UN Approves Gaza Plan, Epstein Vote, Guangzhou Lights

💡 SPOTLIGHT

When a German politician cites “patriotism” in his call for Syrian refugees to go back home

We wince when Jens Spahn, prominent parliament member of the center-right ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, reminds Syrian refugees of their “patriotic duty” to return to their shattered homeland. If anything, such a demand should come from the Syrians themselves, who live in places such as Damascus, Aleppo, Homs or Raqqa where, as Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul notes, “one can hardly live with any dignity.”

A wealthy German should avoid moralizing if his real aim is simply to get rid of uninvited guests, especially when, as with the CDU under pressure from the far-right AfD, the real motives are domestic politics.

And yet, Spahn’s appeal touches on a legitimate point, though not in the way he likely intends. For it raises far greater responsibilities for Germany than the conservative parliamentary leader may realize or care to admit.

“Imagine Germany in ruins after World War II if our grandfathers and grandmothers hadn’t rebuilt our country. What would it look like today?” Spahn asked. He went on: “I consider it a patriotic duty to rebuild one’s homeland, to help there. And that also applies to the Syrian refugees here in the country. Of course, they should help out at home.”

Of course, Germany’s “grandfathers and grandmothers” had little choice but to rebuild the country that had been destroyed, not least through their own actions. They did so not out of patriotism but from a sheer will to survive, which does not diminish their achievement. Especially since the defeated, occupied and devastated rump of Germany, which Wadephul says Damascus reminds him of, had taken in 12 to 14 million refugees from the former eastern territories. […]

— Read the full article by Alan Posener for Die Zeit, translated from German and adapted by Worldcrunch.

🗞️ FRONT PAGE​​

Bogotá-based daily El Espectador laments the “tragedy of war” on its front page, after it was confirmed that at least 15 forcibly recruited minors died in four government-authorized bombings between August and November 2025 in Guaviare, Amazonas, and Arauca. The deaths in the strikes, which targeted dissident FARC groups, exceed initial official counts. Pressure is mounting on Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who refuses to halt air operations despite the presence of FARC-recruited children and adolescents in combat zones.

🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW

• Netanyahu applauds UN adoption of Trump’s Gaza plan, Hamas rejects it. Early Tuesday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the United Nations’ approval of the Trump administration’s plan to secure and govern Gaza, saying it would “lead to peace and prosperity.” The resolution voted on Monday by the UN Security Council authorizes an international stabilization force to provide security in the enclave, prompting Hamas to reject it as a foreign instrument of control. The militant group demanded that any international force be under UN supervision, deploy only at Gaza’s borders to monitor the ceasefire and operate exclusively with Palestinian institutions.

• Zelensky to visit Turkey in new bid to end war with Russia. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday he will travel to Turkey this week “to reinvigorate negotiations” on ending the nearly four-year-long war with Russia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded that there would be “no Russian representative in Turkey” but reiterated Moscow’s readiness to negotiate.

• Japan issues safety warnings for citizens in China as row deepens. Japan’s embassy in China has warned its citizens present in the country to be aware of their surroundings when outdoors, to avoid crowded places and watch for “suspicious people,” amid a deepening diplomatic row between the two countries. The clash was sparked by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s suggestion that Japan could respond with its own self-defense force if China attacked Taiwan, which Beijing views as a breakaway province. The dispute also led to the delay of the release of at least two popular Japanese films in China.

• U.S. House to vote on release of Epstein files. The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives is expected to advance a bill on Tuesday requiring the release of government records on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, marking the latest move in a scandal that has dogged U.S. President Donald Trump since he returned to the White House. In a sharp reversal, Trump said he was “all for it” when asked by reporters on Monday about signing the bill into law if it passes the Senate. Meanwhile, former U.S. treasury secretary Larry Summers announced on Monday he was stepping back from public commitments after his emails with Epstein were made public, saying he felt “deeply ashamed” for his actions.

• Canada’s Mark Carney survives crucial vote on first budget. Canada’s Parliament narrowly approved Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first federal budget on Monday with a 170-168 vote, allowing his minority government to avoid the prospect of a second election in less than a year. The fiscal plan, which raises Canada’s deficit to a projected $55.3 billion, has been described by Carney as a “generational” chance to reinforce the country’’s economic resilience and to reduce reliance on trade with the U.S.

• UK to outlaw resale of live event tickets for profit. The UK’s government announced on Tuesday a future ban on the resale of tickets for live events at inflated prices, moving ahead on a long-awaited crackdown on resale platforms such as Viagogo and StubHub, which use technology to snap up tickets for popular events. Under the plan, anyone selling a ticket will not be allowed to charge more than they paid for it.

• News Quiz! A prisoner is challenging an Australian state’s ban on inmates eating which staple?

A. Kangaroo steaks
B. Tim Tams
C. Vegemite
D. Flat Whites
[Answer below]

📣 VERBATIM

“Creation is crying out in floods, droughts, storms and relentless heat.”

— Addressing religious dignitaries on the sidelines of the COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, Pope Leo XIV used a video message to warn that climate change is outpacing political action and urged participating countries to take concrete steps to protect vulnerable communities. The pontiff added that “the window is closing” to keep warming below 1.5 °C, noting that “what is failing is the political will of some.” With the summit in its final week, COP30 negotiations remain stalled amid sharp disagreements over climate ambition, fossil-fuel phaseout plans, and funding commitments.

📰 IN OTHER NEWS

🇺🇦 France has promised to deliver 100 Rafale fighter jets to Ukraine, but the planes won’t be appearing in Ukrainian skies for a long while. The real issue is Ukraine’s long-term military alignment within European defense cooperation
— FRANCE INTER

🇹🇲 The isolated Central Asian nation of Turkmenistan, ruled by a tightly controlled regime and sitting on vast natural gas reserves, is being driven to seek new energy markets as the war in Ukraine reshapes global supply routes.
— LE FIGARO

🏙️ Has India’s Chandigarh, the self-styled “City Beautiful,” sold its souls? The author remembers a city of proportion and quiet pride and mourns what its beauty has become.
— THE WIRE