November 14, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 263 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ukrainian officials say Russian forces destroyed key public infrastructure sites in Kherson last week as they withdrew from the city, leaving most residents without water and electricity. [more]
• Russian officials have described as “constructive” ongoing talks with U.N. officials concerning the agreement to allow grain shipments from Ukrainian ports, which is scheduled to expire on November 19. [more]

U.S. GUN VIOLENCE | Reports say three people were killed and two others wounded Sunday in a shooting on the grounds of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. University police have identified a student, Christopher Darnell Jones, who remains at large, as the suspect in the shooting. [more]

U.S. ELECTIONS | The Democratic Party is projected to maintain control of the Senate for the next two years following electoral wins by Catherine Cortez Masto in Nevada and Mark Kelly in Arizona. Republicans appear to be heading for control of the House, but 19 races remain uncalled nationwide. [more]

U.S. AND CHINA RELATIONS | U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are holding their first in-person meeting since Biden took office this morning in Indonesia, where they will take part in the G20 summit this week. Main topics of discussion between the two leaders are expected to include Taiwan, Ukraine, and North Korea's nuclear ambitions, as well as ways to increase cooperation and minimize misunderstandings. [more]

TURKEY | Turkish police say they have arrested 46 people in connection with a bomb attack that killed eight people and wounded 81 others yesterday in central Istanbul. While no claims of responsibility for the attack have been made, Turkish interior minister Suleyman Soylu suggested Syrian-based Kurdish activists were responsible. [more]

IRAN | Courts in Iran reportedly sentenced one person to death and five others to up to 10 years in prison this weekend for taking part in recent protests sparked by the death of a woman in police custody two months ago. The Norway-based Iran Human Rights organization says at least 20 protesters are currently facing charges that could be punishable by death. [more]

CLIMATE | G7 member nations launched the “Global Shield” funding initiative today at the U.N. COP27 climate summit in Egypt. The program will provide funds to countries suffering climate disasters, with initial recipients including Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Fiji, Ghana, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Senegal. [more]

GLOBAL ECONOMIES | Investment bank Morgan Stanley suggested in a series of new reports yesterday that the U.S. may narrowly avoid recession in 2023, but that U.K. and eurozone economies will likely enter recession. The bank projects that global economies will grow 2.2% next year — lower than the International Monetary Fund's latest 2.7% growth estimate. [more]

ENGLISH CHANNEL | U.K. and French officials signed an agreement today aimed at reducing the number of migrants attempting to cross the English Channel in small boats. Under the agreement, Britain will pay France about $75 million in the coming year to strengthen French coastal security measures and the two countries will increase their sharing of related information. [more]

SLOVENIA | Lawyer Natasa Pirc Musar won the second round of Slovenia’s presidential election yesterday, becoming the country’s first female head of state. [more]

MEXICO | Reports say tens of thousands of people took part in protests yesterday in Mexico City against President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s proposed changes to Mexico’s independent National Electoral Institute. Among other changes, López Obrador has proposed eliminating state-level electoral offices, cutting public financing of political parties, allowing the public to elect members of the electoral authority, and eliminating at-large members of both upper and lower legislative bodies. [more]

CRYPTOCURRENCY | Changpeng Zhao, CEO of cryptocurrency firm Binance, said today that his company plans to establish a fund to help crypto projects that are facing liquidity issues following the recent collapse of crypto firm FTX. [more]

R.I.P. | American comedian Leo Gallagher, best known for his 1980s food-smashing skits, died Friday in California at the age of 76. [more]

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE | "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" topped the North America box office over the weekend with an estimated $180 million in receipts, followed by "Black Adam," and "Ticket to Paradise." [more]

MUSIC | Taylor Swift won the best artist award at last night’s MTV Europe Music Awards in Germany. Swift won three other awards, including best video, while Nicki Minaj won best song for “Super Freaky Girl.” [full list of winners] [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1889, American journalist Nellie Bly began her journey to break the fictional record of voyaging around the world in 80 days set by Jules Verne's character Phileas Fogg. She made the trip in 72 days, 6 hours, and 11 minutes. [more history]