October 3, 2024

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts involving Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran:

• Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, said in an interview yesterday that Israel’s response to this week’s missile attack by Iran will be very strong and painful and that it would take place “soon.” [more]
• Military officials say eight Israeli soldiers were killed in fighting with Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon yesterday. [more]
• Reports say at least six people were killed, and seven others were wounded, overnight in an Israeli airstrike that hit an apartment building in the central region of the Lebanese capital of Beirut. [more]
• According to new data from Palestinian health authorities, 41,788 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel last year. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 952 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• At least 12 people were injured overnight when a Russian glide bomb struck a five-story apartment building in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, according to local officials. [more]
• Ukraine and Russia traded large-scale drone attacks overnight, with most of the 105 drones launched by Russia and the 113 launched by Ukraine being shot down by opposing air defense systems. [more]

TRUMP ELECTION SUBVERSION TRIAL | In a newly unsealed brief released yesterday by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, Special Counsel Jack Smith argues that former President Donald Trump “resorted to crimes” in his unsuccessful efforts to remain in power following the 2020 presidential election. Smith’s brief was aimed at countering findings that Trump’s actions surrounding the election were part of his official acts and that presidential immunity should, therefore, nullify any related prosecution. [full redacted brief] [more]

CALIFORNIA | A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction yesterday blocking a new California law that allows state citizens to sue for damages over AI-generated election deepfakes. In his ruling, U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez said that while such use of AI may pose significant risks, the law likely violates the First Amendment’s right to free speech. [more]

U.S. CHILDHOOD VACCINATIONS | According to newly released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3.3% of kindergarten students in the U.S. were exempted from vaccination requirements during the 2023-2024 school year – up from 3% the previous year. The CDC says exemptions increased in 40 states and Washington, DC, with 14 states reporting exemptions exceeding 5%. [full CDC report] [more]

U.S. PORT STRIKE | Container ships have begun lining up outside major U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports as the largest dockworker strike in nearly 50 years enters its third day. Reports say no new talks between union workers and port owners have been scheduled. [more]

U.S. AND CHINA | The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced bans yesterday on imports of goods from China’s Xinjiang Bayi Iron and Steel Company and Changzhou Guanghui Food Ingredients Company, accusing both firms of being involved in using forced labor from China’s western Xinjiang region. [more]

TAIWAN | Typhoon Krathon made landfall today near the major port city of Kaohsiung in southwestern Taiwan with sustained winds of about 78 mph and gusts of 101 mph. Reports say some 40,000 military troops have been staged to assist with recovery efforts after the slow-moving storm exits the Taiwan region. [more]

U.K. AND MAURITIUS | The British government announced today that it will cede sovereignty over the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean to Mauritius in exchange for retaining control of the strategic joint U.K.-U.S. military base on Diego Garcia. [more]

MEXICO | Mexican Department of Defense authorities say six migrants were killed, and another 12 were wounded, Tuesday when soldiers opened fire on a truck carrying 33 international migrants from various countries near Mexico’s border with Guatemala. Reports say the soldiers claim to have heard shots coming from the area around the truck before opening fire. [more]

IRAN | Iranian state-run media reports that at least 26 people in the country’s northern provinces of Mazandaran and Gilan and the western province of Hamadan have died, and hundreds of others have been hospitalized, in recent days after consuming illegally produced alcoholic beverages that contained toxic methanol. [more]

GEORGIA | After President Salome Zourabichvili refused to sign the bill, Georgian parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili signed a measure into law today that bans same-sex marriages, adoptions by same-sex couples, and public endorsement and depictions of LGBTQ+ relations and people in the media. Papuashvili said the law, which has been criticized by LGBTQ+ activists as severely curtailing rights, is based on “common sense, historical experience and centuries-old Christian, Georgian, and European values.” [more]

AI INDUSTRY | Artificial intelligence giant OpenAI, creator of ChatGPT, announced yesterday that it has raised $6.6 billion in new venture capital investments as it moves away from its non-profit foundation toward a for-profit model. The investments were backed by tech industry leaders Microsoft, Nvidia, and SoftBank. [more]

TENNIS | Carlos Alcaraz beat top-ranked Jannik Sinner in straight sets yesterday to claim the men’s title at the 2024 China Open tennis tournament. [more]

SOCCER | Lionel Messi scored twice last night to lead Inter Miami to a 3-2 win over the Columbus Crew and to secure Miami's Supporters Shield award, which is given annually to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular-season record. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1990, after 45 years of Cold War division, West Germany and East Germany declared the creation of a reunified Germany. [more history]