March 13, 2023

UKRAINE | Today is day 382 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ahead of the March 18 expiration of the U.N.-brokered agreement allowing the safe export of grain from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, U.N. and Russian negotiators are meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, today to discuss a possible extension of the deal. [more]
• Norwegian Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram on Saturday announced his country’s plans to provide Ukraine with $7.5 billion over the next five years for weapons and other aid. [more]

U.S. BANKING | In an effort to prevent a potential banking crisis, federal regulators announced yesterday that they are taking steps to ensure that all depositors at California's Silicon Valley Bank and New York-based Signature Bank, both of which failed in recent days, have access to their bank-held funds. President Joe Biden is expected to address the bank failures in a speech later today. [more]

CALIFORNIA | More than 8,500 people in California’s Monterey County were evacuated Saturday due to flooding that affected much of the state’s central region. Additional flood warnings have been issued for the coming days as another series of storms is expected to bring rain and strong winds to the area. [more]

MIGRATION | U.S. Coast Guard officials say at least eight people died, and multiple others remain missing, when two suspected migrant smuggling boats capsized Saturday off Black’s Beach, north of San Diego, California. [more]

ALASKA OIL | The Biden administration said yesterday that it plans to ban oil drilling in nearly 3 million acres of the Arctic Ocean’s Beaufort Sea region and limit drilling in more than 13 million acres of Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve region. The announcements come as federal regulators reportedly prepare to approve ConocoPhillips’ $8 billion National Petroleum Reserve Willow project. [more]

JANUARY 6 | In his sharpest-yet criticism of former President Donald Trump’s actions related to the January 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol, former Vice President Mike Pence said Saturday that Trump’s “reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day, and I know history will hold Donald Trump accountable.” [more]

DEFENSE PURCHASE | U.S. President Joe Biden is scheduled to meet with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in San Diego, California, today, where he is expected to announce Australia’s purchase of multiple U.S.-manufactured, nuclear-powered attack submarines to modernize its fleet. [more]

CHINA | Speaking at the closing ceremonies of the National People’s Congress today, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for his country to play a larger role in global affairs, saying that China “should actively participate in the reform and construction of the global governance system” and promote “global security initiatives.” [more]

CONGO | Authorities in eastern Congo say at least 19 people were killed and multiple buildings, including a health center, were burned, in the town of Kirindera over the weekend by suspected members of the Islamic State-associated Allied Democratic Forces militia. [more]

U.K. | A three-day strike of junior doctors over pay issues begins today and is expected to significantly disrupt patient care across Britain’s National Health Service. [more]

LIBYA | Reports say more than two dozen people remain missing after a boat carrying 47 migrants from Libya capsized yesterday in the central Mediterranean Sea. [more]

KOREA | North Korea conducted test launches of two cruise missiles from a submarine off the country’s east coast yesterday as South Korean and U.S. military forces began an 11-day series of joint training exercises. [more]

MOLDOVA | Authorities in the Moldovan capital of Chisinau say a plot by Russia-backed activists to cause mass unrest during a protest in the city was foiled yesterday and that multiple people were arrested in connection with the plot. [more]

TRAVEL | A one-day warning strike called by the ver.di union over pay issues has severely disrupted flights at Germany’s Berlin, Hamburg, Hannover, and Bremen airports today. [more]

SPACE | Four astronauts returned to Earth Saturday following a five-month mission on the International Space Station. The return of the U.S., Russian, and Japanese crewmembers was delayed earlier in the week due to weather conditions in the Gulf of Mexico splashdown zone. [more]

COLLEGE BASKETBALL | Brackets have been set for the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments, with Alabama, Houston, Kansas, and Purdue as the No. 1 seeds in the men’s tournament and South Carolina, Indiana, Virginia Tech, and Stanford as the women’s tournament No. 1 seeds. [full men’s bracket] [full women’s bracket] [more]

GOLF | Scottie Scheffler shot a final-round 3-under-par 69 yesterday to win The Players Championship and regain the world's No.1 ranking. [more]

OSCARS | The film “Everything Everywhere All at Once” won seven Oscars at last night’s 95th Academy Awards, including best picture, best actress (Michelle Yeoh), best supporting actor (Ke Huy Quan), and best supporting actress (Jamie Lee Curtis). The best actor award went to Brendan Frasier for his role in “The Whale.” [full list of winners] [more]

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE | "Scream VI" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $44.5 million in receipts, followed by "Creed III" and "65." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 2012, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., announced that it was ceasing publication of its print version, the oldest and longest continually published English-language general print encyclopaedia. [more history]