April 21, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 57 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russian forces to not storm what is thought to be the last remaining stronghold of Ukrainian forces in the besieged port city of Mariupol and to instead maintain a tight security perimeter around the area. [more]
• Reports say Russian forces are advancing from staging areas in Donbas towards the city of Kramatorsk, which has recently come under increased levels of rocket attacks. [more]
• More than five million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion and more than seven million have been internally displaced, according to a statement by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. [more]

AFGHANISTAN | Reports say at least five people were killed and as many as 65 others injured in an explosion this morning at a Shiite mosque in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif. [more]

MIDDLE EAST TENSIONS | Palestinians fired multiple rockets into southern Israel from the Gaza Strip early this morning — the third series of such attacks this week. Earlier today, Israeli warplanes conducted airstrikes at a Hamas military site in central Gaza Strip. [more]

RUSSIA | Russia said yesterday that it has conducted a first test launch of its new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, an addition to its nuclear arsenal which President Vladimir Putin said would deter Russia's enemies. [more]

COVID-19 | In its weekly report, the World Health Organization says the number of new COVID-19 infections reported globally last week fell by nearly 25% compared to the previous week to 5.59 million. The countries with the highest numbers of reported cases  last week were South Korea with more than 972,000, France with over 827,000 and Germany with more than 769,000. The highest numbers of new deaths were reported by the U.S., with 3,076, Russia with 1,784 and South Korea with 1,671. [more]

MORE COVID-19 | The U.S. Department of Justice announced yesterday that it is filing an appeal seeking to overturn the recent federal judge ruling that voided the national mask mandate on airplanes and other public transportation. Earlier on Wednesday, the  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said its assessments indicate that the mask mandate is necessary for public health and asked the Justice Department to appeal the judge’s ruling. [more]

SRI LANKA | Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday pledged an  impartial and transparent inquiry into a police shooting earlier this week that left one person dead and 13 others injured during protests over the country’s economic crisis. [more]

WASHINGTON, DC | The U.S. Capitol was briefly evacuated yesterday when a small plane flying over the area was deemed to be a possible threat by U.S. Capitol Police. It was later determined that the plane was carrying members of the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team that were scheduled to perform a pregame demonstration at the nearby Nationals Park baseball stadium. [more]

INTERNATIONAL TRADE | British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggested today that he is open to offering more visas to Indians in return for finalizing a free-trade agreement  between the UK and India that could boost annual bilateral trade by billions of dollars. [more]

TENNIS | Men's and women's tennis international governing bodies have criticized yesterday's decision by the All England Lawn Tennis Club to ban Russian and Belarusian players from taking part in this year's Wimbledon tennis tournament, saying that individual players should not be penalized for the actions of their governments. [more]

NCAA BASKETBALL | Villanova men's basketball head coach Jay Wright announced his retirement yesterday. Villanova won two national championships during Wright's 21 seasons with the team. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1836, General Sam Houston led 800 Texans to victory over a Mexican army of 1,500 under General Antonio López de Santa Anna in the Battle of San Jacinto, securing the Texans' independence from Mexico. [more history]