July 13, 2023

UKRAINE | Today is day 504 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• According to an Associated Press investigative report, thousands of Ukrainian civilians are being held in Russian prisons and detention centers in both Ukraine and Russia, with some being used for slave labor and as human shields near battle lines. [more]
• Ukrainian officials say 20 Russian attack drones, most of which targeted Kyiv, were shot down overnight, but that at least one person was killed, four others were injured, and several homes were damaged by falling debris. [more]

JANUARY 6 | The U.S. Justice Department filed court papers yesterday signaling its intent to appeal the prison sentences given to Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and the group's Florida chapter leader Kelly Meggs following their convictions for seditious conspiracy in connection with the January 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol. The Department says the prison terms - 18 years for Rhodes and 12 years for Meggs - were shorter than what prosecutors had sought and below the recommended range under federal guidelines. [more]

HOLLYWOOD | The SAG-AFTRA film and television actors' union says its leadership will vote today on whether to strike after mediation failed to result in an agreement on pay and other issues with producers and studios by last night’s contract deadline. [more]

ILLINOIS | Hundreds of flights at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport were disrupted yesterday when a tornado touched down near the airport. [more]

SUDAN | The U.N. human rights office says a mass grave containing at least 87 bodies has been discovered in the West Darfur region of Sudan and that there is “credible evidence” the victims were killed by the country’s paramilitary forces and ordered buried in late June. [more]

SOUTH CHINA SEA | Foreign ministers from China and the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations met today in Indonesia and agreed to work toward finalizing a long-delayed nonaggression pact aimed at preventing territorial disputes over the South China Sea from escalating into armed conflict by 2026. [more]

INDIA | Officials in northern India say more than 100 people have been killed this week in flooding and landslides caused by record monsoon rains, with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and the capital New Delhi having been hit particularly hard. [more]

PAKISTAN | Officials in Pakistan’s southwestern Baluchistan province say 12 soldiers and seven insurgents were killed yesterday in multiple clashes in the region, which is the site of a decades-long low-level insurgency by several separatist groups. [more]

TURKEY AND SWEDEN | The Swedish Supreme Court today rejected an extradition request by Turkey for two men accused of joining the movement of U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Turkey blames for a failed 2016 coup. [more]

U.K. | Treasury minister John Glen said today that the U.K. government has agreed to adopt recommendations from pay review boards for pay increases to millions of public sector workers, including increases of at least 6% for the country’s junior doctors and teachers. [more]

CHINESE ECONOMY | Data released today by China’s customs service shows that the country’s exports fell 12.4% in June compared to the year-ago period, but rose slightly from the May level. [more]

GERMANY | Reports say members of the Last Generation climate activist group blocked a runway at the airport in Hamburg, Germany, today, causing numerous flights to be cancelled. [more]

SOCCER | Panama and Mexico will meet in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final on Sunday in Inglewood, California, after advancing with semifinal wins yesterday over the U.S. and Jamaica, respectively.  [more]

ESPY AWARDS | Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and skier Mikaela Shiffrin were named the best men’s and women’s athletes, respectively, at last night’s 2023 ESPY Awards. [full list of winners] [more]

EMMY AWARDS | “Succession” led last night’s Emmy Awards nomination slate with 27 nominations, followed by “The Last of Us” with 24, “The White Lotus” with 23, and “Ted Lasso” with 21. [full nominee list] [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1985, the benefit concert Live Aid was held simultaneously at Wembley Stadium in London and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. Organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, the event drew an estimated 1.5 billion television viewers and raised millions of dollars for famine relief in Ethiopia. [more history]