31 March 2024

Weekly Newsletter

Military & Armed Conflict

The US agreed to send more bombs to Israel,Israel said it will send a delegation to Egypt and Qatar for truce talks,the ICJ ordered Israel to address the famine in Gaza,and airstrikes killed 17 on the Lebanon-Israel border.Meanwhile, an Israeli hostage said she was sexually assaulted and tortured in Gaza,talks in Qatar failed to deliver a breakthrough on a cease-fire,despite the UNSC voting in favor of one,a top Hamas leader visited Iran,and fighting at Gaza City's al-Shifa hospital continued.Elsewhere, Putin warned Ukraine on the use of NATO F-16s,Russia vetoed UN monitoring of North Korea's nuclear sanctions,Japan agreed to sell fighter jets to 15 nations,Washington and Tokyo will reportedly sign a revamped security pact,a report claimed illegal US guns are fueling gang violence in Haiti,and Nigeria's army rescued abducted students ahead of a ransom deadline.

World Politics

An Israeli court approved the extradition of a former Mexican diplomat,Colombia expelled Argentine diplomats after a presidential spat,the Argentinian embassy sheltered Venezuelan opposition leadersafter another opposition candidate was barred from Venezuela's election,and Jair Bolsonaro was investigated for allegedly sleeping at the Hungarian embassy.Elsewhere, Rishi Sunak was criticized for awarding a Conservative party donor a knighthood,Greece's prime minister faced a no-confidence vote over the deadly 2023 train crash,a Hungarian whistleblower sparked protests over corruption,Slovakia's pro-West candidate won a surprise victory,and Simon Harris became Ireland's youngest prime minister.This comes as Myanmar's junta chief said polls may not be held nationwide,a Singaporean ex-minister faced additional corruption charges,and Senegal's ruling coalition conceded defeat.Meanwhile, Australia and Tuvalu agreed on a climate security and migration pact,Xi Jingping hosted key US business leaders in Beijing,India rejected US and German comments on an opposition leader's arrest,Belarus' leader undermined Putin's statements on the Moscow attack,and New Zealand, the US, and the UK all accused China of separate hacking and espionage campaigns.

US Politics

The Georgia legislature passed a sweeping elections bill,House Republicans invited Joe Biden to testify in his impeachment trial,Barack Obama and Bill Clinton joined Biden at a $25M fundraising event,new polling showed Biden gaining in six battleground states,RFK Jr. announced Nicole Shanahan as his running mate,and former US Sen. Joe Lieberman passed away aged 82.Meanwhile, Disney reached a settlement with a DeSantis-backed board, Donald Trump was issued a gag order in his hush money trial,a former Trump DOJ official faced an ethics hearing,and Trump's $464M bond was lowered.

Civil Liberties

The UN picked Saudi Arabia to lead its women's rights forum,the Thai parliament passed a same-sex marriage bill,UK farmers protested in central London,US embassies were banned from flying LGBTQ pride flags,and South Korean medical professors submitted their resignations amid ongoing strikes.

Crime & Justice

A Texas woman sentenced to five years over a voting error was acquitted,an NYPD officer was killed in the line of duty,Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison,the UK High Court delayed its decision on Julian Assange's US extradition,and a Russian court extended US reporter Evan Gershkovich's sentence by three months.This comes as Spanish prosecutors are seeking a jail term for Luis Rubiales over his Hermoso kiss,four people were sentenced to death over the 2013 killing of a Tunisian politician,and four suspects in the Moscow attack appeared in court.

Science & Technology

The White House ordered federal agencies to appoint chief AI officers,the EU asked Facebook and TikTok to label deepfakes,and a report claimed AI could lead to the loss of nearly 8M UK jobs.

Business

Ronna McDaniel left NBC after anchors objected to the former RNC chair's hiring,the FTC is reportedly probing TikTok over its data and security practices,and Trump's Truth Social stock began trading.Meanwhile, a judge dismissed Elon Musk's lawsuit against a nonprofit,Boeing's CEO resigned amid a leadership shakeup,and the EU launched an investigation into Google and Apple under a new digital markets act.In other news, a Japanese diaper maker shifted from babies to adults amid an aging population.

Health

A study linked contraceptive injections to brain tumors in women,and the UK was found to be facing a sickness-related employment crisis.

Accidents

Forty-five people were killed in a South Africa bus crash,and a Baltimore bridge collapsed after a cargo ship crash.

Weather & Environment

The Biden admin. announced new emissions standards for the trucking industry,while Rishi Sunak announced a major nuclear energy initiative.

Sports

A former Chinese soccer chief was jailed for life for bribery,and Nike ousted Adidas as sponsor of the German football team.

In Other News

A report said households waste 1 billion meals daily.

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