April 20, 2022

*) Ukraine gets warplanes as Mariupol officer warns facing 'last days' The West has responded to a renewed Russian push into the Donbass region with fresh weapons for Kiev. The Pentagon says Ukraine has recently received fighter planes to bolster its air force, declining to specify the number of aircrafts and their origins. Meanwhile, a commander in the besieged Azov-stal power plant in Mariupol has said his marines are "maybe facing our last days, if not hours". Moscow has issued a fresh ultimatum for Mariupol's defenders and announced the opening of a safe corridor for Ukrainian troops who agreed to lay down their arms. *) Casualties reported after Sri Lanka police open fire at protesters Sri Lankan police have opened fire at people protesting new fuel price increases, killing one and injuring 13 others. It is the first death in police crackdowns during weeks of demonstrations over the country's worst economic crisis in decades. Fifteen police personnel have also been admitted to a hospital with minor injuries after scuffles with protesters. *) World leaders appeal for end to violence in Israel, Palestine US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged Israel and Palestine to "end the cycle of violence" after a sharp escalation in tensions between the two sides in recent days. Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, too, has expressed deep sorrow over the recent events, during a phone call with his Israeli counterpart. Tensions have been running high since the beginning of April amid repeated Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank. And over 170 people have been injured between Friday and Sunday in and around the Al Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem. *) Türkiye's forces ‘neutralise’ 26 PKK terrorists in northern Iraq Turkish security forces have "neutralised" 26 PKK terrorists since the launch of Operation Claw-Lock in northern Iraq. The anti-terror operation continues successfully as planned, Türkiye's Defence Ministry has said in a statement. The operation was launched after reports t