January 15, 2024

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR | Updates from day 101 of the conflict:

• U.S. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said yesterday that now is the ”right time” for Israel to transition to “low-intensity” military operations in Gaza. The statement came as the Israel-Hamas conflict reached its 100th day. [more]
• Hamas released an undated video yesterday showing three Israeli hostages held since the October 7 attacks on Israel. The video ended with a caption saying that Israel would be informed of the fate of the three hostages today. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 690 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Reports say national security delegates from 83 countries attended talks on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s peace formula this weekend in Davos, Switzerland. Ukrainian officials say the purpose of the meetings was to discuss an eventual Russian withdrawal from Ukraine, prosecution of war crimes, and how the war might be eventually declared over. [more]
• At a diplomatic summit in Geneva today, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs appealed for $4.2 billion in aid for Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees for 2024. [more]

RED SEA | U.S. officials say a missile fired from an Iranian-backed Houthi militant area of Yemen targeted the USS Laboon destroyer in the southern Red Sea yesterday. The attack, in which the missile was shot down by U.S. forces, followed weekend U.S. strikes on Houthi strongholds. [more]

U.S. POLITICS | Voters in Iowa will take part today in the Republican caucus – the first-in-the-nation official polling for selecting the 2024 Republican presidential nominee. Former President Donald Trump leads in recent Iowa polling, with former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis nearly tied for second. [more]

IOWA | Principal Dan Marburger, who was critically wounded while trying to protect students during the school shooting incident at Perry High School in Perry, Iowa, earlier this month died yesterday, according to a statement from his family. [more]

NORTH KOREA | South Korean and Japanese officials say North Korea conducted its first ballistic missile test of 2024 yesterday. The missile, which North Korean authorities described as a solid-fuel intermediate-range missile tipped with a hypersonic warhead, flew about 620 miles before landing in the Sea of Japan. [more]

TAIWAN | Voters in Taiwan selected Lai Ching-te, also known as William Lai, to be the territory’s next president on Saturday, giving the ruling Democratic Progressive Party a record third straight term in office. China, which claims Taiwan as its own, has criticized Lai’s election. [more]

ICELAND | A volcano on Iceland’s southwestern Reykjanes peninsula erupted yesterday for the second time in less than a month, destroying several houses in the nearby evacuated town of Grindavik. [more]

SYRIA AND TURKEY | Syrian state media reports that Turkish forces targeted at least 40 sites in Kurdish-held northeastern Syria over the past two days, with airstrikes hitting multiple power and water pumping stations, as well as oil infrastructure. [more]

BRAZIL | Officials in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro state say at least 11 people died in the state this weekend in floods and landslides brought on by heavy rains. [more]

INDONESIA | An estimated 6,500 people on the Indonesian island of Flores have been evacuated after several days of small-scale eruptions by the Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano. [more]

GUATEMALA | Bernardo Arévalo was sworn in as Guatemala’s new president today following months of opposition efforts to derail his inauguration. [more]

AI | A new report from the International Monetary Fund says that almost 40% of global employment is exposed to impacts from artificial intelligence, with that number rising to as high as 60% in advanced economies. The report notes that AI is expected to replace some jobs, but complement many others. [more]

GLOBAL BUSINESS | Microsoft passed Apple on Friday to become the world’s largest company by market capitalization, closing the trading day with a market value of $2.887 trillion. [more]

FOOTBALL | The Detroit Lions beat the Los Angeles Rams, 24-23, last night – the team's first playoff game victory in 32 years. [more]

WEEKEND MOVIES | "Mean Girls" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $28 million in receipts, followed by "The Beekeeper" and "Wonka." [more]

ENTERTAINMENT | The 75th Primetime Emmy Awards – delayed for months due to last year’s entertainment industry strikes – will be held tonight. Among the top nominees for tonight’s awards are “Succession,” “The Last of Us,” "The White Lotus,” "Ted Lasso,” and "The Bear.” [full list of nominees] [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1759, the British Museum, which counts among its world-renowned antiquities and archaeological holdings the Elgin Marbles and the Rosetta Stone, opened to the public. [more history]