Netanyahu UN Address, Comey Indicted, Shiva Dance

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🗞️ FRONT PAGE​​

Paris-based daily Libération dedicates its front page to the five-year sentence handed to former French president Nicolas Sarkozy for criminal conspiracy linked to illegal campaign funding from Libya. Sarkozy is now the first post-war French president to face imprisonment. The case centers on allegations that Sarkozy sought financing from Libya’s then leader Muammar Gaddafi for his 2007 campaign. Since leaving office in 2012, Sarkozy has been entangled in multiple legal battles. While he maintains his innocence and plans to appeal, he is still required to report to jail.

🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW

• Netanyahu to address UN as pressure for Gaza ceasefire grows. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to address the UN General Assembly on Friday as Israel faces international isolation and calls to end the war in Gaza. On Thursday, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas spoke to the assembly by video, urging stronger global action on Palestinian statehood. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump warned he would “not allow Israel to annex the West Bank.” Read more in this piece by French analyst Pierre Haski: The Abbas Paradox: Rejected At Home, Essential Abroad. 

• Former FBI director James Comey claims innocence after indictment. Former FBI Director James Comey has claimed his innocence after a federal grand jury in the U.S. state of Virginia has formally charged him with two offences related to his 2020 testimony to Congress. Comey stands accused of lying about whether he authorized the leak of classified information to the press — a case that could carry up to five years in prison. The indictment marks a dramatic escalation of President Donald Trump’s retribution campaign against his political enemies.

• Denmark shuts airport again after drone spotted. A Danish airport was briefly closed down on Friday after a drone was seen flying overhead for the second time in hours. Multiple drone incursions have disrupted airports across Denmark this week in what Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called “hybrid attacks” that may be linked to Russia. Investigators have so far failed to identify those responsible.

• Madagascar declares curfew after violent protests. The government of the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar on Thursday imposed a nighttime curfew in the capital city Antananarivo, after protests over chronic power cuts and water shortages turned violent. Hundreds marched demanding reliable electricity and water supplies across the island nation.

• UK plans compulsory digital ID to crack down on illegal immigration. UK’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer has unveiled plans on Friday for a mandatory digital ID scheme in an effort to curb illegal immigration and strengthen border security.” The free digital ID, which will include details on its holder’s nationality and residency status, is meant to become the standard way to prove the right to work in the UK.

• Amazon to pay historic $2.5 billion settlement over deceptive Prime practices. Amazon will pay a record $2.5 billion to settle allegations it misled millions of customers into signing up for Prime memberships, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission announced Thursday. This marks the largest civil penalty in a case involving an FTC rule violation, although the settlement is relatively minor for Amazon, which generates the same revenue in roughly 33 hours.

• News Quiz! South Korea has passed a bill to legalize a form of art, ending a decades-long ban. Which one?

A. Cosplaying
B. Graffitis
C. Tattoos
D. Dance flash mobs
[Answer below]

#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS

8 m²

Hong Kong lawmakers on Friday approved a bill setting minimum standards for subdivided flats, requiring units to be at least 8 square meters (86 square feet) with ceilings no lower than 2.3 meters (7.5 feet), proper windows, and at least one toilet each. The legislation is part of Beijing’s plan to phase out such cramped living spaces by 2049. An estimated 220,000 people live in these subdivided apartments in Hong Kong, one of the world’s most expensive housing markets.  

📰 IN OTHER NEWS

🎓 As the U.S.-China trade war has intensified, President Donald Trump’s administrative stance toward Chinese students has swung with the talks. In the U.S., they’re at times branded as potential spies, while in China, coming home can carry the stigma of disloyalty.
— THE INITIUM

❄️ For €50 a month, some people are buying into cryogenic preservation, hoping the future holds the key to immortality. While the once-fantastical idea is edging into the mainstream, critics warn that what’s being sold isn’t science but hope on ice.
— LE FIGARO

📝 Land reforms gave Zimbabweans farms — but contract tobacco deals have handed power to private companies.
— GLOBAL PRESS JOURNAL