13 October 2024

Weekly Newsletter

Military & Armed Conflict

The Netherlands faced a lawsuit over its support of Israel's Gaza campaign,Israeli forces pushed deeper into northern Gaza,at least 22 people were killed in Israel's deadliest attack on central Beirut since the start of the war,and Israeli forces reportedly fired at UN peacekeepers.Meanwhile, Russia warned of "catastrophic consequences" if the war with Ukraine stays on its current course,as its troops entered the Donetsk city of Toretsk,Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna died while in Russian custody,and Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed the first phase of Ukraine's "victory plan,"ahead of a European tour that saw him promote the proposal in London, Paris, and Rome.In other news, a group of Japanese atomic bomb survivors won the Nobel Peace Prize,and British intelligence service MI5 warned that the UK is facing the "most complex and interconnected threat environment" ever.

World Politics

The UK's Conservatives lined up their two finalists in the Tory leadership race,India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party won an election victory in Haryana,Taye Atske-Selassie was sworn in as Ethiopia's president,and Kais Saied won a second term as Tunisian president.This comes as Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba dissolved Japan's parliament,a Canadian inquiry found that Justin Trudeau's cabinet was warned of foreign interference two years ago,and Brazil lifted its ban on X.In other news, Mexico's Senate approved regulations on reforms to elect judges by popular vote,former US Pres. Donald Trump was accused of holding secret calls with Russia's Vladimir Putin,and Pres. William Lai said Taiwan would resist "annexation or encroachment..

US Politics

Election betting markets favored Trump to win the White House,as the former president polled ahead in Floridaand narrowed in on Kamala Harris' national lead.This comes as Barack Obama campaigned for Harris,Tim Walz called for the abolition of the Electoral College,and Harris' campaign topped $1B in funding.Meanwhile, Harris discussed the Biden administration's policies on CBS News' "60 Minutes,"the nation's debt was predicted to rise under both a Trump and Harris administration,the FBI thwarted an alleged Election Day terror plot,and the Supreme Court declined to hear X's appeal in the Trump election interference case.

Civil Liberties

The US Supreme Court heard challenges to the Biden administration's "ghost gun" regulations,but declined to hear an appeal regarding emergency room abortion care in Texas.

Crime & Justice

At least 21 miners were killed by gunmen in Pakistan.

Business

The US Justice Department reportedly considered breaking up Google,as a US judge ordered the tech giant to open its app store to its rivals,OpenAI made efforts to dismiss Elon Musk's lawsuit against it,and Indian business icon Ratan Tata passed away.This comes as the UK announced dozens of new employment policies,Boeing announced plans to cut 17K jobsafter talks to end an ongoing strike fell apart,and defunct crypto firm FTX's bankruptcy was approved.

Artificial Intelligence

Elon Musk debuted Tesla's new robotaxi,Meta's AI was used to discover 70K new viruses,and Wimbledon replaced its line judges with AI.Meanwhile, AI trailblazers John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton won the Nobel Physics Prize,and David Baker, Demis Hassabis, and John Jumper were awarded the Nobel Chemistry Prize for developing the AI model AlphaFold.

Weather & Environment

Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida,Peru faced record wildfires,the world's rivers were found to have faced their driest year in 2023,and the World Wildlife Fund reported that global wildlife declined by 73% between 1970 and 2020.

Health

US scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun won the Nobel Prize in Medicine,advances in life expectancy were found to be slowing down,and British pharmaceutical company GSK agreed to settle 80K lawsuits over its heartburn drug Zantac.

Humanitarian

The UN warned that famine and disease in Sudan could lead to "countless" deaths,and Saudi Arabia was denied a seat on the UN Human Rights Council.

Sports

Rafael Nadal retired from tennis.

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