Further steps to isolate Russia
Western countries and the international community increased their pressure on Russia yesterday over the invasion of Ukraine. The EU approved a ban on Russian coal, the UN voted to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council, and the US has begun stripping Russia of trade privileges and banning the sale of energy on the US market. Follow the latest updates.
The measures came as evidence grew of atrocities committed by Russian forces, including intercepted radio broadcasts in which members of the Russian armed forces discussed carrying out indiscriminate killings north of Kiev, the capital, according to two officials who were aware of a intelligence report. Russia has denied any responsibility for atrocities.
The sanctions were unlikely to convince Russia to stop the war. They revealed how other countries were trying to minimize their own economic pain and avoid getting caught up in a direct armed conflict with Moscow. The war has led to the biggest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.
Saudi Arabia May Be Trying to End War in Yemen
Yemen’s exiled President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi resigned yesterday and handed power to a presidential council, a sweeping reshuffle supported by his supporters in Saudi Arabia and aimed at a jump start to an end. to the Seven Years’ War that has raged in the Arabian Peninsula. †
The president announced his resignation days after a two-month ceasefire was in effect, another sign that Saudi Arabia and its allies in the Persian Gulf may be looking for a way out of years of bloodshed. Hadi delegated the new presidential council to lead the government and lead peace talks with the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who control Yemen’s capital Sana and the country’s northwest.
The new attempt to end the war follows seven years of dragging fighting that has destroyed the Yemeni state, sparked one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises and undermined the security of the oil-producing Gulf monarchies allied with the US
Analysis: Experts raised questions about how effective the presidential council would be in managing the peace process, given the divergent views of its eight members. “It’s expensive for the Saudis, and it’s definitely more expensive for them than for their enemy,” said Katherine Zimmerman, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
Covid crisis in Shanghai
As the coronavirus rages through Shanghai, the city’s worst outbreak since the start of the pandemic, authorities have deployed their usual tough play plan to try to eradicate the transmission, regardless of the cost. Residents have responded with an unusual outpouring of discontent rarely seen in China since the early days of the pandemic, in Wuhan.
The crisis, which has registered more than 70,000 cases since March 1, is becoming more than just a public health challenge. It is also a political test of the zero-tolerance approach in general, on which the Communist Party has anchored its legitimacy.
For now, the government seems largely unmoved. A Chinese deputy prime minister visited Shanghai and demanded that officials focus “without hesitation” on eliminating cases. Public health experts have warned that China is unprepared to live with the coronavirus, as just over half of those over 80 have been fully vaccinated by the end of March.
Analysis: The city is home to a vibrant middle class as well as many elites, who are used to a relatively high degree of political autonomy.
Here are the latest updates and maps of the pandemic.
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ART AND IDEAS
Your Wordle Coach
This robot wants to make you better in Wordle. WordleBot – a new project from The Upshot – can analyze your submissions after you play and explain how you could have done better. The tips are intended to help you solve future Wordle puzzles faster.
The bot works best if you use the same browser you used to play Wordle. Play the game first and then go to the WordleBot page.
Upshot’s program recommends two optimal opening words: CRANE in normal mode and DEALT in hard mode. But it won’t punish anyone who chooses to start each day with a random choice – variety is the spice of life.
