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🌎  7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW

• U.S. sends 1.1 million rounds of ammunition seized from Iran to Kyiv: The U.S. has sent roughly 1.1 million bullets seized from Iran last year to Ukraine. The U.S. Central Command says the rounds were confiscated from a ship bound for Yemen in December. Meanwhile, European leaders are meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to assure him of their long-term support after U.S. President Joe Biden voiced fears that Republican infighting in Congress could block American aid to Kyiv.

• Deadly floods in India: Indian authorities are racing against time to rescue people after flash floods in the northeastern state of Sikkim killed at least 14, leaving 102 people missing. Officials said more than 3,000 tourists had been stranded in different parts of the state. For more on floods and their link to climate change, check out this recent article from Die Welt, translated from German by Worldcrunch.

• Biden approves new section of border walls: U.S. President Joe Biden's administration is to build a section of border wall in southern Texas in an effort to stop rising levels of illegal immigration. Around 20 miles (32 km) will be built in Starr County along its border with Mexico, where officials report high numbers of crossings. Building a border wall was a signature policy of Donald Trump as president and fiercely opposed by Democrats. In 2020, Biden promised he would not build another foot of wall if elected.

• Two men arrested over Bangkok mall shooting: Police in Thailand have arrested two men accused of selling a gun to a 14-year-old suspected shooter who killed three people in a Bangkok shopping center. The suspect has been arrested for Tuesday’s killings at the Siam Paragon mall and has been charged with carrying and firing a gun in a public place and owning an unlicensed firearm.

• 2023 on track to be hottest year: New data shows last month was the hottest September, the fourth consecutive month of such heat, putting 2023 on track to be the hottest year in recorded history. September beat the previous monthly record set in 2020 by 0.5 degrees Celsius, according to data released Wednesday by the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. There has never been a month so abnormally hot since Copernicus’ records began in 1940.

• Simone Biles leads U.S. gymnastics team to world championship title: United States gymnast Simone Biles has claimed her 20th world title as she continued her return from a two-year break leading the U.S. to a seventh straight women’s team gold at the world gymnastics championships in Antwerp, Belgium. The U.S. women earned their record seventh consecutive team title on Wednesday and 26-year-old Biles won her 33rd major championship medal, across the worlds and Olympics, making her the most decorated female gymnast ever.

• Nobel Prize in Literature: Norwegian author Jon Fosse won the 2023 Nobel Prize in literature. As a novelist and one of the world’s most performed playwrights, the 64-year-old is known for a minimalist writing style and confronting “the critical moment of irresolution,” according to the Nobel committee in Stockholm.

🗞️  FRONT PAGE

“Consolation prize,” titles Argentine sports daily El Hincha, after soccer governing body FIFA announced the 2030 World Cup will be played on three continents (Europe, Africa and South America) for the first time. Morocco, Portugal and Spain won the race but long-time bid rivals Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay were handed the opening three matches. The six host countries’ teams will qualify automatically for the tournament, which will mark its 100th birthday. Climate groups have reacted with dismay to the announcement, with some saying it could be “a recipe for disaster” for the event’s carbon and ecological footprint.

#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS

$106,619

📰 STORY OF THE DAY

How the “mom advice” industry preys on desperate mothers — even in Italy

Mothers everywhere are struggling with the pressures of parenting in an increasingly individualistic culture. Enter the rapidly growing empire of parenting influencers who promise to help — at a price. In Italy, where mothers have long been seen as models of strength, the novelty is particularly acute, reports Nadia Ferrigo in Turin-based daily La Stampa.

💻 Thousands of new mothers take to social media every day in search of childrearing solutions. They are the ideal customers for online courses, consultations, masterclasses, and webinars on parenting. There are coaches for breastfeeding and baby-led weaning, courses to learn "respectful parenting" and becoming "outstanding moms." Some of the internet personalities behind this growing empire are midwives, educators, or childcare professionals, while others have no formal education or professional qualifications.

👶 On Instagram, you can find courses on sleeping, eating, potty training, playing, dealing with tantrums, and understanding that tantrums are not just tantrums. The list is growing longer and experts are mushrooming, but the idea is the same: for every problem, there is a solution; just follow the method, and of course, pay for it.

🤱 When did parents become so fearful that they need detailed instructions for every aspect of parenting? And when did they become so insecure that they are willing to spend big money on online consultations? Those who sell these courses and consultations can prey upon a large audience — new mothers desperate for help. The archetype of the Italian mother is slowly eroding, particularly due to the reduced reliance on community and increased accent on individuality.

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

➡️ Watch the video: THIS HAPPENED

📣 VERBATIM

"The behavior of Pakistan towards Afghan refugees is unacceptable."

— Following Pakistan’s announcement that it would evict hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees and migrants, Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban administration in Kabul, criticized the pending operation. “Afghan refugees are not involved in Pakistan’s security problems. As long as they leave Pakistan voluntarily, that country should tolerate them,” he said. The Pakistani government has accused many of the refugees and migrants of contributing to Pakistan’s security problems, claiming that 1.73 million Afghans are living in Pakistan with no legal status. They have set a hard November 1 deadline for them to leave or face expulsion. Officially, there are roughly one million Afghan refugees living in Pakistan, with another 880,000 Afghans with the legal right to stay.

👉  MORE FROM WORLDCRUNCH 

• How The Kremlin Has Shut Out Wagner Fighters From War Hero Status And Veteran Benefits — VAZHNYYE ISTORII/IMPORTANT STORIES

• The Modi-Trudeau Clash, Lessons From How Erdogan And MBS Handled The West — FRANCE INTER