June 7, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 104 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement yesterday that Ukrainian forces continue to hold their positions in the embattled eastern city of Sievierodonetsk, but that Russian forces in the area outnumber local Ukrainian troops. [more]
• Reports say the Russian military has begun to turn over the remains of Ukrainian fighters killed at the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol. [more]
• Vassily Nebenzia, the Russian ambassador to the U.N., walked out of a Security Council meeting yesterday when European Council President Charles Michel addressed the body and accused Russia of fueling a global food crisis with its invasion of Ukraine. [more]

NORTH KOREA | In a continuing show of force amidst reports of anticipated nuclear weapon tests by North Korea, 20 U.S. and South Korean fighter jets took part in demonstration flights off South Korea's western coast today. [more]

FOOD CRISIS | A joint report released yesterday by the U.N.'s World Food Program and Food and Agriculture Organization warns of a looming food crisis in some 20 countries driven by climate issues, drought, and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Among the nations at highest risk are Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Sudan and Yemen, according to the report. [full report PDF] [more]

JANUARY 6 | Federal indictments on charges of seditious conspiracy were filed yesterday against Henry Tarrio, former chairman of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group, and four others linked to the group, for their roles in the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol. Prosecutors say those charged took part in a coordinated attack on the U.S. Capitol to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory. [more]

GAS PRICES | AAA reports that the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline the in U.S. reached a new record of $4.85 yesterday. The group says the highest average price is in California at $6.34, and that 10 states have averages above $5 per gallon. [more]

U.K. POLITICS | British Prime Minister Boris Johnson survived a no-confidence vote yesterday, with 211 of 359 Conservative Party lawmakers voting to support him as their leader. [more]

U.S. POLITICS | A judge in Arizona yesterday declined a request from state Republicans to block voting by mail-in ballot for 2022 elections -- a voting method used by an overwhelming majority of voters in the state. [more]

MORE U.S. POLITICS | Primary elections to choose candidates for the November general elections are being held in seven states today: California, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota. [more]

SYRIA | Media reports in Syria say Israeli missiles targeted military positions south of the capital city Damascus yesterday, causing damage to facilities, but no casualties. [more]

TECHNOLOGY | European Union regulators have reached an agreement on proposed regulations that would require all phones and other small electronic devices to use USB-C-type charging ports by 2024. Regulators say the move will reduce e-waste and save consumers time and money. [more]

CRYPTOCURRENCY | The New York state Senate has given final approval to a bill that would establish a two-year moratorium on new and renewed air permits for fossil fuel-based power plants used to power energy-intensive cryptocurrency mining. Environmental activists are urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign the legislation, while cryptocurrency advocates say the measure unfairly singles out their industry. [more]

FIGURE SKATING | The International Skating Union voted yesterday to raise the minimum participation age for the Olympics to 17, starting with the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. [more]

GOLF | Six-time golf major champion Phil Mickelson announced yesterday that he will participate in the inaugural Saudi-backed LIV Golf tournament, which opens in London on Thursday. The PGA has threatened unspecified disciplinary action against PGA Tour golfers who participate in the rival series. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | The Treaty of Tordesillas—an agreement between Spain and Portugal aimed at settling conflicts over lands newly discovered or explored by Christopher Columbus and other late 15th-century voyagers—was signed on this date in 1494. [more history]