March 12, 2024

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR | Updates from day 158 of the conflict:

• A new maritime humanitarian aid effort for Gaza got underway today, with a shipload of some 200 tons of food departing Cyprus. The ship is expected to arrive at a yet-undisclosed location on the Gaza coastline within 2-3 days. [more]
• In a continuation of actions it says are in support of Palestinians in Gaza, Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group said that it fired more than 100 Katyusha rockets at several Israeli military posts today in response to Israeli shelling of Lebanon’s Bekaa region last night. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 747 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Russian lawmakers introduced a bill to the country’s lower house of parliament yesterday that would nullify the former Soviet Union’s formal transfer of Crimea from Russia to Ukraine in 1954. Analysts suggest the bill may be an attempt to establish a legal basis for Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. [more]
• The Russian defense ministry says its forces repelled multiple incursions by “sabotage and reconnaissance groups” into the Belgorod and Kursk regions of Russia this morning. Reports say the incursions were carried out by armed groups made up of Russians opposed to the Kremlin, independently of Ukraine. [more]
• In a report released yesterday, the United Nations’ cultural and scientific agency, UNESCO, said Ukraine will need an estimated $1.26 billion to repair and replace scientific facilities and equipment damaged or destroyed in Russia’s ongoing invasion. [full report] [more]

U.S. POLITICS | Presidential primaries are being held in Georgia, Washington, Mississippi, and Hawaii today, with enough delegates at stake to clinch the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations for Joe Biden and Donald Trump, respectively. [more]

MORE U.S. POLITICS | Reports say the Republican National Committee has fired more than 60 staff members just days after a meeting at which new leadership, including Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump, for the organization was announced. [more]

FLORIDA | A settlement reached yesterday between the Florida Department of Education and civil rights attorneys who sued the state over its “Don’t Say Gay” law clarifies that discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity are permitted in Florida classrooms provided such discussion is not part of formal instruction. [more]

HAITI | Following a meeting of Caribbean-region leaders yesterday at which the establishment of a transition presidential council was proposed, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry said this morning that he will resign once such a council is in place. Also following the meeting, the U.S. announced that it will double, to $200 million, the funds it will contribute toward the deployment of a multinational force in Haiti to assist in battling the island nation’s gang violence. [more]

NATO | One day ahead of a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington, Polish President Andrzej Duda called yesterday for NATO member nations to increase their defense spending to 3% of gross domestic product amidst Russia’s economic war footing. Poland currently spends about 4% of GDP on defense, while NATO guidelines call for at least 2% of GDP defense spending. [more]

EUROPEAN CLIMATE | In its first-ever climate risk assessment, the European Environment Agency says Europe’s policies and adaptation actions are not keeping pace with the rapidly growing risks associated with climate change and that “urgent action may be needed even on risks that are not yet critical.” [full report] [more]

MIDDLE EAST | Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said yesterday that Israeli proposals to limit access to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan are pushing regional tensions toward an “explosion.” [more]

INDIA | Rules for a new naturalization law criticized for marginalizing Muslims were announced yesterday in India. The Citizenship Amendment Act provides a fast track to naturalization for Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Christians who fled to Hindu-majority India from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan before Dec. 31, 2014, but excludes Muslims, who are a majority in all three nations. [more]

SOUTH KOREA | Amidst a nearly monthlong nationwide strike by junior doctors in South Korea, senior doctors at the Seoul National University Hospital said yesterday that they would resign if the government does not resolve issues with the striking doctors by next week. [more]

NEW ZEALAND | Chilean multinational air carrier LATAM Airlines says at least 50 people were injured when a Boeing seven-eighty-seven operated by the airline dropped suddenly during a flight from Sydney to Auckland yesterday. New Zealand transportation authorities have opened an investigation into the incident. [more]

TENNIS | Luca Nardi defeated top-ranked Novak Djokovic yesterday in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open, becoming the lowest-ranked opponent, at No. 123, ever to win a match against Djokovic in a Grand Slam or ATP Masters 1000 level event. [more]

FOOTBALL | Among National Football League transfer deals reported ahead of tomorrow's free-agency signing period are Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins moving to Atlanta, running back Saquon Barkley leaving the New York Giants for the Philadelphia Eagles, and Kansas City punter Tommy Townsend moving to the Houston Texans. [NFL.com free agency tracker] [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1930, Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian nationalist movement, began the Salt March, a nonviolent protest against British rule that brought him international attention. [more history]