Gaza Hospital Strike Outrage, Pakistan Flood Evacuation, Teej Festival

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🗞️ FRONT PAGE​​

Hanoi-based daily Nhân Dân, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of Vietnam, celebrates 80 years of the August Revolution, marking the country’s independence from colonial rule. The paper highlights the nation’s resilience, unity and achievements in diplomacy, governance and social development since President Hồ Chí Minh declared independence from France in 1945.

🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW

• Global leaders condemn Israel for Gaza hospital double strike, killing journalists. Israel’s two strikes on Gaza’s Nasser Hospital on Monday, which killed at least 20 people, including five journalists, have drawn international condemnation. U.S. President Donald Trump was quoted as saying, “I’m not happy about it,” while French President Emmanuel Macron called it “intolerable.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the strikes as a “tragic mishap.” Meanwhile, people are demonstrating across Israel today, calling on the government to reach a deal with Hamas to release the 50 remaining hostages in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to be alive. For more, read this Daraj piece translated from Arabic by Worldcrunch: “Time Is Up” — A Gaza Journalist’s Open Letter To Hamas

• Trump moves to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook. U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will immediately remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, marking a major escalation in his battle against the country’s central bank. In a letter posted to his Truth Social platform on Monday, Trump attributed the move to mortgage fraud allegations made by one of his allies. Cook responded by saying Trump had no authority to fire her, adding that she would not resign. This is the first time a U.S. president has sought to fire a Fed governor, as the agency is independent from politics. 

• Australia expels Iranian ambassador over antisemitic attacks. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has accused Iran of orchestrating two antisemitic arson attacks and said the country is cutting diplomatic ties with Iran, ordering Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi and three other officials to leave the country. The Australian Security Intelligence Organization found that Iran organized arson attacks in Sydney in October and in Melbourne in December. Iran rejected the allegations and argued the decision was politically motivated. The Australian Jewish community has seen an increase in antisemitic attacks since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7 2023. 

• Fire destroys Marshall Islands parliament building. An overnight fire destroyed the national parliament building of the Marshall Islands, according to officials in the Pacific Island nation. Firefighters told Reuters that half of the parliament building, known as the Nitijela, had been burnt down and RNZ reported the parliament chamber, offices, library and archives had all been destroyed. 

• Pakistan evacuates 150,000 people after flood warning from India. Pakistan has evacuated at least 150,000 people in areas along three rivers after neighboring India warned it will release excess water from a dam. The two countries have experienced intense rain and flooding in recent weeks, which the excess water release could worsen. The release also could heighten diplomatic tensions between the rival nations, who have been in a tense stand-off since a brief conflict in May. 

• Musk sues Apple and OpenAI over AI competition. Elon Musk’s companies xAI and X have filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple and OpenAI, accusing the tech giants of an illegal alliance by making ChatGPT that only AI chatbot integrated into the iPhone operating system. Musk’s firms allege this partnership is stifling competition and are seeking billions in damages, along with a jury trial and a permanent injunction to the alleged wrongdoing. In a statement, OpenAI called the suit “consistent with Mr. Musk’s ongoing pattern of harassment.”

• News Quiz! Beyond his first-round victory over American professional tennis player Reilly Opelka, why did Spanish wunderkind Carlos Alcaraz make headlines in the U.S. Open?

A. He premiered his buzz cut.
B. He switched to serve-and-volley strategy.
C. He broke the record for most aces in a match.
D. He ate churros between sets.
[Answer below]

📰 IN OTHER NEWS

🤝In the wake of the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska, the hopes for peace negotiations that it had raised have faded: Russia has set conditions that are difficult to accept. There is no meeting between Zelensky and Putin planned; now the question is: What will Trump do?
— FRANCE INTER

⛰ What we call “natural disasters” in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are, in truth, human-made tragedies: preventable catastrophes born of greed, denial, and the systematic erasure of ecological wisdom.
— THE WIRE

🇦🇷 An Argentine couple went from seeking out sexual threesomes as aficionados to opening a swingers’ club and even chairing a national association for like-minded, libertine couples who would open their relations in a “responsible” way.
— CLARÍN

📣 VERBATIM

“I look forward to meeting with Kim Jong-un in the appropriate future.”

— U.S. President Donald Trump said he hopes to, once again, meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during a meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung. Trump, who met Kim three times during his first term, said the leader was “very good” with him. Lee, who has expressed his desire to ease tensions between North and South Korea, told Trump he is the “only person” who could end the standoff between the two countries.