May 17, 2022
UKRAINE | Today is day 83 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:
- As many as 260 Ukrainian fighters were evacuated from Mariupol's Azovstal steel plant today and taken to Russian-controlled areas. Reports say the evacuated soldiers may be part of a future prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. [more]
- Fast-food giant McDonald's confirmed yesterday that it is selling its 850 restaurants in Russia due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. [more]
NATO | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated his objection to Sweden and Finland joining NATO yesterday, saying he believes the two Nordic countries lack clear policies against terrorist organizations -- an apparent reference to perceived inaction against exiled Kurdish militants. [more]
LEBANON | Iran-backed Hezbollah and its political allies have lost their majority in Lebanon’s parliament, according to general election results released by the country's Interior Ministry today. [more]
U.S. POLITICS | Republican and Democratic primary elections to choose candidates for the upcoming midterm elections are being held in five states today: Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Kentucky, Idaho, and Oregon. [more]
CAMPAIGN FINANCE | The U.S. Supreme Court issued a campaign finance ruling yesterday, saying that a federal ban on outsiders repaying a candidate's campaign loan to himself after an election violates the constitutional guarantee of free speech. [more]
BABY FORMULA | Reports say a proposed agreement between the U.S. FDA and baby formula manufacturer Abbot could result in production being resumed at Abbot's plant in Sturgis, Michigan, within two weeks. The closure of the plant in early April is linked to the current nationwide shortage of baby formula. [more]
NEW YORK | Amidst increasing coronavirus cases and related hospitalizations, New York City health officials issued a health advisory yesterday strongly recommending that all city residents wear medical-grade masks in public indoor settings. [more]
COVID-19 | The U.S. government has made available a third round of free COVID-19 home test kits. Each new order, which can be placed at COVIDtests.gov, includes eight test kits. [more]
INDIA | Officials in northeast India say at least eight people died yesterday due to flooding and mudslides in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. Heavy rains in the area are predicted to continue for the next four days. [more]
U.S. MILITARY | U.S. Air Force officials announced yesterday that a successful test of a hypersonic missile was conducted off the coast of California last weekend. The test missile is reported to have achieved speeds five times greater than the speed of sound. [more]
SOMALIA | U.S. President Joe Biden yesterday authorized the re-deployment of hundreds of special operations troops to Somalia, reversing a Trump administration decision to withdrawal nearly all U.S. troops from the African nation. [more]
ETHIOPIA | The World Bank is reported to have approved a $300 million grant to Ethiopia to assist in the African country's reconstruction and recovery efforts in conflict-hit areas. [more]
COVID-19 | Additional regions of Beijing, China, were added to those areas under COVID-19-related lockdown today as the city continues to fight against small, but persistent, coronavirus outbreaks. [more]
TRAVEL | Japan's tourism agency said yesterday that it will allow limited group tours of visitors from the U.S., Australia, Thailand, and Singapore starting later this month as a test of easing COVID-19-related border restrictions. [more]
U.S.-CUBA RELATIONS | The Biden administration yesterday announced an easing of several restrictions on travel and financial remittances to Cuba. [more]
TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. [more history]