Algorithms can aid price collusion, even if no humans actually talk to each other, US enforcers say

Algorithms might help hotels illegally collude on prices, even if no humans from those businesses actually talk to each other about them, according to US antitrust enforcers. The Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission jointly submitted a statement of interest in Cornish-Adebiyi v. Caesars Entertainment, a case brought before the US District Court of … Read more

Visualizing Gaza’s aid shortage as ‘man-made’ famine looms

Gaza faces a catastrophic supply shortage. Five months into the conflict, the deficit between the volume of all supplies, including food and medical necessities, that would have entered the Gaza Strip if not for the war and what has actually been received has reached at least half a million tons. Accumulated deficit Truckloads at prewar … Read more

The Latest | Aid groups describe an ‘unimaginable’ situation after visiting a packed Gaza hospital

Aid groups that visited a packed Gaza hospital described an “unimaginable” situation in which large open wounds were left untreated. An emergency medical team organized by three aid groups spent two weeks carrying out surgeries and other care at the European Gaza Hospital near Khan Younis. The southern city has seen heavy fighting between Israeli … Read more

Congress’ Spending Bill Could Ban Funds to Top Gaza Aid Agency

The fate of the U.N. agency dedicated to Palestinian refugees hangs in the balance as U.S. lawmakers prepare to vote on a batch of spending bills that, if passed, would suspend direct funding to the agency for at least a year. The U.N. agency, known by its shorthand UNRWA, was first established in 1949 to … Read more

What to know about Gaza police amid struggle to protect aid deliveries

JERUSALEM — Attacks on Gaza’s police force as Israel’s invasion wears down what remains of Hamas’s governing infrastructure have helped to cripple humanitarian efforts in the enclave, the United Nations and humanitarian organizations say, with the territory’s slide toward famine intensifying amid a struggle to provide security for aid deliveries once they enter Gaza. Israel … Read more

EU leaders gather with Ukraine ammunition production and Gaza aid at the top of their agenda

BRUSSELS — European Union leaders gathered Thursday to consider new ways to help boost arms and ammunition production for Ukraine and to discuss the war in Gaza amid deep concern about Israeli plans to launch a ground offensive in the city of Rafah. Ukraine’s munition stocks are desperately low, and Russia has more and better-armed … Read more

Jake Sullivan makes secret trip to Ukraine amid U.S. aid impasse

National security adviser Jake Sullivan traveled in secret to Ukraine on Wednesday in a trip aimed at reaffirming U.S. support for the beleaguered ally despite an impasse in Congress over additional funding for the war effort. Sullivan arrived in Ukraine as the country’s forces are on their back foot, having retreated from the eastern city … Read more

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan visits Kyiv as stalemate in Washington holds up aid

KYIV, Ukraine — President Joe Biden’s top foreign policy adviser Jake Sullivan sought to reassure Ukrainians during an unannounced visit to Kyiv Wednesday that the U.S. will continue to support their efforts to fend off Russia’s two-year-old invasion. The national security adviser expressed optimism that lawmakers in Washington will break a monthlong logjam and approve … Read more

European Union announces $8 billion package of aid for Egypt

CAIRO — The European Union on Sunday announced a $8 billion aid package for cash-strapped Egypt amid concerns that economic pressure and conflicts and chaos in neighboring countries could drive more migrants to European shores. The deal is scheduled to be signed during a visit by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and the … Read more

Hunger soars and aid dwindles as gangs in Haiti suffocate the country

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — A crowd of about 100 people tried to shove through a metal gate in Haiti’s capital as a guard with a baton pushed them back, threatening to hit them. Undeterred, children and adults alike, some of them carrying babies, kept elbowing each other trying to enter. “Let us in! We’re hungry!” they … Read more