Issue 0.1
December 4, 2023
1 Iran-backed Houthi rebels attack US warship and multiple commercial ships near Yemen
2 Chinese nuclear reactor building spree
3 Growing number of Chinese nationals crossing the US Southern Border
4 Alaska Air to buy Hawaiian Airlines
5 College football playoffs set, undefeated Florida State snubbed
1969: Black Panther leader killed
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1 Iran-backed Houthi rebels attack US warship and multiple commercial ships near Yemen
A U.S. destroyer and three commercial ships operating in the Red Sea came under drone and ballistic-missile attacks, the Pentagon said Sunday, marking the most significant escalation of a weekslong military attack on ships operating in those waters.
These attacks occurred near the strategically important Bab al-Mendab strait.
The attack potentially marked a major escalation in a series of maritime attacks in the Mideast linked to the Israel-Hamas war. (WSJ, Ad Astra, AP)
2 Chinese nuclear reactor building spree
To wean their country off imported oil and gas, and in the hope of retiring dirty coal-fired power stations, China’s leaders have poured money into wind and solar energy. But they are also turning to one of the most sustainable forms of non-renewable power. Over the past decade China has added 37 nuclear reactors, for a total of 55, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, a un body. During that same period America, which leads the world with 93 reactors, added two. (Economist)
3 Growing number of Chinese nationals crossing the US border
A growing number of Chinese have entered the United States this year through the Darién Gap, exceeded only by Venezuelans, Ecuadoreans and Haitians, according to Panamanian immigration authorities.
More than 24,000 Chinese migrants were temporarily detained on the southern border of the United States in the 2023 fiscal year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Over the previous decade, fewer than 15,000 Chinese migrants were caught crossing the southern border illegally. (NYT)
4 Alaska Air to buy Hawaiian Airlines
Alaska Air reached a roughly $1 billion deal to buy Hawaiian Airlines a combination of two nearly century-old rivals that are dwarfed by the biggest players in a time of travel upheaval. (WSJ)
5 College football playoffs set, undefeated Florida State snubbed
No. 1 Michigan plays No. 4 Alabama in the Rose Bowl, while No. 2 Washington faces Texas in the Sugar Bowl. Undefeated Florida State was left out. (WSJ)
This day in history
1969: Black Panther leader killed
American civil rights leader Fred Hampton, a charismatic member of the Black Panthers, was shot and killed during a police raid in Chicago; his death caused public outrage, and the ensuing investigations brought greater scrutiny of the FBI's attempts to dismantle the Panthers and other Black organizations.