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Tanks to Ukraine 

Russia has warned the United States against its planned delivery of third-generation Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine, saying the weapons would burn in Ukraine. Russia’s ambassador to the U-S, Anatoly Antonov has also reacted. He called the delivery of the tanks a BLATANT provocation against Moscow. Antonov also accused Washington of purposefully trying to inflict a strategic defeat on Moscow. The U-S is poised to announce the start of the delivery of dozens of its main battle tanks to Ukraine. Two American officials have been quoted as saying that the timeline of any potential delivery remains unclear and could take months or even years. In the meantime, Germany has also bowed to pressure from western allies and agreed to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine. Both countries are expected to announce the decision later today. In a video address, Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelensky has called for a large number of tanks to repel Russian attacks.

US gun violence 

U-S president Joe Biden is once again urging Congress to ban assault weapons after back-to-back deadly shootings across the country. Several states, including California, Ohio and Washington have experienced shooting incidents in recent weeks. The deadliest unfolded in California where three separate gun assaults left two dozen people dead. Figures from a research database, the Gun Violence Archive, show there have been more than 600 mass shootings in the United States in the last three years, almost two a day on average. Biden’s push for a ban on assault weapons is not likely to bare results as Republicans, now in control of the House of Representatives, are mostly opposed to such measure. The Second Amendment to the US Constitution gives Americans the right to bear arms, and about a third of adults in the country say they personally own a gun.

Pyongyang lockdown

North Korean authorities have ordered a five-day lockdown for the capital Pyongyang as the city is witnessing a rise in cases of an unspecified respiratory illness. A South Korean news outlet reported the measure citing a notice from the North Korean government. The notice didn’t mention COVID-19 but said residents were required to stay in indoors until Sunday. They also have to submit temperature checks multiple times every day. The outlet had earlier reported that Pyongyang residents were appeared to be stocking up food and other essentials in anticipation of stricter measures. Pyongyang had acknowledged its first Coronavirus outbreak in 2022 but declared victory over the virus in October the same year. The North has never confirmed the exact number of Covid cases and related deaths. 

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