Russian troops bore down on Ukraine’s capital Friday in an invasion of a democratic country that has fueled fears of wider war in Europe and triggered worldwide efforts to stop Russia.

NATO leaders held an urgent meeting to discuss how far they can go to challenge Putin without engaging Russian forces in direct war.

Russia’s military said it had seized a strategic airport outside Kyiv that allows it to quickly build forces to take the capital.

Three former Minneapolis police officers were convicted of violating George Floyd’s civil rights.

The officers were charged with depriving Floyd of his right to medical care when officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for 9 1/2 minutes.

According to the Star Tribune, the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul have lifted the indoor mask mandate this Thursday, but there is a possibility that the cities revert if COVID-19 and hospitalizations begin to rise again.

N.k. Akpati can be reached at akpa2917@stthomas.edu.