December 27, 2023

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR | Updates from day 82 of the conflict:

• Following through on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s renewed promises to destroy Hamas, Israeli forces expanded their ground operations in refugee camps in central Gaza yesterday. Officials with the U.N. human rights office say more than 100 Palestinians have been killed in the central Gaza region since Christmas Eve. [more]
• Following last week’s U.N. Security Council vote to accelerate humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza, the United Nations announced yesterday that Sigrid Kaag, the Netherlands' outgoing finance minister, will be the senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza starting on January 8. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 671 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• According to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, Russia has responded to Ukraine-linked Western sanctions on its oil industry by successfully diverting its exports from Europe, with China and India now accounting for about 90% of Moscow’s crude oil exports. [more]
• Reports say at least six people were killed, and power was knocked out to most of the Ukrainian city of Kherson, overnight when Russia fired an estimated 46 Shahed drones at targets in the region. [more]

COLORADO | Reports say the FBI and police in Denver, Colorado, have opened investigations into reports of threats and harassment against justices of the state’s Supreme Court following last week’s court ruling that, citing the U.S. Constitution's insurrection clause, removed former President Donald Trump from the state’s presidential primary ballots. [more]

U.S. HOLIDAY SPENDING | According to a new report from Mastercard SpendingPulse, retail sales in the November 1 to December 24 holiday period rose 3.1% this year, compared to last year, with online shopping, apparel, restaurant, and grocery spending all showing significant increases. [more]

U.S. AND MEXICO | Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is scheduled to meet with top U.S. diplomatic and security officials today for discussions on stemming a surge in migrants reaching the U.S. southwestern border. Reports say López Obrador has indicated his willingness to assist the U.S. with migrant issues, but that he wants to see the U.S. increase regional aid and improve relations with Cuba and Venezuela to reduce the need for migration. [more]

NATO | The Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs committee yesterday approved Sweden’s bid to join the NATO alliance, clearing the way for a vote on the Nordic country’s NATO accession by Turkey’s full parliament. No date has yet been set for the full parliamentary vote. [more]

AUSTRALIA | Authorities in Australia’s eastern states of Queensland and Victoria say at least 10 people died over the past two days due to flooding and accidents linked to severe storms in the region. Reports say as many as 85,000 electricity customers remain without power this morning due to the storms. [more]

JAPAN | Nuclear safety authorities in Japan lifted an operational ban today on Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, or TEPCO, clearing the way for the company to resume preparatory operations for restarting its first nuclear power plant since an earthquake and tsunami damaged the company’s Fukushima Daiichi plant in 2011. [more]

PAKISTAN | Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who returned to Pakistan earlier this year following four years of self-exile in England, will reportedly seek a fourth term in office following the country’s February parliamentary elections. [more]

CHINA | Authorities in the northwestern China cities of Xian and Yinchuan have issued health warnings due to expected heavy pollution and fog over the coming days. Reports say city officials have urged residents to stay indoors and ordered limits on industrial and mining operations to help limit pollution ahead of a cold wave later this week. [more]

BASKETBALL | The Detroit Pistons lost to the Brooklyn Nets, 118-112, last night, becoming the first team in NBA league history to lose 27 straight games in a single season. [more]

R.I.P. | South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun, best known for his role in the 2019 Oscar-winning film “Parasite,” was found dead in a car in Seoul this morning, according to police. Lee had been reported missing in recent days and South Korean media reports suggest that he left what appeared to be a suicide note at his home last week. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1831, Charles Darwin set sail on the HMS Beagle, beginning the voyage on which he would begin to formulate his theories of evolution and natural selection. [more history]