December 5, 2024

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• In a report released today, rights group Amnesty International accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza during its war with Hamas, saying Israel has deliberately sought to destroy Palestinians through deadly attacks, the destruction of vital infrastructure, and the prevention of food, medicine, and other aid deliveries. In a statement responding to the report, the Israeli Foreign Ministry rejected Amnesty’s claims, saying Israel’s actions in Gaza were the result of the October 7 Hamas attacks and that it has defended itself in accord with international law. [full Amnesty report] [more]
• Insurgents led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham jihadi group claim to have entered the central Syria city of Hama following three days of heavy clashes with government forces in the area, which had remained under full government control throughout the country's 13-year civil war. [more]

CALIFORNIA | Two kindergarteners were seriously wounded yesterday when a yet-unidentified gunman opened fire at the Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists in Palermo, California. Authorities say the suspect in the incident died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot outside the school. [more]

U.S. FUNDRAISING | Non-profit group GivingTuesday says this week's annual Giving Tuesday charity fundraising event saw some $3.6 billion in donations in the U.S. this year – up from $3.1 billion in 2023. [more]

U.S. CYBERSECURITY | A day after the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued related guidance, national security officials said yesterday that at least eight U.S. telecommunications firms and dozens of nations have been impacted by the China-based Salt Typhoon hacking campaign. Chinese government officials have denied any connection to the cyberattacks. [more]

TENNESSEE | A report released by the U.S. Justice Department yesterday concludes that the Memphis, Tennessee, police department unlawfully discriminates against Black people when enforcing the law, uses excessive force, and shows a pattern of discrimination in responses to people with behavioral health disabilities. The 17-month investigation underlying the report was undertaken following the January 2023 fatal beating of Tyre Nichols by Memphis police officers. [press release] [full report] [more]

NEW YORK | A manhunt continues today in New York following yesterday’s shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a New York City sidewalk. Police say the attack on Thompson appears to have been premeditated and that video evidence shows that the gunman fled to the Central Park area on a bike after the incident. [more]

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION | Reports say President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team, following a weeks-long delay, signed an agreement earlier this week that allows the Justice Department to conduct background checks on his nominees and appointees for his upcoming administration. [more]

CALIFORNIA | Raw milk and cream products from California-based Raw Farm have been recalled nationwide following the detection of bird flu virus in multiple retail samples. Health officials note that no cases of bird flu virus have been confirmed in people who drank the raw milk products. [more]

WORLD HERITAGE | Among the 45 cultural practices and products enshrined in the UNESCO “intangible cultural heritage of humanity” list this year are: Japanese sake, Brazilian white cheese, Caribbean cassava bread, Palestinian olive oil soap, and the sevdalinka form of traditional urban folk singing in Bosnia and Herzegovina. [full UNESCO list] [more]

GLOBAL HUMANITARIAN AID | The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs issued a global appeal yesterday, seeking $47 billion in funding to help 190 million people in 32 countries in 2025. [press release] [more]

SOUTH KOREA | As opposition parties continues moves to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol following his short-lived imposition of martial law earlier this week, Yoon announced today that he will replace his defense minister, Kim Yong Hyun, who has also been implicated in the martial law declaration. [more]

PHILIPPINES | Authorities say Philippine police are investigating reports that a kidnapped American, Elliot Onil Eastman, 26, from Vermont, died after being shot twice while resisting his Oct. 17 abduction by gunmen in the southern Philippine town of Sibuco. [more]

FRANCE | French lawmakers voted yesterday to pass a no-confidence motion against the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier and his Cabinet. The measure, France’s first such action since 1962, forces the resignation of Barnier and his Cabinet members. [more]

MEXICO | Authorities say some 20 million doses of the synthetic opioid fentanyl were seized this week in Mexico’s Sinaloa state, home of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel and a hub of fentanyl production. [more]

CRYPTOCURRENCY | In a continuation of momentum following the election of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, leading cryptocurrency bitcoin topped the $100,000 mark for the first time yesterday. [more]

AMAZON | The District of Columbia sued e-commerce giant Amazon yesterday, alleging that the company secretly stopped providing its fastest delivery service to residents of two predominantly Black neighborhoods in D.C. while still charging millions of dollars for memberships that promise the benefit. Amazon acknowledged that it imposed a “delivery exclusion” on two low-income zip codes in the district, saying it did so due to safety concerns following “specific and targeted acts against drivers delivering Amazon packages” in the areas. [more]

GOLF | Under new gender policies released yesterday, players must have been assigned female gender at birth or have transitioned to female before going through male puberty to compete in LPGA golf tournaments or the eight USGA golf championships. [press release] [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date 1933, national alcohol Prohibition in the United States came to an end as Utah became the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment to the Constitution, repealing the 18th Amendment. [more history]