World Briefing: October 30, 2024

At least 93 people are dead or missing after an Israeli air strike on the town of Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry says, in an attack that the United States called "horrifying". Rescuers said a five-storey residential building was hit, and videos on social media showed bodies covered in blankets on the floor. The Israeli military said it was "aware of reports that civilians were harmed today [Tuesday] in the Beit Lahia area". It added that the details of the incident were being looked into. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have been operating in northern Gaza during the past two weeks, particularly in the areas of Jabalia, Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun - BBC

Ukraine and Russia are in preliminary talks to halt strikes on each other’s energy infrastructure, according to people familiar with the matter. Kyiv was seeking to resume Qatar-mediated negotiations that came close to an agreement in August before being derailed by Ukraine’s invasion of Kursk, said the people, who included senior Ukrainian officials. “There’s very early talks about potentially restarting something,” said a diplomat briefed on the negotiations. “There’s now talks in the energy facilities.” An agreement would mark the most significant de-escalation of the war since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the full scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. Moscow and Kyiv have already reduced the frequency of attacks on each other’s infrastructure in recent weeks as part of an understanding reached by their intelligence agencies, according to an official - FT

In the shadow of the White House, seven days before the final votes of the 2024 election are cast, Kamala Harris vowed to put country over party and warned that Donald Trump is obsessed with revenge and his own personal interests. Less than 48 hours earlier inside Madison Square Garden, Trump called his Democratic opponent “a trainwreck who has destroyed everything in her path.” His allies on stage labeled Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” and said Harris, who would be the first woman to be president, had begun her career as a prostitute. Two nights and 200 miles apart, the dueling closing arguments outlined in stark terms the choice U.S. voters face on Nov. 5 when they will weigh two very different visions of leadership and America’s future. Separately, President Joe Biden took a swipe against Donald Trump’s supporters on Tuesday as he reacted to the Republican presidential nominee’s weekend rally at Madison Square Garden, which was overshadowed by crude and racist rhetoric - calling his supporters “garbage.” - AP

More than 50 million Americans have already voted (either in person or by mail) a week ahead of Election Day, according to the University of Florida's early-vote tracker. Roughly 39% of those voters are registered Democrats. About 36% are registered Republicans. In comparison, 100 million people voted early in 2020, either in person or by mail - Axios

At least 51 people were reported dead by Spanish authorities after flash floods swept cars through village streets and disrupted rail service in large areas of eastern and southern Spain on Tuesday. A high-speed train with nearly 300 people on board derailed near Malaga, although rail authorities said no one was hurt. The flooding also disrupted high-speed train services between Valencia and Madrid, as well as other commuter lines across the affected regions. - Euronews

The caution expressed by western voices towards the recent election in Georgia, where the opposition has alleged widespread voter fraud, has disappointed many Georgian opposition leaders and their supporters, who look to the United States and Europe for backing. The election observation missions identified widespread violations in the vote. But they declined to pass judgment on the legitimacy of the elections. The statement from the European Union called on the Georgian authorities to investigate the irregularities, and the U.S. State Department notedpointedly that "international observers have not declared the result to be free and fair," but both stopped short of declaring the elections illegitimate. “This is not the time for compromises or mild words," Nika Gvaramia, one of the leaders of the opposition Coalition for Change bloc, told the Financial Times. "It's not about diplomacy, it's about geopolitics." The West must decide: Either abandon the Georgian people or stand firmly by them and refuse to recognize the elections. There's no middle ground," wrote Mariam Geguchadze, one of the founders of the activist Shame Movement, on X - RFE/RL

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has warned his 10.5 million Instagram followers to be on the lookout for 22 tons of award-winning artisanal cheddar cheese that was stolen - likely headed for Russia or the Middle East - as part of an elaborate scam. Con artists posing as legitimate French wholesale distributors “bought” more than 950 wheels of cloth-wrapped cheese from London-based Neal’s Yard Dairy, the company said in a statement on Instagram. By the time the retailer realized the purchase was a fraud, about $390,000 worth of cheese was gone—likely to be sold in Russia or the Middle East. London’s Metropolitan Police are working with international law enforcement to investigate the theft. Oliver posted a video to Instagram explaining that only a handful of cheese makers produce authentic cheddar, which is named for the village in southwest England where it originated. The stolen cheeses were some of the “best cheddar in the world,” he said in the video, adding, “If anybody hears anything about lorry loads of very posh cheese,” it’s probably the thieves - Daily Beast

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