Your Monday Briefing: Shelling in Ukraine intensifies
World

Your Monday Briefing: Shelling in Ukraine intensifies

Posted on by Marc Barman

U.S. intelligence discovered final week that the Kremlin had ordered an invasion of Ukraine to proceed, prompting a dire warning by President Biden that President Vladimir Putin had made the choice to assault.

The brand new intelligence reveals that 40 to 50 p.c of the Russian forces surrounding Ukraine have moved out of staging and into fight formation.

Russian artillery fireplace escalated sharply in jap Ukraine this weekend, deepening fears of an imminent assault and doubtlessly giving Russia a pretext to invade. Ukrainians reluctantly left their homes, some evacuating to Russia.

After repeated assurances that navy drills would finish this weekend, Belarus stated that it and Russia would proceed to “take a look at” their navy capabilities and that Russian troops would stay longer than planned. NATO has lengthy warned that the deployment could possibly be used as cowl to construct an invasion drive.

For all of China’s efforts to hold on the Winter Video games with a festive spirit, Beijing 2022 unfolded as a joyless spectacle: constricted by the pandemic, fraught with geopolitical tensions and tainted as soon as once more by accusations of doping.

Tv viewership dropped considerably within the U.S., Canada, Britain and different nations, underscoring concerns facing the Olympic movement. However the sports activities shone by.

Medals: Norway repeated its extraordinary success within the Winter Olympics, with a record 16 golds and 37 medals total.

China: The Chinese language group had its best medal haul in a Winter Olympics: 9 golds and 15 total. Contained in the nation, online propagandists promoted a imaginative and prescient of the Video games freed from rancor or controversy.

Athletes: Eileen Gu, an 18-year-old skier from San Francisco who competed for China, turned the event’s breakout star. Some Chinese language Individuals see themselves within the duality she has embraced.

Pandemic: China’s “closed loop” strategy labored — and birthed new infrastructure. Just a few athletes needed to miss their competitions, and there have been days when not a single take a look at got here again optimistic.

Enterprise: Olympic sponsors are struggling to straddle a widening political gulf between the U.S. and China: What is nice for enterprise in a single nation is more and more a legal responsibility within the different.

The 95-year-old British monarch was “experiencing mild coldlike symptoms,” Buckingham Palace stated.

Though the circumstances of the queen’s an infection remained clouded in questions, Prince Charles, her eldest son and inheritor, examined optimistic in a breakthrough an infection two days after assembly together with her earlier this month.

After canceling public occasions within the fall, citing exhaustion, the queen has begun appearing in public again. Her frailty is deepening anxiety that her extremely popular reign could also be coming to an finish.

Pandemic: Prime Minister Boris Johnson was anticipated to announce the lifting of the remaining restrictions in England on Monday, together with the authorized requirement for individuals who take a look at optimistic to isolate.

In different pandemic developments:

Asia

Explorers have began combing Antarctica’s icy Weddell Sea for one of many most revered ships in the history of polar exploration: Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance. As underwater drones scan the seafloor for the wreck, scientists are additionally on the lookout for indicators that the local weather disaster is altering the pack ice.

With Omicron circumstances ebbing, journey brokers and operators have reported a big enhance in bookings for spring and summer time journeys. Massive bucket-list journeys appear to be in excessive demand.

Listed here are a few trends to watch:

Air journey will most likely open up. Count on fewer restrictions in 2022, extra vacationers and extra flights. Possibly even cheaper fares, too.

Entry necessities should snarl plans: Here’s a guide of what to anticipate at worldwide borders.

Cities are again: Vacationers are itching for museums and nice eating places, particularly in European capitals.

So are all-inclusive resorts, catering to pandemic-scarred vacationers cautious of leaving the grounds.

There’s additionally an increase in sexual wellness retreats, education-focused jaunts for households seeking to assist kids complement missed studying and smaller, extra area of interest cruises. Blissful trails!

What to Cook dinner

Source link