August 8, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 166 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres today called for international inspectors to be given access to Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant after Ukraine and Russia accused each other over the weekend of shelling the area around the plant. [more]
• In the latest military action, Russia's defense ministry said today that Russian forces shot down 19 U.S.-made HIMARS missiles across eastern and southern Ukraine, while Ukrainian military officials said their troops used long-range artillery and missiles to strike Russian bases and two key bridges in southern Ukraine. [more]
• Reports say Ukraine has received its first three Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft systems from Germany, and that the systems will be used to defend important infrastructure facilities. [more]
• Ukraine's major international creditors are expected to vote this week on a Ukrainian proposal to defer payments on the country's international bonds for 24 months. [more]

GAZA | An Egypt-brokered cease-fire between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza took effect today following three days of fighting that saw at least 43 Palestinians killed, including two senior Islamic Jihad leaders, and more than 1,000 rockets fired into Israel. The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to hold an emergency meeting on the violence today. [more]

TAIWAN | Chinese military officials say they are extending live-fire naval and air military exercises around Taiwan this week. Taiwanese authorities say China has deployed at least 66 aircraft and 14 warships to take part in the exercises, which started last week in response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | The U.S. Senate passed the $740 billion Inflation Reduction Act yesterday with a vote along party lines, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote. Among other things, the bill provides more than $400 billion for climate change efforts, caps out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors on Medicare, extends expiring healthcare subsidies, raises corporate taxes, allows the government to negotiate drug prices for Medicare, and provides funds for deficit reduction. The House is expected to vote on the bill Friday. [more]

TRAVEL | In the ongoing air travel disruption driven by increased numbers of travelers and staff shortages, more than 7,700 flights were delayed, and 950 cancelled, over the weekend in the U.S., according to FlightAware. [more]

ALBUQUERQUE | Police in Albuquerque, New Mexico, are investigating the killing of a Muslim man in the city on Friday that they say appears to be connected to the recent shooting deaths of three other Muslim men in the city. Authorities have asked for the public's help in locating a car believed to be connected to the killings. [more]

MICHIGAN | The Michigan Attorney General’s office has reportedly requested that a special prosecutor investigate whether nine people, including Republican attorney general candidate Matt DePerno, should be charged in connection with efforts to gain access to state voting machines after the 2020 election. [more]

KENTUCKY FLOODING | President Joe Biden will travel to Kentucky today to survey flood damage in the state's eastern region, where at least 37 people are reported to have died in the area's worst-ever flooding late last month. [more]

CUBA | Specialized firefighting teams from Mexico and Venezuela have arrived in Cuba to assist in battling a fire at the Matanzas oil tank facility on Cuba's northern coast. The fire broke out on Friday after an oil storage tank at the facility was struck by lightning. [more]

COLOMBIA | Gustavo Petro was sworn in as Colombia's new president yesterday. In his inauguration speech, Petro, a former member of Colombia’s M-19 guerrilla group, said he is willing to start peace talks with armed groups in the country and called for a re-evaluation of international drug policies that he says caused the war on drugs to fail. [more]

CHINESE ECONOMY | Economic officials in China say the country's total trade surplus reached an all-time high of $101.3 billion in July, with exports up 18% in the month, compared to the year-ago period. [more]

COVID-19 | Authorities in Hong Kong say the Chinese city's mandatory quarantine period for people arriving from overseas will be cut from a week to three days starting this coming Friday. [more]

BUSINESS | Japanese investment and holding company SoftBank today reported a $23.4 billion loss for the April-June quarter -- the largest-ever quarterly loss by a Japanese company. [more]

GOLF | South Africa's Ashleigh Buhai beat In Gee Chun of South Korea on the fourth hole of a sudden-death playoff yesterday to win the 2022 Women’s British Open. [more]

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE | "Bullet Train" topped the North America box office over the weekend with an estimated $30.1 million in receipts, followed by "DC League of Pets," and "Nope." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | Faced with the near-certain prospect of impeachment for his role in the Watergate scandal, U.S. President Richard M. Nixon announced his resignation on this date in 1974. He was succeeded by Gerald Ford the following day. [more history]