Our daily trip around the world

💥 Israel-Hamas war update: Israel expanded its ground operations in the Gaza Strip yesterday as part of the country’s deepest push into Palestinian territory since the war began on October 7. Analysts frame Israel’s recent moves as an attempt to surround and isolate Gaza City, the area’s biggest population center, where Hamas reportedly operates from a series of underground tunnels. Separately, Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed Ukraine and the West for inspiring an antisemitic mob that stormed a Russian airport on Sunday in anticipation of a flight arriving from Israel.

🇨🇴 Dengue rates in Colombia fell dramatically after the release of modified mosquitoes. The altered mosquitoes carry a bacteria that prevents them from transmitting dengue, a potentially life-threatening virus that’s widespread in many tropical parts of the world. After scientists released the modified mosquitoes in three densely populated Colombian cities, all three areas saw a 94-97% drop in dengue cases over the following months. Researchers hope the modified population will eventually outnumber regular mosquitoes in Colombia, since the altered insects pass the dengue-resistant bacteria to their offspring.

🇺🇸🇯🇵 The US has started buying Japanese seafood in bulk to counter China’s recent ban. Japan initially started releasing treated radioactive wastewater from its defunct Fukushima nuclear plant in August after receiving approval from the UN’s nuclear watchdog. China, which historically has been Japan’s largest buyer of seafood, enacted a ban on such imports in response to the wastewater release, citing food safety concerns. The Japanese seafood bought by the US military will be sold in shops and restaurants on military bases, officials said.