October 28, 2024

MIDDLE EAST | Update from regional conflicts:

• Israel conducted airstrikes Saturday against military targets in Iran in retaliation for Iran’s recent missile and drone attack against Israel, increasing concerns over the potential for further regional escalations of violence in the Middle East. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said yesterday that the Israeli strike should neither be “exaggerated nor downplayed,” and stopped short of calling for an immediate military response. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 977 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• Following a meeting with South Korean intelligence and defense officials today, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that, after weeks of speculation, he could confirm that North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia and are operating in Russia’s Kursk region where Ukrainian forces have established a foothold. Rutte characterized the North Korean deployment as a “dangerous expansion" of Russia's war in Ukraine. [more]

LOUISIANA | A Louisiana judge on Friday temporarily blocked efforts by state officials to clear homeless encampments in New Orleans, which have been linked by a spokesperson for Gov. Jeff Landry to trying to address homelessness and safety issues ahead of the city hosting major events including this weekend’s Taylor Swift concerts and the NFL’s Super Bowl in February. [more]

ALASKA | Rear Adm. Mark Sucato, commander of the U.S. Navy’s northwest region, issued a long-awaited formal apology Saturday for the Navy’s shelling of the Native Alaskan village of Angoon in October 1882, saying “The Navy recognizes the pain and suffering inflicted upon the Tlingit people, and we acknowledge these wrongful actions resulted in the loss of life, the loss of resources, the loss of culture, and created and inflicted intergenerational trauma on these clans.” [more]

GLOBAL CLIMATE | The United Nations Environment Program has released its annual Emissions Gap Report, which warns that under all but the most optimistic and ambitious scenarios for cutting fossil fuel emissions the chance of limiting global warming to the internationally agreed-upon goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming since pre-industrial times is “virtually zero.” [press release] [full report PDF] [more]

PAKISTAN | Pakistani health officials began a week-long nationwide polio vaccination campaign today. The new effort follows a recent surge in cases of the disease in Pakistan, which is one of two countries in which it has never been eradicated. [more]

GEORGIA | Amidst concerns over voting irregularities and allegations of Russian election interference, reports say opposition groups in Georgia plan protests for today in the capital Tbilisi against the official results of the country’s weekend elections in which the governing Georgian Dream party was declared the winner. [more]

BOLIVIA | Former President Evo Morales says he was the target of an assassination attempt yesterday in Bolivia’s coca leaf-growing region of Chapare and blamed the violence on what he contends is a campaign to sideline him from politics by the government of current President Luis Arce. [more]

JAPAN | In Japanese parliamentary elections yesterday, the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba lost its outright majority in the country’s 465-seat lower house, suggesting, according to analysts, potential difficulties for Ishiba and his Liberal Democratic Party in getting their policies enacted. [more]

GERMANY | According to the head of the company’s work council, German carmaker Volkswagen plans to shut at least three factories in Germany and reduce its workforce by tens of thousands of people amidst low sales, increased competition from China, and ongoing efforts to reduce costs. [more]

BASEBALL | The Los Angeles Dodgers have a 2-0 lead over the New York Yankees heading into tonight’s Game 3 of the best-of-seven World Series, which will be the first matchup of this season’s series to be played in New York. [more]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL | Following weekend games, Oregon remains No. 1 in the AP Top 25 college football poll, followed by Georgia, Penn State, Ohio State, and Miami. [full rankings] [more]

WEEKEND MOVIES | "Venom: The Last Dance" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $51 million in receipts, followed by "Smile 2" and "Conclave." [more]

R.I.P. | Phil Lesh, the influential bassist and founding member of the Grateful Dead, died Friday at the age of 84. No specific cause of death was cited in the announcement of Lesh’s death, which was posted to his online social media accounts. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1886, U.S. President Grover Cleveland officially dedicated the Statue of Liberty—a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States—on Bedloe's (later Liberty) Island in Upper New York Bay. [more history]