Plus: The war on cheese
Hi Intriguer. Happy Thanksgiving (aka Turkey Day) to all our US readers! According to caloriecontrol.org, the average American consumes over 4500 calories on Thanksgiving day, which is more than double the daily recommended intake. Personally I’m all about the splurge, and wish you a merry splurging for those indulging in the festivities.
In other news, King Charles III welcomed South Korean President Yoon to the UK yesterday with a speech delivered partly in Korean. He also honoured the members of K-pop band Blackpink for their role in raising awareness about climate change. Hats off to anyone who had that on their 2023 bingo card.
Onto today’s edition…
– Helen Zhang, Co-Founder
Wilders wins big in the Netherlands. To the surprise of many, populist leader Geert Wilders and his Freedom party (PVV) won the most seats in yesterday’s elections. Wilders (known for his criticism of Islam) needs to form a coalition government, but other key parties have previously ruled out working with him.
Hostage deal delayed. A delay in the Israel-Hamas deal means the first hostages won’t be released before Friday, with the negotiated four-day pause in fighting also postponed. It’s unclear what’s behind the delay, though the sheer logistical complexity of aligning a hostage-prisoner swap with a pause in fighting seems to be part of the challenge. Still, the deal looks to be on track.
US-Canada bridge blast. Two people died after a car exploded against a checkpoint on the US-Canada border yesterday. The FBI has since announced it’s treating the incident as a traffic investigation, not a terrorist attack.
OPEC+ meeting postponed. Oil-producing countries were scheduled to meet in Vienna this Sunday, but it turns out they can’t agree on production levels so are pushing the date back by a few days. The bigger players (like the Saudis and Russians) want to cut production and keep prices high, while smaller players see things differently. And the resulting uncertainty has spooked some markets.
WHO wants info from China. In a rare move, the WHO has publicly asked China to share information on an increase in child pneumonia cases in northern China. Critics have previously accused the health organisation of being too lenient towards Beijing.
TOP STORY
Did India try to assassinate a US citizen on US soil?
The US has thwarted a plot to assassinate a Sikh activist on American soil, and issued a warning to India over its possible involvement, according to the Financial Times.
The reported target, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, is a US-Canadian citizen who’s been advocating for an independent Sikh state to break away from India.
The White House says it’s “treating this issue with utmost seriousness”, while Delhi has issued a pretty flat response (basically 'we’re looking into it’).
This wouldn’t be the first time a foreign government has sought to assassinate a foe on US soil (or vice versa): in 2020, Moscow tried to kill a Russian intelligence officer who’d defected to the US and was living in Miami. The thwarted plot led to sanctions and tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions.
But this time is different in some intriguing ways. How?
First, the US sees India as a partner, not a rival.
By virtue of its size, democracy, location, and shared wariness of Beijing’s ambitions, India has become a key player in the US strategy to balance China.
Second, the alleged target here is a US citizen, a fact which aggravates the alleged violation of US sovereignty at play.
And third, there are signs this wasn’t a one-off by India’s intelligence services: India-Canada ties are still limping along after Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau levelled similarly explosive allegations against India in September.
The end result here is a delicate situation:
-
It adds weight to those in the US who’ve been cautioning against relying too much on India
-
It adds weight to those in India who see Western democracies as harbouring Sikh separatists, and
-
This in turn complicates the two countries’ cooperation on China.
INTRIGUE’S TAKE
This story also exposes plenty of tensions. Here are just two:
-
There’s clearly a tension between the public’s right to know about a foiled assassination, versus a government’s efforts to keep a key global relationship stable, and
-
There’s also a tension between the right to freedom of speech, and the inevitability of citizens using that right in ways that irritate key powers abroad.
The US response in this instance looks like one example of how you try to strike a balance: you wait for the right moment (in this case, after Modi’s June visit to the US), raise your objections in private, then loop the public in via some careful background briefing to the press.
Also worth noting:
-
The US Justice Department is now deciding whether to unseal an indictment against at least one alleged perpetrator in New York.
-
On Monday, Indian authorities announced a terrorism investigation into Mr Pannun (the alleged target), accusing him of making threats against Air India. Pannun says he was only calling for a boycott.
SUPPORTED BY REVOLUT
One app, all things money
Banks will charge you when you spend or transfer money abroad. We’re not about that, and that’s why over four million people have switched to Revolut.
MEANWHILE, ELSEWHERE…
-
🇨🇳 China: Human Rights Watch has warned that China is expanding a government crackdown on mosques. The group says China’s ‘mosque consolidation’ program is designed to “restrict the practice of Islam.”
-
🇪🇺 EU: Brussels will continue to send development aid to the Palestinians after a probe verified that none of its funds benefitted Hamas directly or indirectly. The EU is the single largest donor to Palestinian aid projects, contributing around $1B annually since 2008.
-
🇲🇾 Malaysia: A Coldplay concert in Kuala Lumpur was almost cancelled hours before showtime, over local concerns the band was too supportive of gay rights. A government minister warned the band that show organisers would flip a “kill switch” if the band misbehaved.
-
🇺🇾 Uruguay: President Luis Lacalle Pou agreed to elevate his country’s ties with China during a meeting with Xi Jinping in Beijing yesterday. Their new ‘comprehensive strategic partnership’ matches similar agreements China has with Brazil and Argentina.
-
🇬🇭 Ghana: A lawmaker in Ghana apologised on Tuesday for mocking English footballer Harry Maguire during a budget debate last year. The lawmaker had compared the government’s economic management to Maguire’s performance on the pitch, but now says Maguire has improved.
EXTRA INTRIGUE
Here’s what people around the world googled yesterday
-
🇩🇰 The Danes searched for ‘Circle K’ after the convenience store and gas station chain announced it would offer Thanksgiving discounts on fuel. (We checked, and the offer seems to be valid in the US only)
-
🇮🇪 Folks in Ireland looked up ‘Melissa Barrera’, a Mexican actress who was fired from the upcoming Scream film sequel after accusing Israel of genocide and ethnic cleansing.
-
🇮🇩 And Indonesians googled ‘Agus Subiyanto’, who was appointed Commander of the Indonesian National Defence Forces yesterday (Wednesday).
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Jean-Paul Garraud, a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from France, issued a war cry this week ahead of an EU vote on waste management that could have ended the production of Camembert cheese as we know it. Garraud’s fellow MEPs heeded his call and issued an exemption for the French delicacy. You see? Politicians can get stuff done.
DAILY POLL
Where do you see US-India relations headed after the reported assassination attempt on US soil? |
Yesterday’s poll: Who has the best drink?
🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️ 🇮🇳 Chai (25%)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🇵🇾 / 🇦🇷 / 🇺🇾 Mate (5%)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🇸🇳 Bissap (2%)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🇰🇷 Soju (3%)
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🇮🇪 Guinness (32%)
🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🇹🇼 Boba / bubble tea (12%)
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🇲🇦 Mint tea (8%)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🇰🇿 Kumis (1%)
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ ✍️ Other (write in!) (11%)
Your two cents:
-
🇮🇪 Guinness – D.D: “As we occasionally say in these parts, "There's aytin' and drinkin' in a nice pint of Guinness!"
-
🇹🇼 Bubble tea – V.Y.S: “With so many flavours and toppings to choose from, you can never get sick of it!!”
-
✍️ C.M: “Hellooooo? BOURBON! It is what makes reading the news bearable…”
-
Honourable mentions: Japanese Matcha, Hungarian Pálinka, American IPAs, Mexican Mezcal, Scotch Whisky, South African Mampoer, and Pacific Kava.