July 24, 2023

UKRAINE | Today is day 515 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Russian officials say Ukrainian forces launched two separate drone attacks on Russian territory early today — one on Moscow and one on the annexed region of Crimea. Reports say the Moscow attack struck two non-residential buildings, one of which was near the Defense Ministry, while the Crimea attack struck an ammunition depot, forcing the temporary closure of a major highway and a railway crossing. [more]
• Oleh Kiper, governor of Ukraine’s Odesa region, suggested in an interview today that ongoing Russian air strikes on Odesa and other Black Sea cities are an attempt to “fully block the export of our grain and make the world starve.” [more]

TILL MEMORIAL | Reports say U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to sign a proclamation tomorrow establishing a national monument honoring Emmett Till, the black teenager killed in Mississippi in 1954 after being accused of whistling at a white woman. [more]

NEW YORK | President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for the State of New York on Saturday, freeing up federal aid for recovery efforts related to severe storms and flooding in the state earlier this month. [more]

ALABAMA | Lawmakers in Alabama on Friday approved a new congressional districting map that increases the percentage of black voters in one of its districts, but failed to create a second black-majority district in the state as ordered in a court ruling upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. [more]

TRUMP DOCUMENTS TRIAL | U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon ruled Friday that the trial of former President Donald Trump on charges of mishandling and improperly retaining classified documents after leaving office will begin on May 20, 2024. [more]

ISRAEL | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was released from the hospital today following an emergency heart procedure during which he had a pacemaker implanted. Netanyahu’s release comes as Israel’s parliament voted today to approve an initial part of his government’s judicial reform plan amidst widespread protests against the initiatives. [more]

CHINA | Reports say 11 people were killed — an unknown number of them students — yesterday when the roof of a middle school gymnasium collapsed in the northeast China city of Qiqihar. [more]

GREECE | More than 19,000 people were evacuated from the Greek island of Rhodes over the weekend, with more expected today, due to the area’s ongoing major wildfire, which is being spread by strong winds and high temperatures. [more]

KOREA | British Lieutenant General Andrew Harrison, deputy commander of the United Nations Command in Korea, said today that the U.N. Command has started conversations with North Korea regarding U.S. Private Second Class Travis King, who fled into North Korea last week. Pyongyang has remained silent on King’s status since last Tuesday’s border crossing. [more]

INDONESIA | Officials in Indonesia’s Southeast Sulawesi province say at least 15 people died when an overcrowded passenger boat capsized early this morning near the village of Lagili. [more]

SUDAN | Sudanese authorities say nine people were killed when a civilian plane crashed while taking off from an airport in the eastern city of Port Sudan last night. Reports say the crash appears to be unrelated to the country’s ongoing civil war and officials suggest a technical failure was responsible. [more]

MIGRANT SMUGGLING | International policing agencies Europol and Interpol jointly announced today that 62 people have been arrested in connection with investigations into a criminal network that worked to illegally smuggle migrants from Cuba to the European Union and provide them with false documentation. [more]

CAMEROON | Reports say at least 33 people were killed yesterday when a four-story building in Cameroon’s largest city, Douala, collapsed into a smaller building. Authorities say search and rescue efforts are continuing at the site today. [more]

SPAIN | Following national elections over the weekend, Spain is expected to face weeks of political gridlock after no party or coalition received a clear mandate from voters. Reports say Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist party will attempt to form a coalition government, but that new elections could be called if it fails to do so within three months. [more]

GOLF | Brian Harman shot a final-round one-under-par 70 yesterday to win the 151st British Open by six shots. [more]

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE | "Barbie" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $155 million in receipts, followed by "Oppenheimer," and "Sound of Freedom." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1915, in one of the worst maritime disasters in American history, the passenger liner SS Eastland capsized in the Chicago River, killing more than 840 people, in Chicago, Illinois.  [more history]