December 11, 2023

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR | Updates from day 66 of the conflict:

• Saying the resolution lacked a clear condemnation of Hamas for the October 7 attacks on Israel and failed to acknowledge Israel's right to self-defense, the United States on Friday vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza. The U.N. General Assembly is scheduled to vote on a similar resolution tomorrow. [more]
• Reports say Israel has intensified its military operations in and around the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis today as fighting continues in the northern areas of Gaza City and the Jabaliya refugee camp. [more]
• Hamas has reportedly threatened that no remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza will be allowed to leave alive unless the militant group’s demands for a prisoner exchange with Israel are met. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 655 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• U.S. President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are scheduled to meet at the White House tomorrow, where talks are expected to center on Ukraine’s urgent needs in the fight against the Russian invasion and the importance of continuing U.S. support. The meeting comes amidst ongoing Congressional tensions over the approval of additional aid for Ukraine. [more]
• Ukrainian officials say all 18 drones and eight ballistic missiles launched by Russian forces at targets across Ukraine overnight were shot down. [more]
• The International Olympic Committee ruled Friday that some Russian athletes granted ‘neutral status’ will be allowed to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics without their national flag, anthem, or colors. The ruling still allows each sport’s governing body to assess and enforce neutral status for individual athletes, but removes the option of a blanket ban of Russian athletes over the invasion of Ukraine. [more]

TENNESSEE | At least six people were killed, dozens of others were injured, and hundreds of homes were damaged this weekend when a series of tornadoes struck central Tennessee. An estimated 35,000 electricity customers in the region remained without power as of last night, according to reports. [more]

U.S. IMMIGRATION | A federal judge on Friday blocked a Trump-era federal immigration policy for eight years that allowed the separation of families at the U.S. border for purposes of deterring immigration, concluding a lawsuit originally brought by the ACLU in 2018. [more]

U.S. EMPLOYMENT | The Labor Department reported Friday that U.S. employers added 199,000 jobs in November, with about 40,000 of that number accounted for by the return-to-work of formerly striking auto workers and actors. The Department further reported that the unemployment rate fell to 3.7% – down from 3.9% in October. [more]

U.S. HATE SPEECH | In fallout following last week’s Congressional testimony from several college presidents about increased levels of antisemitism and hate speech on college campuses, University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill resigned Saturday amidst criticism over her refusal to say that calls on campus for the genocide of Jews would violate the school’s conduct policy. [more]

GLOBAL HUMANITARIAN AID | In launching its Global Humanitarian Overview for 2024, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs today called for some $46 billion in funding to provide an estimated 300 million people with humanitarian aid next year. [more]

COP28 | Ahead of tomorrow’s close of the COP28 U.N. climate summit in Dubai, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned today of the risks of failing to act on measures to limit global warming, saying “We can’t keep kicking the can down the road. We are out of road and almost out of time.” Delegates to the summit are expected to produce a draft summit outcomes and action plan document later today. [more]

POLAND | A three-day series of constitutionally-mandated steps under which Poland’s outgoing national conservative leadership will transfer power to the centrist bloc of veteran politician Donald Tusk begins today. The leadership change comes some two months after Poland’s national election. [more]

EUROPEAN UNION | Reports say most European Union member nations appear to support starting negotiations for Ukraine to join the block at this week’s E.U. summit, but note that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has threatened to veto the accession talks. [more]

INDIA | India’s Supreme Court today upheld a 2019 government ruling that revoked a special status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir and set a September 2024 deadline for local elections to be held. Officials in the caretaker government of Pakistan, which has also laid claim to the Kashmir region, condemned the court ruling. [more]

ASIA FOOD INSECURITY | A new report from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization says 8.4% of people in Asia and the Pacific region, or about 12 million people, suffered from undernourishment in 2022 – down from 8.8% in 2021, but higher than the 7.3% level reported in 2019 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. [full report] [more]

ZAMBIA | Authorities in the southern Africa nation of Zambia said today that the bodies of 11 miners killed in landslides at an open-pit copper mine near the city of Chingola on November 30 have been recovered and that another 26 miners remain missing and are presumed dead. [more]

PHILIPPINES AND CHINA | The Philippine government today condemned Chinese naval actions over the weekend near the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, saying Chinese forces fired water cannons at Philippine resupply boats and deliberately rammed another Philippine vessel. [more]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL | LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels was named this season’s Heisman Trophy recipient Saturday as the most valuable player in college football. [more]

ENTERTAINMENT | According to 2023 data from concert-tracking service Pollstar, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is the first concert tour to ever bring in more than $1 billion. Pollstar reports that the Eras Tour brought in $1.04 billion in 2023 with 4.35 million tickets sold across 60 tour dates. [more]

SEARCH TRENDS | According to Google’s 2023 year-end summary of search trends in the United States, the most searched-for news topics of the year were: “War in Israel and Gaza,” “Titanic submarine,” Hurricane Hillary,” Hurricane Idalia,” and “Hurricane Lee.” [full 2023 search trends] [more]

WEEKEND MOVIES | "The Boy and the Heron" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $12.8 million in receipts, followed by "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" and "Godzilla Minus One." [more]

R.I.P. | Actor Ryan O’Neal, widely known for his roles in 1970s films including “Paper Moon,” “What’s Up, Doc,” and “Love Story,” died Friday at the age of 82. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1946, UNICEF—a United Nations program devoted to improving the health, nutrition, education, and general welfare of children—was established.  [more history]