Russian Strikes Target Civilians Evacuating Eastern Ukraine

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Apr 08 2022
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Russian Strikes Target Civilians Evacuating Eastern Ukraine

Natural Born Killers

Dozens are feared dead after Russian missiles struck a crowded train station in the city of Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine. Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said thousands of civilians were attempting to evacuate as Russian forces set their sights on the country’s industrial east. Meanwhile, in a rare display of weakness, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov admitted Russia had suffered “significant losses of troops and it's a huge tragedy for us.” Today European Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen is in Kyiv for talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who warned that the destruction in Borodyanka, northwest of Kyiv, is “significantly more dreadful” than in Bucha. ( Sources: The Guardian, BBC)

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Station of Devastation

Russian Strikes Target Civilians Evacuating Eastern Ukraine

Justice Delayed

KBJ Confirmed as First Black Woman on Supreme Court

President Joe Biden and Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson watched via livestream from the Roosevelt Room as the Senate confirmed Jackson as America’s first Black female Supreme Court justice. The 53-47 vote — which saw three Republicans cross the aisle — marked the end of a fiercely partisan confirmation process. “Even in the darkest times, there are bright lights,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. The Democrat added, “How many millions of kids in generations past could have benefited from such a role model?” Sen. Mitch McConnell, Republican minority leader, characterized the vote as a victory for the “radicals” on the “far left.” (Source: NYT)

Justice Transferred

Turkey Moves Khashoggi Trial to Saudi Arabia, Activists Fume

In an abrupt reversal Thursday, a Turkish court decided to transfer the trial of 26 Saudis charged in the gruesome 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi to the Kingdom — where it’s unlikely they’ll be brought to justice. The decision, part of a push by Ankara to repair relations with Riyadh, was denounced as “scandalous” by a human rights group. Turkish officials initially came down hard on the defendants, who are accused of killing and dismembering Khashoggi with a bone saw inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The accused include a forensic doctor and employees of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. (Source: AP)

Light at the End of the Barrel?

Oil Prices Set for 3% Weekly Fall After Massive Stockpile Release

Brent crude futures hovered around $100 a barrel as the decision to release 240 million barrels from emergency stocks offset some concerns over reduced supplies from Russia. Analysts said the release — the largest since the stockpile was created in 1980 — might cap price rises in the short term but would be of little consequence if the European Union bans Russian oil. “Pressure is mounting on Brussels to act, and if that pressure valve pops and the EU sanctions Russian oil, we could see Brent crude at $120 in a heartbeat,” said Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management. (Source: Reuters)

Briefly

Here are some things you should know about today:

Capitol offense. A rabid fox has been “humanely euthanized” after biting at least nine people on Washington’s Capitol Hill. The mother’s three kits have also been put down as a precaution. (Source: BBC) Khan he survive? Pakistan’s Supreme Court says Prime Minister Imran Khan’s attempt to block a no-confidence vote on his leadership was illegal. He’s now likely to lose his job. (Source: Al Jazeera) Non-dom mom. Akshata Murty, wife of Britain’s top Treasury official Rishi Sunak, has potentially dodged up to $26 million in U.K. taxes by paying $39,000 a year to be classed as “non-domiciled,” which lets people avoid tax on foreign earnings. (Source: The Guardian)

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INTRIGUING

Blast Food

Grenade Found Among Spuds at New Zealand ‘Hot Chips’ Factory

Talk about a flavor explosion. At 3.30 a.m. Tuesday, factory worker Richard Teurukura pulled a grenade from 31 tons of spuds that had gathered in the “potato reception area” at Mr Chips near Auckland. Initially Teurukura assumed it was a stone, but after noticing the grooves and consulting a colleague who’d “seen a lot of war movies” he realized it was a bomb. An elite special forces squad identified it as a training version of a Mills bomb — a common World War II hand grenade — which contained no explosives. The duds were widely used in training until the 1970s. (Source: Stuff)

Age of Extinction

Found: Fossil of Dinosaur Purportedly Killed in Asteroid Strike

Scientists at the Tanis fossil site in North Dakota have presented a stunningly preserved leg from a dinosaur they claim was killed on the actual day — 66 million years ago — when a giant asteroid struck Earth and the reign of the dinosaurs ended. Researchers also discovered fish that had inhaled impact debris. Hardly any fossils have been found that date back to the few thousand years before impact, so to find some from the actual cataclysm itself would be extraordinary. More will be revealed when the claims are aired in a BBC documentary hosted by David Attenborough on April 15. (Source: BBC)

Day of Reckoning

Blood Test Predicts Heart Attack Risk With Twice Previous Accuracy

The new technique, already available in the U.S., can predict whether you’re at high risk of heart attack, stroke or heart failure within the next four years. The test, which relies on protein measurements, is roughly twice as accurate as existing risk scores. Far from instilling the fear of death in us all, doctors hope to use it to decide how to tweak medicine regimes for at-risk patients. “The nice thing is that treatments already exist. The problem is matching them to the people who need them the most,” said Dr. Stephen Williams of SomaLogic, who led the research. (Source: The Guardian)

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Japanese Robot Can Peel Bananas — Like a Toddler

Researchers have unveiled a robot that’s about as good as a toddler at peeling a ’nana without squashing the fruit inside. While the robot currently takes three minutes to peel a single fruit — and it only manages not to squish it 57% of the time — researchers at the University of Tokyo are confident their progeny will grow up to be more capable. They trained the robot using a “deep imitation learning” process where they demonstrated the banana-peeling action hundreds of times, over a period of 13 hours, to produce sufficient data for the robot to learn and replicate the actions. (Source: Reuters)

Tiger’s Back

Woods Cards Solid Opening Round in Remarkable Masters Comeback

Barely a year after a car crash that nearly resulted in his right leg being amputated, five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods rolled back the years at Augusta National with a 1-under-par 71 that left him tied for 10th place. “I was able to finish up in the red,” he said. “I am right where I need to be.” Of course, nine other players are even better positioned: South Korea’s Sungjae Im sits at 5 under, one ahead of mulleted and mustachioed Australian Cameron Smith. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Joaquín Niemann and past champions Danny Willet and Dustin Johnson lurk at 3 under. (Sources: The Athletic, The Guardian)