March 20, 2023

UKRAINE | Today is day 389 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• The U.N., Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey have confirmed the extension of a deal to allow safe exports of grain from Ukrainian Black Sea ports, but uncertainty remains about the length of the extension. [more]
• The International Criminal Court on Friday issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Putin’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights, saying they are alleged to be responsible for the unlawful deportation and transfer of children from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation. In response, Russian officials noted that Russia does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction or extradite its citizens. [ICC statement] [more]
• Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the occupied port city of Mariupol in southeastern Ukraine on Saturday — his first known visit to Ukrainian territory illegally annexed by Russia in September. [more]

TRUMP | In a social media post on Saturday, former President Donald Trump said that he expects to be arrested on Tuesday in connection with the New York City-based investigation into alleged hush-money payments made during his 2016 presidential campaign and called on his supporters to protest the arrest. [more]

U.S. MILITARY | A new Pentagon report concludes that military pilots and aircraft ground crew members appear to be at significantly increased risk of various forms of cancer. [full report] [more]

FLORIDA | Officials in Miami Beach, Florida, imposed a midnight-to-6 a.m. curfew this past weekend, and will do so again next weekend, amidst what they termed “excessively large and unruly” Spring Break crowds and violence that resulted in the shooting deaths of at least two people over the weekend. [more]

CLIMATE | A new comprehensive report from the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was approved by government delegations yesterday and is scheduled to be released today. Reports say the atypical move of having governments sign off on the report was aimed at ensuring that governments accept the report as authoritative advice on which actions can be based. [more]

RUSSIA-CHINA RELATIONS | Chinese President Xi Jinping begins a three-day visit to Russia today, where talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to center on relations between the two countries and on the war in Ukraine. [more]

SOMALIA | A new report from the World Health Organization and the U.N. children’s agency says that an estimated 43,000 people in Somalia may have died in 2022 due the country’s severe drought, and that about half of those deaths may have occurred among children under the age of five. [more]

BANKING | In a move characterized by Swiss President Alain Berset as being important for the stability of international finance, banking giant UBS agreed this weekend to purchase Credit Suisse for almost $3.25 billion. [more]

NORTH KOREA | The state-run Korean Central News Agency says a missile fired by North Korea into the waters off its eastern coast on Sunday — its fifth missile launch this month — was intended to simulate a nuclear attack on South Korea. [more]

ISRAEL AND WEST BANK | Ahead of this week’s start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Israeli and Palestinian delegates meeting in Egypt pledged yesterday to take steps to lower regional tensions and prevent violence. [more]

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC | Reports say at least nine Chinese nationals were killed, and two others injured, yesterday when gunmen attacked the Chinese-operated Chimbolo gold mine near the Central African Republic town of Bambari. [more]

PAKISTAN | Authorities in Pakistan filed various charges, including terrorism and obstructing or attacking police, against former Prime Minister Imran Khan and dozens of his supporters yesterday. The charges followed a police raid on Khan’s residence in Lahore on Saturday in which 61 people are reported to have been arrested following clashes between police and Khan’s supporters. [more]

FRANCE | French President Emmanuel Macron faces two no-confidence votes today in France’s legislature after having used a constitutional provision last week to pass his bill raising the country’s retirement age from 62 to 64 without a vote in the National Assembly. [more]

AUSTRALIA | Reports say authorities in Australia have charged Australian special forces veteran Oliver Schulz with murder in connection with the killing of an Afghan farmer while deployed to Afghanistan. [more]

BASEBALL | The United States beat Cuba, 14-2, last night to advance to Tuesday’s final of the World Baseball Classic, where the team will face the winner of the semifinal matchup between Japan and Mexico. [more]

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE | "Shazam: Fury of the Gods" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $30.5 million in receipts, followed by "Scream VI" and "Creed III." [more]

MARK TWAIN PRIZE | Actor and comedian Adam Sandler was awarded the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Sunday in recognition of his career achievements. [more]

R.I.P. | Film and television actor Lance Reddick, best known for his roles in “The Wire” series and the “John Wick” film franchise, died Friday at the age of 60, according to a statement from his publicist. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1815, the Hundred Days—during which Napoleon, having ended his exile by escaping the island of Elba, would try to recapture his empire in France—began with Napoleon's arrival in Paris. [more history]