👋 Nyob zoo!*
Welcome to Thursday, where Ukraine voices disappointment as Vladimir Putin sidesteps peace talks in Turkey, Israeli airstrikes on Khan Younis kill 54 overnight, and today’s quiz question will please National Treasure lovers. Meanwhile, for Italian daily La Stampa, Francesca Mannocchi reports from Chad, where she spoke to some of the 700,000 refugees who have fled the civil war in Sudan.
[*Nyaw zhong – Hmong, China, Vietnam, Laos]
🗞️ FRONT PAGE
İzmir-based Yeni Asır lends its front page to Turkey’s pivotal role as it prepares to host an international peace summit focusing on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Under the headline “The world’s eyes are on Turkey,” the daily reports that delegations from several countries, including Russia, Ukraine and others, are expected to attend the summit. Despite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s call for participation, Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed on Wednesday he will not be attending; soon after, U.S. President Donald Trump followed suit.
🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
• Putin not attending peace talks in Turkey. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of sending “stand-in props” to peace talks instead of President Vladimir Putin, following the Kremlin’s confirmation that Putin would not participate in direct negotiations in Turkey. Zelensky, who spoke upon his arrival in Ankara on Thursday, added that Ukraine would decide its next steps after meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. U.S. President Donald Trump said he may travel to Istanbul on Friday if the talks make progress today. The absence of both the Russian and U.S. presidents has lowered the expectations for a major breakthrough to resolve the conflict.
• Second night of Israeli strikes kill at least 54 in Gaza, agencies warn of starvation. Multiple Israeli air strikes hit Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis overnight, killing at least 54 people, the city’s Nasser Hospital reported on Thursday. It was the second night of heavy bombing, after airstrikes Wednesday on the northern and southern parts of the enclave left at least 70 people dead, including almost two dozen children. The attacks come as multiple aid agencies have warned that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is deteriorating rapidly due to Israel’s 10-week blockade of aid into the territory. For more on the historical context behind Israel’s blockade, check this piece by French analyst Pierre Haski.
• Trump says “getting close” to Iran nuclear deal. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the U.S. was very close to securing a nuclear deal with Iran during his tour of the Gulf, adding that Tehran had “sort of” agreed to the terms. An Iranian source familiar with the negotiations told Reuters there were still gaps to bridge in the talks with Washington. Read more in this analysis translated by Worldcrunch from Persian: A “Manageable Enemy” — How Iran’s Regime Is Kept Alive By Western Fears And Cynicism.
• Argentina orders immigration crackdown with new decree. Argentina’s right-wing President Javier Milei issued a decree on Wednesday that tightens restrictions on citizenship, with presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni saying it was “time to honor our history and make Argentina great again.” To secure an Argentine passport, immigrants will have to spend two uninterrupted years in the South American country or make a significant financial investment there.
• Mexican beauty influencer shot dead during TikTok livestream. Valeria Marquez, a 23-year-old Mexican social media influencer, was shot to death while livestreaming on TikTok at her beauty salon in central Mexico, state authorities said on Wednesday. While the motive of the crime was not immediately known, the case is being investigated as a femicide.
• Dengue and chikungunya could soon be endemic in Europe. New research published on Thursday warns that the feverish diseases dengue and chikungunya could soon become endemic in Europe as climate change is pushing disease-carrying tiger mosquitoes deeper into the continent. Roughly half the world’s population is already at risk of contracting the once-tropical viruses that cause fevers and can be deadly in rare cases.
• News Quiz! In 1946, Harvard Law School paid $27 for a copy of the Magna Carta. Researchers now say it could actually be worth millions — why is that?
A. It features a treasure map on the back
B. It is signed by Winston Churchill
C. It’s an original
D. It was written in gold ink
[Answer below]
#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS
$96 billion
On Wednesday, Donald Trump announced a $96 billion deal between American planemaker Boeing and Qatar Airways following the U.S. president’s visit to Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar. The agreement, which includes up to 210 Boeing aircraft, is among the largest in aviation history and highlights strengthening U.S.-Qatar defense and trade ties. His Gulf tour aims to deepen economic and diplomatic relations with Middle Eastern nations. During the trip, he also met with Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and lifted all remaining U.S. sanctions on the country. His next stop is the United Arab Emirates, where he hopes to finalize a deal to supply 500,000 Nvidia AI chips to support the UAE’s expanding tech sector.
📰 IN OTHER NEWS
🇹🇩 Francesca Mannocchi reports from Chad, where she spoke to some of the 700,000 Sudanese refugees who have fled the civil war that is ravaging the country. Their hopes to find a safer place were crushed by lack of funding and resources, creating yet another threat to their lives: famine.
— LA STAMPA
🗳️ Along with questions of a ceasefire deal with Russia come questions of when Ukraine will hold its next presidential election. While much remains uncertain, Livy Bereg considers the prospects of potential candidates.
— LIVY BEREG
❄️ President Donald Trump has begun eroding the United States presence in Antarctica by announcing deep funding cuts to his nation’s science and logistics on the icy continent.
— THE CONVERSATION
📣 VERBATIM
“ I don’t think people should be taking advice, medical advice, from me.”
— U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made the remark during a hearing in Congress on Wednesday. The session focused on the government’s response to a growing measles outbreak and the firing of unvaccinated federal employees. Some of the most heated exchanges centered on Kennedy’s past remarks questioning vaccine safety, although he pledged to uphold existing vaccine standards as part of his role in the Trump administration. He defended his earlier comments as misrepresented and emphasized that medical decisions should remain personal, not government-mandated.
✍️ Newsletter by Anne-Sophie Goninet & Rein Arnauts
Quiz Answer: C. Two British medieval history professors claim that a manuscript once considered an unofficial copy of Magna Carta is actually a rare and lost original. Harvard Law School paid about $27 (roughly $450 today) for the document in 1946 and had stored it in its library for years. The manuscript could be considered now “one of the world’s most valuable documents,” the researchers say, worth millions of dollars. Magna Carta, which is a charter first issued by King John of England in 1215, is considered a key step in the evolution of human rights against oppressive rulers.
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