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IMPORTANT | | No White Flag | Ukraine Rejects Russian Ultimatum to Surrender in Mariupol Ukraine’s government rejected Russia’s demand for Ukrainian forces in the besieged city of Mariupol to surrender in exchange for civilians’ safe passage out of the city. “There can be no question of any surrender, laying down of arms,” said Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, calling instead for a humanitarian corridor to allow civilians to escape. Military experts say the war has reached a bloody stalemate, with Russian forces losing ground around Kyiv and becoming increasingly reliant on artillery and missile strikes on civilian targets. EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels today to discuss next steps. U.S. President Joe Biden will join them on Thursday. (Sources: Reuters, NYT) |
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| | | Burning at Both Ends | Heat Waves at Both Poles Have Scientists Alarmed Temperatures in Antarctica reached record levels this weekend, at an astonishing 40 C above normal in places. At the same time, spots near the North pole also showed signs of melting, with some temperatures 30 C higher than usual for an arctic spring. It’s a double-edged sword: not only are the heat waves a strong signal of the damage humanity is wreaking on the climate, but the melting could also trigger further cascading changes that will accelerate climate collapse. Alarmed climate scientists have warned the “historic,” “unprecedented” and “dramatic” events could signal faster and abrupt climate breakdown. But are lawmakers listening? (Source: The Guardian) |
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| | BoJo’s Brexit Botch-Up | Britain’s PM Compares Ukrainian Freedom Fighters With Brexit Voters Boris Johnson has sparked outrage in the U.K. and Europe for comparing Ukrainians’ instinct “to choose freedom” with Brits who voted for Brexit. “When the British people voted for Brexit … I don’t believe it was because they were remotely hostile to foreigners,” he said. “It’s because they wanted to be free to do things differently and for this country to be able to run itself.” Donald Tusk, former president of the European Council, called the comments offensive. Conservative peer Lord Barwell said voting in a referendum was not “in any way comparable with risking your life.” (Source: BBC) |
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| | Jackson for Justice? | Judge Jackson to Appear Before Senate Judiciary Committee Confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman nominated to the Supreme Court, kick off today. The American Bar Association has given Jackson its highest rating: unanimously “well qualified.” It’s unclear how aggressively Republicans will go after Jackson, as her confirmation would not alter the court’s 6-3 conservative majority. Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, a potential 2024 presidential candidate, hinted he might attack what he sees as “an alarming pattern when it comes to Judge Jackson’s treatment of sex offenders, especially those preying on children.” The White House forcefully condemned Hawley’s “toxic and weakly presented misinformation.” (Source: AP) |
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| | Briefly | Here are some things you should know about today: China plane crash. A Boeing 737 with 133 people on board crashed in a remote, mountainous area in southern China today. Rescuers are en route to the site and “the situation with casualties remains unclear” according to Chinese state television. (Source: NYT) Tanzanian tragedy. At least 22 people were killed after a bus crashed into a truck in eastern Tanzania on Friday. A further 38 people were injured. (Source: Al Jazeera) Yemen strikes back. Yemen’s Houthi rebels unleashed an intense barrage of drone and missile strikes on Saudi Arabian energy facilities on Sunday, sparking a fire at one site and temporarily cutting oil production at another. (Source: AP) |
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| | INTRIGUING | | | | ‘Crocodile’ Tears | Prying Eyes Put Mixed Bathing at Japan’s Onsen in Jeopardy The ogling eyes of male wani (crocodiles) are putting women off visits to hot springs where both sexes have bathed naked for centuries. These crocodiles lurk nose-deep in the restorative waters scanning for female bathers, ignoring the unwritten rule that says to avert their eyes. Around 500 onsen (hot springs) allow mixed nude bathing — down from 1,200 in 1993. Some properties have installed partitions, but more are requiring bathers to partially cover up. While this seems to be doing the trick, onsen aficionado Yasuhiko Kobayashi says “the decline of mixed bathing is proof that standards are declining” in Japanese society. (Source: The Guardian) |
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| | U-Turn | Afghanistan’s Last Finance Minister is Now a DC Uber Driver If you hail a ride in Washington, D.C., you may be picked up by Khalid Payenda, Afghanistan’s last pre-Taliban finance minister. The U.S.-educated economist took the ministry job after watching his mother die of COVID-19 in an under-resourced Kabul hospital. His wife urged against it, but he felt a duty to try to make things better in his country. Now Payenda wishes he’d listened to her: “I saw a lot of ugliness, and we failed. I was part of the failure.” Driving his Honda Accord through Virginia’s suburbs helps him to forget such thoughts — at least for a while. (Source: WaPo) |
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| | Finn-tastic Five | Finns Are the World’s Happiest (Again) but We’re All Getting Kinder For the fifth year running, Finland has topped the World Happiness Report, with Denmark and Iceland rounding out the podium. The Nordic nation scores well on measures including life expectancy, GDP per capita, social and community support, low corruption and the freedom to make key life decisions. More surprising was the revelation that global benevolence is on the rise: donating to charity, helping a stranger and volunteering are up around 25% from pre-pandemic levels. Afghanistan’s last-place finish was “a stark reminder of the material and immaterial damage that war does to its many victims,” said report co-editor Emmanuel De Neve. (Source: CNN) |
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| | Mass Bleaching? | Australia’s Great Barrier Reef Hit by Another Severe Bleaching Event The 310-mile Central section of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has suffered severe bleaching to 60% of its corals. While two northern sections have been spared this year, scientists await results from the south to determine whether a “mass bleaching” has occurred. Bleaching happens when the sea surface temperature stays too hot for too long, causing corals to expel the algae living in their tissues and turn white. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority chief scientist David Wachenfeld said bleached coral can recover if temperatures stabilize quickly. He urged “people to be inspired and determined to [take] greater action to protect the reef.” (Source: The Age) |
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| | Allez les Bleus! | France Sweeps England Aside To Win Rugby’s Six Nations In a packed Stade de France adorned with tricolores, Les Bleus turned on the style to beat their old foes 25-13 and by three tries to one. The win marked the end of a triumphant Six Nations campaign that saw France beat all comers and took them to their first Grand Slam (beating England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland) in 12 years. “France are streets ahead of every other team in this competition. They have a brilliant style. They have flair with work rate and physicality,” said former England wing Ugo Monye. Next stop: the 2023 World Cup. (Source: BBC) |
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