May 6, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 72 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said yesterday that his country cannot support a proposed EU ban on Russian oil in its current form, which calls for the ban to be implemented by the end of this year by most of the bloc. Orban said Hungary would need up to five years to make infrastructure changes necessary to end its reliance on Russian oil. [more]
• Fighting continues this morning between Russian forces and the last remaining Ukrainian forces in the port city of Mariupol. U.N. officials say continuing military operations in the city are hampering attempts to evacuate civilians. [more]
• NBC News cites an unnamed U.S. official as saying that the U.S. provided Ukraine with intelligence on the location of the Russian guided missile cruiser Moskva prior to the ship being sunk by Ukrainian missile strikes in April. [more]

COVID-19 | A new World Health Organization report concludes that an estimated 14.9 million people worldwide died from either coronavirus or from its impact on overwhelmed health systems during the first two years of the pandemic -- a figure more than double current official death toll estimate of 6 million. [more]

MORE COVID-19 | The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced yesterday that it is limiting its emergency use authorization for Johnson & Johnson/Janssen Covid-19 vaccine to people 18 and older for whom other vaccines aren't appropriate or accessible. The FDA said the change was made due to a small increased risk of blood clots that appears to be associated with the J&J vaccine in the 1-2-week period following its use. [more]

ISRAEL | Police in Israel are conducting a manhunt today for two Palestinians suspected of a series of knife attacks near Tel Aviv that killed three people yesterday. [more]

SRI LANKA | Nationwide anti-government demonstrations in Sri Lanka have closed shops, school, and transportation across the country today amidst its ongoing financial and resource crises. [more]

ASIAN SECURITY | Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida suggested yesterday that the current violence in Ukraine could be replicated in East Asia if the international community does not present a united stance against Beijing's claims that Taiwan is part of China. Chinese officials, responding to Kishida's comment, accused Japan of exaggerating a perceived threat from Beijing as an excuse to boost its own military might. [more]

MEDICINE | Findings published yesterday in the journal Nature Neuroscience identify a specific group of brain cells that degenerate in the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease, which researchers say could provide direction on potential therapeutic intervention targets. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | Mortgage company Freddie Mac reported yesterday that the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose to 5.27% this week -- the highest average rate since 2009. [more]

GLOBAL ECONOMY | The U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization reports that its index of global food prices fell slightly in April, from 159.7 to 158.5, but that the April level remains 29.8% higher than the year-ago measurement. [more]

U.K. ELECTIONS | Early results from nationwide local elections in the U.K. suggest that the opposition Labor Party has made advances in London, but that similar gains have not been seen outside the capital city. [more]

WHITE HOUSE | The Biden administration has named Karine Jean-Pierre as its new press secretary. Jean-Pierre will replace Jen Psaki, who is leaving the position to join the MSNBC news outlet. [more]

DRUG TRAFFICKING | Police in Switzerland seized an estimated 500 kg of cocaine yesterday that was found in a shipment coffee sent to a Nespresso coffee factory. Initial reports indicate the coffee shipment most likely came from Brazil. [more]

INTERNATIONAL SPORTS | The Olympic Council of Asia announced today that this year's Asian Games -- scheduled for September in China -- have been postponed due to COVID-19 concerns. Specific new dates for the Games have not been announced. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1998, Steve Jobs introduced Apple's first iMac, a personal computer that became hugely successful and helped revive the struggling company. [more history]