IMPORTANT | | | Big Day in Brussels | Three Thursday Summits in Belgian Capital Address Ukraine Crisis President Joe Biden flew to Brussels for a trio of important meetings on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. After attending a NATO summit where heads of state pledged fresh sanctions against Russia and more weapons for Ukraine, Biden praised their cohesion. “Putin was banking on NATO being split,” Biden said, but “NATO has never, never been more united than it is today.” Next up was a G-7 summit where leaders pledged to address food shortages caused by the war, and an EU Council meeting where they discussed reducing Europe’s dependence on Russian gas. Biden heads to Poland today to witness the refugee crisis. (Sources: EU Reporter, Politico, AP) |
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| | | | | Biden Relents | US to Accept Up to 100,000 Refugees Fleeing Ukraine Bowing to pressure, President Biden announced in Brussels that the U.S. would admit up to 100,000 of the millions of refugees fleeing Ukraine and donate $1 billion to European countries on the front line of the humanitarian crisis. “This is not something that Poland or Romania or Germany should carry on their own,” said Biden. The sweeping gesture of goodwill received bipartisan support — in stark contrast to Republican attitudes toward the 13,000 refugees arriving at America’s southern border every day. Just how the already-creaking U.S. immigration system will accommodate the new arrivals remains to be seen. (Source: NYT) |
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| | | Anything Putin Can Do | North Korea Fires Its Biggest ICBM Yet North Korean state media announced Friday morning that it had test-fired a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile under the orders of Kim Jong Un, who vowed to expand Pyongyang’s “nuclear war deterrent” while preparing for a “long-standing confrontation” with the United States. The 82-foot-long weapon, which was unveiled in October 2020, is by some estimates the world’s biggest road-mobile ballistic missile system. Friday’s test saw it attain a maximum altitude of 3,880 miles before plunging into the ocean between North Korea and Japan 67 minutes after launch. While Biden has other worries, the test won’t have gone unnoticed. (Source: AP) |
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| | | Big Yellow Taxi | Uber to List New York City’s Yellow Cabs on Its App In a shock development that’s more Hollywood than Big Apple, the e-hailing app and NYC’s taxis have hopped into bed with one another. Uber announced Thursday that it will list cabs from Curb and CMT on its app. Pricing will be determined by Uber and drivers will be able to reject individual rides. Since Uber arrived in NYC in 2011, the bitter rivals have battled to control the city’s streets. But as the taxi industry struggles to recover from the pandemic and Uber faces unprecedented demand from its food delivery arm, the two have clearly realized they’re stronger together. (Source: NYT) |
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| | | Briefly | Here are some things you should know about today: Tone deaf. A royal tour of the Caribbean by Prince William and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, was designed to persuade Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas to keep Queen Elizabeth II as head of state — but seems to be having the opposite effect, as Britain’s role in the slave trade comes under increasing scrutiny. (Source: Time) White flag. Rebel forces fighting in the Tigray region of Ethiopia have accepted a government-offered truce that will allow much-needed aid to millions of affected people. (Source: BBC) Another one down. An eighth journalist has been killed in Mexico this year — pouring water on government claims the situation is under control. (Source: DW) |
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| | | INTRIGUING | | | Close but no Cigar | Scientists Recreate Near-Complete Genome of Christmas Island Rat In 1897 Rattus macleari “swarmed” Indonesia’s 52-square-mile Christmas Island, but by 1908 the rats had gone extinct. Scientists have now used pelts housed at Oxford University and an existing reference genome for the Norway rat to attempt to bring Rattus macleari back from the dead. The method was both groundbreaking and not as accurate as expected, with the reconstructed genome missing sizeable chunks. “We could make something, but it seems clear it will never be a Christmas Island rat,” said ecologist Douglas McCauley, who was not part of the study. “In which case, what is the point?” (Source: The Scientist) |
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| | | For the Birds | 'Falcons Only' at This High-End Qatari Clinic Sitting in the marbled foyer of Doha’s Souq Waqif clinic — as nurses scurry toward operating theaters and doctors squint at X-rays — it’s easy to forget that this high-end hospital treats only falcons. The ancient practice of falconry is popular among Qatar’s elite, who bring in around 150 birds to the clinic every day. Doctors treat injuries sustained during hunts, run blood tests and even do mani-pedis: Life in high-rise apartment blocks is not good for the birds’ talons. “The look that a falcon and its owner share, it’s different than any other look,” said clinic director Dr. Ikdam Al Karkhi. (Source: AP) |
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| | | | | Good Hair Day | Filipino Cruise Worker Turns Hair Clippings Into Art Art materials are hard to come by for Jesstoni Garcia, a Manila salon owner who spends eight months of the year at sea working on a cruise ship. After giving himself a haircut last year, he hit upon the idea of using the clippings instead. His first attempt — made using only a fine brush and some clear glue — was a self portrait, but he now specializes in celebrity likenesses. “We need to have an outlet to deal with depression. For me, my outlet was making art,” Garcia said. He only uses his own hair and would like to sell his works. (Source: Reuters) |
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| | | Why Her? | Russian Reporter Killed in Ukraine Was Fierce Putin Critic Oksana Baulina, who was killed Wednesday by Russian shelling while she filmed at a shopping center in Kyiv, had previously worked for jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation. Baulina fled Russia last year when authorities declared the foundation an “extremist organization” but she continued to rage against the Putin machine by reporting for the anti-government website The Insider. Alexey Kovalev of the Latvian-based Russian news website Meduza paid tribute to Baulina’s “phenomenal sense of moral clarity.” Anastasia Karimova, program director at the Foundation for Democratic Development, tweeted: “The Russian army has killed one of Russia’s best people.” (Source: The Guardian) |
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| | | Sweet 16 | Arkansas Upends Gonzaga, Houston Knocks Out Arizona Two top-seeded teams were toppled Thursday in the first night of the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 action as fourth-seeded Arkansas muscled past Gonzaga 74-68. “We saw everything they were saying, we felt like they were dancing before the game,” Razorbacks star Jaylin Williams said. “That was disrespect for us. We just came into the game playing hard and we had a chip on our shoulder.” Fifth-seed Houston also outclassed Arizona 72-60, and in the night’s other action, Villanova beat Michigan 63-55 and Duke outlasted Texas Tech 78-73. The rest of college basketball’s Elite Eight will be decided tonight. (Sources: AP, The Athletic) |
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