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IMPORTANT
| | No White Flag | Ukraine Defenders Say They’ll Fight to the Bitter End President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed not to give up any territory in the country’s east as Ukraine defied Russian demands to surrender the key port city of Mariupol by Sunday. Though the devastated city remains under Ukrainian control, experts describe the situation as dire and predict Russia will capture Mariupol very soon. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Sunday that military forces there would “fight to the end.” Meanwhile, five Russian missiles reportedly hit Lviv early this morning, and Zelenskyy accused Russia of building “torture chambers” in the south of the country and of carrying out abductions. (Sources: WaPo, Al Jazeera, The Guardian) |
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| | Caught in the Crossfire | At Least 47 Dead in Afghanistan After Pakistan Attacks Mounting tensions between the two countries exploded this weekend when Pakistani military air raids on eastern Afghanistan killed 41 civilians — mainly women and children — and wounded 22 others. Though Pakistan has been a staunch Taliban supporter, urging Western nations to engage with the country’s leadership, tensions have been on the rise since the ultra-religious hard-liners seized power last August. Islamabad issued a strong warning to the Afghan government Sunday, accusing it of sheltering terrorists who are “acting with impunity from Afghan soil to carry out activities in Pakistan.” Pakistan’s new Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif's stance toward the Taliban remains unclear. (Sources: Al Jazeera, DW) |
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| | | Do the Right Thing | The Future of the Planet Is in the Hands of Big Business As legislative attempts to tackle climate change have repeatedly failed, the U.S. Department of Energy has quietly turned to private enterprise to help initiate new green technologies. With just 100 global companies responsible for 71% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions over the past 30 years, it’s about time. Though some see this as yet another unholy alliance between government and Big Business, others recognize that change can’t come without corporate cooperation. But our time for squabbling is running out: U.N. scientists warn we have till 2025 to tip the balance, saying private sector initiatives may be our last best hope. (Sources: Time) |
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| | Make Love, Not Nuclear War | Pope’s Easter Message Calls for Peace for War-Torn Ukraine Speaking before tens of thousands of the faithful yesterday, Pope Francis described an “Easter of war” this year. “We have seen all too much blood, all too much violence,” said the pope, warning that the conflict could lead to nuclear war. “Let us all commit ourselves to imploring peace, from our balconies and in our streets.” Francis asked citizens to take up the cause: “May the leaders of nations hear people’s plea for peace.” While the pope praised European countries’ commitment to sheltering Ukrainian refugees, he suggested the same welcome should be extended to other vulnerable people fleeing conflicts elsewhere. (Sources: WaPo, NYT) |
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| | Briefly | Here are some things you should know about today: Uneasy Easter. The U.S. was rocked by three mass shootings over Easter weekend, leaving two teenage boys dead and eight wounded in Pittsburgh, while two separate shootings in South Carolina left 18 wounded. (Source: The Guardian) L’Embezzlement. A report by the EU’s anti-fraud agency accused French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen of fraudulently using around $150,000 that she received in public funding. (Source: Reuters) Parting shot. Retiring Republican Rep. Fred Upton issued a dire warning about Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, saying extremist members of his party will make it hard to govern if the GOP retakes control of Congress in November. (Source: HuffPost) |
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INTRIGUING
| | | Grand Opening | Mystery Sarcophagus Found Under Notre Dame to Be Opened The announcement came a day before the third anniversary of a fire that devastated Paris’ landmark cathedral. The sarcophagus, “of remarkable scientific quality,” was discovered last month 65 feet below the edifice among the pipes of a 19th-century heating system. But scientists believe the tomb probably dates to the 14th century. A peek via endoscopic camera revealed leaves and other objects in the tomb, suggesting that this was not just any corpse. “If it turns out that it is in fact a sarcophagus from the Middle Ages, we are dealing with an extremely rare burial practice,” said archaeologist Christophe Besnier. (Sources: The Local, France24, Artnews) |
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| | Speaking Fiction to Power | ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ Author Wins Coveted Trump Endorsement in Ohio Bestselling author J.D. Vance has routed a lineup of candidates desperate for the endorsement of former President Donald Trump in Ohio’s Republican primary for Senate. Vance, one of Trump’s fiercest GOP critics in the 2016 election, backpedaled from descriptions calling him an “idiot” and “reprehensible.” Six years ago, in a piece for The Atlantic, Vance compared Trumpism to “an opioid addiction” and asserted that Trump’s racism was the reason for his wide support. “All of us say stupid things,” said Vance by way of apology last month. Apparently the former president is more forgiving than he’s credited for. (Sources: Rolling Stone, Bloomberg) |
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| | Gimme Shelter | COVID Law Blocks Condo Deal by Shielding Tenant From Eviction After 15 years in his Manhattan apartment, Ahmed Nejat Ozsu, 52, would rather stay. In normal times, the Naftali Group, which bought the Upper West Side building for $70 million, would’ve tossed Ozsu out within months. But COVID-era laws protecting unemployed tenants who can’t pay rent could prolong the standoff indefinitely. Ozsu, who declined a $30,000 payout, is the only tenant out of 128 apartments to refuse to leave. It seems it’ll take more than the noisy industrial-size air filter installed just outside Ozsu’s door and the $25 million lawsuit slapped against him: It’s a matter of principle, he said. (Source: NYT) |
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| | Future of Fast Food | Moonburger Woos Carnivores With ‘Non-Preachy’ Plant-Based Burgers Who says meatless burgers can’t be delish? Since opening in October 2021, Moonburger, a plant-based fast-food drive-through in Kingston, New York, has welcomed hundreds of guests daily. Built to appeal to the meat-eating majority, Moonburger features a menu that sticks to the basics: burgers loaded with crispy fried onions, pickles, lettuce and special sauce, cheeseburgers (made with dairy or non-dairy American cheese), fries and milkshakes. Gluten-free buns are optional. With plant-based fake meat businesses like Beyond and Impossible booming, Moonburger founder Jeremy Robinson-Leon is notable for trying to remove the loaded political language and just “reach people who love meat.” (Source: WSJ) |
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| | WNBA Woes | Is Brittney Griner a Criminal Defendant or a Political Pawn? It’s been two months since the Phoenix Mercury center was arrested at a Moscow airport — the week before Russian forces invaded Ukraine — for allegedly carrying vape cartridges containing illegal hashish oil. While many worry the Olympic gold medalist is a political hostage, Griner’s arrest hasn’t garnered much coverage on Russian state media, which suggests the Kremlin doesn’t consider her valuable. U.S. legal advisers warn that it’s in her best interest to keep the case from getting political, which may explain why her WNBA colleagues have kept uncharacteristically quiet. Griner, due in court May 19, faces a maximum sentence of 10 years. (Source: Yahoo Sports) |
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