Friday,  September 23rd, 2022 

China‘s former justice minister Fu Zhenghua is sentenced to death with reprieve, which means his sentence will be life in prison without the possibility of parole, after pleading guilty to accepting bribes. (DW) 

Referendums beginintheRussianoccupied Ukrainianoblasts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia and the separatist republics of Donetsk and Luhansk on whether to join Russia, in what Ukraine and other countries consider to be “sham” referendums. (AFP via Barron’s) 

At least 1,300 protesters rallying against the mobilization are arrested throughout Russia. (BBC News) 

Ukraine and Russia release 55 Russian prisoners of war and 215 fighters from the Siege of Mariupol as part of a prisoner exchange mediated by Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Among those released are pro-Russian Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk, Azov Regiment commander Denys Prokopenko, and British volunteers Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner.  (BBC News) 

Seven people are killed and 41 others are injured when a car bomb explodes at a mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Reuters) 

Gunmen kill ten people in a mass shooting at a pool hall in Tarimoro, Guanajuato, Mexico. (CBS News) 

Bhutan reopens its borders for international tourists following a two-year closure due to the pandemic. (ANINews) 

Sanctions are imposed on seven Iranian government officials and one group by the United States Department of the Treasury, which blames the Guidance Patrol for the death of Mahsa Amini. (AP) 

At least three people are killed by an explosion at an oil refinery in Neuquén Province, Argentina. (AP) 

Thursday, September 22nd, 2022 

In a major address to the nation, Russian president Vladimir Putin announces a partial mobilization, with the exceptions of students and conscripts. (AP) 

Large amounts of fighting-age men flee Russia after the announcement of the mobilization. Long traffic jams form at border crossings out of Russia and the price of plane tickets out of Russia skyrocket. (BBC) 

Anti-mobilization and anti-war protests occur across Russia, with many arrests also occurring. (Reuters) 

Donetsk People’s Republic authorities accuse Ukraine of shelling a market in Donetsk, killing six civilians. (Times of Israel) 

Ukraine and Russia release 55 Russian prisoners of war and 215 fighters from the Siege of Mariupol respectively as part of a prisoner exchange mediated by Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Among the people released are pro-Russian Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk and British volunteer Aiden Aslin.  (BBC) 

Two Ukrainian staffers of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe are sentenced to 13 years of prison by a court in the separatist Luhansk People’s Republic for “alleged high treason and espionage for the United States.” (Politico) 

China‘s former justice minister Fu Zhenghua is sentenced to death with reprieve, which means his sentence will be life in prison without the possibility of parole, after pleading guilty to accepting bribes. (DW) 

Two people are killed by a 6.9 magnitude earthquake originating from Michoacán, Mexico. It is an aftershock of the earthquake three days ago. (The Guardian) 

Amid protests after the death of Mahsa Amini, Iran restricts access to Instagram and WhatsApp, among other websites. (Reuters) 

Lithuania places its rapid reaction force on high alert in response to Russia’s mobilization, according to Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas. (LRT) 

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says that Russia’s military mobilization is “dangerous and reckless”, and condemns Putin’s use of “nuclear rhetoric”. (Reuters) 

Three people are killed and 13 others are injured in an explosion at a restaurant in Deh Mazang, Kabul, Afghanistan. (AP) 

Hurricane Fiona reaches Category 4 as it moves from the Turks and Caicos Islands toward Bermuda. (CNN) 

Queen Margrethe II tests positive for COVID-19 for the second time. (The Guardian) 

World Taekwondo denies giving bribes in order to become an Olympic sport after allegations emerge from a former employee turned whistleblower. (The Guardian) 

The End