November 7, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 256 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• The U.S. announced Friday that it will provide Ukraine with a new $400 million military aid package that includes air defense systems, drones, boats, and funds to refurbish tanks. Also announced was the establishment of a security assistance headquarters in Germany that will oversee weapons transfers and military training for Ukraine. [more]
• Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian acknowledged for the first time this weekend that Iran has provided Russia with military drones, but said they were transferred to Russia prior to the war in Ukraine. [more]
• On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree authorizing the military conscription of Russian citizens who have unexpunged or outstanding criminal convictions for murder, robbery, larceny, drug trafficking, and other serious crimes. [more]

U.S. ELECTIONS | Reports say an estimated 41 million people have voted early ahead of tomorrow’s nationwide mid-term elections. With control of both the House and Senate at stake, the leading issues driving voting choices include the economy, the future of democracy, education, healthcare, energy policy, violent crime, gun policy, and abortion. [more]

U.S. GUN VIOLENCE | Police in Philadelphia say nine people were wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on a crowd in the city’s Kensington neighborhood Saturday night. Four victims are reported to be in critical condition. [more]

TANZANIA | Authorities say 19 people were killed early Sunday when a Precision Air flight en route from Dar es Salaam to Bukoba crashed into Lake Victoria. [more]

CLIMATE | Presentations today at the U.N. COP27 climate summit in Egypt are expected to be dominated by leaders of African and smaller island nations that have suffered great damage from climate change. In his statement at the summit, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the world is on a “highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator,” and urged countries to accelerate their transition away from fossil fuels. [more]

MORE CLIMATE | In coordination with the opening of the COP27 climate summit in Egypt, the U.N.’s World Meteorological Organization published its State of Global Climate 2022 report yesterday. The report notes that the last eight years have been the hottest on record and that the global mean temperature in 2022 has been at about 1.15 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. [full report] [press release] [more]

SYRIA | The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights yesterday accused Syrian government forces of firing some 30 rockets toward rebel-held areas in northwestern Syria over the weekend, hitting tent settlements housing displaced families and killing at least 10 people. [more]

NORTH KOREA | North Korean military officials said today that the country’s recent increase in missile tests was a response to South Korean and U.S. military exercises and that its launches were practices to mercilessly annihilate enemy military targets and command systems. [more]

CHINESE ECONOMY | Chinese imports and exports both decreased in October, compared to the year-ago period, according to official data released today. Analysts say the contractions are largely due to continuing COVID restrictions in China and to the risk of global recession. [more]

CYBERSECURITY | Medibank Private Ltd, Australia's largest health insurer, confirmed today that personal data on some 9.7 customers, including names, dates of birth, addresses, and phone numbers, was compromised in a recent cyberattack and that it does not intend to pay a ransom to prevent release of the data. [more]

TECH SUPPLY CHAIN | Apple said yesterday that consumer waiting times for the company’s new iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models will be longer than expected after COVID-related restrictions were imposed last week on the Foxconn production factory in the central China city of Zhengzhou. [more]

BASEBALL | The Houston Astros beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-1, Saturday night to win the 2022 World Series. The Astros’ Jeremy Peña was named the Series MVP — the first-ever rookie position player to win the award. [more]

SOCCER | Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles FC beat the Philadelphia Union on penalty kicks Saturday to win the MLS Cup Final. [more]

NFL | Quarterback Tom Brady yesterday became the first player in NFL history to throw for more than 100,000 yards in his career. The milestone came during yesterday’s game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Los Angeles Rams, which was Brady’s 374th career game. [more]

NCAA FOOTBALL | Top teams in The Associated Press college football poll following this weekend’s games are No. 1 Georgia, followed by Ohio State, Michigan, TCU, and Tennessee. [full poll] [more]

NASCAR | Joey Logano won his second NASCAR Cup yesterday, clinching the title with a victory at the Phoenix Raceway. [more]

R.I.P. | Singer-rapper Aaron Carter, best known for hits from his 2000 album “Aaron’s Party,” died at his California home on Saturday at the age of 34. [more]

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE | "Black Adam" topped the North America box office over the weekend with an estimated $18.5 million in receipts, followed by "One Piece Film: Red," and "Ticket to Paradise." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1916, Jeannette Rankin won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the first woman elected to Congress. [more history]