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This morning’s 3-by-3 travels across a contested South African election, a Sri Lankan tea crisis, a Hollywood climate change survey, and more. Let’s fly!

Politics

• U.S. stands by Israel post-Rafah bombing

Successfully targeting a Hamas base and two senior Hamas militants in Rafah, Israel conducted airstrikes on Sunday that killed at least 45 Palestinians in tent camps nearby (mostly women and children according to the Gaza Health Ministry). Claiming this damage was a “tragic mishap” and likely the result of secondary explosions, Israel has also denied involvement in a Tuesday bombing in the humanitarian zone of Al-Mawasi that killed an additional 37 people, attributing it to “a hidden store of weapons” that was likely set off locally. Despite the airstrike casualties, Israel Defense Forces taking central Rafah, and the International Court of Justice ordering a disregarded halt to the military offensive, the White House has stated that Israel is yet to cross its red line of conducting a “full-scale invasion” that consists of “large numbers of troops… against multiple targets on the ground” — thus meaning the U.S. will continue to support with arms and supplies.

• South Africa’s legacy party loses favor

South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC) party has been in power since the end of apartheid and Nelson Mandela’s election as president thirty years ago, but less than 50% of the country is currently in support. With the world’s highest unemployment rate of 32% and more than half of the people living in poverty, South Africans, namely the poor Black majority, have grown discontent with the ANC and its failure to improve their lives. The most prominent opposing parties in today’s election are the centrist Democratic Alliance and the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters, though it’s unlikely either will receive enough votes to shift the ANC-controlled parliament.

• North Korean rocket launch angers neighbors

North Korea launched a rocket on Monday to deploy a spy satellite that would monitor the U.S. and South Korea more closely, but it exploded shortly after liftoff. Despite its failure, the Japanese defense minister, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and South Korea’s Unification Ministry have collectively called it a “serious challenge to the entire world” and a violation of UN Security Council resolutions which ban North Korea from conducting any such launches. Kim Jong Un has rejected these restrictions in a distaste for foreign intervention and a stated need to protect against American-led military threats, seeking to strengthen ties with China and Russia in his “new Cold War.”

Business

• U.S. supports Cuban small businesses

The U.S. Treasury Department has announced new measures to support Cuban small businesses by allowing them to open U.S. bank accounts and access U.S. internet services like social media, payment platforms, and video conferencing. These offerings aim to fulfill President Biden’s commitment to advance Cuba’s fast-emerging private sector after decades of prohibitions, but they will not be available to the island’s government or military personnel. Cuba is governed as an authoritarian one-party state and designated as a sponsor of terrorism by the U.S., which critics believe will greatly limit the intended benefits for small businesses.

• Toyota turns to green fuel amid electric craze

Yesterday, in a Tokyo presentation, Toyota announced a new compact engine that can run on green fuels like hydrogen and bioethanol or pair with an electric motor in hybrid vehicles. As Tesla and China’s BYD push for the electric era, this innovation aims to diversify automotive energy sources and reduce reliance on electric vehicles alone — with mass production of EVs being extremely costly, globally varied due to energy supply conditions, and still environmentally imperfect due to the carbon emissions produced when manufacturing lithium-ion batteries. Supported by Mazda and Subaru, Toyota also aims to protect 5.5 million jobs that would be threatened by a complete conversion to electric.

• Sri Lanka's tea producers face 70% wage hike

Sri Lankan tea producers have criticized a government mandate to increase daily wages by 70%, arguing it will severely impact the global competitiveness of their crucial $1.3 billion industry and provide a clear advantage to lower-priced teas from India and Kenya. The wage hike from 1,000 to 1,700 rupees per day is expected to raise production costs by 45%, on top of the quadrupled fertilizer, fuel, and power costs caused by a prolonged financial crisis. Plantation companies must implement the wage increase by next month to avoid a government takeover.

Culture

• Hollywood movies rarely mention climate change

A recent study published by Maine’s Colby College and Good Energy, an LA-based environmental consultancy, surveyed 250 movies from 2013-2022 to assess whether climate change exists in the film and whether a character is aware of it. Less than 10% of films passed this two-prong test, with less than 4% mentioning climate change in two or more scenes. With researchers encouraging filmmakers to contribute to a necessary public awareness, they interestingly found that more climate change-containing movies were produced by streaming services like Netflix and Amazon than major studios like Paramount or Universal.

• 3 soccer players quit Argentina women’s team

Goalie Laurina Oliveros, defender Julieta Cruz, and midfielder Lorena Benitez have left the Argentina women’s soccer team in response to unprofessional accommodations. The players cited inadequate lunches during national team practices, a lack of payment for friendly matches against Costa Rica, and uncompensated tickets for family members as recent frustrations, calling attention to the women’s game and the improvements it deserves. Estafanía Banini, Argentina’s best female player who quit the national team herself last year, commended their decision on social media.

• U.S. returns 600 looted antiquities to Italy

The U.S. has returned to Italy about 600 looted antiquities that were stolen decades ago by tomb raiders and ultimately sold to U.S. museums and galleries using falsified records. From bronze statues to gold coins to manuscripts, the items are valued at $65 million and represent a significant cultural and artistic heritage. Recovered through a joint investigation by the New York district attorney’s antiquities trafficking unit, the Homeland Security Investigations department, and Italian authorities, the restoration underscores ongoing international efforts to combat illegal antiquities trafficking and acknowledge rightful ownership.

Written by Outer Voice founders & intern Elina Shah

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