The World

China's lockdown in Shanghai has been intense, with harsh restrictions on movement testing residents' patience. COVID-19 cases are also growing in the manufacturing hub of Guangzhou. We hear about what life has been like as the lockdown continues. And while India has sent aid to Ukraine, it has not censored or imposed sanctions against Russia. The country also abstained from UN Security Council votes on the war and bought discounted oil from Russia. Plus, Mexico has voted to allow President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to complete his six-year term in a referendum held Sunday. But fewer than 2 of every 10 eligible voters participated, raising questions about the validity of the referendum.

Russia’s military continues to target Ukrainian civilians, with revelations of possible war crimes committed in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha. Most countries, including the US, have responded with more sanctions. What impact does economic pressure have on Vladimir Putin’s war effort? And, the United Kingdom’s government has promised to ban the discredited practice of conversion therapy. But this week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the ban does not include transgender and nonbinary people. Plus, Orizaba Peak is home to one of Mexico’s last glaciers, and it’s melting, leaving 2 million people at risk of losing their water supply. Restoration efforts are underway.

Six weeks into the war in Ukraine, Russia’s military efforts are now targeting the eastern part of the country. As Russian troops retreat from Kyiv, journalists have been able to further document atrocities taking place there. And on Thursday, a Turkish court said it was moving the trial of the 26 Saudi nationals linked to the grisly murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi to Saudi Arabia. Plus, an enormous planet is being observed at a remarkably early stage of formation — upending our current understanding of how planets are formed.

The European Union has announced a ban on Russian coal. Squeezing Russia's energy exports is seen as the way to get Russian President Vladimir Putin to withdraw from Ukraine. But global sales of oil and gas — not coal — are the real contributors to Russia's coffers. And Human Rights Watch says that more than 300 civilians have been executed in an isolated village in Mali that is controlled by Islamist militants. The killings were reportedly conducted by the Malian army and contracted by Russian soldiers. Plus, losing one’s sense of smell and taste to COVID-19 is bad enough. But when it comes to those who rely on their senses for work — sommeliers, chefs, perfumers —  the loss comes at an especially high cost.

At a meeting of the UN Security Council, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called for Russia's removal as a permanent member and an investigation into possible war crimes by Russia's military. But Russia's veto power at the UN Security Council is a fundamental challenge. And in 2016, Ukraine enlisted the US military to help overhaul its defense systems — everything from recruitment to field hospital management. This has contributed to Ukraine's impressive performance on the battlefield against the much better-equipped Russian military. Plus, many economists say that Russia’s blitzkrieg on Ukraine has sped up a “decoupling” of the global economy. It started when the pandemic led to border closures. Now, Russia’s war in Ukraine is exacerbating that trend.

Eye witnesses have been reporting atrocities not just in Bucha, but also in other areas in the outskirts of Kyiv and throughout Ukraine. Ukrainian Oleksii Vostretsov was trapped in Bucha for 22 days at the start of the war and tells his story. And the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change sends a clear message: There’s still time to hold off catastrophic climate change — but not much. Emissions are still rising and need to fall by nearly half by 2030 to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Plus, hundreds of Russian dissidents who challenged Vladimir Putin’s government have settled in nearby Tbilisi, Georgia. Now, they’re working to support their fellow Russians and protest the war from afar.

Russia's military has made gains in southern and eastern Ukraine, but Ukraine's military continues to push back with force. Ukrainian officials believe that Russia may be changing its strategy to focus on holding onto its territorial gains. And, Pope Francis has apologized for the Roman Catholic Church's role in “deplorable” abuses at Canada's residential schools for Indigenous children. He spoke of his indignation and shame, and promised to come to Canada for an official visit. Plus, the town of Iztapalapa, on the outskirts of Mexico City, is the heart of Mexico’s mural revival. The murals were designed to create safer streets for women, but they took on a life of their own.

As part of our regular series of conversations with Harvard University’s T.H. Chan’s School of Public Health, The World’s reporter Elana Gordon moderated a discussion with Michael VanRooyen, director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, about the dire situation and the multiple health risks that refugees from Ukraine, and from around the world, face. VanRooyen is also the chairman of Emergency Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (@HHI).

Russian officials claim they are scaling back their military offensive in Ukraine. But Marie Yovanovitch, the former US ambassador to Ukraine, says Moscow isn’t ready for real peace negotiations. And in 2011, drought in the Horn of Africa killed more than 200,000 people. Now, the United Nations is warning that Somalia is on the brink of famine once again due to the worst drought in more than 40 years. Also, as war rages on in Ukraine, the Russian government is clamping down even harder on its efforts to control the press inside of Russia. Earlier this week, the country's last remaining independent newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, said it was suspending operations.

Russia renewed its assault around Kyiv, Ukraine, a day after they claimed to scale back military operations during delicate peace talks in Istanbul on Tuesday. And in southern Ukraine, Russian forces continue to bombard the port city of Mariupol. The city's mayor called it a humanitarian catastrophe as about 160,000 remaining residents lack electricity and access to food and water. Plus, a four-legged robot dog called Spot is digging around the ruins of Pompeii, Italy, to help archaeological park managers preserve and protect the historical site.