Sunday, April 17th, 2022 

Easter 

The Russian Armed Forces give an ultimatum to the last remaining holdout of Ukrainian troops and “foreign fighters” at the Azovstal iron and steel works plant in Mariupol to surrender. Defenders of the Azov Sea port ignore the ultimatum. (Reuters)  

Around 70 Extinction Rebellion members, including canoeist Etienne Stott and sailor Laura Baldwin, are detained after gluing themselves to a Shell oil tanker near the Marble Arch at Hyde Park in London. (BBC News) 

Six people are killed by Russian missile strikes on Lviv. (Independent) 

For the first time since the invasion began, more Ukrainians entered Ukraine from Poland than left, according to the Polish Border Guard. (BBC News) 

More than 70 Islamic State – West Africa Province militants are killed during airstrikes by Niger and Nigeria at the border between the two countries. (Al Jazeera) 

The government withdraws its ban on foreign cruise ships. (South China Morning Post) 

North Korea says that it tested a new weapon to boost their tactical nuclear capabilities. (BBC News) 

Two teenagers are killed in a mass shooting at a party in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (AP News) 

Myanmar’s military junta pardons 1,619 prisoners in an annual tradition. However, no political prisoners were pardoned. (France24) 

Chiba Lotte Marines pitcher Rōki Sasaki is taken out after throwing 102 pitches and eight perfect innings to end his attempt for a second consecutive perfect game, one week after completing his first one. (MLB.com) 

Defenders of Mariupol ‘will be eliminated’ after refusing to surrender, Russian defense ministry says Russia’s Ministry of Defense said Sunday that Ukrainian forces still defending Mariupol “will be eliminated” after they refused an ultimatum to “voluntarily lay down arms and surrender.” The ministry also claimed that the city’s remaining defenders had been forbidden to surrender by “the Kiev nationalist regime.” Ukrainian forces are making what is likely to be a final stand inside Mariupol’s large steel plant. If the city falls, Russia will control an unbroken “land bridge” connecting separatist-controlled territory in eastern Ukraine with Crimea. CNN 

Ukraine might be running out of artillery rounds, U.S. official warns Ukrainian forces defending their country against Russian invasion could face shortages of ammunition — especially artillery rounds — once Russia begins its expected offensive in eastern Ukraine, a U.S. official said Saturday. President Biden announced last week that the U.S. is sending Ukraine 40,000 artillery rounds as part of an arms shipment, but that might only last them a few days. Even as much of the Russian invasion force has stopped fighting to regroup, Ukrainian forces are still reportedly firing thousands of artillery rounds per day, a number that will likely increase when Russia’s new offensive begins. CNN 

Kim Jong Un observes test of new tactical nuke North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observed a test of a new type of short-range guided tactical nuclear weapon on Saturday, North Korean state media said Sunday. South Korea said its northern neighbor launched two projectiles, which flew about 70 miles and landed in the sea. “The new-type tactical guided weapon system … is of great significance in drastically improving the firepower of the frontline long-range artillery units and enhancing the efficiency in the operation of tactical nukes,” the Korean Central News Agency reported. Last month, Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, said North Korea would use nuclear weapons in response to an attack from South Korea. REUTERS 

Arm Ukraine to stop global food crisis, German agriculture minister says Cem Özdemir, Germany’s agriculture minister and a member of the country’s Green party, said during the weekend that he has received “alarming news from Ukraine, where Russian troops are apparently also deliberately destroying agricultural infrastructure and supply chains.” These disruptions, Özdemir argued, could lead to global food shortages, as Ukraine is one of the world’s largest exporters of wheat. In order to prevent this crisis, the West must support “Ukraine with additional, more effective weapons,” Özdemir said. THE KYIV INDEPENDENT 

Ukraine asks G7 for $50 billion to cover budget shortfall Ukraine has asked the G7 countries for $50 billion to help cover the war-torn country’s budget deficit, said Oleh Ustenko, the economic adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, on Sunday. The World Bank projected last week that Ukraine’s economy is expected to shrink by 45.1 percent in 2022 as a result of Russia’s invasion. The Group of Seven is made up of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, and Japan, with the participation of the European Union. Russia joined the G7 in 1998 but had its membership suspended in 2014 in response to the annexation of Crimea. REUTERS 

Five people to split $50,000 reward for helping police catch NYC subway shooter The $50,000 reward police offered for information leading to the arrest of the New York City subway shooter will be split five ways, the NYPD announced Saturday. Frank James, 62, was arrested Wednesday in Manhattan’s East Village after allegedly shooting 10 people on a subway platform the previous day. On his social media accounts, James frequently espoused Black extremist ideology and called for violence against white people. According to James’ lawyers, the suspect called a police hotline to turn himself in. THE GUARDIAN 

Saturday, April 16th, 2022 

Ukraine uses facial recognition to send photos of dead Russian soldiers to their families Ukraine’s IT Army, a government-directed force of volunteer hackers, is using facial recognition software to identify dead Russian soldiers and send photos of the corpses to their families. In a Telegram video reminiscent of those produced by the hacker group Anonymous, IT Army accused the Russian military of “leaving their dead comrades on the battlefield to rot.” The distorted voice narrating the video goes on to claim that Russia’s “first Chechen war was stopped by Russian mothers” and implored Russian to “Stop killing your children now.” The software — and training on how to use it — has been provided to Ukraine free of charge by Clearview AI CEO Hoan Ton-That. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Russian missile strikes hit Kharkiv, killing one person. (Reuters) 

