December 27, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 306 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• In an interview with the Associated Press yesterday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Ukraine hopes that a peace summit aimed at ending the war with Russia will take place by the end of February, but noted that Russia could only be invited to take part in such a summit if it faced a war crimes tribunal. [more]
• Nearly 9 million Ukrainians remain without power amidst continued Russian targeting of civilian infrastructure, according to a statement yesterday by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. [more]

U.S. HOLIDAY SPENDING | A new report from Mastercard SpendingPulse says overall spending during the Nov. 1 to Dec. 24 holiday period in the U.S. rose 7.6% compared to the year-ago period. The report notes that online sales rose 10.6% during the period and that in-person sales rose 6.8%. [more]

U.S. POLITICS | Republican Congressman-elect George Santos of New York admitted yesterday that he lied about his education and work experience during his successful campaign for election to the U.S. House of Representatives, but said he still intends to take office in January. The admissions followed a recent New York Times article that said neither Santo’s claims of having graduated from Baruch College in New York nor his claims of having worked at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs could be verified. [more]

NEW YORK | A state of emergency has been declared in New York as severe winter weather blamed for at least 28 deaths in the state continues, particularly in the state’s western regions. [more]

TAIWAN | Citing increased military threats from China, the government of Taiwan announced yesterday that it is extending its compulsory military service period for men from four months to one year starting in 2024. [more]

CHINA | China’s National Health Commission announced yesterday that travelers arriving from abroad will no longer be required to undergo mandatory quarantine starting January 8. Travelers will still be required to provide proof of a negative coronavirus test 48 hours before departure. [more]

COVID-19 | The Associated Press cites multiple health professionals as expressing concern that the ongoing surge in COVID-19 cases in China could increase the chance of new coronavirus mutations and the emergence of disease variants that are more resistant to vaccines. [more]

PAKISTAN | Authorities in Pakistan say the search continues today for suspects responsible for multiple attacks that killed six soldiers and wounded 17 civilians Sunday in the southwestern province of Baluchistan. [more]

ROHINGYA | Aid workers in Indonesia say a group of 185 Rohingya Muslim refugees fleeing Myanmar that landed on the northern Indonesian coast yesterday had been adrift at sea for about a month and that up to 20 refugees on the boat carrying the group had died during their sea ordeal. [more]

SERBIA AND KOSOVO | Serbian authorities have ordered their security forces along the border with Kosovo to a “full state of combat readiness” amidst ongoing tensions between the two Balkan nations. [more]

TRAVEL | Reports say more than 3,800 airline flights in the U.S. were cancelled yesterday, including 2,800 operated by budget carrier Southwest, as travel disruptions caused by winter weather continue. [more]

SPACE The journal Science has named the successful launch and deployment of the $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope its 2022 scientific Breakthrough of the Year. [more]

COLLEGE BASKETBALL | Top teams in this week’s AP Top 25 men's college basketball poll include No. 1 Purdue, followed by UConn, Houston, Kansas, and Arizona. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1831, Charles Darwin set sail on the HMS Beagle, beginning the voyage on which he would formulate his theory of evolution. [more history]