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Russian Invasion of Ukraine
The main pipeline carrying Russian oil to the Baltic sea, Nord Stream 1, was halted indefinitely. The Kremlin says the pipeline cannot operate without maintenance work prohibited by the current sanctions. Vladimr Putin said the oil would resume flowing after the west lifted economic sanctions. But the Nord Stream pipeline was sabotaged, halting most the oil from Russia to Europe.
Putin Announces Annexation of Ukraine Territory
It comes after votes were staged in the four regions, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, that were widely criticized as rigged and preordained. Russian-installed local officials were accompanied by armed personnel going door to door.
Meanwhile at a Ukaine nuclear power plant
On September 9, 2022, there was a fire at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. The fire was caused by shelling by Russian forces, who had been attacking the plant for several days. The fire was extinguished without causing any significant damage to the plant, but it raised concerns about the safety of nuclear power plants in the midst of war.
In Afghanistan, the Taliban Attacks Girls Getting an Education
In Afganistan a suicide bomber targeted an Hazara education center full of young women, 26 of whom were killed. Hazara is an ethnic minority group that has long faced oppression, and since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021 there have been multiple attacks against the Hazara community. The Islamic State of Khorasan Province has claimed responsibility for 13 attacks against the Hazaras and been linked to three more that have killed and injured at least 700 people.
In neighboring Pakistan, historic floods that submerged one-third of the country.
The floods were caused by monsoon rains that were heavier than usual. The floods caused widespread damage, displacing millions of people and destroying homes, crops, and infrastructure.
US Economy
Inflation Driven by Car Prices
Due to higher interest rates and supply shortages, the price of used cars has increased signficantly. Sales of the national used car dealer CarMax were down 6% from the previous year. Used car prices are a key inflation measure in the Consumer Price Index, and were up 48% from August 2019. New car prices hit a record last month, up 30% over the last three years.
Interest Rates Rise to Fight Inflation
The US Federal Reserve announced it will fight inflation by raising interest rates, at the expense of higher unemployment and a recession.
Hurricane Ian Slams Florida
Hurricane Ian made landfall in South Carolina after producing catastrophic damage earlier in Florida, where at least a dozen people were killed after it unleashed 14 inches of rain and winds up to 60 mph. Ian is now expected to produce life-threatening storm surge, high winds and flooding rainfall across the Carolinas.
All Hail the Queen
Queen Elizabeth II died at the age of 96. Prince Charles assumed the throne.