Zelensky: Possible Russian nuclear weapon use should be a concern for ‘all of the world’ The world should be prepared for Russia to use nuclear weapons in its war in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday. In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Zelensky said, in CNN’s summary, Russian President Vladimir Putin “could turn to either nuclear or chemical weapons because he does not value the lives of the people of Ukraine,” adding that the threat of Russia using such weapons is “a question not only for Ukraine but for all the world, I think.” The U.S. and other Western countries are already investigating claims that Russian forces may have used chemical weapons in Mariupol. President Biden has warned of a NATO military response if Russia uses chemical weapons in Ukraine. CNN 

A restaurant operated by the World Central Kitchen is destroyed by the missile strike. (The Hill) 

It is reported that Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich has visited Kyiv in an effort to revive peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. (Bloomberg.com) 

The Russian Air Force launches airstrikes on Kyiv. (CTV News) 

One person is killed and six others injured after an oil tanker explodes east of Hong Kong. (Al Jazeera) 

Russia’s foreign ministry bans Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, and 11 other British senior politicians from entering Russia. (BBC News) 

Japan’s Ministry of Defense reports that it scrambled fighters to intercept foreign military aircraft 1,004 times in 2021, in 722 of these cases the foreign aircraft were from the People’s Republic of China. (The Diplomat) 

President of El Salvador Nayib Bukele announces that 12,169 gang members have been arrested since the state of emergency began on March 27. (Europa Press) 

A mass shooting at a shopping mall near Columbia, South Carolina, United States injures 12 people. (The Guardian) 

Riots between Hindus and Muslims during a Hanuman Jayanti ceremony in Delhi, India leave several people injured. (Reuters) 

Rioting in Sweden continues for a second day after the far-right Hard Line party led by Rasmus Paludan organized a Quran burning event in Landskrona. (AP) 

Chinese astronauts Ye Guangfu, Wang Yaping and Zhai Zhigang of the Shenzhou 13 spacecraft land successfully in Inner Mongolia after spending 183 days in space. During the spaceflight, Wang Yaping became the first Chinese woman to perform a spacewalk. (Al Jazeera) 

In American football, the United States Football League kicks off their inaugural season with the Birmingham Stallions defeating the New Jersey Generals 28–24, marking the return of the USFL for the first time since the 1985 season. (CBS Sports) 

South Korean professional golfer Kim Hyo-joo wins the 2022 LPGA Lotte Championship. (France 24) 

Biden administration to resume selling leases for drilling on federal land The Biden administration announced Friday it would resume selling leases for oil and gas drilling on federal land, albeit at a higher cost to energy companies and with less available land. Royalties will increase from 12.5 percent to 18.75 percent of the value of any oil or gas extracted, while the acreage available for drilling leases has been reduced by around 80 percent from the amount previously under evaluation. President Biden announced a moratorium on new drilling leases on federal land the day he took office, but a federal judge halted the moratorium in June after 13 states sued. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Dozens of Palestinians wounded in clash with Israeli police at Al-Aqsa Mosque Israeli security forces entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem early Friday as thousands of Palestinians were gathered for prayers during the holy month of Ramadan. Medics with the Red Crescent say at least 117 Palestinians were wounded in the ensuing melee, some by rubber-coated bullets or stun grenades and others beaten with batons. Israel said three officers were wounded from “massive stone-throwing.” Israel’s Foreign Ministry said officers were responding to dozens of masked men who had marched to the compound early Friday and started gathering stones in anticipation of violence, and “police were forced to enter the grounds to disperse the crowd and remove the stones and rocks, in order to prevent further violence.” THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Biden administration grants temporary protection to immigrants who fled war-torn Cameroon The Biden administration on Friday announced it would be offering up Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, to Cameroonian immigrants in the United States. The designation will allow immigrants to work and live legally in the U.S. for 18 months without fear of deportation. It does not, however, make them eligible for permanent residency or citizenship. In making its decision, the Department of Homeland Security cited the “years-old conflict between the Cameroonian government and armed separatist groups in the country’s Anglophone regions in the west,” as well as a surge in attacks by Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram. About 40,000 Cameroonian immigrants are expected to qualify for TPS. CBS NEWS 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott stops secondary inspections at border after bipartisan backlash  Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said Friday he had ended his policy of having state troopers conduct secondary inspections of trucks crossing from Mexico into Texas. The policy, enacted on April 6, snarled truck traffic at the border and led to a protest by Mexican truckers on Monday that halted trade at some major border crossings. It also subjected Abbott to sometimes blistering criticism from businesses on both sides of the border, Mexican state and federal governments, the White House, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Democratic gubernatorial rival Beto O’Rourke, and Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller (R), among many others. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Twitter board turns to ‘poison pill’ to stop Elon Musk takeover Twitter announced Friday that its board had voted unanimously to adopt a limited duration shareholder rights plan, also known as a “poison pill,” to stop billionaire Elon Musk from taking over the company. Earlier this month, Musk bought more than 9 percent of the company, but declined to take a board seat. Instead, he offered Thursday to buy the rest of the company for $43 billion. Under the poison pill plan, which will last for one year, shareholders will be allowed to buy additional shares at a discount if any person or group acquires more than 15 percent of Twitter’s stock without board approval.CNBC 

$518,000 sale of Tom Brady’s ‘last touchdown’ football voided after un-retirement Sports memorabilia website Lelands confirmed on Friday that the sale of what would have been the ball with which quarterback Tom Brady threw his final touchdown pass has been voided. The ball was sold at auction in March for $518,000 after Brady announced he would retire at the end of his 22nd NFL season. But just one day after the sale was made, Brady said he wouldn’t retire after all — raising the question of what would happen with that sale considering the ball no longer carries the same significance. Now that the sale has been voided, Lelands plans to sell the ball privately. One expert estimates its value at around $50,000. TMZ 

The End