April 16, 2024

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR | Updates from day 193 of the conflict:

• At a press briefing today in Geneva, officials with the U.N. human rights office said that Israel “continues to impose unlawful restrictions on the entry and distribution of humanitarian assistance, and to carry out widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure” in Gaza. [more]
• The Israeli military warned displaced Palestinians against returning to northern Gaza yesterday, saying that the region remains a “dangerous combat zone.” [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 782 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Amidst ongoing targeting of Ukrainian power infrastructure by Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said today that Ukrainian forces ran out of air defense missiles last week during Russia’s attack on the Kyiv region’s largest power plant, which was destroyed. [more]
• In a meeting today with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the Russian invasion of Ukraine impacts Germany’s core interests and threatens global security. [more]

JANUARY 6 | The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments today in a case related to the applicability of Justice Department charges of obstruction of an official proceeding that have been filed against hundreds of participants in the January 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol, as well as against former President Donald Trump. [more]

U.S. PROTESTS | Roadways and bridges in multiple U.S. cities were blocked yesterday by pro-Palestinian demonstrators calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas conflict. Cities that saw significant disruptions included San Francisco, Chicago, New York City, Seattle, and Eugene, Oregon. [more]

HAWAII | The Maui Fire Department is expected to release an after-action report today detailing its response to last August’s wildfires on the Hawaiian island, including the one that killed 101 people in the town of Lahaina. The release comes one day before state officials are scheduled to release a preliminary investigation report regarding the fires. [more]

U.S. PREGNANCY AND ABORTION | The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued a final regulation yesterday regarding implementation of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which requires employers to provide “reasonable accommodations” for employees’ limitations related to, affected by, or arising out of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless the accommodation will cause the employer an “undue hardship, and which was passed by Congress in December 2022. Of note, the final rules include guidance on protections for workers related to time off and other accommodations for abortions and other pregnancy-related conditions, such as miscarriage, stillbirth and lactation. [EEOC final rule] [more]

CALIFORNIA | The federal Bureau of Prisons said yesterday that it will close California’s Dublin Federal Correctional Institution women’s prison after years of attempts to reform the facility that followed investigations in which rampant staff-on-inmate sexual abuse was exposed. [more]

OMAN | Amidst heavy rains affecting much of the Arabian Peninsula, authorities in Oman say at least 18 people, including 10 schoolchildren, have died in floods over the past several days. [more]

CHINESE ECONOMY | According to government data released yesterday, China's economy expanded at a higher-than-expected rate of 5.3% in the January-March quarter, compared to the same period last year. Analysts had forecast an expansion of about 4.8% for the quarter. [more]

AUSTRALIA | Police in Sydney, Australia, say an Assyrian Christian bishop and another priest were stabbed by a teenager yesterday during a church service – the city’s second high-profile knife attack in days. Authorities said today that this most recent stabbing attack has been declared an act of terrorism. [more]

DENMARK | The roof and spire of Copenhagen's Old Stock Exchange – one of the Danish capital’s best-known buildings – collapsed this morning in an ongoing fire. The building was constructed under the reign of Christian IV in 1619–1640, and is located next to Christiansborg Palace, the seat of the Danish Parliament. [more]

CORAL BLEACHING | The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coral Reef Watch group yesterday confirmed the world’s fourth global coral bleaching event on record and the second in the last 10 years. According to Derek Manzello, the group’s coordinator, “From February 2023 to April 2024, significant coral bleaching has been documented in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres of each major ocean basin,” and “When these events are sufficiently severe or prolonged, they can cause coral mortality, which hurts the people who depend on the coral reefs for their livelihoods.” [more]

HOCKEY | Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid recorded his 100th assist of the National Hockey League season yesterday, becoming only the fourth player in league history to reach that mark in a single season. [more]

BASKETBALL | Iowa star Caitlin Clark, as expected, was selected No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever in last night’s WNBA draft. Los Angeles chose Stanford’s Cameron Brink at No. 2, and Chicago chose South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso with the third pick. [more]

BOSTON MARATHON | Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma won yesterday’s Boston Marathon, finishing the men’s competition in 2 hours, 6 minutes, 17 seconds — the 10th fastest time in the race’s 128-year history. Kenya’s Hellen Obiri won the women’s competition with a time of 2 hours, 27 minutes, and 37 seconds. [full results] [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1948, with the aim of restoring the economies of Europe after World War II, 16 European countries formed the Organization for European Economic Co-operation, later the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, which now includes 38 member countries. [more history]