Our daily journey around the world

🇮🇱 Israel approved plans for 3,400+ new homes in West Bank settlements. Israel has built ~160 settlements housing around 700,000 Jews since it occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967, though the international community has long recognized that such settlements are illegal. The Palestinian Authority condemned the new construction plans, which Israel said came in response to a deadly Palestinian attack in the West Bank two weeks ago. A new WSJ investigation found that Israeli settlers have been rapidly constructing illegal roads and outposts across the West Bank since Hamas’ October 7 attack.

🌎 Last month was Earth’s hottest February on record, per the EU’s climate service. The Copernicus Climate Change Service found the global air temperature in February 2024 was 3.2°F warmer on average compared to February in pre-industrial times, marking the ninth straight month that’s the hottest on record. The world's oceans, which absorb 90% of Earth's heat, also set a new record in February with the highest monthly temperature in recorded history (69.9°F).

🇨🇳 China has reportedly issued a directive to “Delete America” from its technology. The directive requires state-owned companies to replace all foreign software with Chinese systems by 2027, per a new WSJ report. The previously unreported measure was issued in 2022 due to increasing US sanctions on Chinese tech companies. Separately, a US congressional probe of Chinese-built cargo cranes at American ports reportedly found communications equipment that doesn’t appear to support normal operations, fueling fears of espionage by Beijing.