January 30, 2023

UKRAINE | Today is day 340 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said Saturday that Ukraine is engaged in “fast-track” talks with Western allies on the possibility of supplying long-range missiles and military aircraft to Ukraine. [more]
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized organizers of the 2024 Paris Olympics yesterday for allowing athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete under a neutral flag, saying that to do so is to turn a blind eye to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. [more]

TYRE NICHOLS | Weekend demonstrations across the U.S. following Friday's release of video showing police officers in Memphis, Tennessee, beating Black motorist Tyre Nichols earlier this month were largely peaceful. Five police officers were charged with second-degree murder after Nichols died three days after the incident and the Memphis Police Department on Saturday disbanded its special operations SCORPION unit to which the charged police officers belonged. [more]

U.S. POLITICS | President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy are scheduled to meet Wednesday for their first talks since McCarthy was elected Speaker. Talks are expected to center on government spending and issues surrounding the country’s debt limit. [more]

NEW JERSEY | Police in Bloomfield, New Jersey, say a man threw a Molotov cocktail incendiary device at the Temple Ner Tamid synagogue early Sunday and that the incident, which did not cause any significant damage, is under local and federal investigation. [more]

ISRAEL AND WEST BANK | Amidst increased tensions in the region, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Jerusalem today where he is scheduled to meet with both Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Talks are expected to focus on de-escalation of recent violence in Israel and the West Bank. [more]

PAKISTAN | A suicide bombing this morning inside a mosque in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar killed at least 32 people and wounded more than 90. No claims of responsibility for the bombing have yet been made. [more]

MORE PAKISTAN | Reports say at least 40 people died near the southern Pakistan town of Bela yesterday when a passenger bus fell off a bridge. Officials say excessive speed contributed to the accident. [more]

NATO | In a statement released this weekend, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country could approved Finland’s application to join the NATO alliance while not taking action on the application from Sweden, which Turkey has accused of being too lenient toward terrorist group. [more]

FRANCE | France’s national railway operator SCNF says major rail travel disruptions across the country are expected from tonight through Wednesday morning as workers take part in a strike over the French government plan to increase the retirement pension age from 62 to 64. [more]

NEW ZEALAND | A state of emergency was declared for Auckland, New Zealand, and its surrounding districts on Friday following heavy rains that caused flooding and landslides. Additional heavy rain for the area is expected tomorrow. [more]

SOUTH KOREA | In a major easing of coronavirus pandemic-related restrictions, South Korea today cancelled its nationwide mask mandate for most indoor public spaces. [more]

NORTH KOREA | The Russian embassy in North Korea says Pyongyang today eased a lockdown in the North Korean capital city imposed last week to limit the spread of what officials describe as “respiratory illness,” which is widely thought to refer to COVID-19. [more]

INDIA | India’s Supreme Court says it will hear petitions next week against a government ban on the sharing of clips from a recent BBC documentary that examines Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s actions during anti-Muslim riots in 2022. [more]

CHINA | Amidst declines in population across China, authorities in the country’s southwestern Sichuan province say that, starting February 15, unmarried individuals will be allowed to have children and be given benefits previously reserved for married couples. [more]

PERU | Amidst continuing unrest over the ouster of former President Pedro Castillo, Peruvian President Dina Boluarte yesterday urged lawmakers to allow early general elections to be held this year. [more]

GERMAN ECONOMY | Germany’s Federal Statistical Office reported today that the country’s gross domestic product fell 0.2% in the fourth quarter of 2022, compared to the previous quarter — its first decline since the first quarter of 2021. [more]

JOB CUTS | After reporting a net loss of 1.6 billion euros for 2022, Dutch consumer electronics and medical equipment maker Philips announced today that it will cut some 6,000 jobs worldwide over the next two years. [more]

NFL | The Philadelphia Eagles will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII on February 12. The Eagles beat the San Francisco 49ers and the Chiefs beat the Cincinnati Bengals yesterday to win the NFC and AFC championships, respectively. [more]

TENNIS | Novak Djokovic defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas yesterday to win the 2023 Australian Open men’s title. On Saturday, Aryna Sabalenka beat Elena Rybakina to claim the women’s title. [more]

GOLF | Rory McIlroy finished a rain-delayed final round with a score of 68 today to win his third Dubai Desert Classic title — one shot ahead of Patrick Reed. [more]

LITERATURE | This year’s winners of the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence have been announced. In the fiction category, Julie Otsuka received the award for her novel “The Swimmers,” while Ed Young received the prize for his book “An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us” in the non-fiction category. [more]

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE | "Avatar: The Way of Water" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $15.7 million in receipts, followed by "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish," and "A Man Called Otto." [more]

R.I.P. | The Motown Museum reported yesterday that Motown artist and songwriter Barrett Strong has died at the age of 81. Strong was the vocalist on the record label’s early hit “Money (That’s What I Want),” and was celebrated for his writing of hits such as “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” “War” and “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone.” [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1948, Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi—considered the father of his country and internationally esteemed for his doctrine of nonviolent protest (satyagraha) to achieve political and social progress—was assassinated. [more history]