EU’s New Russia Sanctions, Trump-Epstein Letter, Cry For Migrants

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🗞️ FRONT PAGE​​

Dutch daily newspaper NRC dedicated its cover to the sectarian fighting in Syria with the headline “The complex relationship between Israel and the Druze.” Nearly 600 people have been killed in the conflict between the Druze groups, Bedouin tribes and government forces. The Syrian presidency has accused Druze fighters in Sweida of violating a ceasefire reached Wednesday. Meanwhile, Israel has intervened, conducting airstrikes in the name of protecting the Druze. 

🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW

• EU imposes new sanctions on Russia’s oil and banks after Slovakia lifts veto. Pro-Moscow Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico has cleared the way Friday for the European Union to impose a new round of sanctions against Russia, targeting the country’s energy and financial sectors. The sanctions ban all transactions with 22 Russian banks, the Russian Direct Investment Fund and its subsidiaries, and the direct and indirect use of the currently closed Nord Stream pipelines that Moscow hopes to reopen soon.

• Israel apologizes for strike on Gaza church that killed three. Israel said it “deeply regrets that a stray ammunition” hit Gaza’s Holy Family Church on Thursday, killing three and wounding a priest who was close to Pope Francis. In a Vatican telegram on Thursday, a church official said Pope Leo XIV is “deeply saddened” by the strike. Also, a new BBC report says Israel is obliterating thousands of Gaza civilian buildings in controlled demolitions.

• Report of vulgar 2003 Trump letter to Epstein, as White House struggles to tamp down uproar over late disgraced financier. U.S. President Donald Trump tried to dampen anger of allies and others over his handling of records from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Trump said he would sue The Wall Street Journal for describing a sexually suggestive letter that the newspaper says bore Trump’s name and was included in a 2003 album for Epstein’s 50th birthday. Trump agreed on Thursday to release a portion of records related to claims of a coverup in the case of Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 awaiting trial on federal charges of trafficking of underage girls.

• Trump to sign bill to cut $9 billion from foreign aid, public broadcasting. The U.S. House of Representatives passed President Donald Trump’s $9 billion funding cut to public media and foreign aid early on Friday, sending it to the White House to be signed into law. Meanwhile, CBS television network announced the surprise cancellation of the popular The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which some say may have been politically motivated. Colbert is a severe Trump critic while CBS has faced Trump lawsuits and its parent company Paramount is seeking a merger that requires government approval.

• Famed daredevil who skydived from edge of space dies paragliding in Italy. Austrian extreme sports legend Felix Baumgartner, who once broke the world record for the highest skydive by jumping from the edge of space, has died in a paragliding accident in Italy. The 56-year-old fell to the ground near the swimming pool of a hotel while flying over the village of Porto Sant’Elpidio in the eastern Marche region. In 2012, Baumgartner broke the sound barrier during the highest-ever skydive, jumping from a balloon more than 39 km (128,000 ft) up in the stratosphere.

• Greek police arrest five over killing of UC Berkeley professor. The professor’s ex-wife, who has denied any wrongdoing, her Greek partner, and three other people were arrested for the cold-blooded shooting in an Athens suburb last week.

• News Quiz! What is unusual about two members of the new breakout K-pop band 1VERSE? 

A. They are from Louisiana 
B. They are North Korean defectors
C. They are over 40 years old
D. They refuse to dance
[Answer below]

#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS

$8 billion

Mark Zuckerberg and former and current top Meta Platforms executives have agreed to settle a lawsuit over Facebook privacy violations on Thursday. Shareholders were seeking $8 billion in damages to reimburse fines and legal costs they said the company had to pay to settle privacy violation claims from users. The details and amount of the settlement have not been disclosed. 

📰 IN OTHER NEWS

🇸🇾 With Israel and Iran’s shadow war spilling into Syria, the new government in Damascus has warned that “foreign actors” aim to plunge the country into a cycle of instability and chaos.
— KAYHAN-LONDON

🇵🇱 After splitting from the Confederation party, Poland’s far-right leader Grzegorz Braun has continued to say ever more extreme statements, including blatant Holocaust denial. It all seems to give him a boost in popularity.
— GAZETA WYBORCZA

🇪🇬 In the age of algorithms and 15-second reels, a new kind of religious voice is echoing across the Middle East and North Africa through smartphones and social media feeds. These are the “Instagram Sheikhs” — a diverse group of young, digital-savvy Muslims who fuse Islamic teachings with modern tools and aesthetics. 
— WORLDCRUNCH

📣 VERBATIM

“Brazil will not accept anything imposed on it. We accept negotiation and not imposition.”

– Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has responded to threats from the U.S. President Donald Trump to impose tariffs of 50% on Brazil starting Aug. 1. Da Silva said Trump was elected the leader of the U.S., “not to be the emperor of the world.” The tension between the two countries has escalated amidst the trial of Brazil’s ex-President Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally, for allegedly attempting to overturn the 2022 election, which da Silva won.