👋 Konta!*
Welcome to Wednesday, where UK and U.S. joint airstrikes target Houthi rebels in Yemen, the world marks 100 days of a hectic Trump presidency, and today’s quiz question looks at ways to help on household chores. Meanwhile, Arkadiusz Gruszczyński in Gazeta Wyborcza reflects on how the passing of Pope Francis shows that Poland is still reckoning with Pope John Paul II’s legacy.
[*Papiamento, Dutch Caribbean]
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🗞️ FRONT PAGE
Like other newspapers around the world, Paris-based daily Libération lends its frontpage to the U.S. President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office. Its headline “100 Jours Sans Fin” (100 Endless Days) is a wink at the French title of the movie Groundhog Day. Trump rallied supporters Tuesday in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan, where he touted achievements like immigration control and targeted critics, including the Federal Reserve. He also said opinion polls indicating his popularity had fallen were “fake.” “We’ve just gotten started, you haven’t seen anything yet,” he told the crowd. According to a Gallup poll, Trump is the only post-World War II president to have less than half the public’s support after 100 days in office, with an approval rating of 44%.
🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
• UK joins U.S. air strikes on Houthi rebel sites in Yemen. Forces from the United States and the United Kingdom have carried out joint air strikes near Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, targeting what British authorities say were drone manufacturing facilities of the Houthi armed group. The UK on Wednesday morning offered a detailed explanation for launching the strike, unlike the U.S., which gave few details about hundreds of strikes it has conducted since beginning its renewed campaign on March 15.
• At least 12 killed overnight by Israeli strikes in Gaza. The strikes hit three houses in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp, according to staff at the Al-Aqsa hospital, which received the bodies. Among the dead were three children. Israel has carried out daily strikes on Gaza since ending its ceasefire with Hamas last month.
• Russian drones launched on Ukrainian cities. Russian drones struck the Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv and Dnipro late Tuesday, killing at least one person and injuring at least 46. Meanwhile, about 600 North Korean troops have been killed fighting for Russia against Ukraine out of a total deployment of 15,000, according to South Korea’s intelligence agency. North Korea has suffered some 4,700 casualties so far, including injuries and deaths, though its troops have shown signs of improved combat capabilities over about six months by using modern weapons like drones.
• Pakistan minister warns of possible Indian military strike in 24-36 hours. Attaullah Tarar’s comments come after India accused Pakistan of supporting militants behind an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists last week. Islamabad rejects the allegations. Tarar said that India intends to use the attack as a “false pretext” for a strike and that “any such military adventurism by India would be responded to assuredly and decisively.”
• Swedish police arrest teenager after fatal shooting. The teen suspect was apprehended this morning after a fatal triple shooting in a hair salon in the city of Uppsala on Tuesday. The shooter reportedly fled on a scooter, triggering a manhunt. Police confirmed on Wednesday that the person arrested for the shooting is under the age of 18. All three victims were aged between 15 and 20 years old.
• Shenzhou-19 crew returns to Earth after six months on China space station. Chinese astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze returned to Earth on Wednesday after six months spent on the country’s space station. The Shenzhou-19 crew carried out experiments on the base and set a new record for the longest spacewalk.
• News Quiz! Researchers have found Roomba-like robot vacuums are “too idle,” being used only for a couple of hours a day on average. What new tasks have they managed to retrain them for?
A. Responding to emails
B. Cooking and doing the dishes
C. Playing with the cat and watering the plants
D. Connecting to AI to help the kids with their homework
[Answer below]
#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS
12
Australia saw a record number of 12 tropical cyclones during the 2024/25 tropical cyclone season, marking the most in a season in almost 20 years. Cyclone Zelia was the strongest one, reaching category 5, packing sustained winds of 205km/h in Western Australia. “The high number of severe tropical cyclones is likely correlated with the record-high ocean temperatures during the season,” according to Weatherzone.
📰 IN OTHER NEWS
⚖️ Israel continues to prevent the supply of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and the UN is warning that stocks are running out. The International Court of Justice in The Hague opened proceedings where Israel is accused of using hunger as a weapon.
— FRANCE INTER
🇵🇱 For Poland, a country still reckoning with the impacts of Pope John Paul II, both positive and negative, Francis’s papacy held particular weight.
— GAZETA WYBORCZA
☕ 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
📣 VERBATIM
Harvard cannot — and will not — abide bigotry.
— U.S. prestigious Harvard University President Alan Garber, in a letter addressed to the University community on Tuesday, pledged to revise the institution’s academic and admissions policies following reports on antisemitism, anti-Israeli and anti-Arab, anti-Muslim bias published on the same day. Amid a lawsuit against the Trump administration over frozen federal funds, Harvard’s reforms include antisemitism training and curriculum updates. Garber emphasized fostering viewpoint diversity while resisting government demands seen as threats to academic freedom.
✍️ Newsletter by Emma Albright & Cecilia Laurent Monpetit
Quiz Answer: Researchers from the University of Bath and University of Calgary have managed to reprogram a robot vacuum to perform additional household tasks like watering plants, and playing with pets, arguing that the household appliances devices are underused. They believe with simple modifications, robot vacuums could handle up to 100 different chores.
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