December 19, 2024

MIDDLE EAST | Update from regional conflicts:

• Israel carried out a series of airstrikes on energy and port infrastructure sites in multiple cities in Yemen today just after a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted as it entered Israeli airspace. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1029 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• In his annual news conference today, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia remains prepared to hold peace talks with Ukraine, but that any settlement must include Ukraine renouncing its bid to join NATO and recognize Russian gains in Ukrainian territory. Putin also claimed that his forces are making steady progress in Ukraine and rejected Western claims that Russia’s new Oreshnik hypersonic missile could be shot down by advanced air defenses. [more]
• Reports say a Ukrainian missile struck an oil refinery today in Russia’s Rostov region, sparking a fire at the plant, which has been targeted repeatedly by Ukraine. [more]

U.S. BUDGET CRISIS | A bipartisan congressional budget agreement appears to be in peril after President-elect Donald Trump and billionaire ally Elon Musk came out against the measure yesterday, calling for negotiations to be restarted and for the federal debt ceiling to be raised. The Trump opposition came just two days before a Friday deadline to extend federal spending approval through March 2025 or face a government shutdown. [more]

U.S. LIFE EXPECTANCY | According to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, life expectancy for the U.S. population in 2023 was 78.4 years, an increase of nine-tenths of a year from 2022. The report also notes that the leading causes of death in the U.S. in 2023 were heart disease, cancer, and unintentional injuries. [full report] [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | Stock markets fell sharply yesterday after the Federal Reserve announced a quarter-point reduction in its benchmark interest rate but signaled that it would slow the pace of rate cuts next year due largely to persistent inflation above the Fed’s 2% target rate. [more]

U.S. BIRD FLU | Amidst growing numbers of bird flu cases in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says a human case in Louisiana is the first linked to exposure to backyard birds and is also the country’s first known severe illness in a human from the virus. In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a bird flu-related state of emergency yesterday as infections were detected in more cattle herds in his state. [more on Louisiana case] [more on California]

U.S. SOCIAL MEDIA | The Supreme Court agreed yesterday to hear arguments next month on the constitutionality of the federal law that would ban the social media platform TikTok in the U.S. if its Chinese parent company refuses to sell it. Court arguments in the matter are scheduled for January 10. [more]

MONTANA | The Montana Supreme Court yesterday upheld a 2023 state climate ruling that says the state violates residents’ constitutional right to a clean environment by permitting oil, gas, and coal projects to proceed without regard for global warming. [more]

U.S. PHILANTHROPY | Billionaire author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott yesterday acknowledged that her foundation has donated $2 billion to non-profit groups in 2024, bringing to $19.2 billion the total of her donations to various groups and efforts since 2019. [more]

U.S. AND PAKISTAN | The U.S. State Department has announced new sanctions against multiple Pakistani companies alleged to be linked to the expansion of the South Asian country’s ballistic missile program. Pakistan condemned the move, calling the U.S. sanctions “discriminatory” and a threat to regional peace and security. [more]

GUANTANAMO BAY | The U.S. repatriated a Kenya man, Mohammed Abdul Malik Bajabu, this week after he was held at the Guantanamo Bay military prison for 17 years without being charged with a crime. Reports say 15 of the prison’s 27 remaining detainees also have never been charged. [more]

MAYOTTE | French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in his country’s Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte today to survey damage inflicted by Cyclone Chido last weekend. Official reports say at least 30 people were killed in the storm, but the death toll is expected to rise significantly as recovery operations continue. [more]

FRANCE | In a court case that has dominated French media, Dominique Pelicot, 72, was found guilty today of drugging and raping his wife and allowing other men to rape her while she was unconscious. Fifty other men who participated in the rapes over a period of about 10 years were also found guilty of related crimes. [more]

INDIA | Indian military officials say five suspected militants were killed in a clash with soldiers and police today in the southern Kulgam district of Indian-controlled Kashmir. [more]

SUDAN | The U.S. is expected to announce new funding today for humanitarian assistance to Sudan amidst the African country’s 18-month-old civil war that has killed tens of thousands of people and driven millions from their homes. [more]

NEW ZEALAND | With consecutive quarters of economic contraction, the New Zealand economy entered a technical recession this week, sending the country’s currency to a two-year low. [more]

AMAZON | Workers for e-commerce giant Amazon went on strike at seven U.S. facilities today over their demands for the company to enter into renewed contract talks with their union, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Amazon representatives say the union represents only about 1% of its workforce and that the strike is not expected to affect its operations during the holiday season. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1966, the United Nations General Assembly endorsed the Outer Space Treaty, an international treaty binding the parties to use outer space only for peaceful purposes. [more history]