November 21, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 270 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency are scheduled to assess possible damage today to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine following explosions from shelling around the site on both Saturday and Sunday. Ukraine and Russia have each blamed the other for the shelling. [more]
• Power blackouts were scheduled last night in Kyiv and 14 other regions of Ukraine due to ongoing power restrictions caused by Russian targeting of electrical infrastructure sites. [more]
• The U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has called for an investigation into video footage circulated on Russian social media that allegedly shows Ukrainian troops killing several Russian soldiers who may have been trying to surrender. [more]

U.S. GUN VIOLENCE | Five people were killed, and 25 others wounded, Saturday when a gunman opened fire inside an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The suspect in the shooting, Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, was subdued by patrons of CLUB Q and is currently in custody and being treated for injuries. [more]

TRUMP INVESTIGATIONS | U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday appointed longtime federal prosecutor Jack Smith as a special counsel to lead investigations into classified documents found at the Florida home of former President Donald Trump and into efforts to obstruct the transfer of presidential power following the 2020 elections. [more]

PENNSYLVANIA | Natural gas company Equitrans Midstream says a leak at its central Pennsylvania Rager Mountain storage facility that had been releasing large amounts of methane into the air for 11 days has been fixed. The company says the leak released about 100 million cubic feet of natural gas per day. [more]

THERANOS | Elizabeth Holmes, former CEO of the failed medical testing company Theranos, was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison Friday. Holmes was convicted previously on four counts of investor fraud and conspiracy in connection with fundraising for the company. [more]

WINTER WEATHER | New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has requested a federal disaster declaration for areas of western New York that received up to 77 inches of snow from Thursday through Sunday. [more]

CLIMATE | The U.N. COP27 climate summit concluded yesterday with an agreement to establish an international fund to help poorer countries pay for loss and damage caused by global climate change. No new agreements were reached at the summit on changes in an overall temperature goal or limiting of emissions. [more]

INDONESIA | Reports say at least 50 people were killed, and more than 700 others injured, when a magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Indonesia’s main island of Java early today. [more]

COVID-19 | In response to an ongoing major COVID-19 infection outbreak, Chinese health officials have imposed a lockdown on some 3.7 million residents of the Baiyun district of the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. [more]

PAKISTAN | THE “Friendship Gate” border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan was reopened today a week after it was closed following the shooting of three Pakistani soldiers by an Afghan gunman. [more]

KAZAKHSTAN | Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was elected to a new seven-year term in office this weekend, receiving 81% of the vote, according to the country’s electoral commission. [more]

PHILIPPINES | Following a meeting in Manila with Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said the U.S. commitment to the Philippines is “unwavering” and that the U.S. will defend the country from attacks in the South China Sea. [more]

CONGO | Ugandan military officials said this morning that they will send 1,000 troops to neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo this month to join an East African Community regional force instituted to assist in ending decades of instability. Military contingents from Kenya and Burundi have already been deployed to Congo. [more]

TURKEY | Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu says three people were killed today when rockets suspected to have been fired by Kurdish fighters in northern Syria hit Turkey’s Karkamis district near the Syrian border. [more]

NEW ZEALAND | Saying it violates New Zealand’s Bill of Rights, which forbids age discrimination after age 16, the country’s Supreme Court ruled today that the country’s current voting age of 18 is discriminatory. Reports say the New Zealand parliament will hold discussions on a possible change in the voting age. [more]

DISNEY | Former Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger has been rehired by the company following the ouster of his successor, Bob Chapek. Iger led Disney for 15 years before being removed from his position in 2020. [more]

TWITTER | Social media platform Twitter, which was recently purchased by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, has reinstated the account of former U.S. President Donald Trump nearly two years after his account was suspended in the wake of the January 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol. [more]

NFL | Atlanta Falcons’ Cordarrelle Patterson became the NFL career leader in kickoff returns for touchdowns Sunday when he completed his ninth such score in Atlanta’s 27-24 win over the Chicago Bears. [more]

WORLD CUP | The 2022 FIFA World Cup opened yesterday with a loss by host country Qatar to Ecuador, 2-0. The loss was the first ever for a host country in an opening game in the 92-year history of the World Cup. [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 Southern California. [full poll] [more]

MUSIC | Taylor Swift won all six awards for which she was nominated, including artist of the year, at last night’s 2022 American Music Awards. [complete list of winners] [more]

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE | "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" topped the North America box office over the weekend with an estimated $67 million in receipts, followed by "The Menu," and "The Chosen." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1620, 41 male passengers on the Mayflower, prior to landing at Plymouth, Massachusetts, signed the Mayflower Compact, by which they agreed to abide by the laws of the new government they would establish. [more history]