October 4, 2023

UKRAINE | Today is day 587 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• The Russian Defense Ministry said today that its forces shot down 31 Ukrainian drones in an overnight attack on border regions and that a Ukrainian attempt to deploy a group of soldiers by sea to the western region of Russia-annexed Crimea was thwarted by Russian aircraft. Ukrainian officials say a Russian air defense and radar complex in the western Russian region of Belgorod were damaged in the drone attack. [more]
• At the Warsaw Security Forum yesterday, NATO Military Committee chair Admiral Rob Bauer warned of low Western military ammunition stockpiles and urged an increase in production to meet the ongoing need for munitions aid to Ukraine. [more]

NOBEL PRIZES | Three U.S.-based scientists – Moungi Bawendi, of MIT, Louis Brus, of Columbia University, and Alexei Ekimov, of Nanocrystals Technology Inc. – were named recipients of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry today for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots – tiny particles that can release very bright colored light and have applications in various fields, including electronics and medical imaging. [more]

U.S. GUN VIOLENCE | Five people, four of them students, were wounded in a shooting incident yesterday evening at Baltimore’s Morgan State University. Authorities have not released any information about a suspect or suspects and say no arrests have been made in connection with the shooting, which prompted an hours-long lockdown at the historically Black college. [more]

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES | Kevin McCarthy was removed from his position as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday after a majority of House members present and voting supported vacating the office – the first time in U.S. history that a Speaker has been removed by a vote of members. Eight Republicans joined Democrats in supporting McCarthy’s removal, which was prompted by a motion from Florida GOP Representative Matt Gaetz. North Carolina Republican Patrick McHenry was named speaker pro tempore and announced that the House would recess until next Tuesday while the Republican majority considers candidates for the role of Speaker. The House is unable to conduct legislative business until a new Speaker is elected. [more]

U.S. EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM TEST | The Federal Emergency Management Agency is scheduled to begin a nationwide test of emergency alert systems today at 2:20 p.m., during which messages and alerts will be broadcast to radio, television, and all consumer cell phones. FEMA officials say the purpose of the test is to ensure that the alert systems continue to be an effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on a national level. [more]

TRUMP FRAUD TRIAL | New York State Judge Arthur Engoron imposed a limited gag order on participants in former President Donald Trump’s civil business fraud trial yesterday, ordering all parties not to malign court staff. Engoron’s order followed a social media post by Trump that complained of alleged connections between Engoron’s principal law clerk and Democratic leaders. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | The Labor Department reported yesterday that U.S. employers posted 9.6 million job openings in August – up from 8.9 million in July and the first increase in three months. Economists say the level of job openings indicates a strong labor market despite high interest rates. [more]

U.S. IMMIGRATION | New York City Mayor Eric Adams begins a four-day trip to Latin America today during which he is expected to discourage migrants from seeking asylum in his city amidst and overwhelmed shelter system and limited financial resources. Adams is scheduled to visit Mexico, Ecuador, and Colombia during his trip. [more]

U.S. AND CHINA | The U.S. Justice and Treasury Departments yesterday announced a series of indictments and sanctions against eight Chinese companies and 12 executives, accusing them of advertising, manufacturing, and distributing precursor chemicals for synthetic opioids like fentanyl that contribute to overdose deaths in the United States. [more]

INDIA | Indian military authorities say at least 23 army soldiers are missing today following flash floods in the country’s northeastern Himalayan-region state of Sikkim that submerged multiple army camps. [more]

EUROPEAN MIGRATION | Reports say representatives of the 27 European Union member states have reached an agreement on a framework for sharing responsibility for caring for refugees and migrants in crisis situations. [more]

PAKISTAN | Pakistani Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti announced yesterday that all unauthorized Afghan asylum seekers in Pakistan – estimated to be as many as 1.7 million people – must leave Pakistan by November or face forced deportation. The announcement comes amidst increased violence in the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which Islamabad blames on Afghanistan-based operatives, though Bugti did not directly reference the violence in his announcement. [more]

TAIWAN | Schools are closed, and flights are canceled, in some parts of Taiwan today in anticipation of strong winds and heavy rain from Typhoon Koinu. The storm is projected to to make landfall in the island’s southeastern region either tonight or tomorrow morning. [more]

MORE TAIWAN | Two leaders of the Taiwan People’s Communist Party were indicted yesterday on charges of colluding with China to influence the island’s 2024 presidential and legislative elections. Prosecutors say the two men violated laws by accepting funds and other benefits from China’s ruling Communist Party. [more]

ITALY | Italian authorities say 21 people were killed, and at least 15 others were injured, yesterday when a bus carrying mostly foreign tourists fell from an elevated street in Venice and caught fire. The cause of the accident is under investigation. [more]

SLOVAKIA | Authorities in Slovakia announced plans today to impose temporarily heightened controls on its border with Hungary due to the high number of illegal migrants crossing into the country from Hungary. The move follows announcements by the Czech Republic, Poland, and Austria to place temporary controls on their borders with Slovakia due to migration issues. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, which orbited Earth until 1958, inaugurated the space age, and heightened Cold War competition between the U.S.S.R. and the United States. [more history]