Flagship

US indicts Hamas leaders

The US Justice Department on Tuesday charged several Hamas leaders, including the group’s head Yahya Sinwar, in connection with kidnapping and murdering American citizens during the Oct. 7 attack in Israel. It is the first step by the DOJ to hold the militant group accountable for orchestrating the deadly rampage, and US Attorney General Merrick Garland warned “these actions will not be our last.” Unlike his response to the war in Ukraine — where the DOJ mobilized an entire team to investigate war crimes — Garland has been “nearly silent” on the war in Gaza despite experts largely agreeing the Justice Department has a strong case against Hamas.

Zelenskyy pleads for weapons after attack

A Russian strike in eastern Ukraine killed more than 50 and injured dozens, in one of the war’s deadliest attacks. The missiles “struck with an unforgiving quickness,” The New York Times wrote, killing people seeking shelter shortly after warning sirens went off. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy restated his plea for Western weapons to be sent to Ukraine rather than sitting “in a warehouse somewhere.” Washington is close to an agreement to provide Kyiv with long-range cruise missiles, Reuters reported, but shipments could be delayed. Russia’s attack came amid a major government shakeup in Ukraine, including the resignation of the minister in charge of weapons production, prompting an opposition lawmaker to remark that Kyiv is facing an “intellectual and personnel crisis that the authorities are closing their eyes to.”

Stocks fall ahead of US jobs report

US stocks tumbled Tuesday as fears of an economic slowdown persist. Disappointing manufacturing data showed weakness in US factories, amplifying concerns that the Federal Reserve — which is expected to cut rates this month — may have waited too long. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 fell 3.3% and 2.1% respectively, their worst slump since the Aug. 5 global rout. “Investors are on edge ahead of Friday’s monthly jobs report,” The Wall Street Journal wrote, which could influence whether the central bank will be more cautious or aggressive in cutting rates. Tuesday’s decline was led by tech stocks, with Nvidia’s shares plummeting 9.5%, and continuing to fall after hours following a DOJ subpoena for the chipmaker in its antitrust probe.

NY governor’s former aide arrested

Federal prosecutors on Tuesday arrested a former aide of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on charges of being a Chinese government agent. Investigators alleged that Linda Sun “worked to further the interests of the Chinese government” while she was Hochul’s deputy chief of staff, and in turn Beijing “enriched [her] family to the tune of millions of dollars.” It’s the latest foreign influence operation to rock New York politics; the FBI is investigating whether the Turkish government helped NYC Mayor Eric Adams during his 2021 campaign. It’s also the latest setback for Hochul, whose missteps have made high-profile Democrats, especially Nancy Pelosi, view her as a “political klutz,” Bloomberg wrote.

Mobile phones don’t cause brain cancer

Cell phone use is not linked to brain cancer, a World Health Organization-commissioned global review found. Researchers reviewed 63 studies conducted between 1994 and 2022 and found no link between radiofrequency — used in phones, cell towers, and other wireless devices — and brain cancer. They also noted that while cell phone use has exploded in recent years, the rate of brain cancer has not followed the same trend. The analysis builds off older work with similar results; researchers said the new data should prompt the WHO to urgently reassess its classification of radiation from cell phones as “possibly carcinogenic,” despite having previously found no definitive evidence of a link. The WHO is due to reevaluate its classification in early 2025.

Hijack show angers Indian Hindus

Netflix will add a disclaimer to a series fictionalizing a 1999 plane hijacking after outrage from the Indian government. Many on social media, including officials from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party, complained that IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack misled people into thinking the hijackers were Hindus instead of Muslims by using their Hindu aliases. Delhi has long blamed Pakistani militants for the real-life incident. It’s the latest clash between the US streaming giant and Modi’s party: Netflix in January pulled a Tamil-language movie that enraged Hindu leaders. It reflects the “newfound power of Hindu nationalists to affect how Indian society is depicted on the screen,” The New York Times wrote at the time.

APEC protests linked to China

The Chinese government played a role in suppressing anti-Chinese Communist Party protests in San Francisco during Xi Jinping’s visit to the city for the 2023 APEC summit, a Washington Post investigation found. The Post used facial recognition software to identify pro-CCP diaspora leaders at the rallies where anti-Xi protesters were violently attacked; some of the leaders were diplomats or had ties to Beijing. It illustrates how China has ramped up efforts to “intimidate and spy on its diaspora” the Post wrote, as part of the country’s broader transnational repression.

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A quasi-currency hits road bumps

One Argentine province introduced its own quasi-currency in a radical bid to save its economy from the consequences of President Javier Milei’s “shock therapy.” Milei’s plan to tame national inflation stopped monthly cash transfers to provinces, pulling La Rioja’s public sector-dominated economy into a recession. In July, its governor created the chacho — named after a legendary local revolutionary — to pay state workers, and it is now also used in select shops. But it has its limitations, Bloomberg reported: The distribution system crashed last month, and consumers are spending their chachos quickly in case it goes the way of previous failed local currency experiments. “This is just a band-aid… It doesn’t solve the problem,” said a local business chamber leader.

New Finland law targets Russians

Russians will be banned from buying property in Finland over security concerns. The Finnish defense minister said the “war of aggression conducted by Russia” had forced Helsinki’s hand: The law will not name Russia explicitly but will apply to nations which have “violated the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of another state.” Finland shares the longest land border with Russia of any NATO country, and says it has observed suspicious activity at Russian-owned properties, including fortifications and helipads. In February, the Finnish newspaper Iltalehti reported that Russians had bought properties near military bases and critical infrastructure.

Londoners slower to return to office

Fewer Londoners have returned to the office post-pandemic compared to workers in other global cities, partly due to high commuting costs. Full-time staff in the British capital spend an average of 2.7 days in the office each week, compared with 3.1 in New York and 3.5 in Paris, according to the Centre for Cities think tank. Many employees who live outside the city prefer to work from home to save on their daily commute. The think tank suggested that employers should subsidize travel, but that they could also impose tougher office mandates without employees quitting. However, economists are split on whether hybrid work has a big effect on productivity in either direction, the Financial Times reported.

Mark Ein, Venture Capitalist and Entrepreneur; Limited Partner, Washington Commanders and Lori Kalani, Chief Responsible Gaming Officer, DraftKing will join Semafor’s editors in Washington, D.C. on September 19 for a discussion on the growth and trajectory of the U.S. gaming industry.

September 4:

• Semicon, one of the most prominent global chip industry events, kicks off in Taiwan.
• Ukrainian film Songs of Slow Burning Earth premieres at the Venice Film Festival.
• NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visits Norway.

Cats are among the visitors to a Shanghai Museum exhibition that explores ancient Egyptians’ worship of the four-legged creatures. The Secrets of Saqqara features cat statues and other treasures from a major archaeological discovery in northern Egypt in 2020. On “Meow Night,” felines can interact with the relics and have their picture taken with Bastet, the cat-like Egyptian goddess of protection. Vets are on hand and there are rest areas in case the animals get overstimulated. “Many of today’s pet cats are related to the cats domesticated in ancient Egypt,” visitor Qiu Jiakai told Reuters. “So I thought I would have to bring my cat here to see its ancestors.”

• Chinese loan resurgence sets up Africa summit.
• Austria’s ‘Beer Party’ started as a joke. Now it could determine an election.
• African countries are losing up to 5% of their GDP to climate change.