Good morning, readers!

We thought the Asian Games in Hangzhou would be smooth sailing, but… we were wrong. Buckle up as we dive into our first story, which involves a mix of Chinese censorship, forbidden numbers, and a massacre.

Also, we colored Vatican on the map below, but I guess it’s too small. 😂

Today’s geopolitics hotspots

China gets triggered by numbers—censors athletes.

Two Chinese athletes, Lin Yuwei and Wu Yanni, competed in the women’s 100m hurdles final at the Asian Games in Hangzhou.

They hugged each other after the race, but that’s not the shocking part.

The real scandal: Their race numbers accidentally spelled out a forbidden date in Chinese history.

🚫 Forbidden numbers.

Their hug was not well received by the Chinese authorities.

Why? Because their lane numbers, 6 and 4, formed a reference to the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989. The date of the massacre, June 4th, is often abbreviated as 6/4 in China.

📵 Censored photo.

The photo of the two athletes hugging was quickly censored on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like platform. Users who posted it saw a gray square instead of the image.

Context: In China, any discussion related to the massacre is heavily censored.

🤔 Why it matters.

• The photo of Lin and Wu hugging with their “6/4” numbers has become a viral sensation on social media, especially among those who support democracy and human rights in China.

• The photo controversy also shows how sensitive and paranoid the Chinese government is about any reference to Tiananmen Square, even if it is unintentional and innocent. Maybe the Streisand Effect will get the better of them?

*Lin won the gold medal and Wu finished second, but Wu was later disqualified for a false start.

🌟 Today’s gem

Quick updates

Click the country's name for more.👇🏻

🇮🇷 Iran:

Teen girl in coma after alleged attack by Iran’s morality police.

A 16-year-old Iranian girl is fighting for her life in a Tehran hospital after she was reportedly beaten by Iran’s morality police for not wearing a headscarf. The incident sparked outrage among activists who accused the authorities of covering up the truth.

The girl’s parents denied any assault, claiming she hit her head on the metro train after fainting from low blood pressure. But some suspect they were pressured by the government.

✱ NOTE: A journalist who tried to investigate the case was arrested.

🇪🇺 European Union:

EU finally agrees on how to deal with migrants.

It took a lot of haggling, but the EU has finally reached a compromise on how to handle the influx of migrants and refugees. No longer will the burden fall on the front-line states like Italy and Greece. Instead, other countries will chip in by either taking in some of the newcomers, processing their asylum claims, or providing financial or other support.

✱ NOTE: The agreement still needs to be approved by the European Parliament, which could prove tricky as some members are opposed to any form of migration.

🇳🇵 Nepal:

Nepal lockdown.

A social media post by a Hindu boy sparked a Muslim protest in Nepalgunj, a city near the Indian border. Hindus retaliated with a bigger rally, but things got ugly when they were pelted with stones and bottles. The authorities imposed a lockdown and beefed up security to prevent a communal clash.

No major casualties were reported, but tensions remain high.

✱ NOTE: Nepal is a Hindu-majority country that became secular only recently. Muslims make up about a third of Nepalgunj’s population.

🇻🇦 Vatican:

The pope is mad at America for ruining the climate.

The pope is not happy with the US.

In his recent letter titled “Praise God,” the pope singles out the US for its high carbon dioxide emissions and “irresponsible” Western lifestyle. He compares these aspects to those of China and other “poorest countries.”

✱ NOTE: The document was released on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the pope’s namesake and patron saint of ecology.