Russia vetoes UN resolution condemning its "illegal" referendums in Ukraine and saying they have "no validity."

The head of Nevada’s Department of Corrections has resigned at the request of Gov. Steve Sisolak in the wake of an escape by a convicted bombmaker that went unnoticed for four days. The governor's office said Friday that Sisolak “requested and received Nevada Department of Corrections Director Charles Daniels’ resignation, effective immediately." Six other officers have also been placed on administrative leave. Porfirio Duarte-Herrera escaped from a medium-security prison outside Las Vegas on Sept. 23 without anyone noticing for four days. A  tip led to his capture at a transit center in Las Vegas on Wednesday night.

Power outages have increased and some coastal rivers rose in North Carolina as heavy rain and winds from Hurricane Ian crept into the state Friday from the storm’s South Carolina landfall. Gov. Roy Cooper says adjustments to the projected path of Ian could bring more trouble to central and eastern North Carolina than earlier believed. But he says the state’s emergency equipment and services have been staged to maximize flexibility. He warns residents statewide to remain vigilant, given that up to 8 inches of rain could fall in some areas, with high winds. PowerOutage.us aggregates outages nationwide and says more than 55,000 customers in North Carolina were without power as of mid-afternoon.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed treaties to illegally annex parts of Ukraine, while Kyiv has submitted an “accelerated” application to join NATO. At the Kremlin, Putin and the pro-Moscow heads of the four Ukrainian regions inked the treaties in a sharp escalation of the war. The signing came three days after the end of Kremlin-orchestrated “referendums” on joining Russia that Kyiv and the West dismissed as a bare-faced land grab, held at gunpoint and based on lies. NATO's chief said the war is at “a pivotal moment,” and that Putin’s decision was “the most serious escalation" since the war began. Russia pounded Ukrainian cities, with one strike in the Zaporizhzhia region’s capital killing 30 people and wounding 88.

Ian lashes South Carolina as Florida surveys devastation

A revived Hurricane Ian made landfall on coastal South Carolina on Friday. It's threatening the historic city of Charleston with severe flooding after the deadly storm caused catastrophic damage in Florida and trapped thousands in their homes. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Ian’s center came ashore near Georgetown on Friday afternoon, with much weaker winds than when it crossed Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday as one of the strongest storms to ever hit the U.S. Sheets of rain whipped trees and power lines and left many areas on Charleston’s downtown peninsula under water even before the hurricane made landfall.  At least nine people were confirmed dead in the U.S., but that number is expected to increase.

A former tenant charged with setting a fire at a Massachusetts apartment building that claimed the lives of four people pleaded not guilty at her arraignment and was held without bail. Yvonne Ngoiri faced four counts of second-degree murder as well as arson and assault charges in court on Friday in connection with the May 14 blaze in Worcester. Among the victims was a man who in 2018 had sued right-wing radio host Alex Jones’ Infowars website. Ngoiri, who once lived in the building,  was taken into custody on Thursday. A telephone message seeking comment was left with the suspect’s attorney.