September 13, 2022

ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN | Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan said in Parliament today that 49 Armenian soldiers were killed in overnight attacks by Azerbaijani forces. A statement from Azerbaijan's foreign ministry said its forces engaged in retaliatory measures following Armenian attacks. The Russian foreign ministry said this morning that it had brokered a cease-fire between the two countries, effective at 6am GMT. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 202 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Rafael Grossi, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said yesterday that he has begun consultations with both Ukraine and Russia regarding his call for a nuclear safety and security protection zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine. [more]
• Ukrainian military officials claimed yesterday to have recaptured more than 20 settlements from Russian control in 24 hours as their counteroffensive continues in the country's northeastern region. Overall, Ukraine claims to have retaken control of over 6,000 square kilometers of its territory since the beginning of September. [more]
• As his country's apparent advances continue in northeastern Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky today called for Western countries to accelerate their deliveries of weapon systems to the Ukrainian military. [more]

MINNESOTA | An estimated 15,000 nurses at seven healthcare systems in the Minneapolis and Duluth areas began a three-day strike yesterday over pay and staffing issues. Reports say the region's hospitals have offered nurses a 10-12% pay increase over three years, but that the nurses are seeking a 30% increase. [more]

WASHINGTON | Seattle teachers have reportedly reached a tentative agreement with the Seattle Public Schools system aimed at ending their strike, which has delayed the start of the school year in the city. Details of the agreement, which is set to be voted on by teachers today, have not yet been released. [more]

CANCER | In a speech yesterday calling for a sense of national purpose to "end cancer as we know it," U.S. President Joe Biden called on drug companies to make treatments more affordable and for more widespread sharing of cancer related data and research findings. Biden also noted advances in federally-funded research to develop blood tests for cancer screening and named Dr. Renee Wegrzyn as the inaugural director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health. [more]

MENTAL HEALTH | The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services yesterday announced funding for the expansion of mobile mental-health crisis intervention units in Oregon -- the first-ever federal funding for such a state program. Supporters say the crisis intervention units are often a more effective and safe response to mental health crises than regular police intervention. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | A report from data provider FactSet predicts that government data due out today will show that U.S. annual inflation slowed in August for the second month in a row. FactSet predicts that prices rose 8.1% in August, compared to the year-ago period. [more]

TRUMP INVESTIGATIONS | In a court filing yesterday, the U.S. Justice Department said it is willing to accept one of former President Donald Trump's selections for a special master to review government documents seized from Trump's home in Florida last month. The independent arbiter specified was Raymond Dearie, a former chief judge of the federal court in the Eastern District of New York. [more]

U.S. POLITICS | Three states -- New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Delaware -- are holding primary elections today to choose candidates for November's general elections. [more]

MODERN SLAVERY | A report released yesterday by the U.N.'s International Labor Organization and International Organization for Migration says that, at the end of last year, some 50 million people worldwide were living in conditions of either forced labor or forced marriage -- conditions the organizations term "modern slavery." [full report PDF] [more]

IRAN | German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said yesterday that he does not anticipate the international nuclear deal with Iran to be restored soon, despite ongoing negotiations aimed at doing so. Scholz made the statement following a Berlin meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who strongly opposes restoration of the 2015 agreement. [more]

ZIMBABWE | The U.N.'s World Food Programme has reportedly budgeted $40 million for food relief programs targeting 3.8 million people in Zimbabwe from October through March 2023. [more]

NFL | The Seattle Seahawks beat the Denver Broncos last night, 17-16, in the opening Monday night game of the 2022 National Football League season. [more]

EMMY AWARDS | The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences held its 74th Emmy Awards last night in Los Angeles. Winners included Succession for Outstanding Drama Series and Ted Lasso for Outstanding Comedy Series. The White Lotus won five awards in total, followed by Ted Lasso with four, Succession with three, and Abbot Elementary and Squid Game with two each. [Academy press release] [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1971, a revolt at New York's Attica Correctional Facility ended after a state police assault on the prison, in which 29 inmates and 10 hostages were killed. [more history]