November 23, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 272 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• The European Parliament voted today to designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, citing Moscow’s military strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine, including energy infrastructure, hospitals, schools, and shelters, as reasons for the designation. [more]
• Reports from Kyiv say multiple Russian airstrikes occurred in the capital city overnight and this morning. City officials warned residents to stay in shelters as air raid alerts continued and said one of the city’s major infrastructure facilities was being targeted by Russian missiles. [more]

U.S. GUN VIOLENCE | Six people were killed, and several others wounded, last night, when a gunman opened fire at a Walmart store in Chesapeake, Virginia. Multiple reports suggest the suspect in the shooting was an employee of the store and that he killed himself at the site. [more]

U.S. BORDERS | House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy yesterday called for Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to resign over management of the U.S. southern border with Mexico. McCarthy, who is seeking to be elected Speaker when the new Congress convenes next year, said Republicans would immediately begin investigating border management when they take over House leadership. [more]

STUDENT LOANS | President Joe Biden announced yesterday that the pause on federal student loan payments in the U.S. will be extended while challenges to his loan forgiveness plan are considered by courts. Payments, which had been scheduled to resume January 1, will now be paused until 60 days after the legal challenges are settled or the end of August if the lawsuits are not resolved by June 30. [more]

TRUMP INVESTIGATIONS | The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday rejected a plea by former President Donald Trump that would have blocked the Treasury Department from providing six years of his and some of his companies’ tax returns to the House Ways and Means Committee, which first requested the returns in 2019 as part of its investigations into Trump’s tax law compliance. [more]

THAILAND | Authorities in Thailand say at least one person was killed, and 45 others wounded, yesterday when a car bomb exploded outside a police compound in the country’s Muslim-majority southern province of Narathiwat. Reports say no claims of responsibility for the attack have yet been made, but that the province has been the site of many attacks by separatist groups for years. [more]

JERUSALEM | Israeli police say at least one person was killed, and 18 others injured, when bombs exploded near two bus stops in Jerusalem this morning. No claims of responsibility for the blasts have been made. [more]

TURKEY AND SYRIA | Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said today that his country will continue its military air operations against Kurdish militants in northern Syria and that a land-based military operation could be launched to secure Turkey’s southern border. [more]

SPAIN | An estimated 80% of the population of Spain’s northeast Catalonia region — some 6.7 million people, including those in the regional capital of Barcelona — have been placed under water use restrictions that begin Friday due to the region’s ongoing drought. [more]

SCOTLAND | The U.K. Supreme Court ruled today that Scotland does not have the right to hold a new referendum on independence without the approval of the British government. U.K. government opponents say the question was settled when Scottish voters rejected a referendum on independence in 2014. [more]

BRAZIL | Campaign officials for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro have reportedly filed a complaint with Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court challenging his loss to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the country’s presidential election last month. The court filing argues that votes from some voting machines should be invalidated due to malfunctions. [more]

CRYPTOCURRENCY | New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a state bill into law yesterday that institutes a two-year ban on new and renewed environmental permits for fossil fuel-based power plants used for energy-intensive cryptocurrency mining. [more]

WORLD CUP | Saudi Arabia beat Argentina, 2-1, France beat Australia, 4-1, and the Denmark vs Tunisia and Mexico vs Poland matches ended in 0-0 draws in yesterday’s World Cup matches in Qatar. Today’s matches include Morocco vs Croatia, Germany vs Japan, Spain vs Costa Rica, and Belgium vs Canada. [full schedule and results] [more]

BASEBALL | Houston Astros’ Justin Verlander and St. Louis Cardinals’ Albert Pujols were named baseball’s Comeback Player of the year for the American League and National League, respectively, last night. [more]

SOCCER | Owners of the English Premier League soccer club Manchester United confirmed yesterday that they are considering strategic alternatives for the team, including new investments and a possible sale of the franchise. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1936, the first issue of the revamped Life magazine was published. The magazine became a pioneer in photojournalism and was one of the major forces in that field's development. [more history]