Hong Kong Shuts Down, Kimmel Returns, Fattah Freed

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🗞️ FRONT PAGE​​

Barcelona-based daily newspaper SPORT dedicates its front page to Aitana Bonmati. The Spain and Barcelona midfielder made history by becoming the first player to win the women’s Ballon d’Or three times. The Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious individual prize in both men’s and women’s football, and Bonmatí’s run of three in a row follows back-to-back victories for her Barcelona and Spain teammate Alexia Putellas. Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain and France forward Ousmane Dembélé won the 2025 Men’s Ballon d’Or.

🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW

• Israeli tanks advance further into Gaza City. This comes as U.S. President Donald Trump will address the UN General Assembly today. It will be the first time he attends the general debate since 2020. Meanwhile, France recognized Palestinian statehood on Monday at the start of the high-profile meeting at the UN aimed at galvanizing support for a two-state solution to the Mideast conflict. 

• Zelensky to seek more support from allies when he addresses the UN and meets Trump. Kyiv’s hopes of winning tough new U.S. sanctions on Russia are fading, and a new pragmatism in Ukraine makes President Volodymyr Zelensky’s trip less hopeful than some earlier visits to the United States. Read more about Ukraine’s military capacity here.

• Hong Kong shut down ahead of Super Typhoon Ragasa. The storm, believed to be the world’s strongest this year, is approaching southern China, one day after battering the Philippines’ northern region. Authorities are urging people to stay at home, while most passenger flights were due to be suspended until Thursday. People piled into supermarkets, as panic buying set in and residents stocked up on necessities for fear that shops could be closed for two days.

• Denmark and Norway forced to close main airports due to drone sightings. Danish police were unable to confirm the type or the number of drones seen around Copenhagen Airport, but told reporters on Tuesday morning that they were likely flown by a “capable operator” who wanted to “show off.” Meanwhile, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told reporters that she could not rule out Russian involvement. 

• Jimmy Kimmel’s show to return Tuesday. U.S. comedian Jimmy Kimmel will return to his late-night talk show on Tuesday after he was suspended for making jokes relating to the death of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk. But not all of ABC’s affiliated stations will be carrying Kimmel’s comeback show. Sinclair, one of the United States’ largest owners of local TV stations, said its ABC affiliates will air news programming in the time slot instead.

• Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah freed. Prominent Egyptian-British human rights activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah has been freed after spending most of the past 12 years in prison. His release comes a day after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi pardoned him and five other prisoners. Considered to be among the most high-profile political prisoners in Egypt, Abd El-Fattah’s lengthy imprisonment and repeated hunger strikes had prompted international pleas for the Egyptian government to release him.

• News Quiz! Missions to the Moon and Mars pose nutritional challenges. What food was the main focus of a recent study conducted by NASA?

A. Lettuce
B. Diet Coke
C. Potatoes
D. Froot Loops cereal
[Answer below]

📣 VERBATIM

“The ICC has proven itself incapable of handling and prosecuting proven war crimes.”

— The three members of the Alliance of Sahel States in West Africa issued a joint statement announcing their withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, calling it an instrument of “neo-colonialist repression.” Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, all led by juntas, have grown increasingly isolated from the West and drawn closer to countries such as Russia. “The ICC has proven itself incapable of handling and prosecuting proven war crimes, crimes against humanity, crimes of genocide, and crimes of aggression,” the statement read. Meanwhile, the ICC has charged former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte with crimes against humanity. The 80-year-old is accused of being criminally responsible for dozens of murders that allegedly took place as part of his so-called war on drugs, during which thousands of small-time drug dealers, users and others were killed without trial.

📰 IN OTHER NEWS

🇵🇸 The Israeli prime minister is threatening to annex all or part of the occupied West Bank in retaliation for France and other countries recognizing the State of Palestine, but this is easier said than done.
— FRANCE INTER

🚗 Nowadays, the auto industry produces “entry-level” cars that are going for double what they cost 25 years ago, leaving young buyers struggling to enter the market.
— CLARÍN

💭 Research, much of it by companies with deep investment in AI, suggests that chatbot interactions alter how users think.
— UNDARK