July 22, 2024

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR | Updates from day 290 of the conflict:

• Saying the area was being used by Hamas militants to launch attacks, the Israeli military today ordered the evacuation of the eastern part of the Muwasi humanitarian zone in southern Gaza. [more]
• Reports say at least six people were killed, and 83 others were injured, Saturday in an Israeli airstrike on the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah following a drone attack on Tel Aviv Friday for which Yemen’s Houthi rebel group claimed responsibility. [more]
• A 15-judge panel of the U.N.’s International Court of Justice issued a non-binding opinion Friday that said Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territories is unlawful and called for existing settlements to be removed and for new settlement construction to end immediately. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the ruling, saying that “the legality of Israeli settlement in all the territories of our homeland cannot be contested.” [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 879 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ukrainian officials say their air defense systems shot down 35 of 39 attack drones launched by Russia at various targets late Saturday night. [more]
• The Russian Ministry of Defense said yesterday that its troops have taken control of two villages in eastern Ukraine: Pishchane Nizhne in the Kharkiv region and Andriivka in the Luhansk region. [more]

U.S. POLITICS | In a letter posted online yesterday, President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race, saying "I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term." Shortly after the announcement, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his choice to replace him on the Democratic ticket. Biden is expected to address the country regarding his withdrawal later this week. [more]

TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT | Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced the appointment yesterday of a bipartisan, independent panel to review the “planning for and actions taken by the U.S. Secret Service and state and local authorities before, during, and after” the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump earlier this month. The announcement came ahead of today’s testimony on the incident by Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle before the House Oversight Committee. [more]

TEXAS | Reports say heat-related deaths during prolonged power outages in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl has pushed the number of storm-related deaths in Texas to 25. [more]

U.S. WEATHER | Some 30 million people in the western United States, including parts of California, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, are under heat advisories or excessive heat warnings through Wednesday, with temperatures in some locations expected to reach as high as 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 Celsius). [more]

U.S. ENVIRONMENT | The Environmental Protection Agency has announced the selection of 25 state, local, and Tribal projects in 30 states to receive $4.3 billion in Climate Pollution Reduction Grants to implement community-based climate solutions, reduce air pollution, advance environmental justice, and accelerate clean energy transitions. [full details] [more]

U.S AND ISRAEL | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is traveling to the U.S. today, where he is tentatively scheduled to meet with President Joe Biden tomorrow and to address Congress on Wednesday. [more]

BANGLADESH | Reports say at least 100 people have died in ongoing student-led protests in Bangladesh over the allocation of government jobs. Amidst the unrest, the South Asian country's top court yesterday scaled back the quote for government jobs to be filled by relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh's war of independence in 1971 from 30% to 5%. [more]

CHINA | Authorities in China’s southwestern Sichuan province say at least 10 people died, and 29 others remain missing, when flash floods caused by heavy rains swept through the village of Xinhua late Saturday night. Reports say at least 40 homes were destroyed in the flooding. [more]

UGANDA | According to party leaders, Ugandan police and soldiers have sealed off the headquarters of the National Unity Platform opposition party ahead of planned anti-government protests tomorrow. [more]

BELARUS AND NORTH KOREA | Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov is scheduled to travel to North Korea this week for talks expected to center on the establishment of trilateral North Korea-Belarus-Russia partnerships. [more]

PHILIPPINES AND CHINA | Chinese and Philippine officials have confirmed the reaching of an agreement between their two countries to end confrontations over the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea. Neither side released the text of the agreement, but reports say it provides a mutually acceptable arrangement and includes a provisional agreement on the delivery of humanitarian supplies to Philippine personnel based at the shoal. [more]

GLOBAL IT OUTAGE | Airlines, banks, hospitals, and other businesses are continuing work to restore full operations following Friday’s global IT outage caused by a faulty update pushed to Microsoft Windows-based computers by security company CrowdStrike. [more]

SPACE | Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, the last surviving member of the Apollo 11 crew, headlined a gala Saturday night at the San Diego Air and Space Museum to mark the 55th anniversary of the first lunar landing. [more]

PARIS OLYMPICS | French security officials say some 45,000 police officers, 10,000 military personnel, and 1,900 police reinforcements from other countries are deployed to provide security in Paris ahead of the Paris Olympic Games, which open on Friday. [more]

GOLF | Xander Schauffele shot a final-round 6-under-par 65 yesterday to win the British Open and claim his second major tournament title this year. [more]

BASEBALL | Former player, coach, and manager Jim Leyland and former players Adrian Beltré, Joe Mauer, and Todd Helton were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame yesterday in Cooperstown, New York. [more]

CYCLING | Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar won cycling’s Tour de France yesterday – his third overall Tour title and the first in three years. [more]

WEEKEND MOVIES | "Twisters" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $80.5 million in receipts, followed by "Despicable Me 4" and "Inside Out 2." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1933, American aviator Wiley Post completed the first solo flight around the world, having covered 15,596 miles (25,099 km) in 7 days, 18 hours, and 49 minutes. [more history]