3.18.2023

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Good morning. It's Saturday, March 18, and in this weekend edition, we're covering arrest warrants for Russia's alleged war crimes, a historic March Madness upset, and much more. First time reading? Sign up here.

 

You share. We listen. As always, send us feedback at [email protected].

One Big Headline
 

War Crimes Arrest Warrants

The International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, issued its first arrest warrants yesterday for alleged crimes committed in Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The warrants were issued for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights. The move marks the first time a leader of a country with a permanent seat on the UN Security Council (see 101) has been called before the court. 

 

The court's judges allege the two bear responsibility for deporting and transferring children from occupied areas of Ukraine. While Russia, like the US, does not accept the ICC's jurisdiction, observers say the arrest warrants carry symbolic weight and could make it difficult for Putin and Lvova-Belova to travel to countries that do accept the court's jurisdiction. The ICC relies on member states to make the actual arrests. Moscow has repeatedly denied allegations of war crimes. 

 

The International Criminal Court (see background and participating countries) was established in 2002 after 60 countries ratified a special treaty, giving the court the ability to investigate and prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and crimes of aggression. 

Quick Hits
 

Monumental March Upset.

The No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson Knights upset the No. 1 Purdue Boilermakers in what is only the second loss for a No. 1 seed in modern history. See current brackets for the NCAA men's basketball tournament here

 

Silicon Valley Bank's former parent company files for bankruptcy. 

Silicon Valley Financial Group filed for a court-supervised reorganization under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Friday as it seeks buyers for its assets, a week after federal regulators took control over its commercial bank. Separately, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is still seeking a buyer for Silicon Valley Bank.

 

Turkey to back Finland's bid to join NATO military alliance.

The move is a breakthrough for the Nordic nation, which applied to become a member 10 months ago amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. NATO requires the unanimous approval of its 30 existing members to expand; Turkey and Hungary have been the only two nations that haven't ratified Finland's or Sweden's bids.

 

French president to face vote of no-confidence next week.

Lawmakers opposing President Emmanuel Macron's proposed pension overhaul filed a multiparty no-confidence motion Friday in the National Assembly, the lower house of France's parliament. In related news, more than 300 protesters have been arrested in clashes with police. See our previous write-up here.

 

YouTube restores former President Donald Trump's channel.

YouTube lifted restrictions on Trump's account Friday after a two-year suspension; his channel has more than 2.6 million followers. YouTube initially suspended the account from posting new videos in January 2021 following the storming of the US Capitol. 

 

New species of orchid discovered in Japan.

Researchers discovered the new species, whose pink and white petals resemble glasswork, near Hachijo Island in the Tokyo prefecture. It has been given the name Spiranthes hachijoensis and can be found in lawns and parks. 

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Humankind
 

Bowie State color guard team's newest dance partner is 4 years old. (More)

 

A 9-year-old girl is honored for potentially saving her mother's life. (More)

 

Oregon grandfather rescues woman from burning hotel. (More)

 

Hero passerby scales building in China to save boy who fell out of a window. (More

 

High school senior surprised with free $700 prom dress. (More)

 

A 102-year-old fitness instructor shares her advice for being active. (More

 

Florida man serving 400-year-prison sentence walks free after exoneration. (More)

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Humankind(ness)
 

Today, we're sharing a story from reader Lauren D. in Port Matilda, Pennsylvania.

 

"I started my first job out of college 6 months ago. Over the past few weeks my sister has been in and out of the hospital. She was finally diagnosed with porphyria, which is an incredibly rare disease, that often goes undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. My sister had to be moved to a different hospital to start getting treatment. My sister sent me a text saying, 'I just got the flowers and cookies your coworkers sent to my hospital room.' I had no idea my colleagues were sending anything to my sister ... My colleagues showed their love for me by sending flowers to my sister. I was completely blown away, and will hold this act of kindness with me for the rest of my life."

 

What act(s) of kindness did you experience this week? Tell us here.

Etcetera
 

Bookkeeping

The odds of having a perfect NCAA bracket is 1 in 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 if you choose winners at random and 1 in 120.2 billion if you have some knowledge

Young boy sets world record for fastest average time to solve a standard Rubik's cube, securing an average time of 4.69 seconds (w/video). 

> Three years since the COVID-19 pandemic began, 47% of Americans believe prepandemic normalcy is unattainable for them

 

Browse 

> Mapping monthly minimum wage around the world

... and the US cities where $100K goes the furthest

Why does squinting help you see better?

Thirty movies that turn 30 this year

> A hot sauce for pickle lovers

 

Listen 

> The true story of Reed Domingo, a man who ran up a quarter of a million dollars in IVF bills and decided to rob 12 banks in San Diego.


Watch 

> Harvard professor answers questions about happiness

> How is Trader Joe's so cheap and popular

> Why so many people need glasses now.

 

Long Read 

> How to make friends as an adult

> An Icelandic town goes all-out to save baby puffins

> Tech workers in the US on H1-B visas scramble to find new roles amid layoffs.

 

Best of the Week: US cities where inflation is rising the most

 

Historybook: President Grover Cleveland born (1837); Actress and first Black Miss America Vanessa Williams born (1963); Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov becomes first person to walk in space (1965); Queen Latifah born (1970); Singer-songwriter and guitarist Chuck Berry dies (2017). 

"The wiser you get, the more experience you have, and the more you see people for who they are as human beings, as opposed to figures you have to fight against."

- Vanessa Williams

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