August 14, 2024

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR | Updates from day 313 of the conflict:

• A new round of indirect cease-fire talks aimed at ending the Israel-Hamas conflict is scheduled to begin tomorrow in Qatar, though reports cite mediators as saying there appears to be little chance of a breakthrough as Hamas officials have indicated they will not participate in this latest round of talks. [more]
• The U.S. State Department announced yesterday that it has approved $20 billion in arms sales to Israel. The pending sale is reported to include more than 50 F-15 fighter jets, Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles, tank ammunition, high explosive mortars, and tactical vehicles, and is not expected to be fulfilled before 2026. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 902 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• Russian officials say their forces have prevented Ukraine’s attempt to expand its military incursion in Russia’s Kursk region. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi says Ukraine does not intend to occupy Russian territory and that the incursion was aimed at preventing Russian attacks launched from the Kursk region. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | The Labor Department reported yesterday that its producer price index measure of wholesale inflation rose just 0.1% from June to July – down from a 0.2% increase the previous month – a sign of ongoing economic cooling, according to analysts. [more]

U.S. CANCER RESEARCH | In a speech yesterday at Tulane University, President Joe Biden announced $150 million in awards and grants from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health to support research into more advanced and successful methods of removing tumors from cancer patients. [more]

MISSOURI | State officials said yesterday that a ballot initiative to enshrine the right to an abortion in the Missouri state constitution has been certified and will go before voters in November’s general election. Missouri joins Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, New York, and South Dakota in having abortion-related measures on upcoming election ballots. [more]

GEORGIA | Operators of Georgia’s Vogtle nuclear plant – the state’s largest – issued an emergency alert yesterday following a transformer fire at one the plant’s reactors. Officials say the fire, which was extinguished by plant employees, caused no injuries and posed no threat to the public. [more]

THAILAND | Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin was removed from office today by Thailand’s Constitutional Court over an ethics violation involving the appointment of a Cabinet member who had been found guilty of attempting to bribe a court official. The country’s Cabinet is expected to remain in place until Parliament approves a new prime minister. [more]

NEW ZEALAND | Authorities in Aukland, New Zealand, say at least three people required medical treatment after consuming methamphetamine-laced candies distributed by a local food bank. The donated candies are reported to have contained potentially lethal amounts of methamphetamine. [more]

GERMANY | Reports say a German military base next to the Cologne airport was sealed off today following a suspected sabotage incident that may have involved contamination of the base’s water supply. [more]

JAPAN | Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida unexpectedly announced today that he will not seek his Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership in September, clearing the way for a new prime minister when his three-year term expires. [more]

INDIA | Climate and weather research group World Weather Attribution says heavy rains last month in India’s southern Kerala state that caused landslides in which more than 200 people were killed were made about 10% stronger by human-caused climate change. [press release] [full report] [more]

U.K. | The U.K. National Police Chiefs' Council says 1,024 people have been arrested, 575 of whom have been charged, in connection with weeks of right-wing rioting that followed the July 29 killing of three young girls in the town of Southport that was wrongly blamed on a Muslim immigrant. [more]

SUDAN | The BBC reports that Sudan’s national army has said it will not attend U.S.-sponsored peace talks this week in Geneva aimed at ending the country’s 16-month-old civil war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. [more]

ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY | Paramount Global, which owns networks such as CBS, MTV, and Comedy Central, as well as streaming platforms PlutoTV and Paramount+, has announced plans to cut about 2,000 jobs, or 15% of its workforce, beginning this week, and to shut down its Paramount Television Studios division. [more]

BOOKS | Among the winners of this year’s Hugo Awards for science fiction and fantasy writing announced this week were: “Some Desperate Glory” by Emily Tesh for best novel; “Imperial Radch” by Ann Leckie for best series; “Thornhedge” by T. Kingfisher for best novella; and “Better Living Through Algorithms” by Naomi Kritzer for best short story. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1945, U.S. President Harry S. Truman announced the unconditional surrender of Imperial Japan, effectively ending World War II. [more history]