Israel Strikes Gaza, Zelensky-U.S. Talks, Father Frost Express

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🗞️ FRONT PAGE​​

The front page of German daily Trierischer Volksfreund marks 80 years since the start of the Nuremberg Trials, where top Nazi leaders were prosecuted for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during World War II and the Holocaust. Conducted by the Allied powers, the trials lasted nearly a year, involved 22 major defendants, and as the Trierischer Volksfreund notes, laid the foundation for international criminal justice.

🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW

• At least 33 killed in some of Israel’s deadliest strikes in Gaza since start of ceasefire. At least 33 Palestinians were killed in the last 12 hours after Israel launched strikes on Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis, marking some of the deadliest strikes since Oct. 10 when a U.S.-brokered ceasefire came into force. Israel said its soldiers had come under fire in the city but Hamas denied firing toward Israeli troops, condemning the attacks as a “shocking massacre.” Meanwhile, a new report by Human Rights Watch published on Thursday says that Israel may have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity when it forcibly expelled 32,000 Palestinians from three West Bank refugee camps during its ground offensive earlier this year.

• Zelensky to meet U.S. Army officials in Kyiv amid new peace plan rumors. Senior Pentagon officials, including U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, are expected to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Thursday to “discuss efforts to end the war” with Russia. This comes as reports began surfacing on Wednesday that the U.S. signaled to Zelensky that his country must accept a new framework peace plan which requires significant concessions from Ukraine including giving up territory it still controls and dramatically cutting the size of its military. Such a plan would represent a major setback for Kyiv as Zelensky is faced with a major corruption scandal, which saw two ministers fired on Wednesday.

• Trump signs bills ordering release of Epstein files. U.S. President Donald Trump signed legislation Wednesday that orders the release of government files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, reversing his opposition to these efforts, after pushback from Epstein’s victims and members of his own Republican Party. The bill requires the U.S. Justice Department to release all files and communications related to Epstein within 30 days. Meanwhile, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers announced on Wednesday that he was resigning from the board of OpenAI and stepping down from his position at Harvard University amid the continuing fallout from his ties to Epstein.

• Brazil struggles to secure COP30 climate deal, Turkey to host COP31. Brazil failed to land an early COP30 climate deal on Wednesday as the two-week summit is drawing to a close, with divisions over fossil fuels and climate finance remaining. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is still optimistic, saying he believes his “negotiators will have the best result a COP could have ever offered to the Planet Earth.” Meanwhile, Turkey is set to host the COP31 in 2026 after Australia dropped its bid to host the annual event. For more on the Brazilian town hosting the event, check this Die Zeit reportage, translated from German by Worldcrunch.

• Death toll from Vietnam floods rises to 16. Rescue operations are underway as a new round of torrential rain, flooding and landslides have hit central Vietnam over the past three days, with the death toll rising to 16, a government report said on Thursday. Five people are still missing while more than 43,000 houses were submerged.

• Meta to start blocking Australian teens from Facebook and Instagram. Australian Facebook and Instagram users under 16 will be notified starting Thursday that their accounts will be deactivated by December 10, as Australia prepares to enforce its sweeping new social media law, which also covers TikTok, X, YouTube, Snapchat and Reddit. Critics say the changes have been rushed through without addressing questions around privacy, and the effects on young people’s mental health and access to information. From the Worldcrunch vault, we offer this piece from French philosopher Gaspard Koenig: Social Media Ban For Teens? A Free-Market Philosopher Makes The Case.

• News Quiz! A Paris court has provisionally blocked the auction of what historical item to prevent it from being exported?

A. Napoleon Bonaparte’s hat
B. Blaise Pascal’s calculator
C. Gustave Eiffel’s original blueprint
D. Marie-Antoinette’s ratatouille recipe
[Answer below]

📣 VERBATIM

“After the shock, after the emotion, after the assessment, it’s time for action.”

— Louvre director Laurence des Cars outlined new security actions following the stunning crown jewels heist at the Paris museum last month. Speaking before the Committee of Cultural Affairs of the National Assembly, she announced more than 20 emergency measures, including 100 new cameras, anti-intrusion systems, and a new security coordinator, as the museum seeks to modernize outdated infrastructure and cope with overwhelming visitor numbers.

📰 IN OTHER NEWS

🔍 An investigation has been opened into Grok, Elon Musk’s generative AI, after it gave Holocaust-denying answers. This raises questions about digital regulation at a time when Europe wants to ease the few rules that currently exist.
— FRANCE INTER

🚘 Packed with more and more digitally-powered features, today’s vehicles are more advanced than ever, and more prone to failure. As recalls surge, experts warn that the race for innovation may be pushing quality control to the limit.
— DIE ZEIT

⏹️ In a world of excessive information, genuine and authentic freedom nowadays is not in accessing more, but in knowing what to give up.
— CLARÍN