May 16, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 82 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• British intelligence reports say an increased presence of Belarusian forces on the border with Ukraine may force Ukrainian troops to stay in the area, preventing their deployment to other more active areas of military action. [more]
• Russian forces continue to concentrate their efforts in Ukraine today on towns in the eastern Donetsk region, according to Ukrainian military officials. [more]
• Reports say Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Bulgaria are among the EU nations that maintain reservations about a proposed EU-wide oil embargo of Russia. [more]
• U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and several other Senate Republicans met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv this weekend. [more]

NATO | Leaders of both Finland and Sweden indicated over the weekend that their countries will apply to join NATO, with parliamentary approval of the move expected in both countries later this week. Reports say Turkey is the only NATO country that has expressed concerns about the two potential new members. [more]

BUFFALO | In an attack officials describe as racially motivated violent extremism, 10 people were killed and three others wounded when 18-year-old Payton S. Gendron opened fire at a supermarket in a predominantly black neighborhood in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday. Investigator say documents written by Gendron make it clear that he intended to specifically target black people in the attack. [more]

CALIFORNIA | One person was killed and five others wounded yesterday when a gunman opened fire at a church reception in Laguna Woods, California. No information on the motive behind the attack has been released. [more]

COVID-19 | Supermarkets, malls and restaurants were allowed to re-open today in much of Shanghai, China, as officials report significant progress in stopping the spread of the city's latest COVID-19 case surge. City health officials have targeted June 1 as the date for a complete return to normal if case numbers continue to decline.  [more]

ABORTION | Hundreds of marches and rallies were held across the U.S. on Saturday to demonstrate against a potential Supreme Court ruling that would overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion rights ruling. [more]

IRAQ | Schools, government offices, and Baghdad International Airport were closed today due to health concerns and limited visibility due to a major sandstorm affecting large areas of central and southern Iraq. [more]

SOMALIA | Legislators in Somalia yesterday chose former Somali leader Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to serve again as the African nation's president. Mohamud previously served as the country's president from 2012 to 2017. [more]

CLIMATE | New Zealand has announced plans to spend about $357 million to help lower-income families replace high-emission gasoline cards with hybrid or electric vehicles. [more]

JAPAN | Protesters in Okinawa, Japan, called for continued reductions in the U.S. military presence in the region yesterday as Okinawa marked the 50th anniversary of the area's 1972 return to Japanese rule after 27 years of U.S. post-World War II control. [more]

ASIAN MARKETS | Share prices are mixed this morning to start the week, with benchmarks in Japan, Australia, South Korea, and Hong Kong slightly up, but with China's Shanghai Index showing a small decline. [more]

MUSIC | Ukrainian folk-rap group Kalush Orchestra won the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest this weekend with their song "Stefania." [more]

MORE MUSIC | Singer Mary J. Blige received the Icon Award for her career-spanning influence at last night's 2022 Billboard Music Awards. Other awardees included Top Artist winner Drake and Top New Artist winner Olivia Rodrigo. [complete list of winners] [more]

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE | The Disney film "Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness" led North American box office returns over the weekend, with an estimated $61 million in ticket sales, followed by "The Bad Guys" and "Sonic the Hedgehog 2." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1961, the military seized power in South Korea, overthrowing the Second Republic, as General Park Chung-Hee took over the government, dissolved the National Assembly, and imposed a strict ban on political activity. [more history]