August 23, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 181 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• U.S. diplomatic and intelligence officials have warned of expected increases in Russian targeting of Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and government facilities as the Russian invasion hits its six-month mark and Ukraine observes the anniversary of its independence from Russia tomorrow. [more]
• The U.N human rights office says it is concerned about apparent plans to try Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russia-backed authorities in the port city of Mariupol. The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said today that it also has concerns about cases in which Russian POWs have been put on trial by Ukraine. [more]

COVID-19 | Pfizer yesterday applied for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of its new combination coronavirus vaccine that adds protection against the dominant omicron BA.4 and BA.5 COVID-19 subvariants. Moderna is expected to file a similar application for its updated vaccine that targets the same subvariants in the coming weeks. [more]

FAUCI | U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci announced yesterday that he will resign in December from his positions as chief medical advisor to President Biden and as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a position he has held since 1984. [more]

TRUMP INVESTIGATIONS | Attorneys for former President Donald Trump asked a federal judge yesterday to suspend the FBI's review of documents seized from Trump's Florida home earlier this month and to appoint a neutral special master to inspect the records. [more]

TEXAS | Officials in the Dallas-Fort Worth area have urged drivers to avoid non-essential travel due to widespread flooding caused by heavy rains yesterday in the drought-stricken region. Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport recorded a near-record 9.19 inches of rain in the 24-hour period ending at 2pm yesterday. [more]

MONKEYPOX | Wyoming confirmed its first case of monkeypox in the state yesterday, meaning that all 50 U.S. states have seen cases of the disease since the outbreak began in mid-May. More than 15,000 cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in the U.S. in the current outbreak. [more]

U.S. DRUG USE | The U.S. National Institutes of Health reports that self-reported use of marijuana and hallucinogens among U.S. adults aged 19 to 30 years rose to all-time highs in 2021. The NIH report says 43% of young adults reported past-year marijuana use in 2021, while 8% reported past-year hallucinogen use. [full report] [more]

U.S. POLITICS | Two states – Florida and New York – are holding primary elections today to choose candidates for November's general elections. [more]

IRAN | Reports say progress appears to have been made in attempts to revive the 2015 international nuclear deal aimed at limiting Iran's nuclear development. A draft agreement under consideration by the U.S. and Iran has seen both sides make some concessions, bringing the possibility of a final agreement closer. [more]

CHINA | Authorities in southwest China have reportedly extended power rationing measures in the region amidst an ongoing drought that has caused reduced power supplies from hydroelectric dams. [more]

SUDAN | Officials at Sudan’s National Council for Civil Defense say at least 83 people have died, and more than 18,000 houses have been destroyed, due to flash floods since the start of the country's rainy season in May. [more]

IRAQ | Reports say supporters of influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr are holding protests today in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, demanding the dissolution of parliament and calling for early elections. Al-Sadr's political coalition won the largest share of parliamentary seats in October's elections, but failed to form a majority government. [more]

MALAYSIA | Former Prime Minister Najib Razak has been ordered to begin his 12-year prison sentence by Malaysia's top court, which rejected Najib's final appeal of his 2020 conviction on criminal breach of trust, abuse of power, and money laundering charges. [more]

ARGENTINA | Prosecutors in Argentina have asked a judge to sentence Argentine Vice President (and former President from 2007 to 2015) Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner to 12 years in prison and bar her from holding public office in connection with charges of corruption related to the awarding of public works contracts. [more]

MIGRATION | U.K. officials say the number of people crossing the English Channel to the U.K. from northern France in small boats hit an all-time single-day high of 1,295 on Monday, and that 2022 has seen about double the number of such crossings so far, compared to the same period in 2021. [more]

U.S. MARKETS | The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 643.13 points, or 1.91%, yesterday and the S&P 500 dropped 2.14% for the markets' worst sessions since the middle of June. [more]

EMPLOYMENT | Ford Motor Co. announced yesterday that it plans to eliminate 2,000 salaried positions and 1,000 contract jobs in the U.S, Canada, and India as part of its restructuring plans aimed at increasing electric vehicle production. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1305, William Wallace was executed in London for treason, condemned for leading Scottish resistance forces during the first years of the long and ultimately successful struggle to free Scotland from English rule. [more history]