July 31, 2023

UKRAINE | Today is day 522 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Officials in the southern Ukraine city of Kryvyi Rih say at least four people were killed, and at least 43 others were wounded, today when Russian missiles struck two residential buildings and an educational facility in the city. [more]
• The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday that Saudi Arabia plans to host senior officials from up to 30 countries, including Ukraine and major Western powers, but not Russia, for talks aimed at examining avenues for peace in Ukraine. The talks are reported to be scheduled to be held August 5-6 in the city of Jeddah. [more]

ARIZONA | Continuing the city’s record-setting heatwave, Phoenix, Arizona, had its 31st consecutive day with temperatures of at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius) yesterday. [more]

ARKANSAS | A ruling by U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks on Saturday temporarily blocked an Arkansas law due to take effect August 1 that would have allowed criminal charges against librarians and booksellers for providing materials deemed “harmful” to minors. [more]

CALIFORNIA | The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says firefighters continue to battle two large fires in the state — the York Fire in in the Mojave National Preserve, which has burned more than 110 square miles, and the Bonny Fire, which has burned about 3.4 square miles in Riverside County. [more]

TRUMP INVESTIGATIONS | According to the Washington Post, former U.S. President Donald Trump’s Save America political action committee is expected to report today that it spent about $40 million in the first half of 2023 on legal fees to defend Trump, his advisors, and others. [more]

U.S. SUPREME COURT | Amidst Congressional calls for a code of ethics for U.S. Supreme Court justices, Justice Samuel Alito said in an interview published in the Wall Street Journal on Friday that Congress lacks the power to impose such a code on the Court. [more]

PAKISTAN | Pakistani officials say at least 54 people were killed, and nearly 200 others were injured, yesterday when a suicide bomber set off his explosive vest in a crowd attending a Jamiat Ulema Islam political party rally in the Bajur district of the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Investigators say initial evidence suggests that the Islamic State militant group was responsible for the attack, though no claims of responsibility have yet been made. [more]

NIGER | The 15-nation Economic Community of West African States yesterday authorized the use of force in Niger if democratically-elected President Mohamed Bazoum, who was deposed in last week’s military coup, is not reinstated within a week. The 55-nation African Union has also issued a 15-day ultimatum for Bazoum’s reinstallation as president. [more]

LEBANON | The United Nations’ relief agency for Palestinian refugees says at least six people were killed in internal clashes at the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in southern Lebanon yesterday. Reports suggest the fighting is primarily between the Palestinian nationalist group Fatah and supporters of Islamic State-affiliated militant groups. [more]

AUSTRALIA | Australian defense ministry officials say four crew members of an army MRH-90 Taipan helicopter died Friday when their aircraft crashed during a multinational training exercise. The country’s entire fleet of Taipan helicopters has been grounded while the cause of the crash is investigated. [more]

GAZA | Reports say Hamas government security forces acted quickly yesterday to disperse thousands of people taking part in demonstrations in multiple Gaza Strip cities over chronic power outages and difficult economic and living conditions in the region. [more]

IRAQ | Iraqi government officials say most of the country’s southern and central regions, where temperatures reached 116.6 degrees Fahrenheit (47 degrees Celsius), were without power Saturday following a fire at the Al-Bkir power substation in Basra that severed electrical transmission lines. [more]

U.K. | British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak today confirmed U.K. government plans to grant at least 100 new North Sea oil and gas extraction licenses as part of efforts to increase the country’s energy independence, prompting criticism from environmental groups. [more]

GOLF | Lee Hodges shot a final-round 67 yesterday to win his first PGA Tour event, the 3M Open, by seven strokes. Also yesterday, French player Céline Boutier shot a final round 3-under-par 68 to win the LPGA’s Evian Championship. [more]

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE | "Barbie" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $93 million in receipts, followed by "Oppenheimer," and "Haunted Mansion." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 2006, because of health problems, longtime Cuban leader Fidel Castro handed over provisional power to his brother Raúl Castro, who served as the country's acting president until officially assuming the post in 2008. [more history]