May 4, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 70 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen today proposed a complete ban on Russian oil and gas imports for the European Union. The proposal calls for phasing out all crude oil imports within six months and refined products by the end of 2022. The ban would require backing by all 29 EU member states in order to be implemented. [more]
• The governor of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region says at least 21 people were killed in the region yesterday as Russian attacks were seen to increase. [more]
• Several areas of the western Ukraine city of Lviv were without power and water overnight following Russian missile strikes on power stations in the city, which has been largely spared from violence in the Russian invasion. [more]
• In an interview published yesterday, Pope Francis said he has requested an in-person meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the ongoing violence in Ukraine. Reports from Russia say no agreement has been reached yet on such a meeting. [more]

ABORTION | Demonstrations on both sides of the abortion issue were held across the U.S. yesterday following the leak of a draft Supreme Court decision that indicates the court will overturn the landmark 1973 abortion rights decision Roe vs Wade. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts yesterday confirmed the authenticity of the leaked document and announced an investigation into the leak. A final ruling on the case underlying the decision is expected by the end of June. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released yesterday shows that 6.7 million hires were made by U.S. employers in March, while job separations (including quits, layoffs, discharges, and other separations) stood at 6.3 million for the same period. [more]

WILDFIRES | New Mexico Gov. Michelle Grisham has requested that a federal disaster be declared in her state as wildfires continue to spread in the state's northern regions. Reports say as many as 150 homes have been destroyed in the fires and that more than 15,000 households are under mandatory evacuation orders. [more]

NORTH KOREA | South Korean and Japanese officials say North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the waters off its eastern coast today. The launch was North Korea's 14th missile test of 2022. [more]

COVID-19 | A new study by British researchers suggests that severe COVID-19 infection may be associated with cognitive impacts equivalent to as much as 20 years of brain aging. [full study] [more]

MORE COVID-19 | Officials in Beijing have announced the closing of 60 subway stations and 158 bus routes in their latest moves to fight the spread of COVID-19 in China's capital city. [more]

U.S. POLITICS | Author and former investment banker JD Vance won the GOP primary for U.S. Senate yesterday in Ohio. Vance, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, will face Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan in November’s general election. [more]

JAPAN | Japanese government officials say the nation's estimated child population fell in the last year for the 41st year in a row, reaching a record low since comparable data began to be collected in 1950. [more]

WORLD MARKETS | Financial and stock markets are generally down in Europe and Asia this morning ahead of an expected announcement of a half percentage point interest rate increase today by the U.S. Federal Reserve. [more]

BASEBALL | The Houston Astros' Dusty Baker became the 12th Major League Baseball manager to win 2,000 games with last night's 4-0 Houston win over the Seattle Mariners. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1959, the first Grammy Awards were presented to musical performers. Among the winners in 1959 were Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and the Kingston Trio. [more history]