September 30, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 219 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• President Vladimir Putin is expected to give a major speech after signing annexation agreements today with the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, which, together, constitute about 15% of Ukrainian territory and would represent a land bridge along Ukraine's eastern regions from Russia to Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. [more]
• At least 23 people were killed, and 28 others wounded, overnight in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia when a Russian artillery strike hit a civilian vehicle convoy, according to Regional Governor Oleksandr Starukh. [more]
• Reports say representatives of the 27 European Union nations have reached a preliminary agreement on an eighth round of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Final approval of the new sanctions is expected to be voted on next week. [more]

HURRICANE IAN | The entirety of South Carolina's coastal region is under a hurricane warning today as a restrengthened Hurricane Ian approaches the area after killing at least 13 people and leaving millions of people without power in Florida. An overnight National Hurricane Center update suggested that Ian, currently a Category 1 hurricane, could bring rainfall of up to 8 inches in regions stretching from South Carolina to Virginia. [more]

U.S. GOVERNMENT | The Senate yesterday voted 72-25 to pass a stopgap funding bill that would fund government operations through December 16. The House is expected to pass the measure later today. [more]

SUPREME COURT | Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson makes her first Supreme Court appearance today at a ceremonial swearing-in ceremony ahead of Monday's beginning of the new U.S. Supreme Court term. [more]

STUDENT LOANS | The attorneys general and solicitors general of six states -- Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Carolina -- filed a federal lawsuit yesterday seeking to stop implementation of the Biden administration's student loan forgiveness program. [more]

U.S. REAL ESTATE | Mortgage company Freddie Mac reported yesterday that the average interest rate for a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage in the U.S. rose this week for the sixth straight week, reaching 6.7% -- more than double the 3.01% average rate a year ago and the highest level since 2007. [more]

ASIAN SECURITY | U.S., South Korean, and Japanese naval forces are conducting a one-day joint anti-submarine training exercise off South Korea's east coast today amidst heightened tensions in the region following a recent series of North Korean missile tests. [more]

AFGHANISTAN | Police in the Afghan capital of Kabul say 19 people were killed, and 27 others wounded, today when a suicide bomber set off an explosion at an education center in a predominantly Shiite area of the city. No claims of responsibility for the attack have yet been reported. [more]

BRAZIL | A final presidential debate between seven candidates took place in Brazil last night ahead of Sunday's elections. Lead candidates, according to polls, are far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro and leftist former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. [more]

ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE | Study results announced this week showed a 27% reduction in cognitive decline after 18 months in Alzheimer's disease patients who received Eisai and Biogen's anti-amyloid antibody drug lecanemab, compared to those who received a placebo. The companies are conducting further trials of the treatment and hope to apply for full approval and commercialization of the drug in the U.S., Europe, and Japan by the end of 2023. [more]

EUROPEAN ECONOMY | The inflation rate in the 19 countries that use the euro rose to 10% in September, compared to the year-ago period, up from August's 9.1% level, according to the European statistics organization Eurostat. [more]

THAILAND | The nine-member Thai Constitutional Court ruled today that Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has not violated a constitutional provision limiting leaders to eight years in office and that he, therefore, can remain in office. The court ruled that Chan-ocha's time in office should be counted from when Thailand's current constitution went into effect in April 2017. [more]

BURKINA FASO | Gunfire that broke out early this morning and a significant military presence in the streets of the Burkina Faso capital of Ouagadougou has led to speculation that a coup against the West African nation's military government may be underway. [more]

INDIA ECONOMY | In its fourth such move this year, the Reserve Bank of India yesterday raised its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points to 5.90%, citing slow growth, higher food and energy prices, and currency depreciation as primary reasons for the increase. [more]

NFL | Miami Dolphins' quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was carted off the field during last night's game against the Cincinnati Bengals after suffering a head injury. Tagovailoa was treated at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and later released to return to Miami with his team. [more]

FILM | The 60th New York Film Festival kicks off this evening with a screening of Noah Baumbach’s Don DeLillo adaptation “White Noise.” The festival will run through October 16. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1791, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera The Magic Flute premiered in Vienna. [more history]