✅  SIGN UP

This is our daily newsletter Worldcrunch Today, a rapid tour of the news of the day from the world's best journalism sources, regardless of language or geography.

It's easy (and free!) to sign up to receive it each day in your inbox: 👉 Sign up here

🌎  7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW

• China removes “missing” Qin Gang as Foreign Minister: The Chinese government has officially removed Qin Gang as foreign minister, instead reappointing his predecessor Wang Yi, according to state media — although no reason was given for the sudden shake-up to the country’s foreign policy leadership. Qin Gang has not been seen in public since June and the abrupt announcement of his removal comes after weeks of speculation about his fate.

• Israel restricts Supreme Court powers, sparking protests: Israeli police clashed with crowds of protesters overnight after parliament adopted a highly controversial law to limit the Supreme Court’s powers. In response and seeking calm, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has offered to delay the broader judicial overhaul. Police in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv used water cannons to disperse protesters blocking highways. Meanwhile, violence continues in the West Bank, resulting in three Palestinians shot dead by Israeli military.

• Russian drones shot down, Russian delegation to visit North Korea: Russia has launched its sixth air attack on Kyiv this month, but Ukraine has reported that all incoming drones had been shot down. The Ukrainian military also reported making small advances against Russian forces in parts of southern Ukraine and south of Bakhmut in the east. Meanwhile, a Russian delegation led by Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu will visit North Korea this week, joining a Chinese group as the first public visitor since the pandemic.

• July heat waves “impossible” without climate change: According to an assessment published by the World Weather Attribution, a global team of scientists that examines the role played by climate change in extreme weather, human-induced climate change has played an “absolutely overwhelming” role in the heat waves that have swept across North America, Europe and China this month.

• North Korea fires two ballistic missiles into the sea: North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast hours, just after a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine arrived at a naval base in South Korea. The launch comes amid tensions on the Korean Peninsula as South Korea and the United States take steps to increase their military against North Korea's weapons program with the deployment of U.S. strategic military assets.

• Arrest warrant against Pakistan ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan: Pakistan’s Election Commission has issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Imran Khan in the latest legal challenge facing the former prime minister. Khan has been charged with more than 150 cases, including “terrorism” since he was removed as prime minister in a no-confidence vote in parliament in April last year.

🗞️  FRONT PAGE

Athens-based daily I Avgi covers the “seven days” of devastating wildfires that have been raging through Greece, pointing fingers at the inadequate reaction from Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. An estimated 353 wildfires have spread across hundreds of thousands of acres in the Greek peninsula.

#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS

16 years and 26 days

South Korea forward Casey Phair has broken the record for the youngest ever player to appear at the World Cup. Twenty-six days after celebrating her 16th birthday, she was brought on as a 78th minute substitute in her team’s 2-0 loss against Colombia. Phair is eight days younger than the previous title holder in 1999, Nigeria’s Ifeanyi Chiejine. According to FIFA, the U.S.-born player also broke another soccer record during the game: the biggest age gap between teammates in Women’s World Cup history, between her and 38-year-old South Korean goalkeeper Kim Jung-mi.

📰 STORY OF THE DAY

Of death and disillusion: Tales of young Russians lured by glory to the frontlines

Many Russians have tried to avoid being conscripted to join the war in Ukraine, but many others believed deeply in the constant campaign of state propaganda. Russian independent news outlet Vazhnyye Istorii/Important Stories shares some of the stories of the lucky ones who made it back — and those who didn't.

🇷🇺 Andrey joined the Russian army in December 2021, at the age of 18 after having dropped out of college. Six months later, he called his mother Elena, saying he was on the frontline in Ukraine. “He told me: Mom…I’m here,” Elena says. “He must’ve signed a contract. There’s no other way. He knew I was in poor health, and so he kept silent about his decision until the last moment.” A year has passed since Elena last heard her son's voice — the last time they spoke was on Sept. 23, 2022.

🎖️ Anatoly joined the fight in 2014 and 2015 as a member of the pro-Russian forces fighting in the Donetsk People’s Republic. His participation in the war was short-lived, as he died only a few months after joining. “Nobody informed us about our son's death. We found out when someone wrote on social media that my son had died,” his mother Tatiana says.

🩺 Valery, a 35-year-old man from Lipetsk, has diabetes but remained eligible for military summons during Russia’s partial mobilization. “On the sixth day of mobilization, I came to work, and they sent me to the office to receive the summons. That was it — off I went, ready to defend the motherland,” he says. He did not want to evade the situation, but since he depends on medication, he expected the draft board to conduct a medical examination. Instead, he was immediately sent to the war zone.

📹 THIS HAPPENED VIDEO — TODAY IN HISTORY, IN ONE ICONIC PHOTO

➡️ Watch the video: THIS HAPPENED

📣 VERBATIM

“We are at war.”

— Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis told parliament, referring to the ongoing battle to contain the devastating wildfires sweeping across the country. Particularly affected are the islands of Rhodes and Corfu, where thousands of people have been evacuated. For seven consecutive days, Greece has been grappling with the inferno, exacerbated by extreme temperatures in the region. Mitsotakis cautioned that Greece faces “another three difficult days” before a decrease in heat is forecast. “The climate crisis is already here,” he said.

👉 MORE FROM WORLDCRUNCH

• The Big Questions (And Coalition Headaches) Ahead For Spain — LES ECHOS

• Sławomir Mentzen: The Tiktok Star Leading Poland’s Rising Far-Right Party — WORLDCRUNCH

• Watching Oppenheimer In Kharkiv, Where Atomic Angst Hits Too Close To Home — THE CONVERSATION