Thousands flee as Turkey rejects criticism over invasion

Turkey continues offensive in Syria Civilians and aid workers are fleeing northeastern Syria as Turkey’s military offensive continues into a second day. Also, Joe Biden has joined others in calling for Trump’s impeachment. And tennis star Naomi Osaka has taken steps to choose her Japanese citizenship over her US, a decision she must make before her 22nd birthday. (We’re still beta-testing this newsletter. Let us know your thoughts by replying to this email.) Here’s what we’re tracking for Thursday: [Alt Text]( Turkey continues offensive in Syria Heavy fighting [has continued into a second day]( while Turkey has angrily rejected international criticism of its attack on a Kurdish militia in Syria. Taking aim at the European Union and Arab powers Saudi Arabia and Egypt, which have voiced opposition to the operation, Turkish President Tayip Erdoğan said those objecting to Turkey's actions were "not honest." President Donald Trump, whose policy shift on Syria to withdraw US troops effectively gave Erdoğan a green light for Turkey’s offense, [argued on Tuesday]( that the Kurds "didn't help us in the Second World War, they didn't help us with Normandy ..." Also: [Aid workers have also joined an exodus out of Syria]( Biden: Trump has ‘already convicted himself’ Former Vice President Joe Biden [called for the impeachment of Trump]( for the first time on Wednesday. Biden, who is at the center of a controversy over Trump's dealings with Ukraine that led the impeachment inquiry, had previously refrained from making an outright plea for impeachment. And on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy [said there was “no blackmail”]( in the phone call with Trump that kicked off the inquiry. Also: [Why is Trump refusing to cooperate?]( Only 20 Nobels in the sciences have gone to women. Why? [Journalists get ready for the announcement of the winner of the 2019 Nobel Prize in physics .]( The Nobel prizes for medicine, chemistry and physics have already been given out this week — all to men. Are fewer women named Nobel laureates just because there have been fewer women scientists? The [Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences](, which runs the Nobel program, has made an effort to be more inclusive. But efforts to diversify Nobel winners are slow going, and there’s a long history to overcome: Of the more than 600 Nobel Prizes that have been given out in the sciences, [just 20 have gone to women](. Nobel awards two Literature prizes (one to a woman!) [Two Nobel Prizes for Literature were awarded this year]( after last year's prize was postponed over a scandal that led to the husband of an Academy member being convicted of rape. The postponed 2018 award went to Polish author Olga Tokarczuk and Austria's Peter Handke won the 2019 award. Finland's answer to food waste [A man shops for produce at a supermarket in Helsinki, Finland.]( If you have a sad bunch of spinach wilting away in your fridge — you're not alone. Food waste is a huge problem around the globe. The United Nations estimates that about one-third of all food produced is lost or wasted. One supermarket chain in Finland has an idea to address food waste. S-market has started holding "happy hours" at its stores. But instead of getting a cheap beer, shoppers get a discount on, say, a pound of shrimp or a pork tenderloin nearing its expiration date. "[W]e ended up fond of this idea of a 'happy hour' that would help our customers also to realize that it's OK to buy products which are close [to] their expiry date and they are still good to use. We tested the concept in some stores and it actually worked fine and it's now being used in all our stores throughout Finland,” S-market division manager Sari Ristaniemi [told The World](. Tennis star Naomi Osaka chooses Japan over US citizenship Naomi Osaka, one of the biggest stars in tennis and currently ranked 3rd in the world, [has taken steps to give up her US citizenship]( to play for Japan in the 2020 Olympics, Japanese media said on Thursday. The 21-year-old, born in Japan to a Haitian father and Japanese mother but raised in the United States, said it will be special for her to represent host Japan at the Tokyo Games. [Under Japanese law](, dual citizens like Osaka must choose between the two nationalities by the time they turn 22. [Alt Text]( Morning Meme: Professional gamer Chung Ng Wai [has been suspended]( by US Gaming Company Blizzard Entertainment after his support for Hong Kong protesters. The move has caused an uproar among the global gaming community and a flood of meme-making under the trending hashtag [#Blizzardboycott]( (also [#Boycottblizzard]() In case you missed it on The World:[Smoke rises from the Syrian side of the border as it is pictured from the Turkish town of Akcakale.]( - [A happy hour to fight food waste]( - [Classic kugel for Yom Kippur]( - [Protests rock Ecuador after President Lenin Moreno cut fuel subsidies]( - [China triads In Hong Kong]( - [New York drug trafficking trial rattles Honduras]( - [Women allowed to attend soccer games in Iran]( - [Women are underrepresented in Nobel Prize winners]( - [The 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry]( - [Turkish offensive begins in Syria]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is brought to you by [PRI's The World](.