September 19, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 208 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday that his country would continue to press its counteroffensive against Russian forces, which has seen significant progress in recent days in the country's northeast region. [more]
• Representatives of Ukraine's nuclear power regulatory agency say Russian missiles hit about 300 meters from the Pivdennoukrainsk nuclear power plant in Ukraine's southern Mykolaiv region today. [more]

QUEEN ELIZABETH II | Hundreds of world leaders are gathered in London today to attend the state funeral service of Queen Elizabeth II -- the first U.K. state funeral to be held since the 1965 funeral of Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Authorities say up to a million people are expected to line the streets of London during the funeral procession. [more]

TAIWAN | In an interview on the CBS program "60 Minutes" yesterday, U.S. President Joe Biden said U.S. forces would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion of the island, which China claims as its own territory. [more]

UNITED NATIONS | Nearly 150 presidents, prime ministers, monarchs, and other world leaders are on the list of speakers for the annual main sessions of the U.N. General Assembly, which begin on Tuesday in New York. The war in Ukraine, climate change, food shortages, internet-based misinformation and hate speech, and the COVID-19 pandemic are expected to dominate discussions. [more]

AFGHANISTAN | Reports say Afghan Taliban member Bashir Noorzai was released today after years in U.S. custody in a prisoner exchange that saw the release of American contractor Mark Frerichs, who had been held by the Taliban-linked Haqqani network in Afghanistan since January 2020. [more]

TRUMP INVESTIGATIONS | The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday appealed a judge's order temporarily barring the department from reviewing classified documents seized last month from the Florida home of former President Donald Trump, saying the ruling interferes with its investigation and impedes its efforts to protect the nation's security. [more]

PUERTO RICO | The U.S. National Hurricane Center says heavy rainfall and catastrophic flooding continue across much of Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Fiona, which made landfall on the island yesterday. Reports say up to 1.5 million residents remain without power, which could take several days to restore. [more]

ALASKA | Residents of western Alaska are dealing with widespread flooding, infrastructure damage, and power outages today in the wake of remnants of Typhoon Merbok that hit the region over the weekend. Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has activated the National Guard to assist in cleanup and relief efforts. [more]

BOOK BANNING | The American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom said Friday that the ALA has documented 681 book ban challenges involving 1,651 titles in the U.S. through the first eight months of 2022. The announcement was timed to mark the beginning of this year's Banned Books Week. [more]

HUNGARY | The European Commission yesterday recommended that the E.U. suspend 7.5 billion euros in funding to Hungary due to concerns over maintenance of democratic principles and possible mismanagement of E.U. funds. The Hungarian government says it is committed to taking necessary actions to avoid the funding suspension, including the introduction of the first of several anti-corruption bills to its parliament today. [more]

JAPAN | Mass evacuations, rail and air travel cancellations, and widespread power outages are affecting much of southern Japan today after Typhoon Nanmadol made landfall on the country's main southern island of Kyushu yesterday. The storm, with wind gusts of up to 101 miles per hour, is predicted to drop as much as 20 inches of rain in some regions by the end of the day. [more]

CHINA | Chinese media reports that 27 people were killed, and 20 others injured, yesterday when a bus carrying people to a COVID-19 isolation center in Guizhou province overturned on an expressway. [more]

RUSSIA | Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said today that Russia is open to talks regarding prisoner exchange to free U.S. citizens jailed in Russia, but accused U.S. diplomats of failing to maintain dialogue on the issue. [more]

TAIWAN | Thousands of people in southern Taiwan remain without power today after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck the island yesterday near the town of Chishang. Taiwan’s Emergency Operations Center says one person was killed, and more than 100 people were injured, in the quake. [more]

WNBA | The Las Vegas Aces beat the Connecticut Sun, 78-71, last night in Game 4 of the WNBA finals to claim the team's first league championship. Aces' Chelsea Gray, who averaged 18.3 points per game in the series, was named the Finals MVP. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1955, President Juan Perón of Argentina was overthrown and fled to Paraguay after a military revolt led by democratically inspired officers. [more history]