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.

There have been some signs of progress in peace talks between Ukraine and Russia today in Istanbul. Ukrainian officials were willing to discuss the status of Ukrainian territory now held by Russian forces. And Russia said it would "drastically reduce" military activity near Kyiv. And a group of refugees who are Deaf recount their experiences fleeing the war in Ukraine, from a shelter in Romania. One woman said she couldn't hear the air raid sirens. She saw people running into shelters but could not understand why. Plus, as hundreds of thousands of women and children flee Ukraine, there’s growing fear that traffickers are targeting and exploiting them at border crossings — and online. 

Shanghai residents are scrambling for supplies as the city goes under lockdown in two phases to contain the spread of COVID-19. The staggered closure is intended to allow Shanghai, the country’s financial center, to remain partially operational. Also, foreign ministers from the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Egypt met with their Israeli and US counterparts in Israel — an unprecedented diplomatic summit in the region. Plus, a growing number of colleges and universities are moving to add caste to their anti-discrimination policies. California State University's 23 campuses are the latest to allow South Asian students to report anti-Dalit bias.

President Biden is in Europe today trying to rally allies together to counter Russia's offensive. And he’s called for kicking Russia out of the G-20 nations. Biden has said that NATO will respond if Russia uses chemical weapons in Ukraine. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, the United States’ second-ranking diplomat, talks about the diplomacy that's happening in Europe and the prospects for peace moving forward. Also, in Canada right now, there are stark differences in how Afghan and Ukrainian refugees are being handled and admitted. The urgency to process Ukrainian cases is much greater. One big question that this war has prompted is: What does it mean to be Ukrainian? Plus, the pandemic has been bad for many of our waistlines. It's also been bad for many of our pets, who are packing on a few extra pounds themselves.

The White House announced on Thursday that the United States will accept up to 100,000 refugees from Ukraine. The Biden administration says it will use a range of legal pathways, including the US refugee admissions program, to bring Ukrainian refugees to the US. And, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is revealing a growing energy partnership between Russia, China, Saudi Arabia and India. These deals on oil, gas and pipelines could end up sidelining the US dollar as the global reserve currency. Plus, we remember former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who died on Wednesday at the age of 84. Albright represented the US through historic meetings with allies and adversaries, impacting the course of world events.

Both Finland and Sweden have long been opposed to joining NATO. But after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, majorities in both nations say they'd like to join the organization. Plus, Sri Lanka is facing a big problem: It can't afford to pay its bills. But China is offering Sri Lanka some financial assistance with some strings attached. And a group of moms in India is spreading the word about INDOOR air pollution. And what can be done to make the inside safer.

For countries in the Middle East that rely on food imports from Ukraine, the war has spelled chaos and uncertainty. The ongoing war has threatened food supplies, leaving several countries scrambling to mitigate the problem. And Moldova is not directly involved in Russia’s war against neighboring Ukraine. But the current refugee crisis, trade disruption and rising inflation on food and energy all adds up to a serious challenge for Moldova's economy. Plus, the Philippines’ campaign season has focused more on climate change and renewable energy than ever before, giving activists hope that the next president may go green.