September 1, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 190 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Rafael Grossi, head of the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency, says a group of nuclear inspectors will visit the Russia-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine today, despite reports of increased fighting in the area around the plant. [more]
• European Union foreign ministers meeting in Prague yesterday agreed to suspend a 2007 agreement that eased travel between Russia and Europe, but stopped short of imposing an outright ban on issuing tourist visas. In response to the E.U. move, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said in an interview that violation, circumvention, or withdrawal from the 2007 agreement "won't be left without consequences." [more]

COVID-19 | The U.S. Food and Drug Administration yesterday granted emergency use authorization to updated COVID-19 booster vaccines from both Moderna and Pfizer. Both updated vaccines combine the companies' original vaccines with one that specifically targets the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants. The CDC is scheduled to vote today on whether to recommend the booster vaccines for use, which is necessary prior to their being available for public use. [more]

MORE COVID-19 | Chinese authorities issued a lockdown order for the 21 million residents of the southwestern city of Chengdu today, due to a recent rise in COVID-19 cases. Reports say the city's latest outbreak has seen about 1,000 cases of coronavirus infection. [more]

U.S. POLITICS | Former governor and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin was defeated by Mary Peltola yesterday in Alaska's special election to fill the U.S. House seat of late Republican U.S. Rep. Don Young. Palin and Peltola will face off again in November in the general election. [more]

EDUCATION | A report from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics says math and reading scores for 9-year-olds in the U.S dropped significantly during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nine-year-old student performance fell 7% in math and 5% in reading from 2020 to 2022, according to the report. [more]

RUSSIA | Russian officials say a week of war games involving more than 50,000 troops from multiple countries began today in eastern Russia and the Sea of Japan. Nations participating in the military exercises include Russia, several ex-Soviet nations, China, India, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua, and Syria. [more]

CHINA | A U.N. human rights office report released yesterday concludes that the Chinese government's arbitrary detention of Uyghur and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups in the western region of Xinjiang may constitute crimes against humanity. In response, Chinese authorities said the report ignores human rights achievements made in Xinjiang and unfairly interferes in China's internal affairs. [more]

MALAYSIA | Former Malaysian first lady Rosmah Mansor was found guilty yesterday of soliciting and receiving bribes during the administration of her husband, former Prime Minister Najib Razak. Mansor was sentenced to two 10-year prison terms, to be served consecutively, but will remain free on bail pending her appeal of the conviction. [more]

SRI LANKA | The International Monetary Fund announced today that it has reached an agreement to provide $2.9 billion to Sri Lanka over a period of four years to help the South Asian nation recover from its ongoing economic crisis. [more]

TAIWAN | Taiwanese military officials say their forces shot down an unidentified drone that entered its airspace near an islet off the Chinese coast today. The action comes just days after Taiwan said that it had fired warning shots at Chinese drones over its territory for the first time. [more]

AI | Computer chip designer Nvidia Corp. said yesterday that the U.S. Department of Commerce has ordered the company to stop exporting two of its top computing chips for artificial intelligence work to China, citing risks that the chips could be used for military purposes as the reason for the export ban. [more]

TRAVEL | The Vereinigung Cockpit union, which represents pilots at German airline Lufthansa, has called for a pilot strike tomorrow, Friday, September 2, after pay increase demands for its members were rejected by the company's management. [more]

TENNIS | Serena Williams defeated No. 2-seed Anett Kontaveit last night in the second round of the 2022 U.S. Open. Williams will face Ajla Tomljanovic on Friday. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1972, Bobby Fischer defeated Boris Spassky to become the first native-born American to hold the title of world chess champion. [more history]