June 8, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 105 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said today that Russian forces control nearly all of the Luhansk province -- one of two provinces that make up Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. [more]
• Reports say Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is scheduled to hold talks with Turkish officials today on a plan that could allow the export of grain and other crops from Ukraine. [more]
• The Norwegian defense ministry announced today that Norway has donated 22 self-propelled howitzers, along with related spare parts and ammunition, to Ukraine. [more]

GERMANY | Police in Berlin, Germany, say at least one person was killed and 30 others injured this morning when a man drove a car into a crowd near the city's Gedaechtniskirche church. Officials say it is not yet clear if the occurrence was an accident or a deliberate act. [more]

JANUARY 6 | A series of televised public hearings by the congressional committee investigating the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol begins Thursday night at 8 p.m EDT. [more]

GLOBAL ECONOMY | The World Bank yesterday lowered its forecast of global economic growth for 2022 to 2.9% -- down 1.2% from its January forecast -- and warned that many countries face recession due to the war in Ukraine and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. [more]

INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION | The U.S. has collected $3.2 billion in corporate pledges from multiple companies to aid in addressing economic factors driving migration out of Central America, according to a statement released by the office of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. The statement came ahead of the U.S.-hosted Summit of the Americas, which opens today in Los Angeles, at which migration is expected to be a major focus.  [more]

IRAN | Officials in Iran say at least 21 people were killed and 50 more injured when a train derailed near the eastern Iran city of Tabas today. [more]

MORE FROM IRAN | Iranian officials removed two surveillance cameras operated by the International Atomic Energy Agency from one of the country's nuclear facilities today, according to reports on Iranian state TV. [more]

COVID-19 | An FDA panel of advisors yesterday recommended approval of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine. If approved, the vaccine, which is produced through more traditional methods than the Pfizer, Moderna, and J&J coronavirus vaccines, would be the fourth COVID vaccine available in the U.S. for initial or booster vaccination. [more]

UNITED NATIONS | Hungarian Ambassador Csaba Korosi was elected the next president of the U.N. General Assembly yesterday. Korosi, whose term begins in September, warned following his election that the world faces multiple crises, including climate change and food, energy, and water supply challenges. [more]

E-COMMERCE | In its latest annual "Brand Protection Report," e-commerce giant Amazon says it prevented 4 billion bad listings from being posted on its sites and removed more than 3 million counterfeit products from the marketplace in 2021. [more]

U.S. LOBBYING | Reports say the FBI has seized the electronic data of retired four-star Marine general John R. Allen as part of an investigation into alleged illegal foreign lobbying on behalf of the Persian Gulf nation of Qatar. [more]

INDIA | The Reserve Bank of India raised its key interest rate to 4.9% today -- the second increase by the bank in three weeks -- as part of its ongoing efforts to fight inflation. [more]

NFL | The Denver Broncos have reportedly reached a deal under which the football team will be purchased by a group led by members of the Walton family -- heirs to the Walmart fortune. The sale price was not publicly disclosed, but media reports in Denver say the deal was for $4.65 billion. [more]

R.I.P. | Jim Seals, half of the 1970s musical duo Seals and Crofts, whose hits included “Summer Breeze,” and “Diamond Girl," died Monday at the age of 80, according to statements from his family. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1949, British author George Orwell published his dystopian classic "Nineteen Eighty-four," a warning against totalitarianism that introduced such concepts as Big Brother and the Thought Police. [more history]