October 17, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 235 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Reports say several areas of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv were hit by explosive-laden drones early this morning, killing at least three people. Areas of the city hit included the central Shevchenko district, where several apartment buildings were damaged. [more]
• French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday pledged new support for Ukraine, including air defense systems and expanded training programs for Ukrainian soldiers. [more]

MISSOURI | Authorities in the St. Louis suburb of Florissant say a recent report has confirmed findings that the city’s Jana Elementary School has significant radioactive contamination from local nuclear weapon production during World War II. A previous Army Corps of Engineers study found lower levels of contamination in the area, but not specifically at the school. [more]

U.S. VOTING | A newly released Associated Press-NORC Center of Public Affairs Research poll finds that while two-thirds of U.S. voters are pessimistic about politics, an overwhelming majority of about 80% say voting in next month’s midterm elections is extremely or very important. [more]

CALIFORNIA | Police in Stockton, California, arrested Wesley Brownlee, 43, on Saturday in connection with the murders of at least six people since last year. Brownlee was investigated after police received tips from the community that helped identify him as a possible suspect in the cases. [more]

CHINA AND TAIWAN | Speaking at the Chinese Communist Party Congress this weekend, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said his country is committed to reunification with Taiwan and that China would not rule out the use of force to achieve it. [more]

POLIO | At the World Health Summit in Berlin, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced yesterday that it will commit $1.2 billion through 2026 to help implement the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s strategy to end polio globally. [more]

COVID-19 | Government data compiled on worldometers.info shows that global cases of COVID-19 fell 7% last week and that coronavirus-related deaths fell 15% in the same period. The seven-day moving average of cases last week was 423,200, while the seven-day moving average for deaths was 1,196. Cumulatively, there have been 630,021,089 coronavirus cases and 6,571,745 COVID-19-related deaths since the pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization in March 2020, according to the site. [more]

TURKEY | At least 41 miners were killed in an explosion Friday at the state-owned Turkish Hard Coal Enterprise’s coal mine in the town of Amasra. Preliminary reports indicate the explosion was caused by flammable gases often found in coal mines, but investigations into the blast are continuing. [more]

IRAN | Authorities in Iran say the death toll from a weekend fire at Tehran’s Evin prison has risen to eight. Reports say gunfire and explosions were heard coming from the prison during the fire, which officials say was triggered by fights among inmates. [more]

CLIMATE | Madeleine Diouf Sarr, chair of the Least Developed Countries, or LDC, bloc of 46 nations has called for compensation to poorer countries suffering from climate damage to be a major topic of discussion at next month’s COP27 U.N. climate summit in Egypt. [more]

U.K. ECONOMY | In a statement today, newly appointed British Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt announced the reversal of almost all of Prime Minister Liz Truss mini-budget proposals announced in September, which had major negative effects on British economic stability. Among those reversals announced by Hunt were tax measures, including cuts in corporate taxes and reduced tax rates on high earners. Hunt was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer on Friday after Truss fired his predecessor, Kwasi Kwarteng. [more]

SWEDEN | The Swedish parliament elected Ulf Kristersson the country’s new prime minister today. Kristersson, who will replace outgoing Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, heads a three-party coalition comprising the Sweden Democrats, the Liberals, and the Christian Democrats. [more]

EUROPEAN TRAVEL | Pilots at German airline Lufthansa’s budget subsidiary Eurowings began a three-day strike today over workload and scheduling issues. [more]

FOOTBALL | With yesterday’s 38-15 win over the Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick tied former Chicago Bears coach George Halas for second on the NFL’s career wins list at 324. [more]

TENNIS | Top-ranked Iga Swiatek won her tour-leading 64th match of the season yesterday, beating Donna Vekic at the San Diego Open. [more]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL | The latest AP top-5-ranked teams after this weekend’s games: Georgia is ranked No. 1, followed by Ohio State, Tennessee, Michigan, and Clemson. [Full Top 25] [more]

COUNTRY MUSIC | Early rock-n-roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis and bluegrass performer-turned-country star Keith Whitley were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame yesterday, along with former RCA music executive Joe Galante. [detailed bios] [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1346, at the Battle of Neville's Cross, the English defeated the Scots, who, as allies of the French, had invaded England in an attempt to distract Edward III from the siege of Calais, France. [more history]