Cucumber Chef
The Mariupol school housing 400 inhabitants is bombed
The pounding of the beleaguered port city of Mariupol intensified on Sunday as Russia’s bloody assault on Ukraine waded deeper into its fourth week. The Mariupol city council accused the Russian army of bombing an art school where around 400 people had taken refuge. There was no immediate word on the casualties at the school, but the city council said on social media that the building had been destroyed and people could remain under the rubble.
- Fears have arisen over the prospect of Russian-organized ‘concentration and prison camps’ after the Mariupol City Council declared Ukrainian passports were taken from people who received a piece of paper which “has no legal value and is not recognized in the civilized world”. The city council also claimed that Russian soldiers had forced more than a thousand residents of the city to be relocated to Russia. The US ambassador to the United Nations said on Sunday she could not confirm the reports, but expressed concern about the prospect of “concentration and prison camps” organized by Russia.
- Of the 3 million refugees who fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion on February 24, most have come to Poland. But around 350,000 entered Moldova, one of the poorest countries in Europe. Most are women and children, as most men of fighting age were ordered to stay to defend their country. Now government workers and aid groups are trying to help, conducting a rushing symphony in multiple languages, from Russian and Romanian, which is spoken in Moldova, to French and English. Learn more here.
Saturday recap:Zelenskyy calls Mariupol terror a war crime; Russia uses the first hypersonic missile.
At least 1 dead, 28 injured in shooting at Arkansas auto show
One person was in custody and a search was underway for another shooter on Sunday after a Southeastern Arkansas auto show rampage leaves at least one dead and 28 injured, police said. Arkansas State Police spokesman Bill Sadler said more arrests were possible after ‘gunfire swept through a crowd’ in Dumas, a town of less than 5,000 residents about 90 miles south of Little Rock. “A suspect is in custody and the search continues today for others who may have fired,” Sadler said. Dumas Police Chief Keith Finch said an unknown number of children were among the injured.
Really fast
march madness
The men’s NCAA Sweet 16 tournament is set, but the defending champion will not be part of it. Seed #1 Baylor was eliminated by North Carolina in overtime Saturday in a physical game according to USA TODAY sports columnist Dan Wolken umpires get out of control. Elsewhere on Saturday, n°1 Gonzaga avoided a similar fate making key plays on the stretch to send Memphis home. And seed #15 Saint-Pierre continued his walk from Cinderella, eliminate No. 7 Murray State to reach its first Sweet 16. The women’s Sweet 16 will be finalized on Monday, with the No. 1 seed NC State against No. 9 Kansas State among the upcoming games.
Virginian-Pilot reporter killed in shooting in Norfolk
A journalist from Virginia was one in two people killed after a shooting outside a restaurant and bar early Saturday morning, police said. At least 3 other people were injured. Sierra Jenkins, 25, an educational reporter for The Virginian-Pilot, was at Chicho’s Pizza Backstage in Norfolk with a friend, her family said. Restaurant manager Rory Schindel said bartenders announced the last call around 1:30 a.m., and when customers started to leave, an argument began outside the bar, followed by gunfire. The Norfolk Police Department said officers arrived at the scene just before 2 a.m. to report multiple gunshot victims. A man, identified as Devon Harris, 25, was pronounced dead at the scene. Jenkins was taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where she later died, police said.
Hello Spring! It was a long time ago.
Finally spring is finally here. The Vernal (aka Spring) Equinox – the beginning of astronomical spring in the northern hemisphere – occurs on Sunday. The equinox is the time when the sun’s rays shine directly on the earth’s equator. Sunday will be one of two days in the year – the other being the autumnal equinox in September – when the Earth’s axis is tilted neither towards nor away from the sun, giving around 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness almost everywhere on Earth. For people in the southern hemisphere, it’s the autumnal equinox this Sunday, marking the first day of autumn.
PS Do you like this overview of stories? Sign up for “The Short List” newsletter here.
This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Contributor: Associated Press.
