BTS fans commemorated this week the 10th anniversary of the K-Pop supergroup.
June 17-18
- The illusion of nuclear peacekeeping
- Burj Khalifa’s Russian controversy
- Bad news for mosquitos
- … and much more.
🎲 OUR WEEKLY NEWS QUIZ
What do you remember from the news this week?
1. Which country has reportedly started taking delivery of Russian tactical nuclear weapons?
2. What was the nickname of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who died this week at age 86? Il Cavaliere / Casanova / Bunga Bunga / Il Coccodrillo
3. In what unlikely place did former U.S. President Donald Trump allegedly keep classified documents?
4. Which British-Australian actress is making her Vogue cover debut at age 82?
[Answers at the bottom of this newsletter]
#️⃣ TRENDING
The tallest building in the world has been lit up in white, blue and red for June 12, Russia Day. The Burj Khalifa tower in the United Arab Emirates was illuminated with the colors of the Russian flag to celebrate “The rich history, vibrant culture and remarkable achievements of Russia.” While some Twitter users reacted positively to the light show, many pointed out that said “rich history” includes the invasion of Ukraine.
🎭 5 CULTURE THINGS TO KNOW
• The Louvre’s Ukrainian art exhibit: Multiple highly valuable and ancient pieces from Ukraine’s Khanenko Museum are now being exhibited at the Louvre. As a first for the Paris museum, the exhibition texts will be displayed in Ukrainian in addition to French and English. Among some of the displayed artifacts are mosaics and paintings of Byzantine figures and of “Christian saints of the Eastern rite.”
• BTS fans celebrate the K-Pop group’s 10th anniversary: BTS fans gathered together in Seoul to commemorate a decade of the K-Pop supergroup. Seoul City Hall and Namsan Tower were among landmarks that were lit purple in recognition of the band’s anniversary.
• Dubai exhibition celebrates the history of African art: Efie Gallery in Dubai has a new exhibit highlighting the historical trajectory of African art that includes photography, paintings, and sculptures. The exhibition aims to disprove the idea that African art is a recent fad, showcasing the continent’s vast, rich and complex history.
• In memoriam: Pulitzer-Prize winning author of The Road,Cormac McCarthy, 89, died in his Santa Fe home of natural causes. The entertainment world is mourning the sudden loss of actor Treat Williams, 71, who died following a motorcycle accident in Vermont. Turkish violinist Suna Kan, chief violinist of the Presidential Symphony Orchestra, died at age 86. The pro wrestling world lost an iconic figure, Iranian-American Khosrow Vaziri a.k.a. “The Iron Sheik” known for his caricatural villainous persona, died at the age of 81.
• AI used to create the final Beatles song: Paul McCartney told BBC that artificial intelligence was able to assist in the creation of the last Beatles record. AI was able to “isolate Lennon's voice” and allow for the final song to be created, despite only half of the original four members still being alive. The song is likely to be a Lennon piece from 1978 titled, “Now And Then.”
🇦🇷 Despite laws, Argentina still has a domestic violence problem
In Argentina, despite progress on laws to protect women, other pressures mean that many still shield their aggressors from facing justice, which in turn puts women’s lives at risk. In Argentine newspaper Clarin, Mariana Rolandi Perandones sheds light on the situation.
Read the full story: Domestic Violence: Why Do Some Women Retract Accusations?
🇷🇺 Western media “peacemaking” favors Russia
Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security Council of Ukraine, criticizes the Western idea of “peacemaking” with nuclear-armed Russia in an op-ed published by Ukrainian publication Ukrainska Pravda. He underlines that his country cannot negotiate with an aggressor that has done it such harm; instead, Ukraine and the world must reject any form of nuclear blackmail, or Moscow will weaponise the “peacemaking” narrative, he writes.
Read the full story: How To Stand Up To Putin's Bogus Nuclear Blackmail
🇵🇱 Anti-abortion doctors killing Polish women
Women in Poland are dying in hospitals because doctors refuse to perform life-saving abortions, reveals an investigation from Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza. Kraków’s John Paul II Hospital is under investigation for negligence after the death of a 33-year-old woman, and women have taken to the streets in protest and filed complaints with the European Court of Human Rights.
Read the full story: Polish Women Are Dying As Hospitals Refuse To Perform Life-Saving Abortions
🦟 BRIGHT IDEA
As summer arrives in many countries, Israeli scientists have come up with a new way to keep mosquitoes away. A Hebrew University team has developed a “chemical camouflage” that hides the smell that attracts mosquitoes. Combined with a natural scent, they found that the repellent reduced mosquitoes feeding on humans by 99%, which could help prevent malaria in areas where mosquitoes carry the deadly disease – and to reduce the annoyance of being bitten.
🎉 SMILE OF THE WEEK
On Monday, people came together in Rouen, northwestern France, to break the world record for the longest conga line. Dressed in costume for the joyous occasion, they formed a 3,940-participant strong chenille (literally “caterpillar,” French for conga line).
⏩ LOOKING AHEAD
• Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska will visit Israel next week, at the invitation of her Israeli counterpart, Michal Herzog, to discuss trauma care and rehabilitation. Zelenska and Herzog will visit the Safra Children’s Hospital in Ramat Gan on Monday and meet with an Israeli nonprofit organization which specializes in war and terror-related trauma.
• Bristol-based graffiti artist Banksy has announced his first official solo exhibition in 14 years, which will run at Glasgow's Gallery of Modern Art starting Sunday until the end of August. The exhibition, called “CUT & RUN: 25 years card labor,” will include works from throughout his career.
• Starting next week, Poland’s infamous “Bus 666 to Hel,” on the country’s Baltic coast, will be replaced with No. 669 after the bus company yielded to pressure from Christian groups, who had claimed that the combination of the line number and name of the town was “spreading Satanism.”
News quiz answers:
1. According to the country’s president, Alexander Lukashenko,Belarusstarted taking delivery of Russian tactical nuclear weapons, some of which he said were three times more powerful than the American bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
2. The nickname "il Cavaliere” – the knight in English – was bestowed upon former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in 1997 when he was made “Knight of the Order of Labor Merit,” a title he later lost when he was convicted of tax evasion. This nickname also referred to his successful business career and his self-proclaimed image as a modern-day knight.
3. Former U.S. President Donald Trump allegedly kept classified documents piled high in his bathroom, in his Florida resort home. Federal investigators released pictures of boxes of the documents. U.S. House speaker Kevin McCarthy said the room was the safest place to store the documents, as “a bathroom door locks.”
4. British-Australian actress Miriam Margolyesposed for vibrant photos for the British fashion and lifestyle magazine Vogue. This was part of the magazine’s celebration for Pride month, showcasing interviews from a range of English LGBTQ+ celebrities, athletes and politicians.
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