Axios

The U.S. on Thursday voted no and vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution to accept Palestine as a full member of the UN.

Why it matters: The vote comes six months into the Hamas-Israel war and amid intense pressure on President Biden internationally and among his own party to do more to address the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

One-third of Latinos say they believe immigrants negatively impact their social status in the U.S., per a new study.

Why it matters: Latinos, who will represent nearly 15% of all eligible voters in the November presidential election, are increasingly supportive of the type of restrictive immigration policies that former President Trump is proposing and President Biden is considering.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas rejected requests by the Biden administration to not move forward with a vote at the United Nations Security Council on accepting Palestine as a full member of the UN, four Palestinian, U.S. and Israeli officials told Axios.

The big picture: Tension, frustration and mistrust have been growing between the Abbas government and the Biden administration over the last three years. The Palestinian president sees the administration as not acting to push a two-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The record "rain bomb" that struck Dubai and other nearby Gulf states on Tuesday dumped more than two years' worth of rain on the global financial and transportation hub.

Why it matters: By bringing the city to a standstill, the floods demonstrated how inadequate existing infrastructure is for withstanding extreme weather events that are becoming more common and severe due to climate change.

Israel considered conducting a retaliatory strike against Iran on Monday night but eventually decided to postpone it, five Israeli and U.S. sources told Axios.

Why it matters: Israel has vowed to respond to Iran's unprecedented missile and drone attack. The Biden administration has warned that an escalation with Iran wouldn't serve U.S. or Israeli interests and urged Israel to "be careful" with any retaliation, U.S. officials said.

Two House members urged the State Department Wednesday to step up its diplomatic efforts to ensure companies that benefit from the forced labor of Uyghurs in China can't access global markets.

Why it matters: The U.S. has sought to crack down on companies believed to be complicit in the Chinese government's human rights abuses towards Uyghur Muslims and other minorities in Xinjiang province.

Microsoft's new $1.5 billion partnership with G42, a government-backed tech-investing giant in the UAE, marks a stunning move in AI's increasingly frantic global chess game.

Why it matters: The deal enlarges America's AI tent and sidelines China from the UAE market while placing Microsoft's AI business at the heart of American geopolitical interests and policy.

Australia's Great Barrier Reef has been hit by a major bleaching event affecting 73% of the iconic ecosystem, according to a new Australian government report.

The big picture: A "perfect storm of threats" including climate change and the related hottest year on record in 2023 and warmer ocean temperatures, coupled with El Niño, contributed to the bleaching, said Anna Marsden, managing director of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation nonprofit, in a Wednesday interview.