March 27, 2023

UKRAINE | Today is day 396 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Saturday that Russia plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus, citing the presence of U.S. nuclear weapons in multiple European countries and U.K. plans to provide Ukraine with armor-piercing artillery rounds containing depleted uranium as reasons for the move. Ukrainian officials have denounced the Russian plan and have called for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council to discuss its implications. [more]
• In a weekend intelligence update, the British Defense Ministry says the Russian assault on the Donbas region town of Bakhmut has largely stalled, most likely due to high attrition rates among Russian forces. [more]

PHILADELPHIA | A chemical spill into the Delaware River on Friday has prompted health officials in Philadelphia and surrounding areas to heighten water monitoring in the region and to suggest that area residents may want to drink and cook with bottled water if contaminants are detected in water supplies. [more]

TORNADO | At least 26 people died, dozens more were injured, and hundreds of homes were damaged, late Friday in Mississippi and Alabama when an EF-4 tornado struck the region. State and federal emergency declarations have been approved for the region to aid in recovery efforts. [more]

PENNSYLVANIA | Authorities in West Reading, Pennsylvania, say seven people died in an explosion Friday at the city’s RM Palmer Company chocolate factory. The cause of the explosion is under investigation. [more]

U.S. POLITICS | On Saturday in Waco, Texas, former President Donald Trump held his first official rally in his bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. [more]

U.S. AND AFRICA | Vice President Kamala Harris began a weeklong trip to Africa today, where she will meet with leaders of multiple nations amidst increased efforts to garner influence on the continent by Russia and China. [more]

ISRAEL | Israeli media reports say Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering postponing his controversial judicial overhaul plan today amidst large-scale strikes and mass demonstrations across the country over the past two days. The renewed protests were sparked when Netanyahu fired Israel’s defense minister, who criticized the judicial overhaul plan over the weekend. [more]

NORTH KOREA | In its seventh such launch this month, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the waters off its east coast this morning. The latest test launches came as the U.S. and South Korea began a series of naval and air defense exercises. [more]

TUNISIA | Officials in Tunisia say at least 29 people died, and dozens more remain missing, after multiple boats carrying migrants from Tunisia to Italy foundered in the Mediterranean Sea over the weekend. [more]

AFGHANISTAN | Afghan authorities say at least six people were killed, and several others wounded, in a suicide bomb attack this morning in a region of Kabul that houses several government buildings, including the country’s foreign ministry. [more]

HONDURAS, CHINA, AND TAIWAN | Foreign ministers from China and Honduras signed a joint communique establishing diplomatic ties between their two countries yesterday in Beijing. The move came just days after Honduras and Taiwan announced that their countries were severing formal diplomatic ties. [more]

GERMANY | Reports say air, rail, and public transit transportation systems across Germany are at a near standstill today as unions participate in a one-day strike over pay issues. [more]

ISRAEL AND UAE | Israel and the United Arab Emirates signed the final documents yesterday for a free-trade agreement that reduces or removes tariffs on more than 90% of goods traded between the nations. The agreement is scheduled to go into effect on April 1. [more]

BANKING | First Citizens BancShares announced this morning that it has agreed to acquire the deposits and loans of failed Silicon Valley Bank. [more]

COPYRIGHT | A federal judge ruled Friday that the Internet Archive's practice of scanning and loaning electronic copies of books infringes on the copyrights held by major U.S. publishers. The Internet Archive says it plans to appeal the ruling. [more]

NCAA BASKETBALL | In the men’s NCAA basketball tournament, San Diego State, Florida Atlantic, Miami, and Connecticut have reached the Final Four. In the women’s tournament, LSU and Iowa have reached the Final Four, with the two other participants to be determined in games tonight.  [men's bracket] [women's bracket] [more]

GOLF | Sam Burns gained a No. 10 world ranking and took home the $3.5 million top prize with his win yesterday in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play golf tournament. [more]

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE | "John Wick: Chapter 4" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $73.5 million in receipts, followed by "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" and "Scream VI." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1964, south-central Alaska was struck by a 9.2-magnitude earthquake -- the strongest quake ever registered in North America and the second most powerful earthquake recorded in world history since the development of seismographic measurements.  [more history]