Axios

CIA director Bill Burns earlier this week awarded the head of the Qatari State Security Agency, Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, the "George Tenet" medal for his work on strengthening intelligence cooperation between the U.S. and Qatar, according to two sources with knowledge of the issue.

Why it matters: The ceremony at CIA headquarters earlier this week took place amid intense diplomatic efforts by the U.S. and Qatar to reach a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.

1. The UN has concluded that Venezuela's elections cannot be classified as free or fair, adding a relevant international voice to calls for the regime of Nicolás Maduro to back up its claims that he won a third straight term.

• The brief from UN experts who were in Venezuela during the July 28 elections comes as the country's Supreme Court, led by Maduro allies, is close to certifying the alleged results despite the outcry.
• The International Criminal Court also announced this week that, following its case into probable human rights violations in Venezuela, it is monitoring the reports of mass arbitrary arrests and the torture of protesters.

An effort by three Texas-based scholars involved in a global movement to diversify the works of William Shakespeare is growing, with more performances and a second volume of plays.

Why it matters: The scholars are making Shakespeare more accessible to U.S.-Mexico border communities and beyond.

Once the epicenter of the Chicano Movement, Central California is at risk of losing its Latino history amid broad political shifts and lack of preservation.

Why it matters: As the Latino population grows and becomes more diverse in the region, past lessons are being lost, depriving a new generation of activists of stories on how people once battled poverty and inequality — issues that persist in the Central Valley.

Latinos and Native Americans are more likely to be killed by police than white Americans and are much younger at the time of their deaths, according to newly released data.

The big picture: A mapping initiative by Campaign Zero, an organization that advocates against police violence, found that nearly 13,400 people have been killed by law enforcement in the U.S. since 2013, and Hispanics and Indigenous people account for around 22% of those deaths, probably more.

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board is promoting Caitlin Gubbels to head of global private equity. She succeeds Suyi Kim, who's been in the role since 2021 and with CPPIB for 17 years.

Why it matters: CPP is one of the world's largest investors in private equity, including both company and fund stakes, with around US$100 billion in assets.

A Russian court on Thursday convicted a Russian-American woman on treason charges and sentenced her to 12 years in prison.

The big picture: Ksenia Karelina, 33, was detained in Russia in February while visiting family. She was not included in the historic prisoner swap that freed fellow Americans Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan earlier this month.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement Thursday that he did not speak with former President Donald Trump on Wednesday to discuss the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.

Why it matters: A crucial round of negotiations with senior U.S., Qatari, Egyptian and Israeli officials is set to take place in Doha on Thursday to try to close the remaining gaps between Israel and Hamas.

Columbia University president Minouche Shafik resigned on Wednesday following months of criticism from students, donors and members of Congress over how she handled pro-Palestinian protests on campus, she announced in a letter addressed "to the Columbia community."

Why it matters: Shafik is the third Ivy League president to step down following backlash to congressional testimony earlier this year on alleged campus antisemitism. Elite colleges have struggled to balance the right to protest with student safety — none more so than Columbia, which became the epicenter of the student protest movement.

Senior U.S., Qatari, Egyptian and Israeli officials will meet on Thursday under intense pressure to reach a breakthrough on the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.

Why it matters: The summit in Doha, which Israeli officials have said is "the last chance" to get a deal, comes amid intense regional tensions and threats by Iran and Hezbollah to attack Israel in retaliation for the recent assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders in Tehran and Beirut.

Iran has targeted roughly a dozen people tied to President Biden and former President Trump, including those in the government and associated with their campaigns, as part of a long-running phishing attack, Google said in a report today.

Why it matters: Until now, no third-party organizations had verified the Trump campaign's claim that it was the target of an Iranian hack.

French prosecutors opened an investigation into a cyber harassment complaint gold medalist boxer Imane Khelif made after she was targeted by online lies and baseless scrutiny of her sex during the Olympic Summer Games.

Why it matters: The Algerian athlete was ensnared in a storm of online hate bolstered by mis- and disinformation over her sex after an early match in which her opponent stopped fighting after just 46 seconds.

Climate change increased the likelihood and severity of record wildfires that devastated Canada, parts of the Amazon and Greece last year, according to a groundbreaking and comprehensive review of global wildfire activity.

Why it matters: Scientists are taking stock of increasingly extreme wildfire seasons and are also examining how reliably they can be predicted.

A surprise Ukrainian offensive is reportedly forcing Russia to pull some troops out of Ukraine to defend a new front line on its own territory.

The big picture: The daring incursion has provided a much-needed morale boost for Ukrainian forces and is yet another instance of Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion spinning out of his control.