Putin Warns Western Troops, New Afghan Quake, First Writing Ceremony

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🗞️ FRONT PAGE​​

Italian daily Corriere della Sera pays tribute on its front page to Giorgio Armani, the “Lord of Fashion,” who passed away at the age of 91. The Italian designer, one of the most recognizable names and faces in the global fashion industry, was planning a major event to celebrate 50 years of his signature fashion house during the Milan Fashion Week this month. Armani was known as the archetype of Italian style and elegance, reimagining men’s and women’s suits for a modern audience. Here’s a look back from Italian daily La Stampa.

🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW

• Putin warns Western troops deployed to Ukraine could be “legitimate targets.” Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected Western proposals for a “reassurance force” in Ukraine and said any foreign troops deployed to Ukraine before a peace agreement has been signed would be considered “legitimate targets” by Moscow. Putin’s comments came hours after a summit that saw 26 countries pledge post-war military support to Ukraine once fighting ends in the conflict with Russia. Read more about the “Coalition of the Willing” summit in this piece by French analyst Pierre Haski, translated by Worldcrunch.

• Israel’s army claims it controls 40% of Gaza City. The Israeli military said on Thursday it now controls 40% of Gaza City, the besieged enclave’s largest city which it is preparing to conquer after nearly two years of devastating war. Israeli military spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin said the operation would expand “in the coming days,” adding the military “will continue to pursue Hamas everywhere.” Meanwhile, local health officials reported that the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 64,000.

• Thai parliament names third prime minister in two years. Thailand’s parliament has picked Anutin Charnvirakul as the next prime minister — the third in two years, after Paetongtarn Shinawatra was dismissed by a court last week, as was her predecessor. The 58-year-old leader of the Bhumjaithai party is a staunch royalist and is considered a conservative, although he made a name for himself by leading a successful campaign to decriminalize cannabis in Thailand. Meanwhile, former leader Thaksin Shinawatra left on his private jet for Dubai late Thursday, just days before a court ruling scheduled for next week that could see him sentenced to jail.

• Afghanistan struck by third quake, death roll rises. A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Afghanistan’s remote southeastern region on Thursday night, marking the third quake in just six days. The death toll from the first earthquake continues to rise, with the Taliban administration reporting the deaths of 2,205 people, as search operations carry on in the mountainous eastern areas. 

• First report on Lisbon streetcar crash expected on Friday. The first investigative report into the cause of the Lisbon funicular train derailment that killed 16 people is expected to be released on Friday, as more details about the victims are emerging. Nationals of Portugal, South Korea, Switzerland, Canada, France, Germany and Ukraine are believed to be among the dead. The Portuguese capital’s public transport operator announced all funiculars would be inspected and that it had launched an independent investigation.

• Colombian court upholds bullfighting ban, adds cockfighting prohibition. Colombia’s Constitutional Court on Thursday upheld a 2024 law banning bullfights in the South American country, rejecting an appeal from bullfighting aficionados who argued the law violated their rights to artistic expression. The court went further in protecting animal rights by adding a national prohibition of cockfighting. The ban on bullfighting will be fully applied in 2027 following a transition period. For more, check this Worldcrunch original: Bullfighting And Beyond, Time To Rethink Traditions That Involve Animal Cruelty.

• News Quiz! When rock legend David Bowie died in 2016, archivists discovered he had secretly been working on a project in his final months. Notes about The Spectator have now been unveiled and will be on display at London’s V&A Museum. What kind of project was it?

A. A concept album in Morse code
B. A vegan cookbook
C. An 18th-century-inspired stage musical
D. A novel written in invisible ink
[Answer below]

💬 LEXICON

Department of War

U.S. President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order on Friday that renames the U.S. Department of Defense as the Department of War in a bid to reflect “the warrior ethos,” said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The move will restore a name the department last held in the 1940s and allow Hegseth, the Defense Department and subordinate officials to use secondary titles such as “Secretary of War,” “Department of War,” and “Deputy Secretary of War” in official correspondence and public communications.

📰 IN OTHER NEWS

🇵🇸 Less than three weeks after Emmanuel Macron announced his intention to recognize Palestine, Israel and the United States are increasingly mounting obstacles to the French diplomatic initiative. 
— FRANCE INTER

🎖️ As Colombia considers banning former soldiers from fighting as mercenaries abroad, the government should first look into the economic conditions that push them into this ugly line of work.
— EL ESPECTADOR

🗳️ Decades after Brazil introduced quotas, phantom candidacies and political deals still stifle women’s representation.
— GLOBAL PRESS JOURNAL