August 11, 2023

UKRAINE | Today is day 533 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ukrainian authorities say at least one person was killed, and 19 others were wounded, yesterday evening when Russian missiles struck a hotel in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia. Reports say part of the hotel is used as child-care center during the day and that it frequently hosts U.N. personnel and aid workers. [more]
• Amidst corruption-related concerns and investigations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced today that the heads of all of Ukraine’s regional military recruitment centers will be dismissed from their jobs and replaced. [more]

HAWAII | As firefighters continue to battle multiple blazes on the Hawaiian island of Maui, authorities say at least 55 people have died due to wildfires on the island that prompted an emergency declaration approved by President Joe Biden yesterday and which are reported to have completely destroyed the historic seaside town of Lahaina. [more]

U.S. SUICIDES | According to provisional data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention yesterday, 49,449 people committed suicide in the U.S. in 2022 — up 2.6% from 2021, with the highest increases seen in adults over the age of 45. [more]

OPIOID SETTLEMENT | The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday put a hold on Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy proceedings and its proposed $6 billion opioid crisis settlement that would have protected the Sackler family, which controlled the company, from opioid-related civil claims. The Court is expected to formally consider the case in December and issue a ruling next year. [more]

TRUMP ELECTION TRIAL | U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan is set to hear arguments today regarding a request from prosecutors to limit the use and disclosure of evidence in former President Donald Trump’s trial on charges of attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Also, in a court filing yesterday, special counsel Jack Smith’s prosecution team proposed a January 2, 2024, start date for the trial, which is expected to be opposed by the defense. [more]

U.S. ELECTIONS | The Federal Election Commission voted unanimously yesterday to advance consideration of a petition asking the Commission to regulate the use of AI-generated deepfakes to misrepresent political opponents as saying or doing something they didn’t. [more]

CALIFORNIA | San Francisco’s Public Utilities Commission voted yesterday to approve the city-wide expansion of two autonomous robotaxi services, Cruise — a subsidiary of General Motors — and Waymo — a Google project spinoff. [more]

U.S. STORMS | The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration yesterday increased its prediction for the number of named Atlantic storms for 2023 to 14 to 21 — up from its initial May prediction of 12 to 17 storms. [more]

ILLINOIS | The Illinois Supreme Court is scheduled to issue a ruling today on a lawsuit challenging a state law that bans dozens of types of rifles and handguns and limits the ammunition capacity of firearms in the state. [more]

BANGLADESH | Health officials in Bangladesh have warned of possible record-breaking rates of the mosquito-born illness dengue this year. The South Asian country’s Directorate General of Health Services says it has recorded more than 78,000 dengue infections so far this year, with 364 related deaths — up from about 62,000 infections and 281 deaths in all of 2022. [more]

SYRIA | Reports say at least 20 Syrian soldiers were killed, and another 10 were wounded, yesterday when gunmen believed to be associated with the Islamic State militant group ambushed a bus carrying the soldiers in Syria’s eastern Deir el-Zour province. [more]

ECUADOR | The government of Ecuador has declared three days of national mourning following Wednesday’s assassination of anti-cartel activist and presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in Quito. Officials say six Colombian men were arrested yesterday in connection with the assassination. [more]

NIGER | The 15-nation West African regional bloc ECOWAS announced yesterday that is has ordered the formation of a “standby force” for possible use in restoring Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum to power — weeks after he was ousted in a military coup. [more]

RUSSIA | The unmanned Luna-25 lunar landing craft was launched toward the moon today by the Russian space agency - Russia's first moon landing mission since 1976, when it was part of the Soviet Union. [more]

TURKEY | Reports say at least 23 people were injured, and multiple buildings were damaged, yesterday when a 5.3-magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey. [more]

WOMEN’S WORLD CUP | Spain and Sweden advanced to the semi-finals of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup today with wins over the Netherlands and Japan, respectively. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1929, in a game against the Cleveland Indians, Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees hit his 500th career home run, becoming the first baseball player to reach that milestone. [more history]