June 26, 2023

UKRAINE | Today is day 487 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• The U.S., U.K., France, Ukraine, and Albania called on Friday for a U.N. investigation into evidence that Russia has used Iranian-made attack drones in its invasion of Ukraine in violation of a 2015 Security Council resolution that prohibits all countries from transferring weapons from Iran without advance Security Council approval. [more]
• Defense Ministry officials in Denmark said today that the training of Ukrainian pilots on the country’s fleet of F-16 fighter jets, which is due to be replaced over the next two years, has begun and that consideration will be given to the possibility of donating the older fighter jets to Ukraine. [more]

RUSSIA | The Wagner mercenary group and its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin took control of the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don -- the site of Russia's southern military command headquarters -- over the weekend and began a march on Moscow to demand the ouster of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Staff chief Gen. Valery Gerasimov. The Wagner action was called off following a deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that reports say will see Prigozhin exiled to Belarus and Russian President Vladimir Putin drop treason and armed rebellion charges against Prigozhin and the Wagner Group. [more]

U.S. GUN VIOLENCE | Police in Kansas City, Missouri, say at least three people were killed, and five others were injured, in a shooting incident thought to be linked to a large gathering outside an auto mechanic shop known to host informal after-hours gatherings. One person has been taken into police custody as a "person of interest" in the case. [more]

MORE U.S. GUN VIOLENCE | Police in Saginaw, Michigan, say at least five different guns were used in a shooting by unknown persons during a street party in the city Saturday night. Two people were killed, and at least 12 others were wounded, in the shooting, for which no arrests have yet been made. [more]

GEORGIA | Gov. Brian Kemp has condemned two neo-Nazi demonstrations that took place over the weekend outside synagogues in the Georgia cities of Macon and East Cobb. Kemp called the demonstrations “disgusting acts of bigotry” and said there is “no place for this hate and antisemitism” in Georgia. [more]

GREEN TRANSIT | The U.S. Department of Transportation announced nearly $1.7 billion in grants today for the purchase of some 1,700 zero- and low-emission buses for public transit projects in 46 states and territories. Funding for the grants comes from the $1 trillion infrastructure bill signed into law in 2021. [more]

MISSOURI RIVER | The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has upheld a 2020 lower court ruling that the federal government must pay landowners for loss of value to land, crops, homes, and equipment caused by increased flooding since 2007 along the Missouri River that resulted from water management changes by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. [more]

MONTANA | Transportation and environmental officials are investigating the cause and potential hazardous effects following the collapse of a bridge over the Yellowstone River on Saturday that saw portions of a freight train carrying hazardous materials, including hot asphalt and molten sulfur, fall into the river. [more]

PAKISTAN | Authorities in Pakistan say at least 10 people were killed yesterday in lightning strikes associated with monsoon storms in the country’s eastern Punjab province. The Pakistan Meteorological Department says heavy rains are expected to continue in the region this week, raising the risk of flash flooding. [more]

GREECE | Following the center-right New Democracy party winning 158 of 300 parliamentary seats in yesterday’s elections in Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis was sworn in today for a second term as prime minister. [more]

GUATEMALA | Reports say preliminary results from yesterday’s presidential election in Guatemala indicate a likely August runoff between former first lady Sandra Torres and leftist Seed Party candidate Bernardo Arévalo. [more]

U.K. | Prince William, heir to the British throne, will reportedly announce details in the next few days of his “Homewards” initiative to end long-term homelessness in the United Kingdom. [more]

NORTH KOREA | According to reports by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency, an estimated 120,000 people took part in anti-U.S. rallies yesterday in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang as part of the country’s recognition of the 73rd anniversary of the start of the Korean War. [more]

HAJJ | The five-day Hajj pilgrimage — one of the five pillars of Islam and among the largest religious gatherings in the world — begins today in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, with an estimated 2 million Muslims expected to participate. [more]

CYBERSECURITY | Both the California Public Employees Retirement system — the largest public pension fund in the U.S. — and Genworth Financial say data breaches at the third-party vendor PBI Research, which works with both organizations, have resulted in the theft of personal information, including names, Social Security numbers, and birth dates, of more than three million customers. The data breaches are thought to be linked to exploitation of the MOVEit file-transfer program by the Russian hacking group CLOP. [more]

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL | Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman became the 295th player in major league history to reach 2,000 hits in last night’s 6-5 Dodgers’ loss to the Houston Astros. [more]

COLLEGE BASEBALL | The College World Series final is tied 1-1 following yesterday’s 24-4 Florida win over LSU. The decisive Game 3 is scheduled for Monday night. [more]

GOLF | China’s Ruoning Yin shot a final-round 4-under-par 67 yesterday to win the Women’s PGA Championship trophy at the Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey. [more]

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE | "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $19.3 million in receipts, followed by "Elemental," and "The Flash." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 2015, In Obergefell v. Hodges, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that state bans on same-sex marriage were unconstitutional.  [more history]