August 26, 2024

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR | Updates from day 325 of the conflict:

• More than 100 Israeli warplanes are thought to have taken part in airstrikes targeting thousands of Hezbollah rocket launchers across southern Lebanon yesterday as Hezbollah launched drone and rocket attacks on military bases in northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights. The cross-border action has significantly increased concern over a possible all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah. [more]
• In a social media post yesterday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country’s planned retaliation against Israel for the killing of a Hamas leader in Tehran would be “measured and well calculated,” and added that Iran does “not fear escalation” of the conflict with Israel. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 914 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ukrainian officials say Russia launched coordinated airstrikes using drones, cruise missiles, and hypersonic ballistic Kinzhal missiles at 15 Ukrainian regions overnight, targeting energy infrastructure across the country and killing at least three people. [more]
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that his country’s new domestically-produced Palianytsia drone missile was used in combat operations for the first time this weekend. Reports say the Palianytsia has a range of about 430 miles – allowing Ukraine to use it to strike targets deep within Russia. [more]

U.S. RENTAL PRICES | The Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit Friday against RealPage Inc., accusing the real estate software company of illegal operations that allow landlords to coordinate on rental price hikes. The company has denied the charges, saying the Justice Department lawsuit mischaracterizes how its products work. [more]

U.S. CAMPAIGN SECURITY | Facebook parent company Meta has reported the attempted hacking and infiltration of WhatsApp accounts of staffers of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. The company said there is no evidence the accounts were compromised by hackers that posed as tech support agents. [more]

U.S. NATIONAL PARKS | The National Park Foundation, the official non-profit organization that supports the National Park Service, says a new $100 million gift from the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment foundation is the largest grant benefiting U.S. national parks in history. [more]

MASSACHUSETTS | State health officials and local health agencies in the Massachusetts towns of Plymouth, Douglas, Oxford, Sutton, and Webster have urged residents of the towns to remain indoors during peak mosquito biting times following the state’s first human case of eastern equine encephalitis since 2020. [more]

MALI | Pro-independence groups in northern Mali say at least 21 civilians were killed yesterday in drone strikes carried out by the ruling military junta on the village of Tinzaouatine. [more]

GERMANY | Three people were killed, and eight others were wounded, Friday in a stabbing attack carried out in the city of Solingen, Germany, during a celebration marking the 650th anniversary of the city’s founding. A Syrian man believed to be linked to the Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack and is being held on suspicion of murder and membership in a terrorist organization. [more]

NORTH KOREA | Amidst ongoing U.S.-South Korean annual military exercises, North Korea demonstrated a new attack drone Saturday. The state-run Korean Central News Agency quoted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as saying his country’s military should be equipped with advanced drones “as early as possible.” [more]

PAKISTAN | Authorities say gunmen killed at least 31 people early today in two separate attacks in southeastern Pakistan – 23 in Baluchistan province’s Musakhail district and nine in the same provinces Qalat district. There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attacks, which came shortly after the Baluch Liberation Army separatist group warned of unspecified plans to target security forces in Baluchistan. [more]

VENEZUELA | Following last week’s Supreme Court support for incumbent President Nicolas Maduro’s claim of victory in July’s general election, Josep Borrell, the European Union’s top diplomat, said Saturday that Maduro has still “not provided the necessary public evidence” to prove he won the election. [more]

CHINA AND MYANMAR | Reports say Chinese military forces deployed to the southeastern Yunnan province today to conduct border control exercises amidst ongoing violence in neighboring Myanmar and concern over possible cross-border spillover of the smaller country’s civil war. [more]

CANADA | The Canada Industrial Relations Board ordered freight railways Canadian National and CPKC to resume operating as soon as possible this weekend, just a day after the two rail operators locked employees out over failed contract negotiations. [more]

NETHERLANDS | Dutch regulators announced a $324 million fine today on ride-hailing service Uber for allegedly transferring the personal information of European drivers to the United States improperly in violation of the E.U.’s General Data Protection Regulation. [more]

SPACE | NASA announced this weekend that, due to problems with the Boeing Starliner capsule, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, whose June mission to the International Space Station was scheduled to last just eight days, will remain on the station until they return to Earth in a SpaceX capsule in February 2025. [more]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL | In the opening game of the 2024 college football season, unranked Georgia Tech beat No. 10 Florida State, 24-21, Saturday in a game played in Dublin, Ireland. [more]

BASEBALL | The New York Yankees jersey worn by baseball legend Babe Ruth when he “called his shot” prior to hitting a home run in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series was sold at auction yesterday for $24.12 million – believed to be the highest price ever paid for a piece of sports memorabilia. [more]

MORE BASEBALL | With two home runs in last night’s 10-3 win over the Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge joined Alex Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and Babe Ruth as the only players in major league history with three 50-home run seasons. [more]

EVEN MORE BASEBALL | Lake Mary, Florida, beat Taiwan, 2-1, in eight innings yesterday to win the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. [more]

GOLF | New Zealand’s Lydia Ko shot a final-round 3-under-par 69 yesterday to win the Women’s British Open – her third major title. [more]

WEEKEND MOVIES | "Deadpool & Wolverine" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $18.3 million in receipts, followed by "Alien: Romulus" and "It Ends With Us." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment was certified and became part of the Constitution of the United States, giving women the right to vote. [more history]