10 things you need to know today: August 6, 2023

A burned-out bus in Donetsk following a series of bombings.

(Image credit: Stringer / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

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1. Shelling kills at least 3 across Ukraine during overnight airstrikes
2. US knocked out of Women’s World Cup in stunning exit
3. Pence leaves door open to testify in Trump election trial
4. Kim Jong Un orders North Korean weapons factories to increase capacity
5. Train derailment in Pakistan leaves at least 20 dead, 40 injured
6. Teenager charged with hate crime murder in death of NYC dancer
7. At least 2 dead, 57 rescued in Italy following migrant shipwrecks
8. Elon Musk offers to pay legal fees of people ‘unfairly treated’ on X
9. Oregon lifts ban on drivers pumping their own gas
10. Simone Biles wins US Classic following 2-year competitive hiatus

published 6 August 2023

1. Shelling kills at least 3 across Ukraine during overnight airstrikes

Overnight shelling throughout Ukraine killed at least three people on Sunday, officials said. Two of these people were killed and four more injured following a Russian airstrike in the Kharkiv region. One of the attacks, via a Russian-led guided bomb, had landed on a blood transfusion center, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The president wrote on social media that "this war crime alone says everything about Russian aggression. Defeating terrorists is a matter of honor for everyone who values life." Another woman in her eighties was also killed during a series of bombings in the Russian-held city of Donetsk, though Russian officials said this attack came from Ukraine.

The United States was eliminated from the 2023 Women's World Cup on Sunday, after Sweden pulled off a stunning upset in penalty kicks following a scoreless match. While the highly favored U.S., which had struggled in the opening rounds of the tournament, outplayed the Swedes for most of the game, it was Swedish goalkeeper Zećira Mušović who shut the door on the Americans time after time. Sweden bested the U.S. 5-4 on penalty kicks, knocking out the odds-on favorites to not only win the game, but the World Cup itself. This marks the first time the U.S. has finished in the round-of-16 at the Women's World Cup, and denied the Americans a three-peat championship.

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Former Vice President Mike Pence said Sunday that he had "no plans" to testify against Donald Trump in his criminal indictment, but would ultimately obey the law if subpoenaed. During an interview on CBS News' "Face The Nation," Pence was asked if he'd take the stand against Trump if his case regarding efforts to overturn the 2020 election went to trial. Pence replied that he had "challenged in court the scope of any testimony that I could provide...and I have no plans to testify." However, Pence also added that people "can be confident we'll obey the law. We'll respond to the call of the law, if it comes and we'll just tell the truth."

North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un ordered his country's weapons and arms factories to boost their capacities in preparation for "war readiness," North Korean state media said Sunday. His demands came as Kim toured a variety of factories himself, including artillery systems and launchpad areas, the country's Korean Central News Agency said. The reclusive leader was also seen firing an assault rifle himself in a photograph released by state media. Kim reportedly said the North needed to adapt "various kinds of cutting-edge strategic weapon engines...and thus make a great contribution to bringing about a revolution in developing new strategic weapons of our style."

At least 20 people died and around 40 more were injured Sunday when a train derailed in southern Pakistan, officials with the government-owned Pakistan Railways said. The incident occurred when train cars of the Hazara Express fell off the tracks near the town of Nawabshah. It is unclear what precipitated the derailment, but the train was reportedly moving at a normal speed at the time of the accident. At least eight carriages reportedly derailed as rescue workers continued searching through the debris to try and find more survivors. Railway Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique told reporters the derailment was likely caused by "a mechanical fault, or the fault was created — it might be a sabotage."

An unidentified teenager has been charged with a hate crime-related murder in the death of New York City dancer O'Shae Sibley, police said Saturday. The 17-year-old teen has been charged with murder, hate crime murder and criminal possession of a weapon, according to the NYPD. The suspect, who had been wanted in connection with Sibley's death, turned himself in on Friday, police said. Sibley died on July 29 when he was stabbed in the torso at a gas station in Brooklyn. Sibley was reportedly dancing with a group of friends while pumping gas. A group allegedly approached Sibley and his friends and began hurling homophobic slurs, with the incident quickly turning to violence.

At least two people were dead and another 30 remained missing following a pair of migrant shipwrecks off the coast of Italy on Saturday night. The Italian news agency ANSA reported that the pair of boats had departed from the Tunisian port of Sfax and ended up sinking while en route to a European destination. The shipwrecks occurred off the Italian island of Lampedusa, allowing rescue workers to quickly reach the boats and begin looking for survivors. At least 57 people were rescued from the waters, out of the 90 reported people that were on both boats. The two victims were identified as a mother and child from the Ivory Coast.

Elon Musk said Saturday that he would pay the legal fees, no matter the cost, of people who've been "unfairly treated" by their employer for using X, now known as Twitter. "If you were unfairly treated by your employer due to posting or liking something on this platform, we will fund your legal bill. No limit. Please let us know," Musk tweeted. People appeared to begin reaching out immediately, including from the controversial, far-right account Libs of TikTok, to claim unfair treatment on the platform. However, Musk did not lay out any details on how these legal fee payments would occur, or even who was actually eligible.

The state of Oregon passed a new law Friday to finally allow drivers to pump their own gas, lifting a ban that had been in place for more than 70 years. Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek (D) signed a bill that lets drivers choose between using a gas station attendant, or filling up their tank themselves. However, there are still some restrictions, as Oregon gas stations will still be required to have more full-service pumps than ones the drivers may use themselves. The law was partially removed due to the difficulty of gas station owners in hiring full-service attendants. New Jersey is now the only state left that doesn't allow drivers to pump their own gas.

Gymnastics superstar Simone Biles dominated the floor in her return to competition on Saturday, winning the US Classic in her first competitive event since taking a two-year hiatus to focus on her mental health. At the event, which occurred in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, outside of Chicago, Biles won the all-around, balance beam and floor titles. She also had the highest score on the vault. Biles bested the competition by massive margins, beating the second-place finisher by five points. A number of other highlighted gymnasts, including many who were Olympic athletes like Biles, also competed at the Classic, though it was clearly Biles who conquered the night.

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Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.