“Workable” Israeli-Hamas Ceasefire Proposal, EU-China Summit, Fake Ambassador

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🗞️ FRONT PAGE​​

American newspaper The Wall Street Journal first reported that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi told President Donald Trump in May that his name appeared multiple times in documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation, though it was not clear in what context. This comes after The Wall Street Journal broke the story last week that Trump wrote Epstein a birthday card with a drawing of a naked woman, leading Trump to file a libel lawsuit seeking $10 billion in damages against the paper and its owner Rupert Murdoch, who also owns right-wing media Fox News.     

🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW

• Hamas ceasefire proposal is “workable,” Israeli official says. An Israeli official speaking on condition of anonymity called Hamas’ latest ceasefire proposal “workable,” although no details were provided. The militant group had confirmed early Thursday that it had sent the new proposal to mediators. This comes as top U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff is set to meet with key leaders from the Middle East to discuss the latest ceasefire proposal and the release of hostages. Read more in this El Espectador OpEd, translated from Spanish by Worldcrunch.

• Thailand seals border with Cambodia, as clashes kill at least 12. Thai and Cambodian troops exchanged fire in a disputed border area on Thursday, killing at least 12 people, mostly civilians. Thailand has closed its entire land border with Cambodia, marking a sharp escalation in the long-standing dispute between the two Southeast Asian neighbors. The Thai army said it launched airstrikes on ground military targets in Cambodia, accusing the country of firing rockets into a Thai village and attacking a hospital.

• U.S. approves $322 million military aid package to Ukraine. The U.S. State Department announced the approval of $322 million in arms sales to bolster Ukraine’s air defenses and its armored combat vehicles, as the country works to fend off escalating Russian attacks. The announcement comes weeks after Washington temporarily halted some weapons shipments to Ukraine, before U.S. President Donald Trump’s abrupt change in posture. For more, check this reportage by Le Figaro, translated from French by Worldcrunch: Inside Ukraine’s Domestic Weapon Scale-Up — The Last, Best Defense Against U.S. Retreat.

• Wreckage found after Russian plane crashes in country’s east. Russian state media report that rescue services have found the wreckage of an Antonov An-24 passenger plane that disappeared about 10 miles from its destination in the country’s far-eastern Amur region. Initial information suggests that all 43 passengers and six crew aboard were killed. The Angara Airlines flight vanished from radar as it approached Tynda airport.

• India and UK to sign $8 billion trade deal. During his visit to the UK, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to sign a free trade deal which could lead to “nearly £6 billion ($8 billion) in new investment and export wins.” Under the agreement, UK cars and whisky will be cheaper to export to India, and Indian textiles and jewellery cheaper to export to the UK. The deal also includes a new plan for both countries to tackle illegal migration.

• Wildfire kills 10 firefighters and rescuers in Turkey amid extreme heat. At least 10 firefighters and rescue workers were killed and 14 others injured while battling a wildfire in Turkey’s northwestern Eskisehir province, bringing the country’s wildfire death toll this year to 13. This comes as several fires rage in central and western areas of the country where temperatures are soaring. 

• News Quiz! Indian police arrested a man accused of running a bogus embassy near New Delhi and impersonating an ambassador in order to dupe people for money. Which fictional entity did the suspect say he acted as an adviser to?

A. Westarctica
B. Atlantis
C. Scameroon
D. Connada
[Answer below]

#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS

16 %

Tesla experienced its largest quarterly revenue decline in over a decade, as auto revenue declined 16% for the April-June quarter, according to an earnings report. Tesla total revenue fell to $22.5 billion, down from $25.5 billion in the second quarter of 2024. On a quarterly results conference call  Wednesday, CEO Elon Musk said due to U.S. government cuts to support for electric vehicles makers, Tesla “could have a few rough quarters.” The company’s losses come after Musk left the federal government’s Department of Government Efficiency, publicly feuded with President Donald Trump on X, and launched his own America Party.

📰 IN OTHER NEWS

🇮🇱 People would have understood Israel’s punitive retribution, even a singularly harsh response, to the October 7 massacre. But it has since gone far too far, prompting even sympathizers to wonder in horror if a democracy committing genocide.
— EL ESPECTADOR

🚫 The Kremlin is shutting off access to crucial data on its population and economy. What did those figures reveal — and why is the government afraid of them?
— VAZHNYYE ISTORII/IMPORTANT STORIES

💬 “When he becomes Pope, he probably won’t remember me.” An exclusive interview given by then-Cardinal Robert F. Prevost on August 7, 2024 unveils his early encounters with Pope Francis.
— LA STAMPA

📣 VERBATIM

“This is a victory for our planet, for climate justice, and for the power of young people to make a difference.”

–  UN Secretary-General António Guterres praised the International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s ruling that states who fail to prevent climate harm by limiting fossil fuel use could be offered to pay reparations. The Hague’s decision was unanimous and celebrated by climate activists who argue stronger legal tools are necessary to fight climate change.