April 29, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 65 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Reports say Russian cruise missiles hit buildings in central Kyiv during a visit to the city by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres yesterday. The missile strikes were the first on Kyiv in about two weeks. [more]
• U.S. President Joe Biden asked Congress yesterday to approve an additional $33 billion in military, governmental, and humanitarian aid for Ukraine. [more]
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says efforts are underway today to evacuate civilians from the port city of Mariupol. The new move comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed "in principle" on Tuesday to U.N. and International Committee for the Red Cross involvement in facilitating the evacuations. [more]

WILDFIRES | Officials in multiple Southwestern and Western U.S. states say weather conditions today could lead to an increase in wildfires that the region has been battling recently. Wildfire red flag warnings are in place for all of New Mexico and parts of Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska today. [more]

INDIA | Heat warnings were issued for multiple Indian states yesterday as temperatures continue to reach as high as 46 degrees Celsius (114 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas.  [more]

ABORTION | The Oklahoma legislature gave final approval yesterday to a bill that would ban abortions in the state after about six weeks of pregnancy. The bill is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Kevin Stitt in the coming days. [more]

JERUSALEM | At least 42 Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli police near the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem this morning, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent organization. [more]

AFGHANISTAN | In an interview with the BBC, former Afghan Lt. General Sami Sadat said yesterday that he and many other former Afghan soldiers and politicians are planning to launch a new war against the Taliban in the coming months. [more]

COVID-19 | Vaccine maker Moderna yesterday applied to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for approval of a COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 6 months to 5 years. [more]

CHINA | Chinese health officials closed more businesses today in Beijing in an effort to fight the city's rate of new COVID-19 infections. Many gyms, malls, and movie theaters were closed in the latest move. [more]

HEALTH | The U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed a plan yesterday to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, saying that such a move would help prevent children from taking up smoking. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | The U.S. Commerce Department reports that the gross domestic product for the first quarter of 2022 fell 1.4% -- the first GDP decline since 2020. [more]

EUROPEAN ECONOMY | The annualized inflation rate rose to 7.5% in April for the 19 countries that use the euro currency, according to economic data released yesterday. It was the highest inflation rate since euro statistics began to be collected in 1997. [more]

AMAZON | Shares in e-commerce giant Amazon fell about 10% in after-hours trading last night after the company reported its first quarterly loss since 2015. The quarterly loss was largely attributed to Amazon's $7.6 billion loss from its investment in electric car maker Rivian Automotive. Company quarterly revenue grew by 7% compared to last year to $116.4 billion. [more]

NEW ORLEANS | The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival opens today for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began. [more]

NFL | Defensive players were chosen with all of the first five picks in last night's first round of the 2022 NFL draft. Georgia's Travon Walker was chosen first by the Jacksonville Jaguars, followed by the Detroit Lions selecting Michigan's Aidan Hutchinson. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1429, French national heroine Joan of Arc and her troops entered the besieged city of Orléans during the Hundred Years' War. [more history]