February 17, 2022

UKRAINE | Reuters cites a diplomatic source as saying a monitoring mission from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has recorded multiple incidents of artillery shelling today in eastern Ukraine. The report says Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed rebel forces in the Luhansk region traded accusations on Thursday that each had fired across the ceasefire line in eastern Ukraine. [Reuters report] [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | The U.S. Commerce Department reported yesterday that retail sales rose 3.8% in January — the largest increase since March 2021, and a significantly higher increase than expected. [more]

JANUARY 6 | The Biden administration yesterday ordered the release of Trump White House visitor logs for January 6, 2021, to the congressional committee investigating the capitol insurrection, despite claims of executive privilege over the records by former President Donald Trump.  [more]

UKRAINE | U.S. and NATO officials say that Russia’s claims that it is withdrawing troops from the Ukrainian border have not been verified and that, instead, Russia appears to be increasing its troop levels in the area. [more]

BRAZIL | Officials in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro say the death toll from this week’s flooding and mudslides in the area around Petropolis has risen to 94, with dozens of people still unaccounted for. [more]

MALI | Multiple European leaders announced yesterday that their countries will withdrawal special forces troops from a nearly nine-year anti-extremist mission in Mali over the next several months. French President Emmanuel Macron said France’s 4,300 troops in the region will be recalled due to the Mali government neglecting the fight against Islamic extremists. [more]

TONGA | The  U.N. resident coordinator for Tonga, Sanaka Samarasinha, said yesterday that about 80% of Tonga’s population was affected by the January 15 tsunami that hit the island nation and that as much as $90 million in aid is needed to repair damage and restore farming and fishing sector services. [more]

MISSOURI | The U.S. Justice Department yesterday filed a lawsuit against Missouri over a new state law that bans local police from enforcing federal gun laws that do not have equivalent Missouri laws. [more]

PRIVACY | Tech giant Google has announced that it will adopt new privacy restrictions aimed at reducing user tracking across apps on Android devices. The move follows similar changes made by Apple for iOS devices last year. [more]

CANADA PROTESTS | Police in Ottawa yesterday warned participants in the ongoing trucker protests over COVID-related restrictions that they could face arrest for continuing to block streets in the Canadian capitol.  [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | Following a tie in the electoral college count for the 1800 U.S. presidential election, the U.S. House of Representatives elected Thomas Jefferson president on this date in 1801. [more history]