Worldcrunch Today: Israel Press On Gaza North And South, Blinken’s Surprise Kyiv Visit, Baltimore Bridge Blown Up
Welcome to Tuesday, May 14, where Israeli troops push into Gaza on the north and south fronts, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Kyiv to discuss U.S. aid to Ukraine with President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Baltimore authorities blow up parts of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge.
💡 SPOTLIGHT
Parent shaming and Swifties: What a baby at a Taylor Swift show says about our culture
The latest online uproar involves a baby taken to Taylor Swift's concert in Paris, and photographed on a blanket on the floor. We thought the Swifties were supposed to know how to talk to each other...
At first glance, it’s just another cute photo that’s come across your feed.
A baby, bathed in a soft purple glow, seems to be fast asleep — her head resting peacefully on a comfy, cool lilac puffy coat, surrounded by adults dressed in colorful clothes. Taken from another angle, a second photo shows that the baby (aww, is she wearing friendship bracelets?) is actually equipped with noise-canceling headphones, and an adult is crouching to watch over her from close-up.
So, why does half the internet seem to be screaming about these photos?
So it turns out that this baby nap is happening on the floor of Paris La Défense arena, where the adults minding her were part of the 40,000-strong audience that came to see U.S. pop icon Taylor Swift’s show as she kicked off the European leg of her “Eras Tour”.
“Get ur baby off the floor and GO HOME”, “call the police”, “hold your damn child”... Some outraged comments (coming from a fanbase usually celebrated for its kindness and open-mindedness) seemed to indicate that this was not, in fact, just another cute photo. [...]
— Read the full Worldcrunch article by Irene Caselli.
🗞️ FRONT PAGE
French daily Libération titles “Cannes on a carpet of embers” on today’s cover, as the 2024 Cannes Film Festival opens tonight amid several burning controversies, including rumors that new #MeToo allegations might emerge against prominent industry figures. Meanwhile, a French labor group representing freelance workers at film festivals has called for a strike, asking for better labor laws.
🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
• Israeli forces press Gaza offensive from north and south. Israeli forces recaptured an area in the north of Gaza from Hamas on Monday, while in the south tanks and troops pushed across a highway into Rafah, leaving Palestinian civilians rushing to find safety. Israeli operations in Rafah have closed a main aid crossing point to Egypt, with humanitarian groups saying this has worsened an already dire situation. Hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing from Rafah, where they took sanctuary after evacuating from Gaza in October. A UN staff member was also killed as they were traveling to a hospital in southern Gaza on Monday. While the UN did not say who it thought was responsible, the Israel Defense Forces said that the incident is under review.
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