The Russia-Ukraine conflict escalates, banks fail, and Apple Airtags save the day in this edition of Bwoglines!

Happening in the World: Russia has launched another series of missiles at Ukrainian cities in the second pre-dawn attack in three days. Pavlohrad, a logistics hub near Dnipro, was hit and sparked a major fire that destroyed dozens of homes and wounded 34 people. The air raid alert then sounded in Kyiv and across the country, with the Ukrainian army claiming to have shot down 15 of the 18 cruise missiles that had been fired. The Kherson region was also targeted, and on Friday, 23 people were killed in Uman. Ukraine says it is preparing for a long-awaited offensive against Russian forces, while Russia has fortified its positions in occupied territory. (BBC)

Happening in the US: First Republic Bank has been seized by federal regulators and will be sold to JPMorgan Chase, becoming the third major US bank to collapse in less than two months. This intervention comes only after the bank reported losing 40% of its deposits in Q1 2023 as a growing cohort of depositors moved their money to banks seen as safer and offering more attractive returns. As of mid-March, around 70% of its deposits were uninsured, larger than the FDIC’s $250,000 guaranteed limit. JPMorgan will acquire the bank’s assets and deposits, and its 84 branches in eight states will reopen as branches of JPMorgan. The FDIC estimates the cost of First Republic’s receivership will be about $13 billion. (NBC)

Happening in NYC: The city of New York and the Association for a Better New York are collaborating to address the increasing number of car thefts, which has been partly fueled by a trend on TikTok where users are posting videos of themselves exploiting a technology glitch to jump-start Hyundais and Kias. To combat this, the association has donated 500 Apple AirTags to the city so that victims can track their stolen vehicles in real-time. The AirTags will be given to drivers of vehicles that are often targeted in these kinds of thefts, and they will be hidden inside the car, where thieves can’t spot them. The NYPD will help victims track their stolen vehicles via their own personal phones, but they will not have access to any live AirTag information. (Gothamist)

Happening in Our Community: Are you stressed about something? need to vent? or just breathe? students are hosting a Breathing Space on May 2nd and May 3rd from 3 to 6 pm in the Schiff room in Earl Hall. You are invited to go speak to peer counselors, drink tea, or just relax.

Airtag via Wikimedia Commons