September 12, 2023

UKRAINE | Today is day 565 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Speaking at an economic forum today in the eastern Russia city of Vladivostok, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that his country is ready for a prolonged war in Ukraine and said that any potential ceasefire in the conflict would be used by Ukraine to “replenish their resources and restore the combat capability of their armed forces.” [more]
• Swedish public radio reports that the Swedish government intends to ask its military to investigate the potential of providing Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine for use in defending against the Russian invasion. [more]

U.S. DIPLOMACY | Following the G-20 summit in India, President Joe Biden concluded his five-day international trip yesterday in Hanoi, Vietnam, where he and Vietnamese leaders highlighted new business agreements and partnerships between the two countries. [more]

TRUMP FEDERAL ELECTION TRIAL | Attorneys for former U.S. President Donald Trump filed a motion yesterday asking U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, the judge overseeing Trump’s federal trial on charges of conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election, to recuse herself from the case, citing what they suggest are impartial comments made by Chutkan in the sentencing of some January 6 defendants. [more]

ALABAMA | Following last week’s ruling by a lower court that rejected Alabama’s second GOP-led attempt to redraw the state’s congressional district map because it didn’t create a court-mandated second majority-Black district, Alabama’s attorney general asked the U.S. Supreme Court yesterday to intervene. The Supreme Court ruled against the state’s first redistricting plan earlier this year, refusing to overturn a court ruling that said the plan likely violated the Voting Rights Act. [more]

GOOGLE | The antitrust trial of Google begins today in Washington, DC, nearly three years after the U.S. Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit accusing the tech giant of using its internet search dominance to gain an unfair advantage against competitors. [more]

COVID-19 | Ahead of potential coronavirus infection surges this fall and winter, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration yesterday approved updated COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer/BionTech that increase protection against the virus’ latest variants. Required approval of the vaccines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected as early as today. [more]

U.S. AND IRAN | An agreement has reportedly been reached between Iran and the U.S. under which each country will release five detained citizens of the other country and the U.S. will issue a waiver clearing the way for $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds to be released from international banks. [more]

LIBYA | Humanitarian groups operating in Libya say as many as 2,000 people are feared dead in the country’s northeastern city of Derna following floods that caused at least two nearby dams to burst in the wake of Mediterranean Storm Daniel. Reports say up to 10,000 people in regions affected by the storm are currently considered missing. [more]

ISRAEL | Israel’s Supreme Court began hearings today to examine the legality of a measure passed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government that seeks to limit the Court’s power by removing its ability to strike down legislation and government appointments determined to be “unreasonable.”  The case is the Court’s first on matters related to judicial overhaul efforts, which have sparked months of protests by both supporters and opponents of the measures. [more]

LEBANON | Security officials in Lebanon say at least 10 people have been killed, and dozens of others have been wounded, since violence between rival groups in the country's Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp spiked over the weekend following a month-long ceasefire. [more]

CHINA | Heavy ongoing rain from former Typhoon Haikui has caused more than 100 landslides, trapped more than 1,300 residents, and killed at least seven people in China’s southern Guangxi region, according to state media reports. [more]

TAIWAN | Reports cite Taiwanese defense officials as saying 22 Chinese military aircraft and 20 Chinese naval vessels took part in drills near the island territory over the past 24 hours and that thirteen of the aircraft crossed the unofficial demarcation line between China and Taiwan. The increased Chinese military presence follows the weekend passage of U.S. and Canadian warships through the Taiwan Strait. [more]

EUROPEAN ENERGY | The European Parliament voted today to raise the European Union's 2030 renewable energy usage target to 42.5% of total consumption – up from the current target of 32%. [more]

TURKEY | American researcher Mark Dickey was successfully rescued from the Morca cave in southern Turkey’s Taurus Mountains today, more than a week after he became seriously ill and was trapped more than 3,000 feet below the cave’s entrance. [more]

APPLE | Tech giant Apple is expected to unveil its latest iPhone model and other new offerings at the company’s “Wonderlust” product event this afternoon. [more]

CYBERSECURITY | Many operations of leading casino and hotel company MGM Resorts have been suspended across the U.S. today following an apparent cyberattack. The company says its facilities remain operational, but reports indicate widespread issues with its reservation and booking systems, as well as its casino operations. [more]

FOOTBALL | In his regular season debut with the New York Jets last night, four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers left the game following just his fourth play due to injury. Reports say Rodgers is thought to have injured his left Achilles tendon. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1940, in Montignac, France, four teenage boys found the Lascaux cave, which contains one of the most outstanding displays of prehistoric art ever discovered. Lascaux was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979. [more history]