June 15, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 112 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Russia's defense ministry says its forces used long-range missiles today to hit and destroy a warehouse filled with NATO-supplied ammunition in the western Ukraine city of Lviv. [more]
• NATO defense ministers begin a two-day meeting today in Brussels, which is expected to focus on increasing the supply of weapons to Ukraine, and on applications by Finland and Sweden to join the alliance. [more]
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday that hit country's forces are suffering serious losses in eastern Ukraine and the Kharkiv region, and called for Western nations to increase the supply of heavy weapons and anti-missile systems to Ukraine. [more]
• A Russian ultimatum for Ukrainian forces to surrender the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk passed today with Ukrainian forces still actively fighting in the city, according to reports. Russian forces control about 80% of the city, say Western intelligence reports, and have destroyed all three bridges leading out of it. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | The Labor Department reported yesterday that the year-over-year producer price index -- a measure of inflation before it reaches consumers -- rose 10.8% in May. The higher-than-expected increase suggests that inflation shows little sign of slowing, according to economists, and could play a role in the size of an interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve expected to be announced today. [more]

GUN LEGISLATION | U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell yesterday voiced his support for the bipartisan framework agreement reached on a gun violence bill earlier this week. A vote on the legislation could come as early as next week, according to reports. [more]

FUEL PRICES | The Associated Press cites a draft letter from U.S. President Joe Biden to U.S. oil refiners as calling for increased gasoline production and for the companies to work with the government to address fuel price and supply crises. [more]

ABORTION | A new report from the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights research group, says that both the number and the rate of abortions in the U.S. rose from 2017 to 2020. About 1 in 5 U.S. pregnancies ended in abortion in 2020, according to the report. [more]

JANUARY 6 | A third public hearing by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol scheduled for today has been postponed. A spokesman for the committee said yesterday that the delay was due to “a number of scheduling factors, including production timelines and availability of members and witnesses.” [more]

CONSERVATION | The U.S. House voted yesterday to pass the Recovering America's Wildlife Act, which would create annual funding of about $1.3 billion for state, territory, and tribal wildlife conservation efforts. A major focus of the legislation is to support species protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. [more]

IRAN | Iranian officials today confirmed their country's plans for two rocket launch tests after satellite images taken Tuesday by Maxar Technologies showed preparations for launches at Iran's Imam Khomeini Spaceport. [more]

KASHMIR | Reports say Indian forces killed two militants today in the Muslim-majority region of Kashmir, one of whom was suspected in the murder of a bank manager earlier this month. Kashmir is claimed by both India and Pakistan. [more]

SOUTH KOREA | An eight-day strike by thousands of truckers in South Korea over rising fuel prices and demands for minimum freight rates came to an end yesterday when the government reached an agreement with the Cargo Truckers Solidarity group. The strike is estimated to have cost the South Korean economy some $1.2 billion. [more]

MIDDLE EAST | U.S. President Joe Biden has announced that he will visit Saudi Arabia and Israel next month, drawing condemnation from human rights groups who contend Biden is not pressuring Saudi Arabia enough over its human rights record. [more]

SWITZERLAND | Aviation authorities in Switzerland have reopened the country's airspace and resumed operations at its two national airports in Geneva and Zurich after a "technical malfunction" in the Skyguide air navigation service prompted the closure of Swiss airspace for several hours today. [more]

EUROPEAN TRADE | The European Commission has announced that the E.U. is resuming its legal action over the United Kingdom's unilateral changes to the Brexit-related Northern Ireland Protocol, which keeps Northern Ireland in the E.U.’s single market for goods. [more]

CRYPTOCURRENCY | Leading cryptocurrency Bitcoin reached an 18-month low yesterday, falling as much as 7.8% to $20,289. Bitcoin value has decreased about 70% since its record high of $69,000 in November, 2021. [more]

TENNIS | The U.S. Tennis Association has announced that players from Russia and Belarus will be allowed to participate in this year's U.S. Open. The decision was made due to "concern about holding the individual athletes accountable for the actions and decisions of their governments," according to Association CEO Lew Sherr. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | The Magna Carta, a charter of English liberties that occupies a unique place in the popular imagination as a symbol and a battle cry against oppression, was sealed on this date in 1215 under threat of civil war, by King John. [more history]