September 30, 2024

ISRAEL AND LEBANON | Following a weekend of escalating violence that included an airstrike that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Israel carried out an airstrike on central Beirut early this morning, killing, according to reports, several members of multiple Lebanese militant groups. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 949 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• Russian state-run news agency RIA reports that U.S. citizen Stephen James Hubbard, 72, who was detained by Russian soldiers in April 2022, pleaded guilty in a Moscow court today to being paid to fight for Ukraine against Russia. [more]

HURRICANE HELENE | Nearly 100 deaths in the southeastern U.S. have been attributed to Hurricane Helene and its aftereffects, which include massive flooding in areas of western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and southwestern Virginia that have been left without power or communications and remain unreachable due to destroyed roadways. Authorities say the death toll is expected to increase as search and rescue workers reach more isolated areas. [more]

U.S. EAST COAST PORT STRIKE | Some 45,000 East and Gulf Coast port workers represented by the International Longshoremen's Association union are expected to go on strike tonight at midnight, barring a last-minute pay deal with the United States Maritime Alliance employer group. Analysts say the strike could cost the economy as much as $5 billion per day. [more]

GEORGIA | Schools and roads have been closed, and some evacuations have been ordered, following a fire yesterday at a chemical plant in Conyers, Georgia – about 30 miles southeast of Atlanta. [more]

CALIFORNIA | Acting on multiple AI-related measures yesterday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a measure into law that criminalizes the use of artificial intelligence tools to create sexual imagery or video of children. Newsom also vetoed a measure that would have established the country’s first general AI-related safety and oversight policies, saying that while he supports such action, the bill in question was not the “best approach.” [more]

NORWAY | In a weekend interview, Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl said Norway is considering several measures to increase security along its border with Russia, including a proposed measure that would, like neighboring Finland, involve building a fence along the Russian border. [more]

U.K. | Central England’s Ratcliffe-on-Soar station – Britain’s last coal-fired power plant – is scheduled to close today, ending 142 years of coal-generated electricity generation in the nation. [more]

AUSTRIA | The far-right Freedom Party received the most votes in Austria’s parliamentary elections yesterday, followed by Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s Austrian People’s Party and the center-left Social Democrats. Analysts say the Freedom Party’s chances of actually governing are unclear, as it would need a coalition partner to command a parliamentary majority. [more]

JAPAN | Shigeru Ishiba, who is set to succeed Fumio Kishida as Japan’s prime minister next week, said yesterday that he plans to call for early parliamentary elections in late October. [more]

NEPAL | Authorities in Nepal say at least 193 people have died in floods and landslides brought on by heavy rains over the weekend, with most of the casualties occurring in and around the capital Kathmandu. [more]

TAIWAN | Authorities in Taiwan have issued warnings ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Krathon, which is expected to hit the territory’s densely populated west coast early Wednesday. Reports note that the storm’s strength is currently the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane. [more]

GREECE | Officials in the Peloponnese region of southern Greece say two people have died, and several villages have been evacuated, as a large wildfire continues to burn near the seaside resort town of Xylokastro. [more]

CHINESE ECONOMY | Sparked by a series of government stimulus measures rolled out last week, stock indices in China had their biggest gains in 16 years today, reaching levels about 30% higher than their February low points. [more]

FRANCE | Marine Le Pen, the long-time presidential hopeful and leader of France’s far-right National Rally party, goes on trial today in Paris, along with 20 other senior party members, to face charges of misusing European parliamentary funds. [more]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL | Following this weekend’s games, Alabama jumped three sports to No. 1 in the Top 25 after defeating then-No. 2 Georgia, followed by Texas, Ohio State, Tennessee, and Georgia. [full rankings] [more]

TENNIS | Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz defeated Tallon Griekspoor at the China Open yesterday to claim his 200th tour-level victory. [full China Open brackets} [more]

WEEKEND MOVIES | "The Wild Robot" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $35 million in receipts, followed by "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" and "Transformers One." [more]

R.I.P. | Singer, songwriter, and actor Kris Kristofferson, who Rolling Stone described as a “part Romantic poet, part folk troubadour, part country-music storyteller” who was also a Golden Globe-winning actor, Golden Gloves boxer, Rhodes scholar, author, and U.S. Army Ranger and helicopter pilot, and whose biggest hits included "Me and Bobby McGee," "Help Me Make It Through the Night," and "Sunday Morning Coming Down," died Saturday at the age of 88. [more]

MORE R.I.P. | Dame Maggie Smith, the Oscar-winning actress best known most recently for her roles in the Harry Potter films and the television series Downton Abbey, died Friday at the age of 89. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1949, the Berlin airlift officially ended after the Western Allied powers delivered 2.3 million tons of food, fuel, machinery, and other supplies to West Berlin, which had been cut off during the 15-month Soviet blockade of Berlin. [more history]