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In The News

FTX Founder Arrested, EU Offices Searched, Fusion Breakthrough

Disgraced crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was arrested by U.S. federal authorities in the Bahamas after criminal charges were filed against him in the wake of his crypto exchange platform FTX’s collapse.

Disgraced crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was arrested by U.S. federal authorities in the Bahamas after criminal charges were filed against him in the wake of his crypto exchange platform FTX’s collapse.

Bertrand Hauger, Laure Gautherin, Emma Albright and Hugo Perrin

πŸ‘‹ YΓ‘ΚΌΓ‘tʼééh!*

Welcome to Tuesday, where disgraced crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried is arrested in the Bahamas, the EU parliament faces its worst corruption scandal in decades, and U.S. scientists are expected to announce a nuclear fusion breakthrough with huge clean energy implications. Meanwhile, Warsaw-based daily Gazeta Wyborcza unpacks the new law that sees Poland try to slap blasphemers with jail time.

[*Navajo]

βœ…Β  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: πŸ‘‰ Sign up here

🌎  7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW

β€’ Hungary lifts veto on EU aid to Ukraine: Hungary has agreed to lift its veto on €18 billion of European aid to Ukraine, in exchange for Brussels unfreezing some of the country’s EU funds and approving a post-COVID recovery package. Last month, Brussels recommended blocking €7.5 billion in funds to Hungary over rule of law concerns.

β€’ FTX founder arrested in Bahamas: Federal authorities arrested disgraced crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried in the Bahamas after criminal charges were filed against him. Last month, the dramatic collapse of his FTX exchange platform sent shockwaves through the crypto world.

β€’ Peru protests escalate: Anti-government demonstrations have intensified across Peru, with protesters setting up blockades and storming Arequipa’s international airport, despite newly-appointed President Dina Boluarte’s pledge to hold early elections in 2024. Violent clashes, sparked by the removal of President Pedro Castillo from office, have already killed seven.

β€’ Australia shooting kills six: Six people, including two police officers, were killed in a shooting at a remote property in Australia's northeastern state of Queensland. Police had been dispatched to the home to investigate a missing person when two individuals opened fire; a siege and a gunfight ensued, during which the two officers were killed, together with a 46-year-old man, a 47-year-old man and a 45-year-old woman.

β€’ First clashes in a year at India-China mountain border: The Indian army is reporting clashes with Chinese soldiers in a disputed area between the two countries, in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. Only minor injuries have been reported so far, in the first such flare-up of tensions in the region since 24 troops were killed in a clash back in 2020.

β€’ Nuclear fusion breakthrough: U.S. scientists at the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California successfully produced β€œa nuclear fusion reaction resulting in a net energy gain”, according to the Financial Times. The U.S. Department of Energy is expected to officially announce the breakthrough today, which could be a milestone in producing clean energy.

β€’ BTS’s Jin reporting for duty: Jin, the oldest member of K-pop supergroup BTS, has started his 18-month of mandatory military service at a South Korean boot camp. The 30-year-old singer flaunted his new buzz cut on social media, with the caption: β€œCuter than expected.”

πŸ—žοΈΒ  FRONT PAGE

"Democracy, yes. Terrorism, no." Brazilian daily Correio Braziliense dedicates its front page to the violence that followed the certification ceremony during which Luiz Inacio β€œLula” da Silva was confirmed as winner of the presidential election by the federal electoral court in Brasilia. Supporters of his rival, far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro, attempted to invade the federal police headquarters in the capital. Buses and cars were set on fire and the police had to shoot stun grenades and tear gas to disperse the crowd. Others blocked highways and gathered outside the presidential residence, calling for military intervention to stop Lula being sworn in.

πŸ’¬Β  LEXICON

ι€šδΏ‘θ‘Œη¨‹ε‘

China announced its decision to retire its country-wide COVID-19 tracking app (ι€šδΏ‘θ‘Œη¨‹ε‘, pronounced TōngxΓ¬n xΓ­ngchΓ©ng kǎ, meaning Communication Itinerary Card), a major step in Beijing’s recent U-turn on its strict zero-COVID policy.

