March 26, 2024

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR | Updates from day 172 of the conflict:

• With the U.S. abstaining from voting, the U.N. Security Council yesterday passed a resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The resolution also calls for the release of all hostages held by Hamas since the October 7 attacks on Israel, but does not tie the cease-fire directly to any hostage release. [more]
• Israeli officials have criticized yesterday's U.N. Security Council resolution demanding a cease-fire in Gaza as a concession to Palestinian militants and say Israel will continue its operations in Gaza until its goals are met. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 761 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ukraine’s federal security service says its officers have arrested two people, identified as residents of the Kyiv and Kharkiv regions, on suspicion of acting on behalf of Russian intelligence to blow up a railway line used to supply Ukrainian troops along the country’s eastern front with Russia. [more]
• Russia’s latest wave of missile and drone attacks on Ukraine continued overnight, with reports saying at least 10 people were wounded by Russian aerial attacks in Kyiv and several more were injured in the southern Mykolaiv and Odesa regions. [more]

ABORTION | The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments today on a 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that would limit access to mifepristone, one of two drugs widely used in medication abortions. [more]

MARYLAND | Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed early this morning after being struck by a cargo ship, sending multiple vehicles into the water. Officials say at least seven people are believed to be in the water and that search and rescue operations are continuing this morning. [more]

TRUMP TRIALS | New York Judge Juan M. Merchan yesterday set April 15 as the start date for former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial related to charges that Trump falsified business records as part of efforts to bury media stories on his personal life during the 2016 presidential campaign. Also yesterday, a New York appeals court agreed to delay collection of Trump’s more than $454 million civil fraud judgment during his appeal if he puts up a $175 million bond within 10 days. [more]

FLORIDA | Governor Ron DeSantis signed a new Florida bill into law yesterday that prohibits children younger than 14 from joining social media platforms. The measure, which is scheduled to take effect in January 2025, also requires children aged 14 or 15 to have parental consent to join a social media platform. [more]

U.S. AND RUSSIA | A Moscow court today extended the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich through late June. Gershkovich, a U.S. citizen, was arrested on espionage charges by Russian authorities in March 2023, and has continued to maintain his innocence. [more]

U.S. AND U.K. | A London court today granted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange a final opportunity to appeal his extradition to the United States to face charges of espionage related to the online publication of classified documents more than a decade ago. [more]

MIGRATION | According to a new report from the U.N.-linked International Organization for Migration, more than 63,000 migrant deaths or disappearances have been documented over the past 10 years, with more deaths recorded in 2023 than in any prior year. [full report] [more]

PAKISTAN | Pakistani officials say at least four insurgents were killed by security forces overnight in a raid on a Baluchistan Liberation Army hideout in the country’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan. [more]

JAPAN | In a continuing move away from the country’s post-World War II pacifist ideology, the Japanese Cabinet approved a plan to sell fighter jets that Japan is developing with the U.K. and Italy to other countries. Government officials say the move is part of necessary changes to build up the Japanese arms industry and bolster its role in global security. [more]

INDIA | Reports say dozens of supporters of opposition leader Arvind Kejriwal were arrested by Indian police today in New Delhi during protests over Kejriwal’s arrest last week on bribery charges. [more]

GERMANY | Citing increased security risks, German authorities have announced plans to carry out enhanced border control measures at all the country’s international crossings during the European Championship soccer tournament this summer. [more]

SENEGAL | Opposition leader Bassirou Diomaye Faye was declared the winner of Senegal’s presidential election yesterday, marking Senegal’s fourth democratic transfer of power since gaining independence from France more than 60 years ago. [more]

SOCIAL MEDIA | Following this week’s acquisition of Trump Media & Technology Group by a blank-check company called Digital World Acquisition, the Trump Media social platform Truth Social begins trading on the Nasdaq stock exchange today. [more]

AIRLINE INDUSTRY | Following a series of airliner safety incidents, Boeing CEO David Calhoun announced yesterday that he will resign his position by the end of the year. [more]

COMEDY | Comedian Kevin Hart was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Sunday at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The annual award, now in its 25th year, honors performers who have made a lasting impact on humor and culture. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1979, the historic peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, agreed to by Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat and based on the Camp David Accords mediated by U.S. President Jimmy Carter, was signed.  [more history]