January 12, 2024

RED SEA | U.S. and British forces hit more than 60 targets at 16 sites with missiles and other airstrikes in Yemen yesterday in response to ongoing targeting of ships in the Red Sea by Houthi rebel forces. U.S. President Joe Biden said he would "not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary." Houthi rebel leaders say the attacks would not go without "punishment or retaliation." [more]

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR | Updates from day 98 of the conflict:

• The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said today that humanitarian operations in northern Gaza have been significantly hindered by Israel's "systematic refusal" to grant aid workers access to the region. [more]
• Israel yesterday urged the International Court of Justice to reject South African allegations that the ongoing military operations in Gaza constitute a state-led genocide campaign against the Palestinian people. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 687 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is in Kyiv today, where he is expected to announce that the U.K. will provide some 2.5 billion pounds (about $3.2 billion) in military funding to Ukraine in the coming fiscal year. [more]
• U.S. military officials say that while there is no evidence of illicit diversion or misuse of weapons and other military equipment provided to Ukraine, a recent Pentagon audit has found that more than half of such materials provided cannot be tracked due to shortfalls in required monitoring. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | The Labor Department reported yesterday that consumer prices in the U.S. rose 0.3% from November to December of last year – up from the 0.1% increase seen in the previous month – pushing the 2023 annual inflation rate to 3.4%. [more]

TRUMP FRAUD TRIAL | Following closing arguments in which former President Donald Trump gave an in-court statement, Judge Arthur Engoron said yesterday that he hopes to issue a final ruling in the New York civil business fraud case against Trump by the end of January. [more]

U.S. CLIMATE | According to a new report from the Rhodium Group independent research firm, emissions of greenhouse gasses in the U.S. fell by 1.9% in 2023. Report authors say the rate of such cuts needs to increase significantly for the U.S. to meet its 2030 goal of reducing greenhouse emissions by about 50% from their 2005 levels. [more]

MISSISSIPPI | Residents of the Mississippi capital of Jackson and at least one of its suburbs are under a boil water order today after traces of E. coli bacteria were found in the city’s water supply. The order is expected to last for at least two days. [more]

TAIWAN | Voters in Taiwan will elect a new president and other legislators this weekend amidst ongoing tensions with China over the territory’s pro-independence movement. In the lead-up to the election, China has suggested that the votes of Taiwan's residents are a choice between war and peace. [more]

JAPAN | Japanese officials say their country successfully launched a new imaging and intelligence-gathering satellite this morning that will increase Japan’s ability to monitor North Korean military sites and help to improve responses to natural disasters. [more]

MYANMAR | Chinese officials say Myanmar’s military government and an alliance of ethnic minority guerrilla groups active in the north of the country have agreed to a China-brokered cease-fire agreement. [more]

ARGENTINA | Annual inflation in Argentina rose to 211.4% in 2023 – up from about 95% in 2022 and the highest rate in more than 30 years – according to the country’s INDEC statistics agency. [more]

CAPE VERDE | The World Health Organization says Cape Verde has been declared malaria-free for the first time in 50 years after no cases of local transmission of the mosquito-borne disease were reported in the sub-Saharan African nation in three years. [more]

FOOTBALL | The New England Patriots and coach Bill Belichick are parting ways, ending Belichick’s 24-year tenure with the team, during which the Patriots won 17 division championships, nine AFC titles, and six Super Bowls. [more]

BASKETBALL | The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 139-77, last night – the fifth largest margin of victory in NBA history. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 2010, a magnitude-7.0 earthquake devastated Haiti, especially Port-au-Prince, killing more than 200,000 people and leaving more than 1,000,000 homeless. [more history]