August 1, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 159 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• The first cargo ship carrying Ukrainian grain under a U.N.- and Turkey-brokered deal to resume grain shipments from Ukrainian ports departed the port of Odessa today. U.N. officials say the ship is carrying more than 26,000 tons of corn. [more]
• Reports cite Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.K. Vadim Pristaiko as saying the U.K. has agreed to provide Ukraine with two anti-mine ships. [more]
• Russian media reports that what is thought to have been a homemade drone carrying an explosive device exploded at the Crimean headquarters of the Russian Black Sea fleet yesterday, wounding six people. [more]

KENTUCKY | The death toll from last week's flooding in eastern Kentucky has risen to 26, according to Gov. Andy Beshear. Federal Emergency Management Agency officials say an additional 37 people in the area were still unaccounted for as of Sunday and warn that continued rain on Sunday and Monday could cause new flash floods and hamper relief efforts. [more]

CALIFORNIA | The wildfire in Northern California’s Klamath National Forest burned more than 51,000 acres over the weekend, prompting evacuations in the area and a state of emergency declaration by Governor Gavin Newsom. Local authorities say the fire was 0% contained as of late Sunday night. [more]

COVID-19 | U.S. President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 again on Saturday, just days after ending his isolation for a previous infection. Doctors say the case appears to be one of "rebound" infection that is seen in some patients treated with the anti-viral drug Paxlovid. [more]

U.S. CLIMATE CHANGE | Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to announce $1 billion in federal funding for states today to prepare for and respond to climate-related disasters, including flooding and extreme heat. [more]

JANUARY 6 | The Associated Press cites an unnamed congressional aide as saying the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol has agreed to share the transcripts of 20 unspecified interviews conducted as part of its investigation with the U.S. Justice Department. [more]

ASIA | U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Singapore today -- her first stop on an Asian tour that will also include visits to Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan. Speculation that Pelosi will also visit Taiwan, including Taiwanese media reports that Pelosi will arrive on the island Tuesday night, has caused tensions between Washington and Beijing. [more]

IRAQ | Hundreds of supporters of influential Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr continue to occupy Iraq's parliamentary assembly building in Baghdad after breaking into, and taking control of, the building on Saturday. The protesters are reportedly attempting to block the formation of Iraq's next government by Iran-backed political groups and have demanded early elections, constitutional amendments, and the ouster of al-Sadr’s rivals from government. [more]

KOSOVO | Tensions between Kosovo and Serbia escalated over the weekend, with barricades reportedly having been erected on some roads in northern Kosovo in protests against border-crossing regulations between the two Balkan nations. The NATO peacekeeping force in Kosovo issued a statement yesterday saying it is prepared to intervene if stability in the region is jeopardized. [more]

IRAN | Iranian media cites Mohammad Eslami, Iran's atomic energy chief, as saying his country has the technical ability to build a nuclear weapon, but that it has no current plans to do so. Eslami's statement echos a recent similar claim by Kamal Kharrazi, a senior advisor to Iran's leaders. [more]

UGANDA | The Red Cross reports that at least 10 people were killed in flooding triggered by heavy rains over the weekend in eastern Uganda's Kapchorwa and Mbale districts. [more]

MYANMAR | Myanmar's military regime announced today that it is extending its emergency rule until 2023, saying it needs more time to stabilize the country before holding "free and fair elections." [more]

PHILIPPINES | Philippine Space Agency official Marc Talampas said today that there is no reported damage from falling debris from a Chinese rocket that is thought to have landed today off the coast of the Philippines' Palawan province. [more]

TRAVEL | New Zealand's borders are fully open, as of today, for the first time since the country implemented strict COVID-19 border restrictions in March 2020. Visitors from all countries are still required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, but there are no quarantine requirements, according to reports. [more]

SOCCER | England beat Germany, 2-1, yesterday to win the final of the UEFA Women's EURO 2022 tournament. The win was the first major tournament championship for England's national soccer teams -- men's or women's -- since 1966. [more]

CYCLING | Dutch rider Annemiek van Vleuten won the 2022 women’s Tour de France yesterday, finishing the eight-stage race three minutes and 48 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Demi Vollering. [more]

GOLF | Tony Finau won the Rocket Mortgage Classic yesterday at Detroit Golf Club, becoming the first player in three years to win consecutive PGA Tour events in the regular season. [more]

R.I.P. | Eleven-time NBA champion and Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell died yesterday at the age of 88. In addition to his basketball achievements, Russel was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2010 for his decades of racial and social activism. [more]

MORE R.I.P. | Actress Nichelle Nichols, best known for her role as communications officer Lt. Uhura on the original “Star Trek” television series, died Saturday of natural causes at the age of 89. [more]

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE | "DC League of Super-Pets" topped the North America box office over the weekend with an estimated $23 million in receipts, followed by "Nope," and "Thor: Love and Thunder." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1936, the Summer Olympics opened in Berlin, and the efforts by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party to demonstrate their view of the superiority of the “Aryan race” were undermined by the success of African American athletes, notably Jesse Owens. [more history]