December 6, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 285 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Reports say Russian officials have blamed a fire at an airport in Russia’s southern Kursk region today on a Ukrainian drone attack. The fire occurred just one day after explosions at two Russian air force bases were also attributed to Ukrainian drone strikes. [more]
• Increased Russian missile attacks across Ukraine yesterday killed at least four people, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Electrical power infrastructure was also targeted in the attacks, which were widely seen as retaliation for weekend explosions at two Russian air force bases, which the Kremlin has blamed on Ukrainian drones. [more]

GEORGIA | In the final U.S. Senate contest of the 2022 election season, residents of Georgia vote today in the runoff election between Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker. An estimated 1.9 million early votes have already been cast in the election. [more]

JANUARY 6 | House and Senate leaders will take part in ceremonies today presenting Congressional Gold Medals — the legislative branch’s highest honor — to hundreds of law enforcement officers who defended the U.S. Capitol from rioters during the January 6 attacks. Representative medals will be placed at the U.S. Capitol Police headquarters, the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department, the Capitol, and the Smithsonian Institution. [more]

SUPREME COURT | The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments today in the matter of a North Carolina case involving the power of state legislatures to control election rules and electoral maps for federal elections, and the extent to which state courts can be involved in rewriting those rules and maps. [more]

FOREIGN INFLUENCE | Former Congressman David Rivera, who represented the Miami area in Congress as a Republican from 2011 to 2013, was arrested yesterday on charges of money laundering and representing a foreign government without registering in connection with his alleged roles in a conspiracy to lobby on behalf of Venezuela. [more]

BOSTON | Amidst reports of increased levels of coronavirus in area wastewater, Boston public health commissioner Dr. Bisola Ojikutu said Monday that 11 wastewater testing sites will be established across the city to conduct weekly viral concentration testing. [more]

REAL ID | The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced this week that the deadline for requiring nationally approved REAL ID-compliant drivers licenses or identification cards for air travel within the United States has been extended to May 2025. [more]

CHINA | In response to a recent U.S. military report on the expansion of China’s nuclear weapons program, Chinese military officials said the report distorts China’s national defense policy and reiterated that China adheres to a policy of no first use of nuclear weapons at all times. [more]

INDIA | Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said yesterday that his country will prioritize its own energy needs and continue to buy oil from Russia, signaling that India does not intend to participate in newly implemented price caps and trade bans on Russian oil by the E.U. and G-7 nations. [more]

HONDURAS | Constitutional rights affecting association, free movement, searches, and arrests were partially suspended for 30 days yesterday in two Honduran cities — the capital Tegucigalpa and the business center of San Pedro Sula — amidst increased violence and criminal activity by powerful street gangs, including Barrio 18 and MS-13. [more]

HUNGARY | Meeting in Brussels today, European Union finance ministers are discussing an E.U. executive branch proposal to withhold about 7.5 billion euros in funding for Hungary over what has been seen as its failure to implement rule-of-law-reforms. [more]

CHAD | Public prosecutors in Chad announced yesterday that 262 people who took part in anti-government protests in October have been sentenced to jail terms of between two and three years after being convicted on charges including taking part in an unauthorized gathering, destroying belongings, arson, and disturbing public order. [more]

BELGIUM | The trial of 10 men accused of involvement in the March 2016 Islamist suicide attacks in Brussels, Belgium, begins today. Thirty-two people were killed, and more than 300 others were injured, in the attacks, which targeted the city’s airport and metro. [more]

INDONESIA | The Indonesian parliament approved revisions to the country's criminal code today that penalize extramarital sex with up to one year in jail, make insulting the president or state institutions illegal, and ban cohabitation before marriage. [more]

AUSTRALIA | In continuing efforts to fight inflation, the Reserve Bank of Australia raised its benchmark interest rate by a quarter of a point to 3.1% today — the bank’s highest rate in 10 years. [more]

RENEWABLE ENERGY | A new report from the International Energy Agency says that global production capacity of renewable power, including solar, wind, and biofuel sources, is expected to double over the next five years and overtake coal as the largest source of global electricity production by early 2025. [full report] [more]

WORLD CUP | Brazil beat South Korea and Japan and Croatia tied, with Croatia advancing on penalty kicks, at the World Cup yesterday in Qatar. Today’s matches include Morocco vs Spain and Portugal vs Switzerland. [full bracket] [more]

NCAA SOCCER | The UCLA Bruins beat the North Carolina Tarheels, 3-2, yesterday to win the 2022 NCAA women’s soccer national title. [more]

WORD OF THE YEAR | Oxford Dictionaries announced yesterday that online voters have selected the phrase “goblin mode” as its word of the year. The dictionary publisher defines goblin mode as “a type of behavior which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations.” [more]

R.I.P. | Actress Kirstie Alley, best known for her roles in the television series “Cheers” and the “Look Who’s Talking” film series, died Monday at the age of 71. According to her family, Alley, a two-time Emmy winner, died of a recently discovered cancer. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1917, Finland declared itself independent of Russia following the Bolshevik Revolution. [more history]