October 24, 2024

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• Amidst the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah militant group, several European nations announced aid packages this week to support humanitarian efforts to assist hundreds of thousands of displaced Lebanese civilians and the communities hosting them. Among the aid packages announced were: 10 million euros from Italy, 60 million euros from Germany, and 100 million euros from France. [more]
• Citing documents found in Gaza and intelligence reports, Israel yesterday accused six Al Jazeera journalists covering the war in Gaza of being current or former paid fighters for Palestinian militant groups. The Qatar-based Al Jazeera news agency rejected Israel’s claims as “fabricated” and as “a blatant attempt to silence the few remaining journalists in the region.” [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 973 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• U.S. and South Korean officials said yesterday that there is evidence that as many as 3,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to military training sites in eastern Russia. According to White House national security spokesman John Kirby, it is not yet known if the North Korean soldiers are being prepared to fight alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, as has been suggested by some. [more]

NORTH CAROLINA | Following his administration’s estimate of a record $53 billion in damages and recovery needs caused by Hurricane Helene last month, Gov. Roy Cooper yesterday characterized the storm as “the deadliest and most damaging ever to hit North Carolina.” [more]

U.S. VACCINES | In newly updated guidance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends that people 50 and older be vaccinated against pneumococcal disease to reduce the risk of pneumonia and other dangerous illnesses. The agency’s previous guidance had recommended vaccination for people aged 65 and older. [CDC announcement] [more]

U.S. MARKETS | Led by declines in tech stocks, McDonalds, Coca-Cola, and Boeing, U.S. had a rare third-straight-day of losses yesterday. The S&P 500 was down 0.9%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq composite were down 1% and 1.6%, respectively, for the day. [more]

WASHINGTON | The six-week-old strike by union machinists at aerospace giant Boeing is set to continue after workers voted yesterday to reject the company’s latest contract proposal. [more]

U.S. E. COLI OUTBREAK | Fast-food chain McDonald’s has pulled its Quarter Pounder hamburger from menus in 12 U.S. states following an outbreak of E. Coli infections preliminarily linked to raw onions used on the burgers. Affected restaurant locations include those in Colorado, Kansas, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. [more]

U.S. REAL ESTATE | According to the National Association of Realtors, sales of existing homes in the U.S. fell 1% in September from the previous month and 3.5% compared to the year-ago period. The seasonally adjusted annual sales rate of 3.84 million units in September was the lowest in nearly 14 years. [more]

VENEZUELA | The European Parliament awarded its annual Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought today to Venezuelan opposition leaders Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez for "representing the people of Venezuela fighting to restore freedom and democracy." [more]

INDIA | Officials in India’s Odisha and West Bengal states have closed schools, suspended public transportation, and ordered the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people ahead of the arrival of Tropical Storm Dana, which is expected to make landfall by tomorrow along the states' Bay of Bengal coastline. [more]

FINLAND AND RUSSIA | Reports cite Finish Minister of Interior Lulu Ranne as saying that Russia is responsible for suspicious acts of sabotage and disruption against Finland and other countries, ranging from repeated cyber-attacks to arson and "instrumentalized migration." Russia has denied the allegations. [more]

INDONESIA AND CHINA | Indonesia’s Maritime Security Agency says patrol ships were used twice this week to drive off a Chinese coast guard vessel that was disrupting a state-sponsored seismic data survey in a disputed region of the South China Sea. [more]

TURKEY | The Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency reports that Turkish forces carried out airstrikes against numerous Kurdistan Workers’ Party and related militia sites in Syria and Iraq for a second straight day today. The airstrikes came after government officials this week blamed an attack on the Turkish aerospace and defense company TUSAS on the PKK. [more]

PHILIPPINES | Authorities say at least 24 deaths on the Philippines’ main island of Luzon have been linked to flooding and landslides brought on by Tropical Storm Trami, which struck the island early this morning. [more]

CANADA | Reuters cites an unnamed government source as saying that the Canadian government plans to significantly reduce the number of migrants allowed into Canada starting in 2025, reversing a years-long trend of increased immigration. [more]

HURRICANE KRISTY | Meteorologists say Hurricane Kristy strengthened into a Category 4 storm in the Pacific Ocean yesterday. The storm is expected to cause dangerous surf and rip current conditions along portions of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula later this week, but not to pose a direct threat to land as it moves further westward in the Pacific. [more]

APPLE CARD | The U.S. Consumer Finance Protection Bureau announced a combined $89 million in fines yesterday against Apple and Goldman Sachs for deceptive practices and mishandling of transaction disputes by Apple Card customers. [CFPB press release] [more]

BASEBALL | Major League Baseball and ratings company Nielsen say the two 2024 League Championship Series were the most watched in seven years, averaging 5.35 million viewers per game. The upcoming World Series between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers, which starts tomorrow, is also expected to surpass recent years’ viewing levels. [more]

R.I.P. | Actor Ron Ely, best known for his starring role in the 1960s NBC television series “Tarzan,” died in late September at the age of 86, according to an announcement released yesterday by his daughter. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1945, the charter of the United Nations, established at the end of World War II through ratification by 29 countries with the aim of maintaining world peace and promoting friendly relations among nations, went into effect. The date is now observed as United Nations Day. [more history]