👋 Bonghjornu!*
Welcome to Tuesday, where Ukraine’s army remains locked in an intense battle to hold back a Russian push on the key city of Pokrovsk, Peru severs its diplomatic ties with Mexico and today’s quiz question is about breaking a world record. Meanwhile, Olivia Carballar for Spain’s La Marea’s – Climática examines the data flagging Latin America as the deadliest region for environmental activists.
[*Corsican]
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🗞️ FRONT PAGE
“It felt like an earthquake,” writes the Rome edition of Italian daily Corriere della Sera on its front page, after parts of a medieval tower collapsed in the heart of the capital. The accident killed a 66-year-old Romanian worker, who died in hospital after being trapped for almost 12 hours beneath the rubble. Authorities have launched an investigation into the collapse, which occurred during restoration work on the Torre dei Conti, near Rome’s Colosseum.
🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
• Ukrainian drones reach deep inside Russia as battle for Pokrovsk rages on. Local officials reported on Tuesday that two Ukrainian long-range drones targeted an industrial facility in Sterlitamak, about 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) inside Russia, as Ukraine’s army tries to hold back a Russian push on the key city of Pokrovsk in the eastern Donetsk region. Moscow’s forces have been attempting to capture the Ukrainian stronghold for more than a year. Meanwhile, the European Union is set to reveal its ratings for candidate countries, including Ukraine, later on Tuesday.
• Former U.S. VP Dick Cheney dies. Dick Cheney, former U.S. vice president under George W. Bush for two terms between 2001 and 2009, and key architect of the post-9/11 “war on terror,” died at 84 from complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease. Often called “the most powerful vice president in American history’, the polarizing conservative Republican later was a harsh critic of Donald Trump, backing Democrat Kamala Harris in 2024.
• Peru breaks diplomatic ties with Mexico. Peru announced on Monday it is severing diplomatic relations with Mexico after its government granted asylum to former Peruvian Prime Minister Betssy Chávez, who is under investigation for a 2022 coup attempt. Peruvian Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela called Mexico’s decision “an unfriendly act” that adds to the existing tensions between the two countries.
• Trump threatens to cut funding if Mamdani wins NYC election. U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for mayor of New York City on Monday and urged voters not to elect Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani while threatening to hold back federal funds to the city. Mamdani, 34, is leading Cuomo, who is running as an independent, in the polls ahead of Tuesday’s election.
• Shein to cooperate with France over sales of childlike sex dolls investigation. Online sales platform Shein has pledged on Tuesday to “cooperate fully” with French prosecutors after the launch of an investigation into the sale of childlike sex dolls on its site. Shein’s spokesperson in France said the company was prepared to share the names of the customers who had bought such dolls if asked. France’s anti-fraud unit had flagged the products over the weekend, prompting Shein to announce a ban of the sex dolls from its site on Monday. Read more about Shein here.
• Typhoon Kalmaegi leaves four dead in Philippines. The death toll from Typhoon Kalmaegi has climbed to four in central Philippines after the powerful storm made landfall early on Tuesday, unleashing heavy rains and floods, and forcing thousands of people to evacuate. Kalmaegi is expected to hit Vietnam on Thursday, as the country is still reeling from heavy floods that killed at least 40 people over the past week.
• News Quiz! To promote the release of the 2026 edition of the Guinness World Records, a French publishing group is launching a campaign inviting people to break which record?
A. Highest book tower
B. Fastest page-turning
C. Longest paper airplane flight
D. Largest bookmark collection
[Answer below]
#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS
3 hours
Australia has announced a “Solar Sharer” program starting in 2026, which will provide households — even those without panels — with three hours of free solar power daily. Starting in New South Wales and southeast Queensland, the initiative aims to reduce energy costs and boost renewable energy use.
📰 IN OTHER NEWS
🇮🇱 The anniversary of Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination comes at a moment when both Israeli and Palestinian extremists have the upper hand. But it is at least a reminder that belief in a resolution to the Middle East conflict once existed, on both sides.
— FRANCE INTER
🔍 In 2024, there were 146 murders and long-term disappearances of environmental and land activists in Latin America, according to a report by the NGO Global Witness.
— LA MAREA
🇧🇩 With conservatism on the rise, third-gender and trans people retreat from public life in Dhaka, Bangladesh, erasing the identities they once fought to display.
— GLOBAL PRESS JOURNAL
✍️ Newsletter by Anne-Sophie Goninet & Bertrand Hauger
Quiz Answer: C. French publishing group Hachette has launched a campaign inviting people to break the record of the longest paper airplane flight, as a way to promote the release of the Guinness World Records’ 2026 edition. Users can download for free the folding instructions of the model that holds the current record at 88.31 meters (289 ft 9 in), set by U.S. Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering students in 2022.
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