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Today’s 3-by-3 travels across a suppressive election in Venezuela, a banned gambling industry in the Philippines, a Beyoncé-supported campaign rally, and more. Let’s fly!

Politics

• Hamas partners with rival Fatah to govern Palestine

As the Israel-Hamas War nears its 10th month and the Palestinian death toll surpasses 39,000, Hamas has agreed to form a unified Palestinian government after the war ends with its long-time rival Fatah — the main faction behind the U.S.-backed Palestinian Authority and the organization that President Mahmoud Abbas leads. Hamas has ruled the Gaza Strip for 17 years while Fatah has maintained control of certain West Bank areas, struggling for power and unsuccessfully attempting to partner in 2011 and 2022. The U.S. and Israel have both rejected the most recent Hamas-Fatah deal which China’s foreign minister facilitated in Beijing, with the U.S. opposing any post-war government that includes terrorist-recognized Hamas and Israel further opposing the Palestinian Authority — blocking the tw0-state solution for which the U.S. and several others have advocated.

• Venezuelan citizens mobilize to protect their election

With 82% of Venezuelans living in poverty, an 11-year-long economic crisis waging, and millions fleeing the country in recent years, the upcoming presidential election on July 28 is more critical than ever — with unpopular President Nicolás Maduro and his United Sociality Party of Venezuela aiming to retain control against the democratic Unitary Platform coalition. This opposition is working to counter the government’s voter suppression tactics in a nation that doesn’t have an independent electoral authority, anticipating the ruling party will close gas stations, cut power in opposition areas, block roads, and restrict access to polling centers with the military’s help. Over half a million people have joined neighborhood groups called “comanditos” to encourage, assist, and protect the 13 million Venezuelans expected to cast ballots this coming Sunday — planning to stand outside the polling centers to ensure voters are not intimidated onsite.

• Unrest in Kenya grows with anti-government protests

Five weeks of anti-government protests in Nairobi, Kenya have resulted in 50 deaths and 413 injuries, with the latest incident on Tuesday involving hundreds taking to the streets to set off fires and disable access to the main airport. At a contentious time when Kenya’s high court has defended the people’s right to peacefully protest but the police have begun hiding their arrest count, officers used tear-gas canisters and recruited the military to combat the airport uprising — with many rights groups worried about how dissenting citizens are being treated. The youth-led movement first mobilized when the Kenyan government proposed a tax increase on bread, cooking oil, and vehicle ownership, inspiring a strong opposition that caused President William Ruto to veto the tax bill and fire nearly all of his cabinet members.

Business

• Philippine President bans Chinese-run online gambling

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has issued an immediate ban on more than 400 Chinese online gambling operations across the Philippines, disabling a system that has employed tens of thousands — namely many who had been illegally recruited and made to work in poor conditions. The crackdown is supported by the Chinese government, aiming to rid the Southeast Nation of the scams, human trafficking, kidnappings, and even murder that these online gambling rings have engaged in. Announcing the ban in his state-of-the-nation address and further committing to strengthen the country’s defense, Marcos is simultaneously managing a series of territorial disputes in the South China Sea — most notably including a violent conflict on June 17 in which Chinese forces seized Philippine navy boats and injured several.

• U.S. DOT investigates Delta for slow outage response

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has announced an investigation into Delta Airlines after last week’s global tech outage caused notable damage, with America’s most profitable and best-run airline canceling more than 6,500 flights since Friday and inconveniencing over 500,000 passengers — even as competitors dropped to normal cancellation numbers by the end of the weekend. CrowdStrike’s faulty update affected over 8 million Microsoft computers around the world and was particularly damaging for Delta, considering that a majority of its technology systems are Windows-based. Having received over 3,000 complaints, the Department of Transportation is investigating the airline’s unusually slow response and probing its failure to issue prompt refunds.

• Modi aims to make India the 3rd largest economy

Over 10 years since becoming India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi is prioritizing the country’s economic growth, technological innovation, and job market with heightened investments — aspiring to transform India from the world’s fifth-largest economy to the third-largest. The budget proposal for his newly formed, post-election government includes $24 billion for jobs, $18 billion for agriculture and farm technology, and $133 billion for construction (including a target of thirty million homes for the poor). The proposal also cuts taxes for big corporations and distributes more money to the 2 Indian states that Modi’s biggest political partners control, illustrating special interests in a country where the richest 1% are the wealthiest they have been in 60 years.

Culture

• Harris walks out to Beyoncé’s “Freedom” at her first rally

Vice President Kamala Harris officially kicked off her presidential bid with a well-attended Milwaukee rally on Tuesday, receiving the coveted yet rare permission to play Beyoncé’s Grammy-nominated “Freedom” while walking on stage. Though notoriously selective with her clearances, the superstar’s indirect endorsement and granted permission for use throughout Harris’s campaign aligns with her historical support for Democratic candidates — performing at former President Obama’s inauguration in 2013, headlining a campaign concert for Hillary Clinton in 2016, and endorsing the Biden-Harris team in 2020. Beyoncé is not alone in her support, with celebrities like Charli XCX, George Clooney, Jamie Lee Curtis, Spike Lee, and John Legend all taking to social media to endorse Harris after President Biden dropped out.

• Colombia bans centuries-old bullfighting

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has signed a highly debated bill that will gradually restrict bullfighting for a few years and ban it entirely by 2027, declaring that his South American nation “cannot tell the world that killing living and sentient beings for entertainment is culture.” Having existed since the Spanish colonial era, bullfighting has lost considerable popularity amid animal rights concerns and remains legal in only 7 countries today — Ecuador, France, Mexico, Peru, Portugal, Spain, and Venezuela. As fans dread the impending conversion of bullfighting arenas to concert venues, the Colombian government has promised to assist the matadors and cattle ranchers who depend on bullfighting in finding new livelihoods.

• Earth’s hottest day ever averages 62.76 degrees

Sunday, July 21 was the hottest day ever recorded on Earth with an average global temperature of 62.76 degrees Fahrenheit, just surpassing last year’s record within a degree. With this June being the 13th consecutive month of record-breaking high temperatures and projections only increasing, experts are emphasizing the inequitable effects of this global warming — as those who work outdoors such as farmers and delivery drivers are likely to suffer more from heat-related illness. Six U.S. states have issued an excessive heat warning this week, with 300 deaths in Arizona’s Maricopa County this year already attributed to the unprecedented temperatures.

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