Daily briefing · Tuesday, October 20

Russian strikes disrupt Ukraine’s electricity, heat and water

Russian missile and drone attacks deprived more than half a million people in Ukraine of electricity, heating and running water, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday. He said 28 substations and other critical energy facilities were hit. Officials reported a woman killed in Kyiv. The disruption shows how damage to the power system can interrupt several essential services simultaneously as winter approaches. Ukrainian officials also reported failures in advance warnings. U.S. officials maintained that intelligence sharing had continued, leaving unresolved what information reached Ukraine before the attack. Zelenskyy says Ukraine got no early warning from partners as Russia hits the power grid again

Federal prosecutors charge 28 in California election cases

Federal prosecutors charged 28 lawful permanent residents in California with election or citizenship-related offenses; 11 were arrested Monday. The allegations include unlawful voting, fraudulent registration and false statements in naturalization paperwork. All defendants are presumed innocent. Permanent residence gives legal immigration status but no right to vote in federal elections. The cases accompany a federal effort to set aside mail ballots from more than 20,000 people identified as likely noncitizens. These charges do not establish the accuracy of that wider list. Justice Department Charges 28 Foreign Nationals in California for Election Crimes

French cities introduce partial overnight curfews

French authorities announced partial overnight curfews Monday in Paris, Lille, Lyon and other cities following weekend cost-of-living demonstrations, looting and damage to public buildings. Officials said the restrictions would run from Monday evening into Tuesday morning to protect businesses. Separately, a small group of protesters blocked the Louvre Monday, closing the museum to visitors. The demonstrations began with demands for better high-school conditions before broadening to living costs. France announces curfews as government grapples with unrest

Japan launches mission to sample a moon of Mars

Japan’s MMX spacecraft launched early Tuesday in Japan and successfully separated from its H3 rocket. JAXA said it was operating normally. The mission aims to collect at least 10 grams of material from Phobos, with arrival near Mars expected next August. Scientists want to distinguish between two explanations for Mars’s moons: captured asteroids or debris from an ancient collision. A French-German rover, Idefix, will conduct surface observations aimed at helping the spacecraft land safely. Japan probe on its way to Mars moon

Brazil orders Meta to demonstrate equal campaign treatment

Brazil’s electoral court gave Meta 24 hours Monday to demonstrate equal treatment of the presidential runoff campaigns of Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro. It also doubled a potential daily noncompliance fine to one million reais. Lula’s campaign alleges suppression of its content. Meta denies political favoritism and has acknowledged technical errors that wrongly deactivated some advertisements. The ruling seeks evidence of compliance with an earlier order applying the same rules to both candidates. With voting scheduled for October 25, the dispute has immediate significance; deliberate favoritism remains an allegation. Brazil court orders Meta to prove it gives Lula, Bolsonaro campaign content equal treatment

Nature talks open with subsidies and financing in focus

Formal United Nations biodiversity negotiations opened Monday in Yerevan, Armenia, with financing and environmentally harmful subsidies prominent on the agenda. Nearly 200 countries agreed in 2022 to halt and reverse nature loss, including conserving 30% of land and oceans by 2030. Another commitment is to reduce harmful incentives by $500 billion annually by that year. Conservation funding supports protection and restoration, while subsidy reform changes incentives for activities that damage habitats. Nations urged to curb harmful subsidies at UN nature summit

Birds carry nutrients that sustain forests and reefs

A review of nearly 400 studies, published Monday in Current Biology, describes how birds move nutrients between feeding grounds, nesting sites and surrounding ecosystems. Nitrogen and phosphorus released in their waste can support vegetation, coral reefs and fish communities. Flight carries those nutrients across barriers such as oceans and mountains. The review also highlights restoration work: seabird perches attracted birds whose deposits helped seagrass recover. Effects vary by species and location. Together, the findings explain how the disappearance of a bird colony can change the productivity of habitats well beyond its nests. Birds are among Earth’s most important nutrient-movers

Office Space actor Richard Riehle dies at 78

Representatives for Richard Riehle announced Monday that the character actor died October 15, aged 78. No cause of death was disclosed. Across almost five decades, he appeared in films including Office Space, Glory and The Fugitive. His work ranged from authority figures in dramas to anxious employee Tom Smykowski in Office Space. He also appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Voyager and Enterprise, and performed on Broadway, including a 1999 revival of The Iceman Cometh with Paul Giamatti. Richard Riehle, actor in ‘Glory’ and ‘Office Space,’ dies