September 11, 2023

UKRAINE | Today is day 564 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• According to the latest British defense intelligence update, the Russian military intends to recruit 420,000 contract personnel by the end of 2023 and Russian officials say 280,000 have been recruited so far. The update suggests that military conscription and recruitment in Russia is having a negative effect on Russian non-defense workforce shortages. [more]
• Regional elections held in the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhia regions of Ukraine annexed by Russia last year concluded yesterday with Russian President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party receiving more than 70% of the vote in each territory, according to state-run news agencies. Ukraine and its western allies have dismissed the elections as a sham and continue to characterize the Russian annexations as illegal. [more]

PENNSYLVANIA | Police in Pennsylvania say escaped murderer Danelo Souza Cavalcante remains at large a week and a half after escaping from Chester County Prison and that he was sighted on video outside the active search perimeter over the weekend in East Pikeland Township, where he attempted to contact a former co-worker. [more]

HAWAII | The Hawaii Volcano Observatory says the Kilauea volcano began erupting on Hawaii’s Big Island yesterday after a two-month pause in activity, prompting local authorities to increase the volcano’s warning status and issue aviation alerts. [more]

U.S. LABOR | Talks between Detroit automakers and the United Auto Workers union are expected to continue today ahead of a threatened strike by the union if new contract agreements are not reached by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday. Industry analysts estimate that a 10-day strike could cost automakers General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis nearly one billion dollars. [more]

TRUMP GEORGIA ELECTION TRIAL | U.S. District Judge Steve Jones ruled on Friday that former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows’ trial in connection with alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia will take place in a Georgia state court and not in a federal court, as Meadows had been seeking. Attorneys for Meadows have indicated that he will appeal the ruling. [more]

NEW MEXICO | Citing the recent shooting deaths of three children as her reason, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Friday issued a 30-day ban on the open and concealed carrying of firearms in public in Albuquerque and neighboring jurisdictions by anyone other than law enforcement and licensed security officers. The ban has already been challenged in court, with opponents saying it is a violation of the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. [more]

HURRICANE LEE | Large waves and strong rip currents are expected for much of the week in portions of the Caribbean and along the east coast of the United States as Hurricane Lee, now a Category 3 storm, begins to move northward. The storm is not currently expected to make landfall. [more]

MOROCCO | Authorities in Morocco say at least 2,497 people were killed, and more than 2,400 others were injured, Friday night when a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the North African country. U.N. aid officials estimate that 300,000 people were affected by the quake, and the Moroccan government has announced that it is accepting international aid from just four countries – Spain, Qatar, the U.K., and the United Arab Emirates – due to concerns about lack of coordination between too many aid efforts. [more]

G-20 | While short of condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a compromise statement was adopted at this past weekend’s G-20 summit in India, saying “all states must refrain from the threat or use of force to seek territorial acquisition against the territorial integrity and sovereignty or political independence of any state.” Also at the summit, the African Union was added as a permanent G-20 member, and representatives agreed to significantly increase investments in green energy and funds for climate change-related disasters. [G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration] [more]

NORTH KOREA AND RUSSIA | North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has departed Pyongyang by train for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to South Korean media reports. The meeting, first posited last week, is expected to focus on security cooperation that could include North Korea providing arms and ammunition for use in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. [more]

NIGER | Niger’s military junta, which took control after a coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum last month, suggested Saturday that France is planning for possible military intervention in the African country in coordination with the Economic Community of West African States regional bloc. [more]

PAKISTAN | Reports say the Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for a roadside bombing early today in the northwestern city of Peshawar that killed a security officer and wounded nine other people. [more]

BASKETBALL | Germany beat Serbia, 83-77, yesterday to win the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Canada beat the USA, 127-118, to take third place. [final standings] [more]

TENNIS | Novak Djokovic beat Daniil Medvedev in straight sets yesterday to win the men’s title at the 2023 U.S. Open tennis tournament. On Saturday, Coco Gauff defeated Aryna Sabalenka to claim the women’s title. [more]

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE | "The Nun II" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $32.6 million in receipts, followed by "The Equalizer 3" and "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 2001, 19 militants associated with the al-Qaeda terrorist group hijacked four planes in the United States, crashing three into buildings at New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and the fourth into the ground in Pennsylvania. Some 3,000 people were killed in the September 11 attacks.  [more history]