October 14, 2024

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• The U.S. military announced yesterday that it will send an advanced Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery and troops to operate the system to Israel as part of military aid to help defend Israeli airspace against Iranian missile attacks. [more]
• Four Israeli soldiers were killed, and seven others were wounded, yesterday in a Hezbollah drone strike on an Israeli army base near the city of Binyamina. The militant group says it targeted Israel’s elite Golani brigade in the attack. [more]
• European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell today condemned Israeli attacks on Lebanon that have wounded multiple U.N. peacekeepers and rejected Israeli suggestions that the peacekeepers were being used to obstruct military operations against the Hezbollah militant group. [more]
• Gaza's Hamas-run Civil Defense Agency says an Israeli attack on a school used to shelter displaced Palestinians in central Gaza yesterday killed at least 22 people and injured at least 80 others. Israeli military officials say the incident is under investigation. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 963 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ukrainian officials say they have launched a criminal investigation related to reports that Russian troops shot and killed nine Ukrainian drone operators and contractors after they had surrendered in Russia's Kursk region earlier this month. [more]
• Following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that his country will provide about 1.4 billion euros in new military support to Kyiv by the end of the year. [more]

NORTH CAROLINA | Hurricane Helene recovery efforts in some parts of western North Carolina were temporarily paused over the weekend following reports of threats against Federal Emergency Management Agency workers amidst the spread of rumors and misinformation about responses to the storm. Recovery efforts are expected to fully resume today. [more]

FLORIDA | Rising floodwaters, fuel shortages, and power outages continue across large portions of Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, hampering recovery efforts, according to state and federal officials. President Joe Biden, who visited affected areas of the state yesterday, has approved federal disaster aid for recovery expenses and announced $612 million in funding for new utility projects in affected communities. [more]

TENNESSEE | The Associated Press cites a review of public records as showing that CoreCivic – the leading private prison company in the U.S. – has spent more than $4.4 million since 2016 to settle dozens of complaints alleging mistreatment and wrongful inmate deaths at its Tennessee prisons and jails. [more]

U.S. NATIVE AMERICANS | Celebrations of history and culture are scheduled across the United States today in recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day, which, while not a federal holiday, is observed by 31 states and Washington, DC, by either proclamation or official holiday status. [more]

WASHINGTON | Amidst the ongoing strike by some 33,000 of its union machinists, aerospace giant Boeing announced Friday that the company plans to cut up to 10% of its workforce. [more]

NOBEL PRIZES | U.S.-based economists Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and James A. Robinson were named the winners today of the 2024 Nobel memorial prize in economics for their research into how societal institutions are formed and how they contribute to the success and failure of countries. [more]

PAKISTAN | A three-day public holiday has been declared, and police and paramilitary forces have been deployed to bolster security, in Pakistan’s capital of Islamabad ahead of this week’s regional summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organization leaders. [more]

TAIWAN AND CHINA | The Chinese military is conducting large-scale naval and air military exercises around Taiwan and its outlying islands today. The drills, which come four days after Taiwan celebrated the anniversary of the founding of its government, are a response to the Taiwanese president’s refusal to accept Beijing’s demand that self-governed Taiwan acknowledge itself as a part of the People’s Republic of China, according to the Chinese Defense Ministry. [more]

KOREA | North Korea has accused South Korea of flying drones into its territory three times this month and has threatened to respond with force if another such incursion takes place. [more]

SRI LANKA | Schools are closed, and military forces have been deployed to assist in relief efforts, as the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo struggles with widespread flooding brought on by heavy rains over the weekend. Officials say nearly 7,000 people have been evacuated from affected areas of the city. [more]

ICELAND | Amidst ongoing policy disagreements between members of Iceland’s coalition government, Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson is expected to ask President Halla Tómasdóttir today to formally dissolve parliament and call for national elections to be held on November 30. [more]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL | Following weekend games, Texas remains the No.1-ranked college football team, followed by Oregon, Penn State, Ohio State, and Georgia. This week’s rankings also feature Army and Navy’s first simultaneous inclusion in the Top 25 since 1960. [full rankings] [more]

CHICAGO MARATHON | Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich set a new women’s world record yesterday, finishing the Chicago Marathon in 2:09:56. John Korir of Kenya won the men’s race, finishing in 2:02:44. [more]

TENNIS | No. 1-ranked Jannik Sinner beat Novak Djokovic in straight sets yesterday to win the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament. [more]

GOLF | Matt McCarty shot a final-round 4-under-par 67 yesterday to win the Black Desert Championship golf tournament and claim his first PGA Tour title. [more]

WEEKEND MOVIES | "Terrifier 3" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $18.3 million in receipts, followed by "The Wild Robot" and "Joker: Folie à Deux." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1066, at the Battle of Hastings, the forces of King Harold II of England were defeated by the invading army of William, duke of Normandy, in the Norman Conquest. [more history]