⚡⚡ Russian mission in Vienna informs IAEA that 4 Rosatom employees are held hostage by Ukrainian side at Rovno Nuclear Power Plant

❗ Mariupol mayor reportedly leaves city

⚡⚡ Ex-US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has died

❗ Four health workers killed in Sumy as nationalists fire at ambulance from anti-tank grenade launcher, Russian MoD says

Latest Updates from Russia's Defence Ministry:

▪ Russia's MoD has announced that Kiev has yet again refused to coordinate the humanitarian corridors;

▪ In Chernigov, Sumy and Zaporozhye, nationalist battalions are looting houses;

▪ Russia's Defence Ministry says that 18,000 people have been evacuated from Ukraine and Donbass to Russia in one day, 3,700 of whom were children;

▪ Ukrainian radicals in Kharkov have gunned down residents who were looking for water and food;

▪ More than 6,800 foreigners remain hostages of the Ukrainian territorial defence;

▪ Kiev has unleashed terror against its citizens;

▪ Almost 8,500 more people were evacuated from Mariupol on Wednesday;

▪ Russia has evacuated 26 Vietnamese and Jordanians from Mariupol

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⚡️ Russian media watchdog restricts access to News.Google over fakes about Ukraine special op

⚖️ Judge confirmed as first Latina on California Supreme Court

A San Diego appeals court judge - the daughter of Mexican immigrants - was confirmed Tuesday as the first Latina to serve on the California Supreme Court. Justice Patricia Guerrero was approved by a 3-0 vote of the Commission on Judicial Appointments to fill the vacancy left by Associate Justice Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar, who stepped down last year.

Guerrero, 50, grew up in the agricultural Imperial Valley of southern California and has worked as prosecutor, law firm partner, Superior Court judge, and is on the state’s 4th District Court of Appeal. She will be sworn in Monday by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who nominated her.

California will now join Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, New York and Texas in having Latina justices on their high courts. Guerrero will receive an annual salary of $274,000.

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‼️ Dow plummets 400-plus points as oil pices surge amid cooncerns over inflation, supply shortages

⚡️ Renault decides to suspend all operations in Russia - Reports

🏛 California governor signs law to lower price for abortions

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a new law on Tuesday to make abortions cheaper for people on private insurance plans, the first of more than a dozen bills the state’s Democratic leaders plan to pass this year to prepare for a potential US Supreme Court ruling that could overturn Roe v. Wade.

At least 26 Republican-controlled states are likely to either ban abortion outright or severely limit access, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization that covers abortion and the right of women to control their own bodies. Limiting or outright banning abortion procedures forces women to travel to other states to get medical attention, prompting Democratic-led states like California to propose and pass new laws in preparation.

In Missouri, Republican lawmakers have introduced a bill that would make it illegal for residents in the state to get an abortion in another state.

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🇺🇸 US Army eases fitness test standards for women, older troops

After three years of complaint and debate, the Army has scrapped its move to have a physical fitness test that is gender- and age-neutral, and will now allow women and older soldiers to pass while meeting some reduced standards.

The decision comes after a study by the RAND research organization confirmed that men were passing the new six-event fitness test at a much higher rate than women, and that older soldiers were struggling with their scores in the expanded, more difficult, test developed in 2019.

The new test, however, has met widespread criticism, as women and older soldiers, including some in senior positions, had difficulty passing. Guard and Reserve soldiers will have until April 2023 to take the test without consequences, and then results will start to count. The test is administered once a year.

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💰 Nancy Pelosi's husband just bought $2.2 million worth of Tesla stock

Paul Pelosi, the husband of Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, purchased nearly $2.2 million worth of Tesla stock, according to a new congressional financial disclosure. He's made tens of millions of dollars in stock trades during the past few years, congressional records indicate.

Under current laws, members of Congress and their immediate family are required by law to disclose all individual stock trades within 30- to 45-days of making a purchase or sale.

Pelosi came under intense criticism after she rejected the idea of barring members of Congress and their spouses from trading individual stocks while in office following the investigation.

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📡 ZTE’s probation for selling US-made products to Iran and North Korea comes to an end

The Chinese telecommunications company had been under supervision by the US government after pleading guilty to illegally selling American-made equipment in Iran and North Korea in 2017. ZTE incurred a $1.2 billion fine as a result of violating US sanctions against both countries.

US District Judge Ed Kinkeade did not punish ZTE for visa fraud, the subject of a separate case currently underway in Georgia. Despite ending a five-year legal saga, this ruling doesn’t change restrictions banning government officials in the US from using ZTE and the China-based Huawei products.

The Federal Communications Commission also has plans to rip and replace both ZTE and Huawei telecommunications equipment in a move that will cost $5.6 billion.

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