January 9, 2023

UKRAINE | Today is day 319 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• A $3.75 billion military aid package to Ukraine announced by the U.S. on Friday includes $2.85 billion in equipment drawn from Pentagon stocks, $225 million in military financing to support modernization of Ukraine’s military, and $682 million in aid to European allies to assist in covering and restocking equipment donated to Ukraine. [more]
• Ukrainian officials say a 36-hour cease-fire announced by Russia in recognition of the Orthodox Christmas on Friday appears to have been ignored by some Russian forces in Ukraine, while Russian officials say their forces only returned fire when attacked during the cease-fire period, which has now expired. [more]
• The Russian Defense Ministry claimed this weekend that missile attacks on two Ukrainian bases in the eastern Donetsk city of Kramatorsk killed 600 Ukrainian troops. Ukrainian officials say the attacks only damaged civilian infrastructure and that no military personnel were affected. [more]

U.S.-MEXICO BORDER | President Joe Biden met with border officers and migrant services workers yesterday in El Paso — his first visit to the U.S.-Mexico border as president. The visit came ahead of the start of meeting of U.S., Canadian, and Mexican leaders in Mexico City today. [more]

NEW YORK CITY | Nurses at two major New York City hospitals — the Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx and Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan — are on strike this morning after failing to reach an agreement with management over pay and staffing issues. [more]

U.S. POLITICS | Republican caucus leader Kevin McCarthy was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives early Saturday morning in the 15th round of voting for the position. It was the first time in 100 years that more than a single round of voting was needed to elect a Speaker. [more]

CALIFORNIA | Amidst a series of severe storms that have hit his state and are expected to continue through Tuesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom asked President Joe Biden yesterday to declare a federal emergency to support recovery efforts in the state. [more]

BRAZIL | Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stormed and vandalized the country’s Congress, Supreme Court, and presidential palace in the capital Brasilia yesterday, with some demonstrators calling for military intervention to reinstate Bolsonaro. Justice Minister Flavio Dino said later in the day that police had reestablished control of the occupied buildings and that more than 300 people were arrested. [more]

ISRAEL | Following a move by Israel’s new government to ban public display of the Palestinian flag, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh accused Israel of blocking “even the most non-violent” ways of expressing support for the establishment of a Palestinian state. [more]

TAIWAN | Officials in Taiwan today condemned weekend military drills around the island by Chinese air and naval forces. Defense officials said this morning that 57 Chinese aircraft and four naval vessels were detected operating around the island over the past 24 hours. [more]

BREXIT | U.K. officials are hosting European Union representatives today for talks aimed at resolving disputes over post-Brexit trade relations related to the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. [more]

PAKISTAN | Speaking at an international aid conference today in Geneva, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his country needs $8 billion in aid over three years from international partners to help it recover from last summer’s widespread flooding that killed at least 1,700 people and displaced some 8 million others. [more]

SENEGAL | Officials in Senegal say at least 40 people were killed, and dozens of others injured, yesterday when two buses collided in the country’s Kaffrine region. President Macky Sall declared three days of mourning for the victims and called for a meeting of officials to discuss road safety issues in the West African nation. [more]

GERMANY | Reports say police arrested two Iranian brothers in Castrop-Rauxel, in western Germany, Saturday night on suspicion of planning a chemical attack motivated by Islamic extremism. [more]

NIGERIA | Authorities in Nigeria say at least 32 people were abducted by gunmen at a train station in the country’s southern Edo state Saturday and that a search-and-rescue operation for the victims has been initiated. [more]

JOB CUTS | Reports say global banking and investment firm Goldman Sachs Group will begin a series of layoffs this week, with as many as 3,200 positions expected to be eliminated. [more]

ENTERTAINMENT AWARDS | “Top Gun: Maverick” was named best film of the year at last night’s 2022 National Board of Review Awards. Steven Spielberg was named best director for “The Fabelmans,” while Colin Farrell won the best actor award for “The Banshees of Inisherin” and Michell Yeoh won the award for best actress for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” [full winner list] [more]

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE | "Avatar: The Way of Water" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $45 million in receipts, followed by "M3gan," and "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish." [more]

R.I.P. | Actor Adam Rich, best known for his childhood role as Nicholas Bradford in the television series “Eight is Enough” from 1977 to 1981 died Saturday at the age of 54. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1839, Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre of France proclaimed his invention of the daguerreotype, the first commercially successful form of photography. [more history]