October 17, 2023

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR | Updates from day 11 of the conflict:

• Reports say as many as 50 people were killed this morning in continued Israeli airstrikes across Gaza, with senior Hamas officials saying 27 were killed in Rafah and 30 killed in Khan Younis. The Gaza Health Ministry reports that 2,750 Palestinians have been killed and 9,700 have been wounded since the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7. [more]
• The White House has announced that U.S. President Joe Biden will visit Israel tomorrow, where he is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reiterate U.S. support for Israel and urge progress on providing humanitarian aid to Palestinians. Biden is also expected to meet with other regional leaders during his trip, including those of Egypt and Jordan. [more]
• Israeli officials say four militants were killed today while attempting to cross into Israel from Lebanon. No claims of responsibility for the incursion have yet been made, but the clash occurred near the location of similar action by Palestinian Islamic Jihad members last week. m[ore]
• Amidst ongoing talks aimed at relieving food, fuel, water, and power crises in Gaza for non-combatant Palestinians, reports say humanitarian aid shipments remain staged at the Israel-Egypt border with no clear plans on when or how the aid will be delivered. [more]
• The U.N. Security Council yesterday rejected a Russian resolution that condemned terrorism and violence against civilians in the Israel and Gaza regions, but that failed to mention the Hamas attacks that sparked the conflict. China, the United Arab Emirates, Mozambique, and Gabon voted for the resolution; the U.S., Britain, France, and Japan voted against it; and six other Council member nations abstained from voting. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 600 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ukrainian officials say that while Russian forces continue to attack the strategically important eastern Ukraine city of Avdiivka multiple times per day, the pace and strength of such attacks appear to be waning. [more]
• Ukrainian General Oleksandr Syrskyi says Russian forces have significantly escalated their activity in northeastern Ukraine’s Kupiansk-Lyman sector. [more]

U.S. CONGRESS | The House of Representatives is expected to vote as early as noon today on the Republican nomination of Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan to be Speaker of the House. Reports say Jordan has gained the support of several more GOP House members over the past few days, but that it remains unclear if he has the votes needed to ensure his election. [more]

TRUMP FEDERAL ELECTION TRIAL | U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan yesterday imposed a limited gag order on participants in the federal election interference trial against former President Donald Trump. Chutkan said that while Trump is entitled to criticize the Justice Department generally and assert his belief that the case is politically motivated, he was being barred from making statements targeting prosecutors, possible witnesses, and court staff. Trump has indicated that he will appeal the judge’s ruling. [more]

U.S. GUN REGULATION | The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday upheld a federal regulation requiring makers of unfinished gun parts to be licensed and to include serial numbers on the products. The regulation was implemented in an effort to prevent the production of untraceable so-called ‘ghost guns.’ [more]

GLOBAL POVERTY | Recognizing today as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, the United Nations says that an estimated 7% of the global population – some 575 million people – could still find themselves trapped in extreme poverty by 2030. The U.N. defines extreme poverty as surviving on less than $2.15 per person per day at 2017 purchasing power levels. [more]

BELGIUM | Belgian authorities say a Tunisian man suspected of killing two Swedish soccer fans yesterday in Brussels was shot dead by police last night during an hours-long manhunt. Reports say the original shooting may have been linked to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict and that the incident is being investigated as an act of terrorism. [more]

RUSSIA AND CHINA | In his first trip outside the former Soviet Union since a Ukraine-related arrest warrant was issued against him by the International Criminal Court, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing for talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping amidst a celebration of Xi’s signature “Belt and Road” initiative aimed at infrastructure improvement and expansion of China’s overseas influence. [more]

INDIA | With the Chief Justice noting that the court cannot make law, but only interpret and give effect to laws, India’s highest court yesterday refused to legalize same-sex marriage in the world’s most populous nation, saying it is up to Parliament to create such protection. [more]

GUATEMALA | Police in Guatemala say one person was killed, and two others were injured, yesterday when gunfire broke out near a pro-democracy demonstration in the city of Malacatan. No one has yet been charged in the shooting and reports say it is not yet clear if the victims were actually protesters or were simply in the area. [more]

BRAZIL | As a record drought continues in portions of Brazil, authorities said yesterday that water levels in the Amazon rainforest region’s port city of Manaus, where the Rio Negro and the Amazon River meet, fell to 44.6 feet (13.59 meters) yesterday – the lowest level in 121 years of records, passing the previous all-time low set in 2010. [more]

SPACE | Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reportedly issued instructions to his country's space agency to develop and deploy an Indian space station by 2035 and to conduct a manned mission to the moon's surface by 2040. [more]

HOT PEPPERS | The Guinness Book of World Records this month named a new record holder for the hottest pepper in the world. The “Pepper X” is reported to be almost twice as hot as the previous record holder, the "Carolina Reaper." [more]

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL | The Las Vegas Aces have an opportunity to clinch the WNBA title tonight in Game 4 of their best-of-five WNBA Finals series against the New York Liberty. [more]

COLLEGE BASKETBALL | The preseason AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll was released yesterday, with Kansas at No. 1, followed by Duke, Purdue, Michigan State, and Marquette. [full poll] [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1979, Mother Teresa, founder of the Missionaries of Charity Roman Catholic order of women dedicated to the poor and particularly to the destitute of India, was named the recipient of that year's Nobel Peace Prize. [more history]