July 26, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 153 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• In a move widely seen as retaliation for ongoing European Union sanctions against Russia over the invasion of Ukraine, Russian energy giant Gazprom said yesterday that it is limiting delivery of natural gas to the E.U.  via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to 20% of the pipeline's capacity. [more]
• Russian military officials say their forces destroyed eight Ukrainian missile and artillery arms depots in the southern Mykolaiv and eastern Donetsk regions overnight. [more]

CALIFORNIA | Firefighters in California's Mariposa County report that the wildfire that has burned more than 50 homes and forced the evacuation of thousands of people near Yosemite National Park is about 16% contained. Reports say the fire has consumed 27 square miles of forest land. [more]

ENVIRONMENT | The U.S. Agriculture Department yesterday announced plans to plant more than one billion trees across millions of acres of woodlands in the western U.S. in an effort to counter the effects of wildfires, insects, and climate change. [more]

COVID-19 | Officials in Micronesia say the Pacific island nation's first outbreak of COVID-19 infections continues to grow rapidly, with 140 new cases reported yesterday. Micronesia is thought to be the last country in the world with a population of more than 100,000 to experience a coronavirus outbreak. [more]

MORE COVID-19 | In a study published yesterday in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, researchers at Columbia University provided details on a new, portable PCR testing platform that could provide quick and highly sensitive molecular diagnostic testing for COVID-19 and other diseases in point-of-care settings such as doctor's offices, pharmacies, and other more accessible settings. [more]

CANADA | Two people were killed and two others wounded yesterday in a series of shootings by a 28-year-old man in the Vancouver suburb of Langley. Police say the suspect, Jordan Daniel Goggin, of Surrey, British Columbia, was killed in a confrontation with a Royal Canadian Mounted Police emergency response team. [more]

TUNISIA | Voters in Tunisia yesterday approved a referendum on a new constitution for the country that significantly expands the president's powers over both government and judicial functions and that critics warn pushes the African nation toward autocracy. Reports say only about 27.5% of eligible voters took part in the referendum. [more]

LIBYA | Speaking before the U.N. Security Council yesterday, Assistant Secretary-General Martha Pobee characterized conditions in Libya as "highly volatile" and called for elections to be held in the African country to address its ongoing constitutional and political crises that have led to increased violence and economic turmoil. [more]

INDIA | Officials in western India's Gujarat state said today that at least 28 people have died and 60 others were sickened after drinking tainted alcohol. Police have made several arrests of people thought to have been involved with producing the alcohol, according to reports. [more]

BUSINESS | Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has announced plans to add a primary stock listing in Hong Kong to attract Asian investors. The company will maintain its current New York Stock Exchange listing. [more]

ELECTRIC VEHICLES | The U.S. Department of Energy announced yesterday that it will loan $2.5 billion to General Motors and LG Energy Solution to build lithium-ion battery cell manufacturing facilities in Ohio, Tennessee, and Michigan as part of the Biden administration's efforts to promote electric vehicles. [more]

FOOTBALL | The National Football League launched its first direct-to-consumers streaming service yesterday. The NFL+ service will stream live out-of-market preseason games, live local and primetime regular season and postseason games, live local and national audio for every game, as well as on-demand NFL Network shows and films from the league's archives. [more]

R.I.P. | Actor Paul Sorvino, best known for his roles in the film "Goodfellas" and television's  "Law & Order" died yesterday of natural causes at the age of 83. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1953, Fidel Castro attacked the Moncada military fortress in Santiago de Cuba, and, although unsuccessful, the event later inspired the 26th of July Movement, which culminated in the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista's regime in Cuba. [more history]