Flagship

Israel expands Gaza evacuations

Israel ordered mass evacuations in southern Gaza a day after a strike on a school-turned shelter killed at least 80 Palestinians, according to local health authorities. Israel disputed the death toll, saying the strike killed 19 Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters. World leaders condemned the attack; US Vice President Kamala Harris said “far too many civilians have been killed.” Schools — offering walls and limited plumbing — make appealing shelters for millions of displaced Palestinians “for the simple reason that the alternatives are worse,” The New York Times wrote. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is now under increasing US pressure to reach a ceasefire deal; mediators believe Hamas’ new leader wants one, CNN reported, but “nobody knows what Bibi wants,” one Israeli official said.

Ukraine makes headway in offensive

Ukrainian troops have advanced 30 km inside Russia, Moscow said Sunday, marking the largest offensive by Kyiv since the 2022 invasion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday said Kyiv is “proving that it can indeed restore justice” and put pressure on the aggressor, while the Kremlin promised a “tough response.” Analysts have been pessimistic about a successful counter offensive, but the latest incursion proves that “Kyiv has been biding its time,” The Atlantic wrote. It’s also a sign of what Ukraine can achieve if it has “both the tools and the latitude to fight Russia,” primarily the ability to use foreign weapons on Russian soil after the US and Germany recently loosened restrictions.

US mulls ways to push Maduro out

The US is mulling ways to incentivize Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to step down as evidence mounts that he lost last month’s election. The Wall Street Journal reported that US officials have considered offering amnesty and pardons for Maduro and his top allies who were indicted in 2020 on narco-terrorism and drug trafficking charges. Despite disputed election results, Maduro has remained defiant and cracked down on the opposition. The chances that he actually steps down are “tiny,” the Journal’s South America bureau chief wrote. “The challenge is to make Maduro understand that his best option is to accept the terms of a negotiated transition,” opposition leader María Corina Machado told El País.

Bangladeshi Hindus fear reprisals

Misinformation about widespread violence against Bangladesh’s Hindus is fueling anxiety since student protests ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last week. While religious rights groups reported more than 200 attacks on minorities since the government’s collapse, fabricated reports of violence — amplified by some Indian media outlets and verified X accounts — are “worse than reality,” AFP reported. But Bangladesh’s Hindu community — which largely supported Hasina’s party — is still fearful of reprisals, even as interim leader Muhammad Yunus warned against discrimination. India, which backed Hasina, needs to denounce the misinformation, a Daily Star columnist argued, or risk making the “people-to-people divide between Bangladesh and India even worse.” Tensions prevailed in Bangladesh as the chief justice and five other Supreme Court judges resigned Saturday under pressure from protesters.

Wars impact Indian diamond industry

India’s diamond industry is reeling from the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. More than 90% of the world’s rough diamonds are cut and polished in India, but the industry is facing a recession as both Russia and Israel — major sources for India’s rough diamond imports — are embroiled in conflict, according to Turkey’s Anadolu Agency. Several companies in India’s diamond hub of Surat, including the world’s largest manufacturer of natural polished diamonds, are pausing operations later this month due to falling prices and declining exports, the Hindustan Times reported. India’s diamond workers have been struggling to make ends meet for years, leading to an alarming pattern of suicides: A workers’ union suicide helpline launched last month received 400 calls on the first day.

US dominates in Paris medal count

The US and China tied for the most gold medals at the Paris Olympics with 40 each. However, the US topped the medal count, thanks to 44 silver wins compared to China’s 27. The US’ domination at the Olympics is unsurprising, the Financial Times argued: High-income democracies usually top the medal counts because “being rich and democratic and well educated and good at sport are all generally part of the same thing.” It’s no coincidence, the FT wrote, that China only began dominating at the Olympics after its economy took off. Rich countries also record more women athlete wins because of “overall greater opportunities” afforded to them in society, Tufts University researchers wrote.

Fewer Olympic swimming records

Only four swimming world records were broken at the Paris Olympics, the fewest since 1996. Experts pondered if turbulent water in the shallower pool — 2.15 meters (7 feet), less than the recommended 3 meters (9’10”) — was the cause, although it may be a hangover from the 2008 Beijing Games, where now-banned super swimsuits led to 25 new world records. They are just some of several tech-assisted records that some commentators consider tainted. Records may be becoming more uncommon anyway, partly because athletes are inching closer to human limits, and because peak performance is more difficult in hot weather: Thanks to global warming, Paris may break a world record of its own, taking Tokyo 2020’s title as the hottest Olympic Games in history.

US police oppose China drone ban

US first responders are concerned that a ban on Chinese-made drones will limit their ability to protect the public. The Chinese firm DJI produces more than 70% of all drones sold in America. US lawmakers and regulators have labeled it a security threat, and a new law could effectively ban sales. But the ban’s opponents say US-made drones lack range and equipment, cost much more, and are only available on a long waitlist. One search-and-rescue worker told The Wall Street Journal that American ones could not “physically get … to the top of the mountain” to search for lost climbers. “Are American drone companies ready to fill the void?” asked one drone company CEO. “No.”

Hybrid work causes sick days confusion

Hybrid working is changing norms around taking sick days. A mild illness that would have prevented someone from coming into the office might not stop them from working from home. It’s a “new age of ambiguity,” one executive told the Financial Times: “Are you well enough to work? Are you ill enough to take time off? Who decides?” The lack of clarity for the “ill-ish” could mean that more people are doing their jobs while unwell, potentially avoiding lost working hours, but raising concerns that they will take longer to recover. “Being truly sick has gone the way of being truly on vacation,” the executive said.

Turkey remakes Asian dramas

Turkish remakes of Asian dramas are becoming worldwide hits. Turkey has remade more than 40 South Korean dramas since 2014 and 10 Japanese dramas since 2016, according to Nikkei, with Turkish production companies then selling the broadcast rights of at least one hit to 100 countries, including several in the West. Both Turkish and South Korean dramas share similar themes of “inter-family, rich-poor class clashes” and highlight romanticism over sexual content, said one Turkish drama exporter. Global demand for Turkish content rose 184% between 2020 and 2023, according to an entertainment firm, compared to a 73% increase for South Korean dramas during the same period.

August 12:

• Indonesian President Joko Widodo holds his first cabinet meeting in Nusantara, the future capital city.
• Cubans mark Fidel Castro’s birthday with a massive chess event in front of the US Embassy in Havana.
• Uganda’s International Criminal Court delivers its first judgment on a rebel commander for alleged war crimes.

Sweden has forbidden anyone to taste 19th-century Champagne found in a recent shipwreck. Nearly 100 champagne and mineral water bottles were discovered in July by scuba divers off the coast of southern Sweden, and wine and water experts are trying to get their hands on the bottles to test their contents, the Associated Press reported. But Swedish authorities quickly burst their bubble, saying the ship is an “ancient relic” that needs to be protected. “The champagne bottles are a fantastically well-preserved find that gives us a snapshot of shipping and life on board at the end of the 19th century,” a county official said.

• Trump campaign reckons with alleged Iranian hack.
• The brewing storm over California’s AI bill.
• Europe’s energy transition is holding back Ukraine’s recovery.