December 29, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 308 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ukrainian officials say Russian forces have fired more than 120 missiles at targets across the country today in a significant escalation of attacks against civilian infrastructure sites. [more]
• British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said today that the U.K. plans to allocate 2.3 billion pounds ($2.77 billion) for military, non-military, and humanitarian aid to Ukraine in 2023. [more]

U.S. WEATHER | Powerful storms in the western and central regions of the U.S. have put more than 16 million people under flood watches in California and Nevada and portions of 12 states under winter weather alerts today. [more]

TRAVEL | High flight cancellation levels continue today for Southwest Airlines, with the budget carrier already having cancelled more than 2,300 flights for the day. Southwest executives suggested yesterday that flight levels could begin returning to normal by Saturday. [more]

U.S. POLITICS | An Arizona court is scheduled to release the results of three vote recounts from November’s elections today. Mandatory recounts were required for the state’s attorney general, superintendent of public instruction, and state House District 13 races due to initial results showing less than a 0.5% margin between leading candidates. [more]

MICHIGAN | In the final federal sentencing of those convicted of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020, Barry Croft Jr., 47, was sentenced to 235 months in federal prison yesterday. [more]

BUFFALO | The driving ban in New York’s Erie County caused by last weekend’s winter storm has been lifted. Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown has asked residents to be cautious and avoid driving unless necessary, as cleanup continues and a county-wide state of emergency remains in effect. [more]

COVID-19 | U.S. officials announced yesterday that travelers arriving in the U.S. from China will be required to show proof of a negative coronavirus test starting January 5, citing Beijing’s lack of information sharing on COVID-19 infection rates and concern about the possible emergence of new coronavirus variants as reasons for the move. Similar testing requirements for travelers from China were announced by India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Italy earlier this week. [more]

PHILIPPINES | The death toll from Christmas weekend floods in the Philippines has risen to at least 32, according to the country’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. Reports say more than 56,000 people remain in emergency shelters following the floods. [more]

TAIWAN | Amidst growing concern over possible military threats from China, the U.S. State Department announced yesterday that it has approved a $180 million sale of a Volcano anti-tank mine-laying system to Taiwan. [more]

UZBEKISTAN AND INDIA | Indian drug maker Marion Biotech has halted production and issued a recall of its Dok-1 Max cough syrup after the product was linked to the deaths of 19 children in Uzbekistan. Reports say samples of the syrup have shown that it contained the toxic substance ethylene glycol. [more]

BRAZIL | Amidst escalating political violence, Brazil’s Supreme Court yesterday banned registered gun-owners from carrying firearms in the federal district surrounding the capital city of Brasilia until after the inauguration of President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on January 1. [more]

BOLIVIA | Prominent Bolivian opposition leader Luis Fernando Camacho was arrested by police yesterday on charges of "terrorism" stemming from his involvement in the ousting of former leftist president Evo Morales in 2019. [more]

CAMBODIA | Reports say at least 16 people were killed, and another 50 injured, last night when a fire engulfed the Grand Diamond City casino and hotel in Poipet, Cambodia. [more]

JAPAN | As part of efforts to reduce population concentration in the capital city of Tokyo, the Japanese government announced that it will offer families relocating from the Tokyo metropolitan area up to 1 million yen ($7,500) per child — up from the current offer of 300,000 yen per child. [more]

WINDFALL TAX | ExxonMobil filed a lawsuit against the European Union yesterday, challenging the bloc’s windfall tax plan agreed to in September that would require major oil, gas, and coal companies to pay a 33% tax on their 2022 profits. [more]

NFL | Las Vegas Raiders’ quarterback Derek Carr has been benched for the team’s final two games of the season by coach Josh McDaniels, who cited performance reasons as being behind the move. Carr has only missed three games in his nine-year career, all due to injuries. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1937, with the enactment of a new constitution, the Irish Free State became known as Ireland. [more history]