April 20, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 56 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said today that a preliminary agreement has been reached to open a humanitarian corridor for women, children and the elderly to leave the port city of  Mariupol. [more]
• Reports say U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to announce a new military aid package for Ukraine in the coming days. [more]
• The Japanese parliament today approved a measure to strip Russia of its” most favored nation" trade status. [more]

COVID-19 | The Justice Department has no current plans to appeal the ruling by a federal judge earlier this week that voided national mask mandates on airplanes and other public transportation, according to department spokesman Anthony Coley. Future appeals would be dependent on ongoing pandemic evaluations by the CDC. [more]

TRAVEL | The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised its COVID-19 travel advisory system this week and removed all countries from its highest warning category. Prior to the change, some 90 countries were in the CDC’s most serious warning category. [more]

CLERGY SEX ABUSE | The Catholic Diocese of Camden (New Jersey) has agreed to pay $87.5 million to settle claims involving clergy sex abuse with some 300 alleged victims. [more]

POLAND | Officials in Poland say four people died and seven remain missing following a suspected methane explosion in a coal mine near Pawlowice this morning. [more]

CANCER RESEARCH | Researchers at the  University of East Anglia say they have identified several types of bacteria that appear more frequently in the urine of men with aggressive prostate cancers, compared to those with lower-threat cancer. The findings, published in the journal European Urology Oncology, could aid in the development of tests for early identification of patients at risk of aggressive tumors, allowing necessary treatment adjustments. [more]

WILDFIRES | Officials in Arizona’s Coconino County say more than 750 homes in the area were evacuated yesterday due to fast-spreading wildfires that have burned about nine square miles. [more]

NETFLIX | Streaming service Netflix said yesterday that its customer base fell by 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter of 2022 — the first decline in almost 10 years. Shares in the company fell almost 25% in after-hours trading on the news. [more]

GLOBAL ECONOMY | International Monetary Fund officials said yesterday that the organization has reduced its forecast for global economic growth in 2022 to 3.6% —  down 0.8% from its previous forecast. The IMF cited the war in Ukraine and ongoing COVID-19 restrictions as main reasons for the reduction. [more]

WIKILEAKS | A British judge today formally approved the extradition of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to the United States to face charges related to the release of classified materials. The case will now go to Britain’s interior minister for a decision on whether the extradition will move forward. [more]

TENNIS | Organizers of the Wimbledon tennis tournament are expected to announce today that players from Russia and Belarus will be barred from participating in this year’s tournament due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. [more]

BASEBALL | The San Diego Padres became the first Major League Baseball team to announce a deal for ads on their uniforms, saying yesterday that patches with a Motorola logo will be worn on the sleeves of their jerseys. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 2010, an explosion occurred on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig—located in the Gulf of Mexico, some 41 miles off the coast of Louisiana—leading to the largest oil spill in history. [more history]