More than 3,000 people are feared to have been killed after massive floods hit several coastal towns in eastern Libya, including Derna, pictured above.
👋 Sawubona!*
Welcome to Tuesday, where thousands are feared dead as floods hit eastern Libya, Kim Jong-un’s private train arrives in Russia, and a Portuguese town gets one big red wine surprise. Meanwhile, after Mexico’s recent decision to decriminalize abortion, we look at how countries around the world have been handling the issue since the U.S. overturned Roe v. Wade last year.
[*Swati, Eswatini and South Africa]
✅ 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
• Kim Jong-un enters Russia to meet with Putin: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reportedly arrived in Russia via rail in his private train on Tuesday morning where he is due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss a potential arms deal. Putin arrived in Vladivostok on Monday to attend the Eastern Economic Forum, but the location of the meeting between the two leaders has not been confirmed. This is Kim’s first trip abroad in four years.
• At least 3,000 feared dead after devastating flood in Libya: Officials in Libya say at least 3,000 people have been killed and 10,000 are missing after heavy flooding caused by Storm Daniel swept away entire neighborhoods in several coastal towns. One quarter of the eastern city of Derna, where more than 1,000 bodies have been recovered so far, has been wiped out after two dams collapsed.
• Morocco earthquake death toll keeps rising, survivors struggle in shelters: The death toll from the 6.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains has risen to 2,862, with 2,562 people injured. Many survivors have spent a fourth night outside in makeshift shelters as rescuers are yet to reach remote village mountains. Meanwhile, the Red Cross has called for more than $110 million to provide assistance in the country.
• U.S. to free $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds as part of prisoner swap: The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has cleared the way for the release of five American citizens detained in Iran by waiving sanctions to allow the transfer of $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds from South Korea to Qatar.
• Nobel laureate Maria Ressa acquitted in tax evasion case: Maria Ressa, a Filipino Nobel Peace Prize winner and prominent journalist, has been acquitted in the last of five tax evasion cases filed against her in the Philippines. A fierce critic of former President Rodrigo Duterte, Ressa had maintained that the cases against her were politically motivated.
• American explorer freed from Turkish cave: Mark Dickey, an American explorer who was trapped in one of Turkey's deepest caves for more than a week after falling ill during an expedition, has been hoisted to safety. The rescue mission in the southern Taurus Mountain’s Morca cave, described as one of the largest and most complicated underground rescues ever mounted, mobilized more than 150 people over several days.
• Portugal town flooded by red wine: About 2.2 million liters of red wine flowed through the small Portuguese town of São Lourenco do Bairro after two tanks from the local distillery burst, forcing the local fire department to divert the flood away into a nearby field. The distillery took full responsibility for the incident and issued an apology.
🗞️ FRONT PAGE
Catalonia’s leading daily newspaper La Vanguardia lends its front page to the march that saw thousands of Catalan independence supporters take to the streets of Barcelona yesterday, on the region’s National Day. Participants demanded Catalonia’s secession from Spain, in the midst of separatist parties taking center stage in the national government. However, Reuters reports that turnout for this year’s National Day is low in comparison to past years, as support for the cause may be waning.
#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS
230,000 hectares
Colombia has set a new coca cultivation record this past year, with 230,000 hectares (568,340 acres) of land planted across the country — a 13% increase from 2021, according to a UN report. The findings come one day after President Gustavo Petro has proposed a new approach to combat drug drug trafficking, including expanding voluntary crop substitution programs and recognizing drug consumption as a public health problem.
📰 STORY OF THE DAY
Roe v Wade to Mexican Supreme Court: What's driving abortion rights around the world
A landmark decision last week by the Mexican Supreme Court is part of a push in Latin America to expand abortion access. But as seen by the U.S. overturning Roe v. Wade last year, the issue is moving in different directions around the world.
🇲🇽 Mexico is the latest (and most populous) Latin American country to expand reproductive rights, even as their northern neighbor continues to take steps backward on the issue. Since the June 25 ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, abortion rights are progressing in many parts of the world. But the shadow of Roe v. Wade still hangs ominously. As Irma Barrientos, director of the Mexican Civil Association for the Rights of the Conceived, puts it: “We’re not going to stop — let’s remember what happened to the United States.”
✊ Still, the news from Mexico stands out as part of what Latin American women’s rights activists are calling a: “green wave”. Traditionally driven by Catholic Church teachings, Latin America has moved to liberalize the procedure amid widespread public pressure from pro-choice movements and a growing acceptance from the public at large. The “green” symbolism is traced back to Argentina in 2018 thousands of women marched on the Senate wearing a pañuelo verde (green handkerchief) ahead of a vote on abortion rights — which did not ultimately result in a win.
⚠️ Like in the U.S. pre-2022, many countries in Europe have considered themselves “safe” and “progressive” on the issue, both before and after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. But things are not as simple as they seem. Close to one-third of women and girls in Europe face challenges in accessing abortion care, according to the European Abortion Politics Atlas.
➡️ Read more on Worldcrunch.com
📣 VERBATIM
“There can be no weakening.”
— President Volodymyr Zelensky urged his fellow Ukrainians to keep their focus on the war effort, as Kyiv marked 18 months since the Russian invasion. “Although today is the 565th day of this war, each and every one must be focused on the defense of the state, as in the early days,” Zelensky said in a video message. “Everything that strengthens us is a priority, the sole priority.”
👉 MORE FROM WORLDCRUNCH
• Why Wars Don't Ever End — A Novelist's Notes From The Ukraine Front Line — GAZETA WYBORCZA
• Gustave Eiffel: 100 Years Later, Still Defining 'French Entrepreneur' — LES ECHOS
• Gùsto! How · What · Where Locals Eat (And Drink) In Montreal — WORLDCRUNCH
✍️ Newsletter by Anne-Sophie Goninet, Michelle Courtois and Valeria Berghinz
Let us know what’s happening in your corner of the world!