πŸ“°Β  STORY OF THE DAY

Poland’s ruling party seeks tough new blasphemy law, jail for mocking church

Poland’s legislature is in the process of passing new β€œblasphemy” restrictions that would impose jail sentences for denigrating the Catholic Church, Warsaw-based daily Gazeta Wyborcza reported Monday.

πŸ‡΅πŸ‡± Parliament’s lower house has approved an amendment that β€” if passed into law β€” would impose β€œa fine, a penalty of restriction of liberty, or imprisonment up to two years,” on anyone who β€œpublicly lies or makes fun of the Church or other religious association with official legal standing, or dogmas or rites.” According to Gazeta Wyborcza, the move to impose such blasphemy restrictions began in October when Marcin WarchoΕ‚, the former Undersecretary of State of the Ministry of Justice, began collecting the signatures required to introduce new legislation.

πŸ§‘βš–οΈ Stricter penalties for anti-religious activities or statements follow in line with promises made by Polish President Andrzej Duda of the ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) to reinforce traditionalist religious practices in public life, and simultaneously restrict the freedoms of LGBTQ+ people.

Poland’s parliament has recently passed various legislation restricting the right to abortion, instituting mandatory religious curriculum in schools, and banning LGBTQ+ β€œpropaganda.”

🌈 In addition to the direct restrictions on and penalties for blasphemy, the proposed law β€” an amendment to a rarely used section of the criminal code dating back to 1932 β€” would prevent critics of LGBTQ+ issues from being sued for libel or slander. According to the Pew Research Center, in 2019, 79 countries had laws or policies banning blasphemy. These laws are most common in the Middle East and North Africa, where the majority of the population is Muslim. Poland, where 87% of the population identifies as Roman Catholic, is an exception on the list.

➑️ Read more on Worldcrunch.com

πŸ“£ VERBATIM

European democracy is under attack.

β€” At the opening of the European Parliament’s December's plenary session, the body’s President Roberta Metsola, warned Monday that β€œEuropean democracy is under attack” and that there would be "no impunity" for those involved in the worst bribery scandal in memory to hit the EU’s institutions. Belgian investigators conducted fresh searches of European Parliament offices in Brussels in an effort to find evidence of bribes from Qatar. One of the accused members of parliament, Greece’s Eva Kaili, was stripped of her position as vice president and remanded in custody after the probe led to the discovery of "bags of cash" in her home.

✍️ Newsletter by Bertrand Hauger, Laure Gautherin, Emma Albright and Hugo Perrin


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Society

Sexual Violence In War: Listening And Healing β€” And Never Again

Three women who were victims of sexual violence during the Colombian Civil War recount their stories of struggle and survival. They speak up in the hopes that the judiciary will open a new case to bring justice to them and many more survivors of sexual abuse perpetrated during the conflict.

A gloved, raised fist contrasts against feminist artwork on a memorial monuement

Feminists protest against Colombian president Ivan Duque Maraquez and the police brutality that killed at least 45 during demonstrations in Bogota, Colombia on May 28, 2021.

Camilo Pardo Quintero

BOGOTA – Jennifer, Ludirlena and Diana suffered a living death at the hands of their aggressors. It was their self-love and resilience that saved them, after experiencing sexual violence during the nation’s civil war.

The Colombian government forgot about these women. But now, they are champions in a battle towards justice and dignity. With different perspectives, they manage to find a connection, something that will unite them forever: advocating so that no one else experiences what they endured.

All sides in the war perpetrated sexual violence. But in the case of these three women, it was specifically the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and United Self-Defences of Colombia (AUC) paramilitary groups who exerted power over their bodies, through the cruelty of their crimes.

These were not isolated incidents and, to the shame of our society, they remain a massive, forgotten outrage.

According to official records, during the war in Colombia there were 15,760 victims of sexual violence. Of that total, 61.8% were women, and another 30.8% were young girls and teenagers. Unfortunately, underreporting plays a significant role in these numbers. Organizations such as the Network of Women Victims and Professionals, the collective Focal Groups - Men Victims of Sexual Violence and the British organization All Survivors Project estimate that the real number may be as much as three times higher.

The three protagonists in our story show how armed conflict has marked the lives of thousands of women in Colombia. They are three voices among many that have come together to demand the opening of a "macro-case," or investigation into sexual violence through Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), which would uncover the patterns of sexual and gender-based crimes among armed groups which have devastated entire communities.

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