👋 Demat!*
Welcome to Thursday, where Ukraine and the U.S. sign a long-awaited natural resources deal, Israeli strikes kill at least 35 Palestinians across Gaza, and today’s quiz question comes from Finnish schools. Meanwhile, Juan F. Samaniego in La Marea looks at how extreme weather is affecting coffee production in Brazil and Vietnam and fueling the surge in prices.
[*Breton]
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🗞️ FRONT PAGE
“Where have all the butterflies gone?” asks the Rheinische Post on its front page today, noting that although an ubiquitous motif in our lives, the winged insects have become increasingly rare in the wild. The Düsseldorf-based daily unpacks the symbolism of butterflies in our societies, from religious texts to tattoos, before diving into the potential causes for their dwindling numbers, mainly linked to habitat destruction, use of pesticides, and climate change.
🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
• U.S. and Ukraine sign deal giving U.S. access to country’s valuable mineral wealth. The U.S. and Ukraine have signed an agreement granting American access to Ukraine’s vast mineral resources. Negotiations have taken months, including an ugly public spat at the White House between the two countries’ presidents. It is still unclear if the deal includes security guarantees and continued military aid for Kyiv amid concerns that U.S. President Donald Trump might scale back support in ongoing peace negotiations with Russia.
• At least 35 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza. The attacks also injured more than 100. Meanwhile, the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) says nearly 3,000 aid trucks are backed up at Gaza’s border, unable to cross due to Israel’s now two-month blockade.
• India closes airspace to Pakistan airlines as tensions rise. This comes days after Indian airlines were banned from flying over Pakistani territory following the killing of 26 men in an attack on tourists in Kashmir. The ban will last until May 23, the Indian government said in a notice. Meanwhile, India’s foreign minister said he has told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that perpetrators of the deadly attack in Kashmir last week should be brought to justice, as the U.S. sought to calm tensions between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan.
• Kenyan lawmaker shot dead in attack in Nairobi. A Kenyan member of parliament has been shot dead in the streets of the capital Nairobi by gunmen on a motorcycle in a suspected assassination. Police said the attackers had been trailing Charles Ong’ondo Were’s vehicle before one of them got off the motorbike and shot him at close range.
• Former South Korean President Yoon indicted for abuse of power. South Korean prosecutors have indicted former President Yoon Suk-yeol for abuse of authority without arrest, amid political uncertainty in the country ahead of a snap June 3 presidential election. This latest indictment adds further legal jeopardy for Yoon who is already facing an ongoing trial on insurrection charges, brought against him over his brief imposition of martial law last December.
• Meta warns of “worse” experience for European users. Meta warned that European users could face a “materially worse” experience following a key regulatory decision by the European Commission. Meta recently introduced a “consent or pay” model which leaves users to choose between paying for a monthly subscription or letting Meta combine data it has collected on Facebook and Instagram. Last week, the European Commission announced it had decided that the model does not comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and fined Meta $220m.
• News Quiz! Finland’s parliament has just passed a bill meant to improve student focus and learning. What’s in the new law?
A. Homework through TikTok videos
B. Shorter school days
C. Restricted use of screens
D. Introduce mandatory uniforms
[Answer below]
#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS
18
A new study has found that 18 captive-bred axolotls were able to survive in certain restored and artificial wetlands in Mexico, suggesting potential for reintroduction efforts. Axolotls, unique goofy-looking amphibians native to Lake Xochimilco in southern Mexico, are on the brink of extinction. This study is among the first to observe their behavior in semi-natural environments, offering insights to aid in the species’ conservation and habitat restoration.
📰 IN OTHER NEWS
☕️ Extreme weather and climate events have severely affected the two largest coffee producers on the planet, Brazil and Vietnam. Here’s how climate change is fueling the surge in prices.
— LA MAREA
🧠 Many people sabotage themselves, ignore their peak performance and work inefficiently. Here are 10 insights from brain research that can help you become five times more productive.
— DIE ZEIT
🇻🇦 For Poland, a country still reckoning with the impacts of Pope John Paul II, both positive and negative, Pope Francis’s papacy held particular weight. Did Francis do more for the country’s Church than his Polish predecessor?
— GAZETA WYBORCZA
📣 VERBATIM
“It won’t happen again.”
— That’s the promise to the Spanish media made by Beatriz Corredor, the president of Spain’s grid operator Red Eléctrica de España (REE), after a rare blackout struck Spain, Portugal, and parts of southern France on Monday. The hours-long outage disrupted transport and communications for millions. Though power was restored the next day, the cause remains unclear. Investigators have ruled out cyberattacks and are now focusing on grid instability and possible equipment failures.
✍️ Newsletter by Emma Albright, Rein Arnauts & Bertrand Hauger
Quiz Answer: Finland has passed legislation to restrict the use of phones and other mobile devices during the school day amid fears over their impact on student wellbeing and learning. Under the changes, which were approved by the Finnish parliament on Tuesday and will come into effect on Aug. 1, mobile devices will be heavily restricted during lesson times.
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