Putin Weighing Nuke Tests, U.S. Shutdown Grounds Planes, Beaver Supermoon

✅ SIGN UP

This is our daily newsletter Worldcrunch Today, a rapid tour of the news of the day from the world’s best journalism sources, regardless of language or geography.

It’s easy (and free!) to sign up to receive it each day in your inbox: 👉 Sign up here 

🗞️ FRONT PAGE​​

Some 53 world leaders are convening in Belem, Brazil, for a two-day summit aiming to build momentum ahead of next week’s COP30 climate conference. Host country Brazil will seek to push for action on existing pledges, including methane cuts, and a new tropical forest fund during the COP30 talks, which will last until Nov 21. This edition is marked by the absence of a U.S. representative, as President Trump chose to boycott the meeting, having earlier dismissed climate science as a “con job” — tensions captured on Brazilian daily Estado de S. Paulo’s front page, which features an Oxfam protest mocking global inaction on climate change.

🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW

• Putin says Russia is considering resuming nuclear tests after Trump’s remarks. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia would consider resuming nuclear tests for the first time since 1990 if the U.S. does so first. This comes after U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to signal that the U.S. will resume testing nuclear weapons for the first time in three decades “on an equal basis” with Russia and China. Meanwhile, European and U.S. energy ministers held talks on Thursday in Greece on how to use a newly upgraded regional pipeline network to better supply war-torn Ukraine.

• Israel identifies latest Gaza hostage remains as Tanzanian student. Israeli authorities confirmed Thursday that the remains of a hostage returned the previous day by Hamas were identified as those of Joshua Loitu Mollel, a Tanzanian agricultural student in Israel who was killed on Oct. 7, 2023. The 21-year-old had arrived at kibbutz Nahal Oz only 19 days before the attack that started the war. There are now six bodies of hostages that remain in Gaza.

• U.S. administration orders 10% of flights cut amid shutdown. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it would order a 10% cut in flights at 40 major U.S. airports starting Friday, in an attempt to maintain safety during the ongoing government shutdown. The drastic plan is set to impact thousands of flights nationwide as airlines are scrambling to make significant reductions in flights in just 36 hours. The longest shutdown in U.S. history, which hit a record 36th day, has forced 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration agents to work without pay.

• Typhoon Kalmaegi heads to Vietnam, Philippines declares state of calamity. Typhoon Kalmaegi is barrelling towards central Vietnam with increasing wind speeds after tearing through the central Philippines this week. The storm was the deadliest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year, leaving at least 114 people dead, prompting President Ferdinand Marcos Jr to declare a state of calamity early on Thursday. 

• Enany set to become first Arab head of UNESCO despite criticism. Egypt’s former tourism and antiquities minister Khaled El-Enany is set to be confirmed as the first Arab director-general of the UN cultural and education agency UNESCO on Thursday, despite criticism that he had failed to protect cultural treasures at home such as Cairo’s “City of the Dead.” In a letter signed by more than 50 organizations and experts, the Berlin-based NGO World Heritage Watch urged countries to reconsider the appointment, arguing that Enany’s record as minister raised questions about his commitment to preserving cultural sites.

• Louvre museum will need years to fix security issues, new report says. France’s Louvre Museum will need several more years to complete long-overdue security upgrades, with full implementation not expected before 2032, the country’s state auditor said in a report on Thursday compiled before a spectacular heist there last month. The report said that only 39% of the museum’s rooms had cameras as of 2024, as officials have admitted security was not up to scratch after four robbers made off with jewels worth $102 million. Four suspects were charged but the treasures have yet to be recovered.

• News Quiz! What has the Swiss government put forward as a candidate for UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage?

A. Yodeling
B. Precision watch polishing competitions.
C. The art of making cheese holes symmetrical
D. Fondue
[Answer below]

📰 IN OTHER NEWS

🇮🇷 The last two French citizens imprisoned in Iran, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, were released in Tehran. They were considered “state hostages,” an increasingly common problem, not only in Iran.— FRANCE INTER

✝️ Faith goes viral as Gen Z reimagines devotion through hashtags and high fashion.— ETHIC

📉 Why are birth rates continuing to fall? Beyond old conservative-progressive social debates, we must look at the way screens have changed our daily lives.— VOLCÁNICAS

📣 VERBATIM

“If they do this to the president, what will happen to all women in our country?”

— Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum plans to press charges against a man who groped her during a public event in Mexico City on Tuesday. Footage shows Sheinbaum addressing supporters on a street close to Mexico City’s National Palace when a man approaches the president, tries to kiss her neck and touch her breast. Sheinbaum condemned the act as symbolic of widespread misogyny and vowed to act to protect women. The offender has been arrested.