Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Thursday Briefing: The first evacuees leave Gaza

Plus, pairing celebrities with audiobooks.

Good morning. We're covering the first evacuees from Gaza and the return of old fears for European Jews.

Plus: Spreading joy from Brazil's Hurricane Truck of Happiness.

Foreign nationals and their families waited to cross into Egypt from southern Gaza yesterday. Samar Abu Elouf for The New York Times

The first evacuees leave Gaza

After weeks of waiting, hundreds of people were allowed to leave the besieged Gaza Strip yesterday, the first of thousands of foreigners, aid workers and critically wounded patients expected to depart in the coming days.

By last night, buses had ferried 361 foreign nationals over the border to Egypt, and ambulances had carried 45 severely injured Palestinians and some of their family members to Egyptian hospitals, an Egyptian state-owned television channel reported. The crossings came after a deal was negotiated among Israel, Egypt, the U.S., Qatar and Hamas that allowed certain categories of people to leave.

Since the Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, Israel has imposed a siege on Gaza, conducting a bombing campaign and, more recently, sending troops in. The Rafah crossing is the sole possible escape route for people trapped in the territory and the only entry point for relief supplies.

The head of the U.N. agency for Palestinians, the most senior official allowed into Gaza since the war began, said his agency was running out of fuel, water, food and medicine and would "soon be unable to operate." The U.N. aid chief said a cease-fire was the only viable option for delivering sufficient aid.

Related:

A Berlin rally in solidarity with Israel on Oct. 22.Clemens Bilan/EPA, via Shutterstock

For Europe's Jews, old fears return

The Oct. 7 massacre in Israel carried out by Hamas has awakened a repressed horror for Jews in Europe and beyond, now compounded by dismay at how the world's sympathy has rapidly shifted to the Palestinians being killed in Gaza under Israeli bombardment. From Britain to Italy, apartment buildings have been daubed with Stars of David, Jewish stores have received bomb threats and demonstrations have called for Israel's eradication.

Perhaps not since the Holocaust have European Jews lived in an atmosphere of fear so acute that it feels like a fundamental shift in the terms of their existence. "There is a feeling of helplessness that has never been experienced before," said an official with the Belgian League Against Anti-Semitism.

Governments have scrambled to address the risks posed by the fast-evolving technology since last year's release of ChatGPT.Pool photo by Toby Melville

Leaders warn of 'catastrophic' potential harm from A.I.

Representatives of 28 governments attending a British summit, including China and the U.S., signed a document called the Bletchley Declaration, in which they agreed to cooperate on evaluating the risks of artificial intelligence.

"There is potential for serious, even catastrophic, harm, either deliberate or unintentional, stemming from the most significant capabilities of these A.I. models," says the declaration, which was released yesterday. It does not set specific policy goals, but a second meeting is set to be held in six months in South Korea, and a third in France a year from now.

THE LATEST NEWS

Around the World
Nicole Tung for The New York Times
Other Big Stories
Qilai Shen for The New York Times
What Else is Happening
A Morning Read
Victor Moriyama for The New York Times

In small cities across Brazil's countryside, acrobatic dancers dressed as children's characters ride around on neon big rigs to perform choreographed dances at stoplights and traffic slowdowns, sending the paying passengers on board into a frenzy. The concept is becoming a common — and beloved — sight in Brazil.

Climb aboard Brazil's Hurricane Truck of Happiness and see what it's like.

SPORTS NEWS

World Cup 2034: What does Saudi Arabia's hosting mean for soccer?

The Lyon team bus attack: A player's account of the incident from on board.

Women's Ballon d'Or award: Controversially presented by Novak Djokovic.

Subscribe Today

We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times with this special offer.

ARTS AND IDEAS

Pairing celebrities with audiobooks

Audiobook memoirs are traditionally voiced by the authors. But for the narration of her best-selling memoir, "The Woman in Me," the pop star Britney Spears passed the baton to another star: the actress Michelle Williams.

Snippets of Williams's narration have proved explosively popular online. But what goes into selecting a celebrity reader for an audiobook?

"I like to think of my job as kind of matchmaking," said Sara Jaffe, a producer at Penguin Random House. Her job is not finding the most famous Hollywood name to narrate a book, but rather casting someone who can help "connect the reader to the text."

ADVERTISEMENT

Ad

RECOMMENDATIONS

Joe Lingeman for The New York Times

Make these coq au vin blanc meatballs, an easy skillet dinner.

Watch "Julia," "Fargo" or some of these other shows and movies coming to streaming this month.

Listen to Popcast. Our critics talk about new hits from radio, streaming services and TikTok.

Read these books, which offer a shelter from the storm of dementia.

Buy the perfect holiday gift. For suggestions, check out our gift guide.

That's it for today's briefing. See you tomorrow. — Jonathan

P.S. Here's the back story of how our guide to getting a restaurant reservation in New York City came together.

You can reach Jonathan and the team at briefing@nytimes.com.

Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance.

You received this email because you signed up for Morning Briefing: Europe Edition from The New York Times.

To stop receiving Morning Briefing: Europe Edition, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request.

Subscribe to The Times

Connect with us on:

facebooktwitterinstagram

Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices

LiveIntent LogoAdChoices Logo

The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018

No comments:

Post a Comment