👋 ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ*
Welcome to Thursday, where Iran’s nuclear sites are reported to be “severely damaged,” Gaza mediators are intensifying ceasefire efforts, and our daily quiz question is related to a very old discovery from a Polish cave. Meanwhile, Inma Mora Sánchez for Ethic outlines the issues surrounding women’s self-esteem, from the housewives’ awakening of the 1950s to the present day.
[*Namaskar – Kannada, India]
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🗞️ FRONT PAGE
Spanish daily El País lends its front page Thursday to U.S. President Donald Trump threatening Spain to “pay twice as much,” after Spain was the only country refusing to increase defense spending to 5% at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands. Trump hinted Wednesday at a targeted tariff war, suggesting he will double the planned tariffs on the country. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had declared last week that the NATO spending request was “unreasonable but also counterproductive,” asking for a “more flexible formula.”
🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
• Iran’s nuclear sites “severely damaged” says CIA while Khamenei hails “hard slap” to U.S. John Ratcliffe, the spy agency’s director, said U.S. strikes have “severely damaged” Iran’s nuclear facilities and set them back years, though he didn’t declare that Tehran’s nuclear programme had been eliminated outright. Ratcliffe’s comments contradict a leaked intelligence report that angered President Donald Trump by downplaying the raid’s impact. Trump said on Wednesday that the U.S. would likely hold talks with Iran next week to seek a commitment from Tehran to end its nuclear ambitions. Meanwhile, in his first address since the U.S. strikes, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Iran was able to emerge “victorious” and “delivered a hard slap to America’s face”. On Wednesday, Iranian lawmakers voted on Wednesday in favor of suspending cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), after the UN nuclear watchdog “refused to even marginally condemn the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.” Read more on Trump’s approach in this Le Figaro OpEd translated from French by Worldcrunch.
• Gaza mediators intensifying ceasefire efforts. A senior Hamas official has told the BBC that mediators are intensifying efforts to reach a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza, but that negotiations with Israel remain stalled. This comes after Israeli attacks on the enclave killed at least 45 Palestinians on Wednesday, the Hamas-run health ministry said. For more, check French analyst Pierre Haski’s piece: After Iran, Trump Has New Leverage To Push Netanyahu For Gaza Truce.
• EU leaders meet to discuss tougher Russia sanctions, Middle East conflicts. The 27 leaders of the European Union have arrived in Brussels for a one-day summit to discuss tougher sanctions on Russia, the Israel-Iran conflict, the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and ways to avoid new U.S. tariffs. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán vowed upon his arrival to block Ukraine’s accession to the EU. This comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed an accord with the Council of Europe human rights body on Wednesday to establish a special tribunal to try top officials responsible for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
• At least 16 killed in anti-government protests in Kenya. At least 16 people have been killed and 400 injured during nationwide anti-government protests in Kenya, most of those “killed by police” Wednesday, the head of Amnesty Kenya said. Thousands of Kenyans had taken to the streets to commemorate last year’s demonstrations, in which more than 60 people died.
• Ecuador recaptures “Fito” gang leader a year after prison escape. Jose Adolfo Macias, the fugitive leader of Ecuador’s Los Choneros gang also known as “Fito,” was recaptured more than a year after he escaped from Guayaquil prison, where he was serving a 34-year sentence for drug trafficking and murder, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa announced Wednesday. Macias will now be extradited to the U.S., where he was indicted by a federal court for charges related to drug trafficking and firearms smuggling.
• North Korea to open beach resort to attract tourists. North Korea is set to open a beach resort on the country’s east coast on July 1, state media reports. The Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone will be able to accommodate up to 20,000 visitors, though it is unclear when it will welcome foreigners. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hailed the site, which was slated to be completed six years ago, as one of the country’s “greatest feats.”
• News Quiz! Researchers have found that the world’s oldest boomerang, discovered in Poland in 1985, is actually older than previously thought. But which other feature makes it special?
A. It’s made of human bones
B. It has instructions carved on it
C. It doesn’t come back
D. It glows in the dark
[Answer below]
#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS
$232 billion
Japan’s corporate sector registered a record $232 billion in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the first half of 2025, driving Asia’s deal-making rebound, which was fueled by multi-billion-dollar take-private arrangements, outbound investments, and private equity activity. A strategic push by Japanese companies to address persistently low valuations and take advantage of low interest rates has triggered this surge in M&A activity, according to a Reuters report published Thursday.
📰 IN OTHER NEWS
🇵🇸 An exclusive investigation reveals Israel’s use of trained dogs — imported from European countries — as weapons against Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the West Bank.
— DARAJ
💪 Self-esteem, which has long been neglected among women, can be nurtured and developed, for both personal and collective wellbeing.
— ETHIC
📵 With RFK Jr. and half of U.S. states backing phone bans in classrooms, the science remains unsettled — and experts warn that sweeping restrictions may do more harm than good without a broader rethink of how kids use tech.
— UNDARK
📣 VERBATIM
“I will always be your ally.”
— European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has called on Hungary to lift the ban on the Budapest Pride, and allow the march, scheduled to take place this weekend, to “go ahead without fear of any criminal or administrative sanctions against the organizers or participants,” in a video message posted on social media Wednesday evening. “To the LGBTIQ+ community in Hungary and beyond: I will always be your ally. You have every reason to be proud […] Europe is stronger and richer because of you. I am on your side. Today and every day,” she said.
✍️ Newsletter by Anne-Sophie Goninet & Cecilia Laurent Monpetit
Quiz Answer: C. Researchers say that due to its shape, the boomerang discovered in 1985 in a cave in Poland, which is now thought to be 40,000 years old, would not have come back to the thrower. They believe the tool fashioned from a mammoth’s tusk was probably used in hunting, though it might have had cultural or artistic value.
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