December 28, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 307 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ukrainian military officials say Russian forces have intensified mortar and artillery attacks on the city of Kherson today and that at least 33 Russian missiles have targeted civilian sites in the region over the past 24 hours. [more]
• According to a new report from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, a total of 6,884 civilians have been killed in Ukraine, and another 10,947 have been injured, since the beginning of the Russian invasion. [more]

IMMIGRATION | With a 5-4 ruling yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Title 42, COVID-related border restrictions put in place during the Trump administration will remain in effect while legal challenges to Biden administration plans to lift the restrictions are considered. [more]

WATER ISSUES | Water system issues caused by record cold temperatures have prompted boil-water orders and emergency declarations in multiple areas of the southeastern U.S., including Jackson, Mississippi; Asheville, North Carolina; Selma, Alabama; and Memphis, Tennessee. [more]

MICHIGAN | Adam Fox, 39, was sentenced to 16 years in prison yesterday for his role in the 2020 plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Fox’s sentence is the longest given to anyone involved in the conspiracy, but shorter than the life sentence sought by prosecutors. [more]

BUFFALO | Military police have been called up to assist in enforcing a driving ban in Buffalo, New York, as the area continues to deal with an historic winter storm that has killed more than 30 people in the region. [more]

TRAVEL | Southwest Airlines’ issues with flight cancellations continue today, prompting criticism and pledges of investigations from the Department of Transportation and the Senate Commerce Committee. Reports saying the airline has cancelled some 60% of its U.S. flights today and that it cancelled more than 2,600 flights yesterday. [more]

TRUMP INVESTIGATIONS | Reports say the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee intends to release former President Donald Trump’s tax returns from the years 2015 to 2021 to the public on Friday. The Committee obtained the tax returns in November as part of its investigation into the former president’s finances. [more]

ISRAEL AND WEST BANK | Among policy guidelines released by the incoming Israeli administration of Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party today is a commitment to “advance and develop settlement” in the West Bank. Israel’s new coalition government is set to be sworn in tomorrow. [more]

AFGHANISTAN | The U.N. Security Council released a statement yesterday calling for Afghanistan’s Taliban government to immediately reverse restrictions on women’s rights, including those banning women from middle school, high school, and university education and from working for non-governmental organizations in the country. [more]

KASHMIR | Authorities in India-controlled Kashmir say police killed four suspected militants in the region today after being fired upon while conducting a vehicle search near the city of Jammu. [more]

KOREA | In a five-year armament plan announced today, South Korea’s Defense Ministry says it will strengthen its three-part military policy of preemptive strike, missile defense, and retaliatory attack capabilities to counter threats from North Korea. The South’s plan was announced as North Korea holds its annual Workers’ Party meeting at which North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is reported to have laid out his military priorities for the coming year. [more]

PHILIPPINES | The Philippines’ National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council says at least 25 people have died, and 26 others remain missing, following heavy rains and floods that struck portions of the country over the weekend. The agency reports that nearly 400,000 people were affected by the storms and that over 81,000 people remain in shelters. [more]

COVID-19 | Amidst growing coronavirus caseloads in China and Beijing’s relaxation of virus-related travel restrictions, several countries, including Japan, India, South Korea, and Taiwan have announced new requirements for virus testing of visitors from China. [more]

POLAND | The Polish government announced yesterday that it has agreed to purchase two satellites and a receiving station from France for use as an early-warning system against both military and civilian threats. The satellites are expected to be launched into space by 2027.  [more]

POPE BENEDICT | A Vatican statement released today says that former pope Benedict, 95, has experienced a sudden “worsening” of his health and that he is receiving constant medical attention. The statement followed a call for prayer for the former pope by his successor, Pope Francis. [more]

NFL | Defensive star J.J. Watt announced yesterday that he will retire from professional football at the end of the current season. Watt, currently with the Arizona Cardinals, was selected to the Pro Bowl five times during his career and was named the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year three times. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1895, the first public demonstration of the Cinématographe, an early motion-picture apparatus designed by the Lumière brothers, took place at the Grand Café in Paris. [more history]