Some powerful Western nations are reportedly hesitant to apply another round of punitive sanctions on Moscow or expand much-needed military support for Ukraine’s defenders. The extraordinary day of summits comes as Ukrainian forces try to seize the military momentum by going on the offensive along Russia’s axes of invasion. The Ukrainians have already inflicted severe casualties on the invaders, confounding pre-war assumptions that they would be no match for a numerically superior enemy....

Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Wednesday that Moscow was not interested in “the occupation of Ukraine” nor did it want to overthrow the government in Kyiv. Russian foreign ministry statements are taken with a grain of salt—Moscow did after all repeatedly deny it would ever invade Ukraine—but is Putin backpedaling? While she repeated the Kremlin tropes that the war was about the “demilitarization and denazification” of Ukraine, Zakharova’s position was at odds with the invective Putin spat out in front of the cameras at the start of the war....

The New York Times recently reported about a new front in what feels increasingly like a political war: high schoolers creating social media accounts to call out classmates for alleged “racist” speech. Students post screenshots of comments, videos and posts they deem to be hateful, identify the authors through crowdsourcing, and then mercilessly “cancel” them online—sometimes with assistance from social media personalities with millions of followers. Obviously, no effort is made to examine context, understand the commenter’s mindset or offer an alternative point of view; the point, after all, is to ruin someone’s life for an indiscretion....

Speaking at an event in London earlier this week, Swiss researcher Didier Queloz, 52, suggested that the odds of finding life beyond our planet were strongly in our favor, The Telegraph reported. “I can’t believe we are the only living entity in the universe,” Queloz said. “There are just way too many planets, way too many stars, and the chemistry is universal. The chemistry that led to life has to happen elsewhere....

Of the estimated 10,000 asteroids in our solar system, fewer than 30 have been classified as active asteroids — those with tails — prompting scientists to call for help from hobbyists and part-time sleuths to find a larger sample to study. “With the generous help of ‘citizen scientists,’ we hope to quadruple the number of known active asteroids and encourage study of an ambiguous population of solar system objects, knowledge of which is currently hampered due to a very small sample size,” said researcher Colin Orion Chandler....

After Tampa Bay prevented an ALDS sweep with a blowout win in Game 3, Houston manager A.J. Hinch announced Justin Verlander will start Tuesday’s Game 4. “He’s one of the best pitchers in the world,” Hinch told reporters. “It’s no more complicated than that. He’s ready, and it’s his game.” MORE: Takeaways from Rays’ Game 3 win Verlander threw seven scoreless innings in Game 1 on Friday, meaning his Game 4 start will be on three days of rest....

In Game 3 against the Astros, the Phillies became the fourth team in history to hit five home runs in the World Series as they teed off on Houston’s starting pitcher right out of the gate. Though McCullers settled in for a pair of hitless frames, they tagged him all over again in the fifth for two more homers as the Phillies routed the Astros in front of the Philadelphia crowd to take a 2-1 World Series lead....

This couple isn’t the only one to see its nest-feathering plans go awry. Thanks to rising incomes and plummeting mortgage rates, new-home sales scored another monthly high last week, setting the stage for a third straight record year. And remodeling has become a $130 billion business nationwide, eclipsing new-home building in dollar volume. It’s all great news for the economy–but not such great news if you want to take some of your Wall Street winnings off the table to hire a contractor and build something....

The women were found shot to death at the side of a road in the town of Bavispe in the border state of Sonora, Mexico. The perpetrators, according to Lafe Langford Jr., a relative of some of the victims, are a Chihuahua-based cartel who had encroached on another cartel’s territory. The women and their children were simply caught up in a crossfire that had nothing to do with any of them, mistaken for the cartel’s rivals....

April 3’s STP 500 is an event Wood Brothers Racing hasn’t experienced as a full-time Sprint Cup Series team since Ken Schrader drove its No. 21 Ford in 2006. We’re talking about Martinsville, of course, the shortest track on the Sprint Cup circuit at 0.526 miles, the closest to Wood Brothers’ home in Stuart, Va., and the next race on the Sprint Cup schedule. MORE: Sprint Cup at Easter break | What’s in Cup’s future?...

Soul music, according to people who chart such things, maps ecstatic gospel testimony onto postwar rhythm and blues. Vandross and Neville turn this equation around, mixing rhythm and blues with snootier, baroque pop styles. They are tender love men, crooners who patiently fuss over their ballads, rather than blow them out. They are almost archaic voices of masculine vulnerability, innocents at play in the fields of love. “Power of Love,” Vandross’s first new album in three years (he released a compilation of hits in 1989), marks a long-due commercial breakthrough, his first crossover pop success after eight million-selling albums....

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told SiriusXM’s Chris Russo on Saturday that he believes the Athletics will be leaving Oakland and a move to Las Vegas is likely. The A’s would be the third pro team to move from Oakland in recent years. The Raiders left for Las Vegas in 2020 and the Warriors moved back to San Francisco in 2019. Manfred told The Los Angeles Times that a move to Las Vegas by the Athletics is not guaranteed and said there are two options: stay in Oakland or leave....

Read more about atopic dermatitis, its causes, symptoms, and treatment methods. Definition In those living with atopic dermatitis, the immune system becomes dysfunctional and overreacts, triggering inflammation that causes damage to the skin barrier. This can result in dry skin, itching, and a rash. Atopic dermatitis is often referred to as the “itch that rashes” because an itchy feeling often precedes the appearance of a rash." There can be periods when atopic dermatitis is worse....

The Brazilian completed a half-season loan move to the Magpies earlier this week, having struggled for first team opportunities at Stamford Bridge. After the switch, it became apparent that there was a conference between the duo, who were teammates at Chelsea before Atsu left for Newcastle in the summer. “I’m very happy that they’ve signed him. He’s a great lad and also a very good player,” Atsu told NUFC TV ahead of Newcastle’s FA Cup fourth-round tie against Chelsea on Sunday....

Mourinho backs Pogba to become Man Utd captain Jose Mourinho’s decision to send his side out with an ultra-negative approach at Anfield in October attracted huge consternation, and deepened the concern of many that the Portuguese was uncertain as to what his best team looked like. Heading to Merseyside with his new United side in seventh place and boasting only one win in four games, the former Chelsea boss was scrambling around for answers to a serious of conundrums....

In 2003, “Work It,” from Elliott’s fourth album Under Construction, won best music video at the same awards show. The video had the then nine-year-old Stoner dancing center stage in tracksuit and pigtails, after beating over 400 children to landing the prestigious part. And fans were thrilled to see the pair finally reunited on stage at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, as the now 26-year-old Stoner came out to dance during Elliot’s medley to celebrate her winning this year’s Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award to recognize her lasting legacy in the music industry....

McGrath, 33, made the allegations in a report published by The New York Times on Friday. McGrath said that Cuomo made a series of suggestive comments and remarks about her appearance, including opining on her beauty in Italian and describing her and another aide as “mingle mamas.” “He has a way of making you feel very comfortable around him, almost like you’re his friend,” McGrath told The Times. “But then you walk away from the encounter or conversation, in your head going, ‘I can’t believe I just had that interaction with the governor of New York....

‘RAW’ thoughts Am I the only one who … … thinks WWE’s booking of Ronda Rousey is on point? Rousey’s first singles match in WWE — and her second match overall — is going to be with Mickie James, who is the perfect choice for the spot. Rousey and James are scheduled to face each other at a house show in Paris on May 19 (hopefully Kane isn’t booked for that event)....