October 8, 2024

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• Palestinian health officials say at least 27 people were killed late yesterday in Israeli airstrikes that hit houses in central Gaza’s Bureij refugee camp. [more]
• In what appears to be a widening of ground operations in Lebanon, the Israeli military said today that its forces have begun limited ground operations against Hezbollah militants in southwestern Lebanon. The expanded incursion comes a day after Israel warned residents of a dozen towns in the region to evacuate. [more]
• Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said today that the militant group supports efforts to reach a cease-fire deal with Israel and, for the first time, left out any mention of a truce agreement in Gaza being a pre-condition for halting Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 957 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said today that two grain ships in the southern port city of Odesa were damaged yesterday in a Russian missile strike. Sybiha condemned the attack as a threat to freedom of navigation in the Black Sea and to global food security. [more]
• Ukrainian military officials say Russian forces have entered the outskirts of the eastern Donbas-region city of Toretsk. Analysts suggest that Russian control of the hilltop city would allow Russian forces to disrupt Ukrainian logistical routes needed to support military operations in the area. [more]

HURRICANE MILTON | The majority of Florida’s west coast is under hurricane warnings ahead of tomorrow’s arrival of Hurricane Milton. Currently a Category 4 storm, Milton is projected to make landfall near the highly populated Tampa Bay region. [more]

U.S. ANTITRUST | A federal judge ruled yesterday that the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust lawsuit against Amazon, which the e-commerce giant had sought to have dismissed, can proceed. The lawsuit accuses Amazon of using its market dominance to inflate prices, overcharge sellers, and stifle competition. [more]

OREGON | Authorities in Oregon said yesterday that an additional 302 people have been removed from the state’s voter rolls due to failure to provide citizenship proof when they initially registered to vote at state Department of Motor Vehicles locations. A total of 1,561 voter registrations have been removed from rolls in the state since the DMV first acknowledged clerical errors in its registrations last month. [more]

U.S. CYBERATTACK | New Jersey-based American Water – the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the U.S., which provides services to more than 14 million people in 14 states – announced yesterday that it has been the target of a cyberattack. According to the company, its water facilities were unaffected by the attack, but it has been forced to suspend billing to customers while the incident is under investigation. [more]

U.S. APP STORE MONOPOLY | U.S. District Judge James Donato yesterday ordered Google to take several steps to open up competition to its Android app store as punishment for maintaining an illegal monopoly. Among various measures, which Google is expected to appeal, is a requirement that Google’s Play Store distribute downloadable rival third-party app stores. [more]

NOBEL PRIZES | Scientists John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton were named the winners of the 2024 Nobel Prize in physics today for their discoveries and inventions that used tools from physics to develop methods such as artificial neural networks that form the foundation of today’s powerful machine learning advances. [more]

CHINESE ECONOMY | China’s economic planning agency announced smaller-than-expected measures yesterday aimed at boosting the country’s economy. The National Development and Reform Commission said new measures would focus on supporting small and medium-sized businesses, reforming payment and financing regulations, stopping the decline in the real estate market, and boosting capital markets. [more]

HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC | Haitian Foreign Minister Dominique Dupuy has condemned as “dehumanizing” a plan announced last week by the neighboring Dominican Republic to deport up to 10,000 illegal migrants per week back to Haiti. [more]

TUNISIA | Following a campaign period widely criticized over the suppression of opposition parties and the imprisonment of opposition candidates, Tunisia’s incumbent President Kais Saied has been declared the winner of the North African country’s presidential election. [more]

INDIA | Voting results are expected today in India-controlled Kashmir’s first election since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government stripped the disputed region of its long-held semi-autonomy in 2019. [more]

E.U. AND CHINA | In a follow-up to recent European Union tariffs of up to 35.3% on Chinese electric vehicles being imposed, Chinese regulators yesterday announced new tariffs of up to 39% on imports of European brandies. [more]

E.U. SOCIAL MEDIA | The Ireland-based Appeals Center Europe has reportedly been certified to act as an out-of-court settlement body to resolve content moderation disputes in the 27-nation European Union. The Appeals Center says it will charge tech companies 95 euros for every case it hears in addition to a 5-euro fee charged to users who raise disputes. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1871, the Great Chicago Fire began in the Illinois city’s southwestern region. Over the course of three days the fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed an estimated 17,000 structures, and left 100,000 residents homeless. [more history]