November 28, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 277 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday warned of increased Russian missile strikes across Ukraine and urged residents to be prepared for ongoing attacks and for continued power and water outages due to Russian targeting of civilian infrastructure sites. [more]
• German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne signed an agreement Friday under which their countries will provide mutual support to each other to prevent a possible energy crisis amidst supply concerns associated with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Reports say the agreement states that Germany will provide France with electricity and receive natural gas from France in return. [more]

NEBRASKA | Agriculture officials in Nebraska say an estimated 1.8 million chickens must be slaughtered after an outbreak of bird flu was detected at a farm in the state’s Dixon County. [more]

TECH BAN | Citing risks to national security, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission said Friday that it has voted unanimously to ban the importation and sale of communications equipment made by Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE and to restrict the use of some China-made video surveillance systems. [more]

GEORGIA | Statewide early voting begins today in Georgia for the December 6 runoff election between Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker. [more]

ARIZONA | Counties in Arizona face a deadline of today to certify results of the November elections. Two Republican-controlled Arizona counties — Mohave and Cochise —  voted earlier not to certify their results, deferring a final decision until today. [more]

HAWAII | The U.S. Geological Service raised the alert level for Hawaii's Mauna Loa volcano from “advisory” to “warning” yesterday, saying an eruption of the volcano had begun, but that it is currently limited to the summit area and not threatening downslope communities at this time. [more]

TEXAS | Residents of Houston, Texas, remain under a boil-water notice and most city schools are closed this morning after water pressure at the city’s main water treatment plant dropped over the weekend. Officials say pressure has been restored at the plant, but that the boil-water notice remains in place to ensure the destruction of harmful bacteria and other microbes in the water. [more]

CHINA | Reports say Chinese authorities have begun to crack down on protests that grew over the weekend in numerous Chinese cities against the country’s “zero COVID” policies under which lockdowns and other restrictions continue to be imposed. At some locations, protesters have called for the ouster of Chinese leader Xi Jinping in addition to an end to COVID-related restrictions. [more]

TURKEY AND SYRIA | Reuters cites unnamed Turkish officials as saying Turkey’s army needs only a few days to be ready for a possible military ground operation against Kurdish militias in northern Syria and that a decision on such an operation could be made at a Turkish cabinet meeting today. [more]

MEXICO | Reports say an estimated 200,000 people took part in pro-government marches led by Mexican President Manuel López Obrador yesterday in Mexico City in response to recent opposition marches. [more]

ITALY | Italian authorities say at least seven people died, and several others remain missing, following a landslide Saturday on the island of Ischia that was triggered by heavy rains. [more]

AUSTRALIA | The national terrorism threat level in Australia was downgraded from “probable” to “possible” today for the first time since 2014. Australian Security Intelligence Organization officials cited progress against Islamic State and al-Qaida movements as reasons for the threat reduction. [more]

EUROPEAN DRUG TRAFFICKING | Europol — the European Union police agency — announced today that 49 people have been arrested across Europe and in the United Arab Emirates as part of “Operation Desert Light” targeting drug trafficking infrastructure in Europe. The agency says the cartel targeted controlled about one-third of the cocaine trade in Europe. [more]

SOMALIA | Police in Mogadishu, Somalia, are continuing operations today against armed militants that attacked a hotel in the city early today. The al-Shabab extremist group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which reports say killed at least four people. [more]

INDIA | Reports say at least 80 people were injured over the weekend in clashes between police and protesters in the southern India state of Kerala. Protests against the development of the $900 million Vizhinjam seaport have been going on for several weeks. [more]

SPACE | A rocket carrying three astronauts is scheduled for launch tomorrow from China’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The China Manned Space Agency says the crew will spend six months in space completing construction of China’s new space station. [more]

HOLIDAY SHOPPING | According to reports from Adobe Analytics on post-Thanksgiving online holiday shopping, U.S. shoppers spent a record $9.12 billion online on Black Friday and are expected to spend a record $11.2 billion online today, which is known as Cyber Monday. [more]

WORLD CUP | Costa Rica beat Japan, Morocco beat Belgium, Croatia beat Canada, and Spain and Germany tied, 1-1, in yesterday’s World Cup matches in Qatar. Today’s matches include Cameroon vs Serbia, South Korea vs Ghana, Brazil vs Switzerland, and Portugal vs Uruguay. [full schedule and results] [more]

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

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL | Five new inductees to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame have been announced for the April 2023 ceremony: Minnesota Lynx star Lindsay Whalen, former Purdue coach Carolyn Peck, 1984 Olympic gold medalist Cathy Boswell, former Texas women’s athletic director Donna Lopiano, and longtime official Lisa Mattingly. [more]

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE | "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" topped the North America box office over the weekend with an estimated $45.9 million in receipts, followed by "Strange World," and "Devotion." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | The Tehran Conference, attended by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin, at which Stalin pressed for an invasion of France in World War II, opened on this date in 1943. [more history]