Peace Pitch, Apple Ban, and Winter National Parks

Egypt Floats Peace Proposal

Top Israeli officials are reviewing a draft peace proposal crafted by neighboring Egypt to end fighting in the Gaza Strip, focusing on initial steps including renewed hostage and prisoner swaps, according to reports yesterday. The role of Hamas in a postwar governing structure—a nonstarter for Israel, say experts—remains a key hurdle. Hamas and partner militant group Islamic Jihad were said to have quickly dismissed Egypt's plan.

Discussions come as the Israeli military said it had expanded operations into urban refugee centers in central Gaza, where Hamas leaders claim at least 70 people were killed in an airstrike at the al-Maghazi camp. Israel said it was reviewing the incident.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited troops in northern Gaza Sunday, reiterating the war may continue for months. He has faced increasing pressure to focus on the safe return of about 130 hostages still held by Hamas—family members booed Netanyahu during a Monday speech to the country's legislature.

Separately, an Israeli airstrike yesterday killed Sayyed Razi Mousavi, a high-ranking official in Iran's Revolutionary Guard responsible for coordinating the military alliance between Iran and Syria. 

See updates on the war here (w/maps).

Apple Watch Ban

A ban on the sale of two of Apple's flagship smartwatches will continue for the foreseeable future after a ruling by US trade regulators over a patent dispute went into effect yesterday. The Biden administration declined to veto the decision, which affects US sales of the Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches, early yesterday morning.   

California-based health startup Masimo initially alleged Apple stole the intellectual property behind its light-based pulse oximetry technology (see overview)—a way to measure oxygen levels in the blood by analyzing light reflecting off the wrist. The company also claimed Apple had approached Masimo about integrating its technology into Apple Watches but instead hired away top employees to develop a similar product in-house.  

Reports suggest Apple, which filed an appeal yesterday, is evaluating updates to how the devices collect and analyze data that may act as a workaround to the ruling. 

China on Ice

Temperatures across much of China rose above freezing for the first time in weeks Sunday, capping the most severe cold snap in the country in seven decades. Thermometers in Beijing had remained below 0 degrees Celsius since Dec. 11, with some parts of northeastern China reaching minus 40 degrees (in both Celsius and Fahrenheit; see here).

Researchers say the culprit may be a weakened polar vortex—a wobbling in the jet stream that circles the Arctic, see illustration here—which allows frigid air masses to dip down from the Earth's northern pole. A similar phenomenon was responsible for severe winter weather in 2021, which dipped as far south as Texas, leaving almost 250 people dead. 

The freezing temperatures are the latest in a series of extreme weather events for the region. Record temperatures were set in Beijing for 27 consecutive days this summer, while the northeast saw its heaviest rainfall in 140 years.

In partnership with Babbel

In partnership with Babbel

Forgotten Goals? Neglected Resolutions?

That’s so last year. Find your follow-through with Babbel, the language learning app that teaches you to start becoming conversational in a new language in just three weeks! 

It’s flexible, fun, and effective: 10M+ people are learning their dream languages right now with games, podcasts, and expert-crafted lessons. Don’t put your travels off another year–join Babbel today and get 60%. 

Please support our sponsors!