👋 Chào!*
Welcome to Friday, where Zelensky meets with King Charles ahead of talks with the “coalition of the willing” in London, the trade feud between the U.S. and Canada escalates and today’s quiz question is about a new AI virtual assistant. Meanwhile, Maxim Kireev in German weekly Die Zeit writes that from offensives stalling to Western aid thinning, the need for a ceasefire is becoming urgent for both Ukraine and Russia.
[*Vietnamese]
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🗞️ FRONT PAGE
German daily Frankfurter Rundschau dedicates its front page to U.S. President Donald Trump’s project of building a new ballroom in the White House. Its headline is a reference to French King Louis XVI when he said “l’état c’est moi” (I am the state), alluding to the fact that Trump rules like the Sun King. Critics say the reckless renovation represents the demolition of democratic traditions, costing around $300 million. Trump has said that no taxpayer money will be used for the renovation. The start of construction work comes in the midst of a federal government shutdown, which has paralyzed the U.S. government for three weeks and halted most public spending.
🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
• Zelensky meets with King Charles ahead of talks with European leaders. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is meeting with King Charles in Windsor, marking their third encounter this year, ahead of talks with the “coalition of the willing” in London. Two dozen European leaders who have pledged military help to protect Ukraine will be hosted by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is expected to call on Europe to supply Kyiv more long-range missiles. This comes a day after EU leaders meeting at a summit in Brussels tasked the European Commission to move ahead with options for funding Ukraine for two more years.
• Trump says trade talks with Canada are “terminated” over TV ads. U.S. President Donald Trump announced late Thursday an immediate end to “all trade negotiations” with Canada over an advert featuring former President Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about tariffs. The ad, sponsored by the government of Canada’s province of Ontario, quotes Reagan saying tariffs “hurt every American.” The U.S. and Canada had been in talks for weeks on a potential deal for the steel and aluminum sectors after Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum and autos earlier this year.
• Erdogan urges U.S., others to press Israel to abide by Gaza ceasefire. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has urged the international community and more particularly the U.S. to “do more to ensure Israel’s full compliance to the ceasefire and agreement” in Gaza, evoking the possible use of sanctions or halting arms sales. Erdoğan said Israel “is continuing to violate the ceasefire” and warned the country “must be forced to keep its promises.”
• Trump to meet Xi in South Korea, speculation around Kim meeting. The White House confirmed plans for U.S. President Donald Trump to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping next week on the sidelines of a summit in South Korea — marking the first face-to-face meeting for both leaders since Trump’s return to office. Trump’s stop in South Korea as part of a trip to Asia has fueled speculation of an impromptu meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as the U.S. leader had made a surprise trip to the border with North Korea during his last visit to its southern neighbor in 2019.
• Irish voters to elect new president. Voters in Ireland are going to the polls to elect a new president for a seven-year term on Friday, with final opinion polls predicting a landslide for Catherine Connolly, an outspoken leftwing independent. While the Irish presidency is a mostly ceremonial role, Connolly’s victory would be a humbling rebuke to the country’s center-right government and mark a triumph for an alliance of opposition leftwing parties that include Sinn Féin.
• Bus fire kills at least 25 in India. At least 25 people were killed and several injured after a passenger bus crashed with a motorcycle and erupted in flames on Friday on a highway near Kurnool district in India’s Andhra Pradesh state. A team of forensic experts is investigating the incident.
• News Quiz! Microsoft has introduced a new Copilot virtual assistant called Mico. What is it shaped like?
A. A paper clip
B. An Excel cell
C. The Windows logo with glasses
D. A floating blob
[Answer below]
#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS
21
The peak of Japan’s Mount Fuji was capped with snow for the first time this winter on Thursday, reaching the milestone 21 days later than the average, since records began in 1894. This year’s snowfall came two weeks earlier than 2024, when snow settled on the 3,776 meter (12,388 ft) mountain only on November 7, the latest since records began.
📰 IN OTHER NEWS
🇷🇺🇺🇦 With offensives stalling, Ukraine hitting Russian refineries, Western aid thinning, and winter power grids under fire, the gap persists as Moscow floats Donbas withdrawals and Kyiv rejects concessions while outside mediation muddies the waters.
— DIE ZEIT
✝️ The first joint prayer since Henry VIII anchors a Vatican day focused on peace, climate ahead of COP30 in Belém, and closer Anglican Catholic ties, with Charles named Royal Confrater at Saint Paul Outside the Walls.
— LA STAMPA
🇳🇵 In border towns, rallies organized by Hindu nationalists often end in violence — fracturing communities and threatening Nepal’s fragile secularism.
— GLOBAL PRESS JOURNAL
✍️ Newsletter by Anne-Sophie Goninet & Emma Albright
Quiz Answer: D. Microsoft has introduced the official successor to the animated paper clip Clippy: Mico, a floating cartoon face shaped like a blob, which will embody the software giant’s AI Copilot virtual assistant. In the U.S. only so far, Copilot users can speak to Mico which changes colors and spins around, but can also easily shut it off — a big difference with Microsoft’s Clippy, which became infamous for its persistence in offering advice.
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