June 21, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 118 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ukrainian presidential advisor Oleksiy Arestovych warned yesterday that Russia appears to be preparing for a large-scale missile offensive in Ukraine, with six cruise missile carriers consolidated in the Black Sea. [more]
• Dmitry Muratov, co-winner of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize and editor of an independent Russian newspaper, auctioned off his Nobel medal yesterday for a record $103.5 million. Proceeds from the sale are intended to aid children displaced by the war in Ukraine. [more]
• Russia said yesterday that it would take unspecified measures to defend its national interests if NATO member Lithuania refuses to resume the transit of goods through its territory to Russia's Kaliningrad exclave on the Baltic Sea. Lithuania recently suspended such transit of goods, citing EU sanction rules against Russia related to the invasion of Ukraine. [more]

UVALDE | Reports say as many as 11 law enforcement officers were inside Robb Elementary School -- the site of last month's killing of 19 children and two teachers by a teenage gunman -- within 10 minutes of the gunman entering the school, but that video evidence does not show officers attempting to breach the doors to the room in which the gunman was located until more than an hour had passed. [Texas Tribute report] [more]

JANUARY 6 | The latest public hearing of the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol is scheduled to begin later this morning. Today's hearing is expected to focus on allegations that former President Donald Trump pressured state and local election officials to reject ballots or submit alternative voting results in the 2020 presidential election [more]

ENVIRONMENT | The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected a 2020 Environmental Protection Agency finding that glyphosate, an active ingredient  in the popular weed killer Roundup, does not pose a health risk. Friday's court ruling says the EPA must re-examine its findings on glyphosate, which has been linked in the past to increased risk of some cancers. [more]

VOTING RIGHTS | New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a measure into law yesterday intended to prevent local officials in the state from enacting rules that could suppress people’s voting rights because of their race. The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act also expands language assistance for voters for whom English is not their first language. [more]

MONKEYPOX | Health officials in New Jersey said yesterday that the state's first case of monkeypox in the current outbreak was detected over the weekend. To date, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 113 cases of the disease in 20 states since mid-May. [more]

FUEL PRICES | Reports say President Joe Biden could make a decision on implementing a federal gas tax holiday to fight increased fuel prices by the end of this week. The federal gas tax currently adds 18.4 cents to the cost of a gallon of gasoline and 24.4 cents to a gallon of diesel fuel. [more]

EUROPE | Reports say Germany, Italy, Austria, and the Netherlands have all indicated that increased use of coal-fired power plants could be necessary in response to decreased flow of gas from Russia. [more]

SOUTH ASIA | U.N. officials say more than 100 people have died and cases of waterborne diseases are increasing as floods continue to inundate areas of Bangladesh and northeast India. Reports say as many as 9.5 million people in the region are stranded with little access to food and drinking water. [more]

ISRAEL | Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced yesterday that his embattled coalition government intends to dissolve parliament and call for new elections -- Israel's fifth in three years. [more]

U.K. | Strikes by U.K. rail transportation and London Underground workers today are causing major travel disruptions across the country. Two more days of strikes over pay and job security are scheduled for Thursday and Saturday. [more]

AFGHANISTAN | Taliban government officials announced yesterday that Afghanistan has released five British nationals held for about six months for "activities that were against the laws and traditions of Afghan people." [more]

SOUTH KOREA | A second test launch of South Korea's domestically produced Nuri rocket successfully placed multiple satellites into orbit today. Last October the Nuri rocket was launched successfully in its first test, but failed to deploy its payload. [more]

NIGERIA | Reports say eight people were killed and 38 others kidnapped in attacks on two churches Sunday in the Nigerian state of Kaduna. [more]

CHINA | Newly released Chinese customs data shows that China's imports of Russian oil in May rose 55% compared to the same period last year. Reports attribute the increased imports to the lower price of Russian oil caused by international sanctions related to the invasion of Ukraine. [more]

CANADA | Canadian government officials announced yesterday that a series of measures aimed at reducing or banning the import and manufacturing of single-use plastic products will begin to take effect in December. The new rules apply to various plastic products, including checkout bags, utensils, food-service products with plastic that is difficult to recycle, stir sticks, and straws. [more]

HOCKEY | The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Colorado Avalanche, 6-2, last night in Game 3 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Final. Colorado leads the best-of-seven series 2-1. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1945, Japanese resistance on Okinawa was finally crushed this day in 1945, less than three months after U.S. troops landed there as the last stepping-stone before the planned assault on Japan's main islands in World War II. [more history]