December 3, 2024

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• The Associated Press cites an unnamed Palestinian Authority official as saying that the rival Fatah and Hamas Palestinian factions are close to an agreement on appointing a committee to administer and oversee Gaza following the war with Israel. Analysts suggest such a move, which would effectively end Hamas’ unilateral control of Gaza, could help to advance peace talks with Israel. [more]
• Amidst tense ongoing efforts to implement and maintain a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanese health officials say at least 10 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon overnight that followed Hezbollah mortar attacks on an Israeli army base. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1013 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• The U.S. announced a new $725 million military aid package for Ukraine yesterday that includes anti-personnel landmines, ammunition for HIMARS precision rocket launchers, Stinger missiles, counter-drone systems, anti-armor weapons, and artillery ammunition. [more]
• According to a new U.S. State Department-backed report from the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab, at least 314 Ukrainian children were taken to Russia in the early months of the invasion of Ukraine, stripped of their identities, and placed with Russian families. The report also notes that Russian presidential aircraft were used in the Kremlin-funded deportation program. [full report] [more]

U.S. SHOPPING | E-commerce tracker Adobe Analytics predicts that U.S. consumers will be found to have spent a record $13.2 billion online yesterday during the annual Cyber Monday holiday shopping period – up about 6% from last year. [more]

WASHINGTON | Seattle-based Alaska Airlines temporarily grounded its flights at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport yesterday due to an unspecified technology issue. The company says the disruption, which has been resolved, also affected the ability to book flights on its website. [more]

ALASKA | U.S. Coast Guard officials say the search for five people believed to have been aboard a fishing vessel that capsized in rough seas in the Gulf of Alaska on Sunday has been suspended. [more]

IDAHO | The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that most of Idaho’s first-in-the-nation law that makes it illegal to help minors get an abortion without the consent of their parents can take effect while a lawsuit challenging its constitutionality continues. [more]

CALIFORNIA | Gov. Gavin Newsom said yesterday that he is seeking up to $25 million in funding for California state agencies to use for potential legal battles with the upcoming Trump administration in areas such as reproductive rights, environmental protection, and immigration. [more]

U.S. AND CHINA | The U.S. Commerce Department announced an expansion yesterday of its list of Chinese-owned companies subject to export controls, with Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo saying the move was aimed at impairing China’s ability to use advanced technologies that could pose a risk to U.S. national security. Chinese officials have criticized the move and announced a new ban today on exports to the United States of items related to the minerals gallium, germanium, and antimony that have potential military applications. [more]

U.S. AND ANGOLA | U.S. President Joe Biden is in Angola today for meetings with leaders of the sub-Saharan African nation in which he is expected to showcase the $3 billion U.S. commitment for the Lobito Corridor railway redevelopment linking Zambia, Congo, and Angola. Biden is also scheduled to visit Angola’s National Slavery Museum and acknowledge the historic slave trade that once linked the two nations. [more]

FRANCE | As many as 50 heads of state are expected to attend the invitation-only reopening of Notre Dame cathedral is Paris, France, this weekend. The reopening comes more than five years after the cathedral was nearly destroyed by fire. [more]

SOUTHEAST ASIA | Regional authorities say at least 30 people were killed, and tens of thousands were displaced, in Malaysia and southern Thailand over the past several days due to flooding caused by five days of heavy monsoon rains. [more]

GERMANY | Union organizers say as many as 100,000 workers took part in temporary walkouts yesterday at carmaker Volkswagen’s plants in Germany to protest the company’s plans to cut wages, reduce staff, and potentially close production sites. [more]

MICROSOFT | Reports say the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has opened a wide-ranging antitrust investigation into tech giant Microsoft’s business practices, including its cloud computing, AI, and cybersecurity offerings. It is unclear if the investigation will continue under the incoming Trump administration. [more]

SOCCER | Global soccer players’ union FIFPRO announced the 2024 finalists for its men’s and women’s World 11 teams, as voted on by more than 21,000 players worldwide. The organization’s teams of the year will be announced on December 9. [men’s finalists] [women’s finalists] [more]

ENTERTAINMENT | Organizers of the Golden Globes have announced that actor Ted Danson will be the 2024 recipient of the Carol Burnett Award for “outstanding contributions to television on or off screen.” [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1984, a gas leak from a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India, spread over a populated area, resulting ultimately in 15,000 to 20,000 deaths and leaving some half million survivors with chronic medical ailments. [more history]