👋 Yáʼátʼééh!*
Welcome to Thursday, where a Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv kills at least nine, warring Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 group declare an “immediate” ceasefire, and our quiz question comes from a very exclusive society in the UK. Meanwhile, William Ospina in El Espectador looks at Latin American countries for more humane forms of governance in Trumpian times.
[*Navajo]
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🗞️ FRONT PAGE
“American Tech: Europe Raises its Voice” headlines French economic weekly La Tribune after the European Union slapped Apple and Meta with a combined €700 million in fines over Apple’s app store monopoly on its devices and Meta’s collection of user data. The two corporations called the fines “unfair” and said that it would handicap the companies, but in a statement Commissioner Henna Virkkunen said “We have a duty to protect the rights of citizens and innovative businesses in Europe.”
🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
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- Russian attack on Kyiv kills at least nine. The missile and drone attack, which has also injured at least 77, is the biggest on the Ukrainian capital this year. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky cancelled part of his trip to South Africa in response, although he will still meet President Ramaphosa. The attack came just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out at Zelensky late Wednesday, blaming the Ukrainian president’s refusal to accept Russian occupation of Crimea for failure to end the war. French analyst Pierre Haski asks if Europe should start calling the U.S. its “former ally.”
- All Pakistani residents ordered to leave india within three days over Kashmir attacks. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday revoked all existing valid visas issued by India to Pakistani nationals with effect from April 27, adding that “all Pakistani nationals currently in India must leave India before the expiry of visas.” The ministry also advised Indians citizens not to travel to Pakistan. Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to pursue, track and punish terrorists and their backers in a strong reaction to the deadly militant attack on tourists in Kashmir, where police have identified two of the gunmen as Pakistani. At a speech in India’s eastern state of Bihar, Modi folded his hands in prayer in remembrance for the 26 men who were shot and killed in a meadow in the Pahalgam region of Indian Kashmir.
- South Korea’s ex-President Moon Jae-in indicted for bribery. Moon, who led South Korea from 2017 to 2022 under the banner of the center-left Democratic Party, is alleged to have appointed a former lawmaker to a government-funded nonprofit agency in exchange for his then son-in-law being employed at a Thailand-based airline, Jeonju District Prosecutors’ Office said in a statement on Thursday.
- Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 agree to “immediate” ceasefire. The surprise announcement follows talks mediated by Qatar with the warring Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 group releasing a joint statement pledging to an “immediate” cessation of hostilities until talks reach their “conclusion”. This comes after months of escalated fighting in the decades-long conflict saw M23 take multiple Congolese cities.
- Weinstein made victims “feel small,” jury told as retrial begins. The trial, which began with jury selection last week, will see survivors who helped spark the #MeToo movement testify against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein once more. The former Miramax studio boss is charged with the 2006 sexual assault of former production assistant Mimi Haleyi and the 2013 rape of aspiring actress Jessica Mann. He also faces a new count for an alleged sexual assault of a 19-year-old in 2006.
- St. Peter’s Basilica reopens to faithful bidding farewell to pope. The basilica reopened its doors on Thursday, after a brief pause in the early hours of the day, to welcome thousands of worshippers from around the world who wanted to pay their final respects to Pope Francis. Almost 50,000 people came to pay homage to the late pontiff, laid out since Wednesday in an open coffin ahead of his funeral on Saturday.
• News Quiz! Back in 1991, British woman Sophie Lloyd posed as a man to trick her way into an elite society that did not allow female members then. Some 34 years after being found and kicked out, she was finally granted membership to which exclusive circle?
A. Cigar smokers
B. Magicians
C. Bowler hat wearers
D. Golfers
[Answer below]
#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS
$28 trillion
A research team from Dartmouth College published a report that estimates 111 of the world’s biggest companies have caused $28 trillion in climate damage, with more than half of that coming from a handful of fossil fuel companies. The report, which was published in the journal Nature, says that for every 1% of carbon emissions released since 1990, more than $500 billion in damage has been caused to the environment from heat alone, not counting other extreme weather such as hurricanes or droughts. The goal of the research, they say, is to make it easier for people and governments to hold corporations accountable.
📰 IN OTHER NEWS
🌎 Latin Americans must do more than just keep afloat and survive the harsh times reflected in the Trump presidency. They can show the world a model of humane governance that shuns the economic, environmental and military violence of our time.
— EL ESPECTADOR
⛪ In life and in death, Francis has been praised as a reformer, even if he basically left the Church structurally untouched. His image was shaped more by clever media strategy than genuine change.
— LA STAMPA
🔥 A rare wildfire in New York has reignited debate over the role of controlled burns in forest management. As climate change fuels more extreme weather, experts and policymakers are divided on whether fighting fire with fire might actually make sense.
— UNDARK
📸 PHOTO DU JOUR
Crowds queue to pay their respects to the open coffin of the late Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica. The pontiff, who died on Easter Monday at the age of 88, will be buried on Saturday in Santa Maria Maggiore, one of Rome’s four major basilicas. — Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa/ZUMA
📣 VERBATIM
“It stabs me to the heart as a father.”
— French Prime Minister François Bayrou said he was stunned at the revelation that his daughter, Hélène Perlant, was among the children abused at a Roman Catholic school in the south of France. Both Bayrou and his daughter say that he didn’t know anything about the abuse until now, as a slew of complaints about the school, including allegations of physical and sexual assault of students by priests, have surfaced. “I remained silent for 30 years. Other than this, I’ve never mentioned it to anyone,” said Perlant in an interview with French national magazine Paris Match.
✍️ Newsletter by Emma Albright & Jacob Shropshire
Quiz Answer: Sophie Lloyd tricked her way into the Magic Circle by disguising herself as a man to fool examiners into letting her join the elite society in 1991, at a time female magicians were not allowed in. But now, 34 years after she was kicked out, she is finally being granted membership.
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