June 17, 2022

UKRAINE | The European Union's executive commission today recommended approval of member candidate status for Ukraine -- the first step in Ukraine's bid to join the Union. A similar recommendation was given for Moldova. [more]

JANUARY 6 | Yesterday's third public hearing of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol focused on testimony about ways in which former President Donald Trump pressured Vice President Mike Pence to refuse to certify the 2020 presidential election results despite being told repeatedly it was illegal to do so. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | The average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage in the U.S. rose by more than half a percentage point this week to 5.78% -- the largest one-week increase in about 35 years -- according to mortgage company Freddie Mac. [more]

COVID-19 | A study published yesterday in The Lancet concludes that people infected with the omicron coronavirus variant face about half the risk of lingering "long COVID" symptoms, compared to those infected with the delta variant. [more]

WORLD TRADE | The World Trade Organization's 164 members, at the end of a five-day meeting in Geneva today, approved a series of global trade agreements that includes measures aimed at reducing over-fishing, implementing a partial waiver of intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines, and maintaining a moratorium on e-commerce tariffs. [more]

LEBANON | The U.N.-backed, Dutch-based Special Tribunal for Lebanon convicted two Hezbollah members in absentia to life imprisonment yesterday for their role in a 2005 bomb explosion in Beirut that killed former Lebanese Premier Rafic Hariri and 21 other people. [more]

WEST BANK | Israeli officials say their forces killed three Palestinian gunmen today after coming under fire from militants in a stopped vehicle near the West Bank city of Jenin. [more]

NIGER | French military officials say their Operation Barkhane forces killed closed to 40 militants earlier this week in a strike near Niger's border with Burkina Faso. The strike, which was in response to an attack on police in the area by militant forces, was carried out in coordination with, and at the request of, authorities in Niger. [more]

JAPAN | The Bank of Japan said today that it intends to maintain ultra-low interest rates in order to support Japan's economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement came as central banks around the world trend toward raising interest rates to fight inflation. [more]

POLLUTION | China yesterday announced that it will establish a zoning system to identify areas of the country in which new steel, oil refining, cement, and glass projects will be banned in an effort to reduce pollution and meet the country's climate goals. [more]

INDIA | Protests in multiple Indian cities are continuing for a second day today in response to government plans aimed at increasing military recruitment numbers. [more]

CHINA | The Chinese navy launched its third, and most advanced, aircraft carrier today. The carrier "Fujian" is China's first domestically designed and built catapult aircraft carrier, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. [more]

WIKILEAKS | The extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the U.S. to face espionage charges has been approved by U.K. Home Secretary Priti Patel. Reports say Assange intends to appeal Patel's decision. [more]

BUSINESS | Multinational cosmetics company Revlon has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing rising debts, global supply chain disruptions and new rivals as reasons for the move. The company says that if the filing receives court approval, it expects to receive $575 million in financing from its existing lenders to allow it to continue day-to-day operations. [more]

BASKETBALL | The Golden State Warriors beat the Boston Celtics, 103-90, last night to win Game 6 of the NBA Finals and claim their fourth league championship in eight years. The Warriors' Stephen Curry was named the Finals' most valuable player. [more]

MORE BASKETBALL | Twelve-time WNBA All-Star and five-time Olympic gold medalist Sue Bird, 41, announced yesterday that she will retire at the end of the 2022 WNBA season. [more]

SOCCER | Host cities in North America for the 2026 World Cup were announced yesterday. FIFA named 11 cities in the United States, three in Mexico and two in Canada, that will host games, but did not announce selections for the opening match and the final. [more]

MUSIC | Pop superstar Beyoncé announced that her latest studio album, "Renaissance," will be released on July 29. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1775, In the Battle of Bunker Hill, American colonial revolutionaries clashed with British regulars during the Siege of Boston. [more history]