March 29, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 34 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates [more]:

• Security concerns, potential compromises, and the need for a humanitarian cease-fire are among the topics being discussed today in talks between Ukrainian and Russian representatives being held in Istanbul. The talks are the first face-to-face negotiations between the parties in two weeks. [more]
• The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported yesterday that 3.87 million Ukrainians have fled the country since the start of the Russian invasion. [more]
• The human rights organization Amnesty International will soon release a report in which it accuses Russia of committing war crimes in the southern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, according to Amnesty’s Secretary-General Agnes Callamard. [more]
• The European Organization for Nuclear Research, the scientific laboratory formerly known as CERN, has announced that it will suspend its participation in all scientific committees in Russia and neighboring Belarus due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. [more]

SAUDI ARABIA | The Gulf Cooperation Council is hosting talks today in Riyadh to discuss a potential cease-fire in the ongoing war in Yemen during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Yemeni Houthi rebels say they are boycotting the summit because it is taking place in Saudi Arabia. [more]

U.S. BUDGET | The Biden administration yesterday released its 2023 federal budget proposal, which calls for $5.8 trillion in spending. Administration officials say the budget would trim federal deficits, increase taxes on the wealthiest Americans, support domestic and international security, and boost social programs. [more]

INDIA | Reports say millions of workers across India are taking part in a two-day general strike to protest against government economic policies and demand improved workers’ rights and pay. [more]

HONDURAS | The Supreme Court of Honduras yesterday approved the extradition of former President Juan Orlando Hernández to the United States to face drug trafficking and weapons charges. [more]

COVID-19 | A study published this week in the journal Nature says researchers found that a novel enzyme-blocking compound administered nasally has been found to be effective in preventing and treating COVID-19 infections in mice. Clinical trials of the compound are being planned. [study preprint] [more]

TEXAS WILDFIRES | Gov. Greg Abbott yesterday declared a state of disaster in Medina County, Texas, over the ongoing wildfires which have burned more than 1,000 acres in the region. [more]

LONDON | Reports say British police will issue 20 fines related to inquiries into Downing Street gatherings that breached COVID-19 restriction rules  during the pandemic. It has not yet been announced if U.K Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has come under criticism for attending gatherings in violation of COVID restrictions, is among those being fined. [more]

JANUARY 6 | The House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol voted unanimously last night to refer criminal contempt charges against former Trump administration advisors Dan Scavino and Peter Navarro to the Department of Justice due to their refusal to comply with committee subpoenas. [more]

TRUMP INVESTIGATIONS | A federal judge said yesterday that former President Donald Trump and attorney John Eastman may have been conspiring to commit a crime in their efforts to disrupt the January 6, 2021, congressional certification of the U.S. presidential election. [more]

FLORIDA | Gov. Ron DeSantis yesterday signed into law a controversial bill that forbids classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade in Florida’s schools. [more]

LONDON | A memorial service postponed since last year due to the pandemic is being held today in London for Prince Philip, the late husband of Queen Elizabeth II. Philip died on April 9, 2021, at age 99. [more]

NFL | National Football League team owners voted yesterday to require that all NFL teams hire a female or minority assistant offensive coach for the upcoming 2022 season. The league says the move is meant to address its ongoing diversity efforts. [more]

NCAA BASKETBALL | With regional championship games now completed, the 2022 NCAA women’s  basketball championship Final Four is set. On Friday, UConn will play Stanford and Louisville will play South Carolina to determine the national championship matchup. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1974, farmers drilling a well near Xi'an, China, found a subterranean chamber that led to the discovery of the terra-cotta army -- more than 8,000 life-sized terra-cotta soldiers and horses --  in the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. The burial compound was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987. [more history]