October 30, 2024

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• Reuters cites unnamed diplomatic sources as saying that U.S. mediators are working on a proposal to end hostilities between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah militant group, starting with a 60-day truce. [more]
• Reports say eight Austrian soldiers serving as part of the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon were wounded yesterday when a rocket thought to have been fired by Hezbollah militants struck the soldiers’ compound. [more]

U.S. ELECTIONS | The Supreme Court yesterday rejected an emergency appeal by former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that sought to force the removal of his name from presidential ballots in Wisconsin and Michigan. [more]

CALIFORNIA | David DePape, the man convicted of attacking 82-year-old Paul Pelosi, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in 2022, was sentenced to life in prison yesterday on state charges of aggravated kidnapping, first-degree burglary, and false imprisonment of an elder. DePape was already serving a 30-year federal prison sentence on related charges. [more]

U.S. JOBS | According to Labor Department data released yesterday, the number of job openings in the U.S. fell to 7.4 million in September – down from 7.9 million in August and the lowest level since January 2021. [more]

U.S. RAILROADS | The Federal Railroad Administration announced $2.4 billion in grants yesterday that will fund 122 projects in 41 states and Washington, DC, with much of the funding going toward track and bridge upgrades, addressing safety concerns, training, and exploration of cleaner alternatives to diesel fuel. [press release] [more]

GLOBAL TUBERCULOSIS | In a new report, the World Health Organization says that 1.25 million people worldwide died of tuberculosis in 2023 and that the 8.2 million people newly diagnosed with the disease for the year was the highest level since the agency began compiling related data from all countries in the 1990s. [full report] [more]

SPAIN | Emergency officials in Spain’s eastern Valencia region say at least 52 people have died in flash floods brought on by heavy rains, which are expected to continue through tomorrow. Reports say more than 1,000 soldiers have been deployed to the region to assist in rescue and recovery efforts. [more]

CANADA AND INDIA | Speaking to Canadian parliament members yesterday, Canadian Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison alleged that Indian Home Minister Amit Shah was responsible for ordering a campaign of violence, intimidation, and intelligence-gathering targeting Sikh separatists inside Canada, which included the murder of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in June 2023. [more]

E.U. AND CHINA | Following failed trade dispute talks, the European Union finalized its increased customs duties yesterday on electric vehicles made in China, which E.U. regulators say are unfairly subsidized by the Chinese government. [more]

TYPHOON KONG-REY | Residents of the northern Philippines and southeastern Taiwan are bracing for the arrival of Typhoon Kong-rey, which is expected to pass through the region today and tomorrow. [more]

KOREA | In a briefing to lawmakers today, South Korean intelligence officials said it appears that North Korea has completed preparations for a nuclear test in the near future. Reports note that the North last conducted a nuclear explosion test in 2017. [more]

JAPAN | The Tokyo High Court ruled today that the Japanese government’s policy against same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. Presiding judge Sonoe Taniguchi wrote in the ruling that the ban is a “groundless legal discrimination based on sexual orientation” that violates the constitutional guarantee of right to equality, as well as individuals’ dignity and equality between sexes. [more]

CANADA | Yves-François Blanchet, the leader of Canada’s Bloc Québécois opposition party, said yesterday that his party intends to work with other opposition parties to force Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s minority government out of power. [more]

BASEBALL | The New York Yankees beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 11-4, last night in Game 4 of the best-of-seven World Series, which the Dodgers lead, 3-1. Game 5 is scheduled for tonight in New York. [more]

SOCCER | European soccer governing body UEFA said today that it will commit 1 billion euros over the next six years to develop and expand women’s soccer across Europe. [press release and more info] [more]

FILM | The American Film Institute says it will award filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola the organization’s AFI Life Achievement Award at a gala tribute ceremony in Los Angeles in April 2025. [more]

R.I.P. | Actress Terri Garr, best known for her roles in films including “Young Frankenstein” and “Tootsie,” died yesterday at the age of 79 from complications of multiple sclerosis. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1961, the Soviet Union detonated Tsar Bomba over Novaya Zemlya island in the Arctic Ocean. It was the largest nuclear weapon ever set off and produced the most powerful human-made explosion ever recorded. [more history]