Good morning.
Russia hit Kyiv with cruise missile strikes hours after Joe Biden announced the US would double its military and economic aid to Ukraine.
The attacks took place while the UN secretary general was visiting the city, leading the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, to call for a “strong response”, saying the strikes “say a lot about Russia’s true attitude to global institutions”.
At least 10 people were injured, Ukrainian state emergency officials said. Zelenskiy said the attacks on Kyiv and other cities “prove that we cannot let our guard down”.
Thursday’s strikes came hours after Biden asked Congress to grant immediate approval for spending that would include more than $33bn in military aid, $8.5bn in economic aid to Kyiv and $3bn in humanitarian relief.
The UK is sending 8,000 troops to take part in exercises across eastern Europe – one of the largest deployments since the cold war.
Zelenskiy said Russian forces came close to capturing or assassinating him within hours of the invasion.
Capitol attack panel to issue letters to key Republicans
The House select committee investigating the Capitol attack is expected to issue letters asking significant Republican figures, including the House minority leader, Kevin McCarthy, and about a dozen others, to appear before the panel voluntarily, sources close to the matter said.
The list has not yet been finalized, but two sources said that Scott Perry, Jim Jordan, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Mo Brooks, Lauren Boebert, Andy Biggs, as well as some Republican senators, are being considered.
The panel is understood to be particularly interested in McCarthy after it emerged this week he had told the Republican leadership that days after the Capitol attack Donald Trump admitted at least partial responsibility to him.
When will the letters be sent? Either this week or next week, according to the sources. The list is expected to be authorized as soon as this week.
Have they been asked to testify before? It would be the second time McCarthy, Jordan and Perry are requested to appear.
What if the figures don’t cooperate? The panel will then consider ways to compel them to: subpoenas are no longer off the table.
British Virgin Islands premier arrested on cocaine charges in US sting operation
The premier of the British Virgin Islands, Andrew Fahie, has been arrested in Miami on charges of conspiring to import cocaine into the US and money laundering during a sting operation.
The BVI governor, John Rankin, confirmed Fahie had been arrested on Thursday morning and called for calm. Fahie was involved in conspiracy to import at least 5kg of cocaine and money laundering from 16 October last year, court papers filed in Florida alleged.
Were others arrested? Oleanvine Maynard, the manager director of the BVI’s port authority, and her son Kadeem were also detained.
How were they caught? Fahie and Maynard were arrested at a Miami airport after being invited by undercover agents to see the $700,000 that BVI officials expected to receive.
In other news …
Dozens of people in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi reported seeing a remarkably bright meteor on Wednesday after hearing loud booms. It was first sighted 54 miles above the Mississippi River, near Alcorn, Mississippi, Nasa said.
Elon Musk has sold nearly $4bn-worth of Tesla shares since reaching his $44bn Twitter deal. The sales, on Tuesday and Wednesday, came as Tesla’s share price nosedived amid investor fears Musk would sell to finance the deal.
An American family flying back from Israel caused a bomb scare after they showed security an unexploded bombshell they were planning to bring back as a souvenir. Panicked passengers fled the area, with one man hospitalized for his injuries.
The number of Algerians reaching Spain in small boats in 2021 rose by a fifth. Residents such as 65-year-old Nouara are considering this dangerous route if the legal option is closed to them: “If plan A doesn’t work, illegal migration will be my last refuge.”
Stat of the day: Nearly 5bn medications are prescribed annually in the US
Almost 5bn medications are prescribed annually in the US, and Americans on average have about 12 prescriptions a year. This may be having an impact on marine populations: when Dr Jennifer Rehage, a fish ecologist and associate professor at Florida International University, set out to learn why bonefish numbers are dropping, her team found all 93 fish they sampled tested positive for at least one drug.
Don’t miss this: the Texan revolt against giant new highways
The seemingly endless expansion of highways in Texas has provoked anger from residents, who last week protested against plans for roads that will displace residents as well as as churches, schools and businesses. While highways are expanded, the state is obstructing local initiatives encouraging cycling and walking, and residents say public transport options are limited. Could the state’s “car-centric status quo” be beginning to shake?
Climate check: Climate crisis, not military tensions, is biggest threat to Pacific, say former leaders
Former leaders of Pacific nations have warned that the climate crisis – not rising military tensions – pose the biggest threat to their region. Pacific nations are often seen as acting as a bellwether for the climate emergency, which is already causing migration away from some island groups.
Last Thing: ‘I bake recipes I find on gravestones’
During the strange early days of lockdown, many got into baking, along with other hobbies that fell by the wayside within months (if not weeks). Rosie Grant, who is studying to be an archivist, did too – but with something of a twist. She began baking recipes she found on gravestones, which has led her to research the lives of the women behind the recipes.
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