August 29, 2024

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR | Updates from day 328 of the conflict:

• European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said today that he has begun the process of polling E.U. member states to assess their opinions on imposing sanctions on Israeli government ministers who promote hate messages against Palestinians and who propose actions that are contrary to international law. [more]
• The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry says 68 Palestinians have been killed, and 77 others have been wounded, in Israeli military operations in Gaza over the past 24 hours. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 917 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• At a meeting of E.U. foreign ministers today in Brussels, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell urged Western nations to lift restrictions on the long-range use of weapons donated to Ukraine to allow strikes on military targets deep within Russia. [more]
• Ukraine’s military says it struck Russian oil depots in Russia’s Rostov and Kirov regions yesterday, setting off fires that have been confirmed by the two regions’ governors. [more]

U.S. STUDENT LOANS | The Supreme Court yesterday rejected a Biden administration request to allow the administration’s SAVE student loan payment reduction and forgiveness plan to take effect while lower court challenges to the plan play out. Reports note that the ruling does not appear to affect borrowers already enrolled in the plan, as loans to those borrowers have been placed temporarily in interest-free forbearance. [more]

U.S. LISTERIA OUTBREAK | The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said yesterday that at least nine deaths and 57 hospitalizations have now been linked to listeria infections from Boar’s Head deli meats that were the target of a nationwide recall last month. The outbreak is the U.S.’ largest since 2011. [more]

U.S. REAL ESTATE | In a move aimed at making it harder for criminals to launder money by paying cash for residential real estate, the Treasury Department finalized new rules yesterday that require investment advisers and real estate professionals report cash sales of residential real estate sold to legal entities, trusts, and shell companies. Sales to individuals or those involving mortgage financing are not affected by the new rules. [more]

ARIZONA | Ahead of the Labor Day holiday weekend, officials at Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park say overnight stays at numerous hotels in the park will not be allowed starting today due to the failure of a main pipeline that provides water to the park. [more]

CALIFORNIA | Under a new measure approved by California state legislators this week, undocumented immigrants in the state who meet all other loan requirements could be eligible for a state program that offers assistance to first-time homebuyers, regardless of their immigration status. Gov. Gavin Newsom has until the end of September to either veto or sign the bill into law. [more]

U.S. AND RUSSIA | The Russian Foreign Ministry expanded its list of more than 2,000 Americans banned from entering Russia by 92 yesterday, saying the action was taken "in response to the "Russophobic course pursued by the Biden administration" and to the "production and dissemination of 'fakes' about Russia and the Russian armed forces" by journalists. [more]

U.S., CHINA, AND TAIWAN | Concluding a meeting in Beijing with U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan today, Gen. Zhang Youxia, one of two vice chairs of China’s Central Military Commission, said the U.S. must stop its “collusion” with Taiwan and that it the responsibility of the Chinese military to promote the reunification of Taiwan with mainland China. [more]

U.S. AND HONDURAS | After U.S. Ambassador to Honduras Laura Dogu expressed concern about a recent meeting between Honduran and Venezuelan defense officials, Honduran President Xiomara Castro yesterday accused the U.S. of interfering in her country’s internal affairs and announced that it would withdraw from a century-old extradition treaty with the United States. [more]

JAPAN | At least three deaths and more than 50 injuries have been linked to Tropical Storm Shanshan, which struck southern Japan today, causing flooding, landslides, and building damage, particularly on the island of Kyushu. [more]

EUROPEAN CONDOM USE | According to a new report from the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, condom use among sexually active adolescents in Europe has declined significantly since 2014, putting young people at increased risk of sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancies. [press release] [more]

ISRAEL AND WEST BANK | Israeli officials say five militants, including Islamic Jihad commander Mohammed Jaber, were killed overnight in a military operation in the occupied West Bank. [more]

SOUTH KOREA | Amidst ongoing climate-related cases in various lower courts, South Korea’s Constitutional Court today ordered the government to develop and document its plans to cut carbon emissions through 2049. [more]

IRAN | According to Iranian state media, at least two people died, and 10 others were injured, last night following a gas leak at an Iranian Revolutionary Guard center in the country’s Isfahan province. Additional details on the cause of the leak have not yet been released. [more]

HONG KONG | Former Stand News executives Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam were convicted of sedition in Hong Kong today in a case that free speech advocates say is indicative of the territory’s suppression of press freedom and other rights since its return to Chinese rule in 1997. [more]

INDIA | Officials in India’s Gujarat state say at least 28 people have died this week in flooding and other rain-related incidents. Meteorologists have predicted the development of a cyclonic storm in the region by tomorrow, prompting the evacuation of more than 18,000 people from coastal areas. [more]

TECH MARKETS | Shares of chipmaker and AI giant Nvidia fell in after-market trading yesterday, despite the company beating analysts’ estimates in reporting $16.6 billion in second-quarter net income on $30 billion revenue. [more]

AI | California’s state Assembly passed a measure yesterday that would make the state the first in the U.S. to formally establish safety measures for large artificial intelligence systems. The proposal, which will still require state Senate approval, would require AI companies to test their models and publicly disclose their safety protocols and testing results. [more]

SPACE | The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration grounded SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets yesterday after one of the rockets fell over while landing on an ocean platform. The agency says it must review and approve SpaceX’s accident findings and corrective actions before the company can resume Falcon 9 launches. [more]

BASKETBALL | The Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark set a new WNBA rookie record for 3-pointers last night, scoring her 86th, 87th, and 88th three-point shots and passing Rhyne Howard’s record of 85 set in 2022. [more]

LITERATURE | Among the finalists for the 11th annual Kirkus Prizes announced yesterday are: Percival Everett’s “James” and Paul Lynch’s “Prophet Song” in the fiction category; and Steve Coll’s “The Achilles Trap” and Olivia Laing’s “The Garden Against Time” in non-fiction. [full list of finalists] [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 2005, Hurricane Katrina – the costliest storm in U.S. history – struck the U.S. Gulf Coast in Louisiana, breaching levees and causing floods that devastated New Orleans. Nearly 1,400 deaths and an estimated $200 billion in damages were linked to the storm. [more history]