As they approach 761 mph, or the speed of sound, passenger planes flying eastward over the Atlantic are cutting more than an hour off their flight durations. Some flights have exceeded their typical cruising speed by about 200 mph due to the jet stream.
Israel first
On Wednesday, Israeli forces struck Gaza’s heavily populated Jabalya refugee camp for the second time in two days, sparking concerns from the UN that the bombings “may amount to war crimes.” Hundreds of people were killed or injured in both of this week’s Israeli airstrikes against Hamas, according to local medics. At least 8,700 people have died as a result of Israel’s weeks-long shelling of Gaza, according to statistics issued by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, which is under the leadership of Hamas. Israel is arguing that the strikes are essential to getting rid of Hamas members. Separately, hundreds of foreign nationals, including US citizens, were able to leave Gaza on Wednesday thanks to a breakthrough that came about following weeks of negotiations. The news was welcomed as a vital first step towards rescuing thousands more people from the war-torn area.
- The Trump clan
Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of the late president, stated in court on Wednesday that he was never engaged in the drafting of his father’s financial statements. He was questioned about his role in the financial records that form the basis of the $250 million lawsuit against the Trump family and their commercial activities filed by the attorney general’s office in New York. In this case, it is alleged that Trump Jr. and his brother Eric conspired to falsify their father’s wealth in order to get favourable terms on loans and insurance policies. Additionally, a financial expert testified on Wednesday that by securing favourable conditions on deals where the former president personally insured the loans, Donald Trump and his company were able to save more than $168 million in loan interest.
- Economy
On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve maintained its benchmark lending rate at its highest point in 22 years by holding interest rates constant for the second straight day. Since multiple Fed officials have indicated they expect the US economy to continue slowing down as it absorbs the consequences of rising borrowing costs, economists and financial markets had anticipated the pause in the Fed’s aggressive rate-hiking campaign. In an attempt to fight inflation, the Fed has aggressively raised interest rates eleven times since March 2022; yet, the economy has so far avoided a recession and grown at an incredible rate, mostly as a result of strong consumer spending.
- Power interruptions in France
One of the biggest storms in decades struck northwest Europe and raced towards southern England, leaving at least one person dead and 1.2 million people without power in France. The French meteorological agency reports that winds above 75 mph with hurricane-force gusts over 124 mph were recorded in some parts of northwest France. The northwest region of Brittany, where the coast was placed under a condition of “red alert,” France’s strongest weather warning, is home to about 780,000 people without power.
- The World Series
After defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 5, the Texas Rangers have now won the World Series for the first time in their 63-year history. They now lead the best-of-seven series 4 games to 1, but their victory in Phoenix wasn’t easy to come by. With no hits allowed in the first six innings of the game, Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen was in complete control of the contest. The Rangers then jumped on Arizona in the ninth inning, led by a massive two-run home run by Marcus Semien, to take a commanding 5-0 lead. Bruce Bochy of the Rangers became the sixth manager to win four or more World Series titles with the historic championship.
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