July 20, 2023

UKRAINE | Today is day 511 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ukrainian officials say at least one person was killed, and at least 27 others were wounded, overnight in the third-straight night of southern Ukraine cities, including Odesa and Mykolaiv, being targeted by Russian missile and drone attacks. [more]
• After Ukraine said it would set up temporary shipping routes in response to Russia’s withdrawal from a deal allowing the export of grain from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, the Russian defense ministry said yesterday that it would consider any ships traveling to Ukraine to be potentially carrying military cargo and that “the flag countries of such ships will be considered parties to the Ukrainian conflict.” [more]

NEW YORK CITY | In a settlement agreement filed in Manhattan federal court yesterday, New York City agreed to pay more than $13 million to settle a civil rights lawsuit filed on behalf of about 1,300 people who were arrested or beaten by police during 2020 demonstrations in the city sparked by the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis. [more]

FLORIDA | A federal judge in Florida said yesterday that his injunction blocking a Florida law targeting drag shows applies to all venues in the state, not just to the restaurant that challenged the law. U.S. District Judge Gregory Presnell ordered the law suspended until a trial is held to determine its constitutionality. [more]

U.S. AND CHINA | 100-year-old former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger met with Chinese president Xi Jinping today in Beijing, following which Chinese officials said that the meeting emphasized the need for respect, co-operation and "peaceful co-existence” between the U.S. and China. U.S. officials noted that Kissinger’s visit to China is being conducted as a private citizen, but that they would not be surprised to be briefed on the discussions. [more]

U.S. AND VIETNAM | U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is in Vietnam today, where she met with government officials and central bank executives. Following the meetings, Yellen announced a new economic policy dialogue between the State Bank of Vietnam and the U.S. Treasury Department, and said the U.S. considers Vietnam a “key partner in advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific.” [more]

IRAQ AND SWEDEN | Protesters stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, early today following reports that authorities in Sweden approved an application for a demonstration outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm that includes plans to burn a copy of the Quran and the Iraqi flag. [more]

NEW ZEALAND | Police in Auckland, New Zealand, say two people were killed, and five others, including a police officer, were wounded early this morning when a 24-year-old gunman opened fire on workers at a construction site where he had previously worked. Reports say the gunman was killed during an exchange of fire with police officers. [more]

KENYA | Reports say as many as six people may have been killed by police this week amidst widespread protests in Kenya against tax hikes and cost-of-living increases. Kenya’s interior ministry says more than 300 people were arrested during protests yesterday. [more]

INDIA | Reports say at least five people were killed, and multiple others remain missing, following a landslide that buried 17 houses today in India’s western Maharashtra state. More than 100 people have been killed in floods and landslides brought on by monsoon rains in India over the past two weeks. [more]

PAKISTAN | The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militant group has claimed responsibility for an attack on a roadside checkpoint overnight in Peshawar, Pakistan, in which two police officers were killed and two others were wounded. [more]

BANKING | The U.S. Federal Reserve yesterday fined Germany’s Deutsche Bank $186 million for failing to make sufficient progress since 2018 on initiatives to fight money-laundering, comply with international sanctions, and improve customer due diligence. [more]

WOMEN’S WORLD CUP | Co-host New Zealand beat Norway, 1-0, today to win the opening match of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The win was New Zealand’s first-ever World Cup victory. In the tournament's second match, Australia, the other co-host, beat Ireland, 1-0. [more]

GOLF | The 151st British Open golf tournament opens today at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England. This year’s tournament has a record $3 million prize for the winner. [more]

BROADWAY | Members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees union, which represents some 1,500 stagehands and other backstage workers at New York City’s Broadway venues, are voting on a strike resolution today. Reports say a vote to strike could shut down Broadway shows as early as tomorrow. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1969, the Eagle lunar landing module, carrying U.S. astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin (“Buzz”) Aldrin, landed on the Moon. Several hours later Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the Moon's surface.  [more history]