8.5.2024

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Bangladesh Curfew

Bangladesh's government imposed a nationwide curfew yesterday, as over 90 people were reported killed in anti-government protests over the weekend. The death toll, including at least 13 police officers, is the highest daily toll from protests in the country's recent history.

University students began leading protests last month over the top court's decision to reinstate a jobs quota reserving 30% of government positions for certain war veterans and their relatives. Following deadly clashes, the court reduced the number of reserved positions to 5%, with another 2% reserved for minorities. Protests have nonetheless continued, expanding to call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina—now in her fourth consecutive term—to resign. They are scheduled to march to the country's capital today.

One contributing issue is unemployment; over 30 million people in the country’s 170 million population are not are not in work or education. 

Ledecky Makes History

US swimmer Katie Ledecky finished first in the women's 800-meter freestyle Saturday, becoming the sixth athlete to win four consecutive gold medals in the same event in Olympic history. The win also marked Ledecky's 14th medal and ninth overall gold—tied for the most by any woman from any country in any event.

American Noah Lyles became the world's fastest man, winning the 100-meter race in 9.79 seconds, crossing the finish line just 0.005 seconds ahead of Jamaica's Kishane Thompson. For the women, sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson left with silver in the 100-meter finals as Julien Alfred captured St. Lucia's first-ever gold medal.

Superstar gymnast Simone Biles won her third gold in Paris, performing one of her signature moves (the "Biles II") on the vault. Teammate Suni Lee became the third-most decorated US gymnast of all time with a bronze on the uneven bars with Algeria's Kaylia Nemour taking gold.

The US women's soccer team beat Japan in thrilling 1-0 fashion, with 22-year-old Trinity Rodman scoring the game-winner in extra time. The team faces Germany tomorrow (12 pm ET, NBC), whom they beat 4-1 in group play. The US men's team exited the tournament after a 0-4 loss to Morocco. 

See current medal count here, along with updates across all events. 

Tropical Storm Debby

Tropical Storm Debby is expected to make landfall this morning in Florida, delivering 30 inches or more of rain to the Big Bend coast, where the state's Panhandle meets its peninsula. The storm, predicted to evolve into a Category 1 hurricane, would mark the state's first hurricane of the season. Track live updates here.

Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida have warned residents to prepare for tropical storm or hurricane-level wind and rain conditions today, with the possibility of storm surge (see 101). The region could also receive up to 10 feet of freshwater flooding, the deadliest element of tropical storms in recent years. More than 1,500 flights have been canceled, including over 15% of JetBlue's total planned flights. 

The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season—running from June 1 to Nov. 30—is predicted to have 17 to 25 named storms, a potentially record level of activity fueled in part by especially warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico. See previous write-up here.

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