May 10, 2023

UKRAINE | Today is day 440 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Officials with Ukraine’s Third Separate Assault Brigade said in a statement last night that Russia's 72nd Independent Motorized Rifle Brigade — composed of several thousand troops — has retreated from battle lines near Bakhmut, appearing to confirm a recent statement to that effect by Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner. [more]
• Governors of the Russian regions of Voronezh, Belgorod, and Kursk, all of which border Ukraine, say sites in their regions were targeted by drone attacks overnight. Damage to several buildings, but no casualties, were reported. [more]

TRUMP TRIAL | A federal jury yesterday found former U.S. President Donald Trump liable for the 1996 sexual battery of writer E. Jean Carroll and for defaming Carroll over her allegations against him. Jurors did not find that Trump raped Carroll, but awarded her $5 million in connection with the other charges. Following the decision, Trump continued to deny the charges and his attorneys indicated that they will file an appeal on his behalf. [more]

SANTOS | Reports say federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York have filed charges against U.S. Rep. George Santos, who has been the subject of allegations concerning campaign finance irregularities and fabrications about his background since being elected to Congress in 2022. The exact charges filed against Santos remain sealed pending a preliminary hearing in the case. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | Economists surveyed by the data company FactSet predict that government data due to be released today will show that consumer prices in the U.S rose 0.4% from March to April and that prices in April were 5% higher than the same period last year. [more]

WATER REGULATIONS | A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled yesterday that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency must regulate perchlorate — a drinking water contaminant that has been linked to brain damage in infants and that is commonly found in munitions, fireworks, matches, and signal flares.  The ruling reverses a 2020 EPA decision to not regulate the contaminant. [more]

CYBERSECURITY | The U.S. Justice Department said yesterday that it had disrupted the operations of a long-running cyberespionage campaign linked to Russia’s Federal Security Service that is alleged to have stolen documents from government, military, and other targets in more than 50 countries. [more]

SPYWARE | A new report by European Union lawmakers suggests that Poland has used the Pegasus spyware from Israel-based cyber-intelligence company NSO, “for the surveillance of the opposition and critics of the government -- designed to keep the ruling majority and the government in power,” and that the Hungarian government has used it as “part of a calculated and strategic campaign to destroy media freedom and freedom of expression.” [European Parliament statement] [more]

SOUTHEAST ASIA | At the start of a two-day summit in southern Indonesia today, leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations called for an immediate end to violence in Myanmar and for its government to implement a peace plan. [more]

PAKISTAN | Supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan clashed with police in cities across Pakistan yesterday and today in demonstrations sparked by Khan’s arrest yesterday by the country’s anti-corruption National Accountability Bureau. A judge in Islamabad ruled today that Khan can be held in custody for eight days for questioning. [more]

TUNISIA | The Tunisian Interior Ministry says three people were killed, and 10 others wounded, yesterday when a naval guard shot the victims as he tried to reach the Ghriba synagogue on the Mediterranean island of Djerba during an annual Jewish pilgrimage. Authorities say the motive for the shooting is still under investigation. [more]

NORTH KOREA | Reports say the U.S., Japan, and South Korea are involved in negotiations on a potential agreement to share real-time data on North Korean missile launches. The talks come amidst increased nuclear and missile threats from North Korea. [more]

RUSSIA | Russian state news agency Tass reports that at least 21 people have died in the past week in wildfires in Russia’s Kurgan and Tyumen provinces. [more]

SERBIA | Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic says citizens in his country have turned in more than 3,000 illegal weapons and parts, as well as tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition, in the first two days of a gun amnesty announced following two recent mass shootings in which 17 people were killed. [more]

SPAIN | Spain’s Civil Guard has reportedly arrested 26 people and identified some 250 infractions associated with the drilling of illegal wells in the country’s southern Axarquia area amidst the region’s ongoing drought. [more]

AUTO PROFITS | Japanese automaker Toyota has reported $4 billion in profit for the January-March quarter — up from $3.9 billion in the year-ago period. For its fiscal year ended in March, the company had $18 billion in profit — down 14% from the previous year. [more]

DOG SHOW | At last night’s 147th Westminster Kennel Club dog show, Buddy Holly, a petit basset griffon Vendéen, won the award for best in show. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1869, the tracks of the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific were joined at Promontory, Utah, to form the first transcontinental railway in the United States.   [more history]