February 9, 2023

UKRAINE | Today is day 350 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Following visits to both the U.K. and France yesterday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to address a summit of European Union leaders today in Brussels, Belgium. A major focus of Zelensky’s visits has been to urge countries to provide Ukraine with fighter jets to help resist the Russian invasion and support Ukraine's application for E.U. membership. [more]
• Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, said today that the group has stopped recruiting prisoners to fight in Ukraine. Intelligence estimates in December suggested that up to 40,000 convicts had been deployed by Wagner to fight in Ukraine. [more]

TURKEY AND SYRIA | Reports say the death toll from Monday’s earthquake that struck southeastern Turkey and northern Syria has risen to above 17,000. Disaster experts warn that survival rates drop significantly the more time passes following such a disaster and World Health Organization officials say people in the region are at risk of long-term impacts to health and living conditions. [more]

TRAIN DERAILMENT | Officials in East Palestine, Ohio, and surrounding areas have lifted an evacuation order that followed last Friday’s train derailment and subsequent disposal of dangerous chemicals after air quality testing found the area to be safe. [more]

U.S. HOUSING | The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said yesterday that, from March 2020 through December 2022, an estimated 2 million homeowners with FHA mortgages were helped to avoid foreclosure by obtaining COVID-19 pandemic-related forbearances or loan modifications. [more]

TRUCK EMISSIONS | A group of 34 Republican U.S. senators announced proposed legislation yesterday that seeks to overturn recently finalized Environmental Protection Agency rules that tighten emissions limits on heavy-duty truck and engine manufacturers. [more]

AGING | A new study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health says that the rates of functional limitation and disability among 54 million Americans aged 65 and older fell significantly between 2008 and 2017 and that the decreases were more pronounced in women than in men. [more]

PANDEMIC FRAUD | In Congressional testimony yesterday, U.S. Department of Labor Inspector General Larry D. Turner said that about $191 billion in pandemic unemployment insurance payments in the U.S. may have been improper or fraudulent. [more]

JAPAN AND PHILIPPINES | Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. are expected to sign agreements today in Tokyo that would expand their nations’ defense cooperation, including allowing Japanese forces to take part in training exercises and responding to natural disasters in the Philippines. [more]

CANADA | Police in Laval, Quebec, say two children were killed and six others injured yesterday when a bus driver drove his vehicle into a local day care center. Reports say the suspect, 51-year-old Pierre St-Amand has been charged with first degree murder and other charges and that the motive behind the incident is under investigation. [more]

NORTH KOREA | Reports say about a dozen intercontinental ballistic missiles were on display last night in a North Korean military parade in Pyongyang marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of the country’s army. [more]

AUSTRALIA | Reports say the Australian Defense Department plans to remove all surveillance cameras made by companies linked to the Chinese Communist Party from its facilities over concerns that the cameras could be infected with malware or spyware. Similar moves were made recently by the U.S. and U.K. governments. [more]

COVID-19 | Health officials in Singapore have announced a major relaxation of COVID-19-related restrictions under which travelers will no longer be required to show coronavirus test results or purchase related travel insurance, and masks will no longer be required to be worn in most public settings. The new policies are set to take effect February 13. [more]

JOB CUTS | The Walt Disney Company has announced plans to cut about 7,000 jobs, or 3% of its global workforce, as part of a cost-saving and reorganization plan under recently re-installed CEO Bob Iger. [more]

HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY | Pharmacy giant CVS Health has announced plans to purchase primary care clinic provider Oak Street Health for an estimated $10.6 billion. [more]

COLLEGE BASKETBALL | With last night’s 59-52 loss to Marquette and a loss to South Carolina earlier this week, the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team has lost consecutive games for the first time in 30 years. [more]

NBA | As part of a three-team, eight-player deal reported last night, Russell Westbrook will be traded from Los Angeles to Utah and guard D’Angelo Russell will move from Minnesota to Los Angeles. In other trade activity, Phoenix will reportedly acquire 13-time All-Star Kevin Durant and forward T.J. Warren from Brooklyn in exchange for multiple players and draft picks. The deals came just ahead of today’s NBA trade deadline. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1996, German physicist Peter Armbruster and his team of scientists synthesized chemical element 112, a heavy transuranium element that was later named copernicium. [more history]