuses the U.S. Navy of “risky behavior” and the origins of new Czech wetland is our daily quiz. Meanwhile, Alaa Rashidy in Beirut-based Daraj shows us how Arab cinema is increasingly — and masterfully — exploring LGBTQ+ and gender stories.
[*Shona, Zimbabwe]
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🗞️ FRONT PAGE
French weekly La Tribune led today with a photo of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance at the AI Action Summit in Paris. “AI: Europe Strikes Back,” headlined the magazine, highlighting von der Leyen’s arguments for making Europe, “one of the leading AI continents,” while pushing for safety regulations in her speech on Tuesday. It contrasted with Vance, who said at the summit that overregulation could be harmful to the AI industry.
🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
• Gaza ceasefire at risk, Netanyahu gives Saturday deadline for hostage. Fears are growing that the war in Gaza could resume, after Israel's security cabinet supported U.S. President Donald Trump's demand for all remaining hostages to be returned by Saturday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he had ordered troops to amass inside and around Gaza in response to Hamas' announcement that it was postponing freeing more hostages until further notice. Meanwhile, Trump pressed Jordan's King Abdullah to take in Palestinians who would be permanently displaced under the president's plan for the U.S. to take over Gaza, even as the king said his country was firmly opposed to the move. Follow Worldcrunch’s international coverage of the Middle East here.
• One killed and four injured in Russian missile attack on Ukraine capital overnight. The attack comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested Ukraine would be prepared to swap land with Russia in potential peace negotiations. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has welcomed home American schoolteacher Marc Fogel after he was released from prison in Russia, with the U.S. president saying Vladimir Putin had got "not much" in return. Trump said that another detainee would be freed on Wednesday.
• China says U.S. naval patrol of Taiwan Strait poses security risk. China’s military has accused the United States of engaging in risky behaviour in the Taiwan Strait after two U.S. naval ships transited the international waterway. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said it had monitored the movements of the USS Ralph Johnson, a naval destroyer, and the USNS Bowditch, a survey ship, as they moved through the waterway between Monday and Wednesday.
• UN says Bangladesh crackdown may be crime against humanity. Up to 1,400 people were killed in last year's anti-government protests in Bangladesh, most of them by security forces, the United Nations estimates. UN human rights investigators accuse the deposed government of Sheikh Hasina of a brutal response that they warn could amount to “crimes against humanity.” Sheikh Hasina, who had been in office for 15 years, fled by helicopter to India shortly before crowds stormed her residence.
• Gangs in Haiti are recruiting children. A report published on Wednesday by Amnesty International estimates that more than one million children live in areas controlled by or under the influence of armed gangs in Haiti, and condemned offenses committed against young people, including sexual abuse and other forms of targeted violence.
• Greece elects former parliament speaker as new president. Constantine Tassoulas was elected as the country's president on Wednesday, approving the conservative government's nominee for the largely ceremonial role. The decision to nominate him has angered protesters who rallied outside parliament last month seeking justice over a deadly 2023 train crash.
• News Quiz! What was responsible for an unusual wetland recently created in the Czech Republic?
A. Beavers
B. An earthquake
C. A melting glacier
D. A brewery spill
[Answer below]
#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS
$135 billion
Siemens Energy, a German green energy equipment company, posted $135 billion worth of pending orders on Wednesday, breaking records. The surge in sales comes as demand for energy is growing due to the growth in AI, since creating and training new models uses massive amounts of power. The company also announced a profit of just over a quarter billion dollars for the first quarter of its financial year, outpacing expectations by nearly double.
📹 ON THIS DAY VIDEO — 4 HISTORY-MAKING EVENTS, IN 57 SECONDS
➡️ Watch the video: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
📰 IN OTHER NEWS
🎥 The years between 2022 and 2024 can be considered among the most productive in Arab cinema regarding films focusing on queer sexualities and issues.
— DARAJ
🇮🇳 India's silence on Trump's imperialistic notions about taking over Greenland and Gaza does not sit well with its growing relative strength in the world.
— THE WIRE
🦐 American crayfish, introduced to Spain in the 1970s, have decimated Iberian crayfish populations. However, experts debate reintroducing Iberian crayfish, as they too may not actually be native to the region.
— LA MAREA
📣 VERBATIM
“These reckless and inflammatory statements flagrantly violate international law and the UN Charter…”
— Tehran’s UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani criticized Donald Trump’s threats to use force to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, adding that “any act of aggression will have severe consequences.” The criticism was over comments Trump made in media interviews, saying that stopping Iran’s use of nuclear weapons could happen “with bombs or with a written piece of paper.”
✍️ Newsletter by Emma Albright & Jake Shropshire
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