Soaring global food shortages are "another catastrophic effect" of Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, USAID administrator Samantha Power told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday.
Driving the news: Russia and Ukraine supplied about 30% of the world's wheat and barley before the war. Thirty-six countries, including some of the world's most vulnerable and impoverished, relied on them for more than half of their wheat imports.
Why it matters: While some women and children were confirmed by Ukrainian and Russian officials to have been evacuated from the plant, it's believed hundreds of civilians are still trapped in the last foothold of Ukrainian resistance in the port city.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Sunday led a congressional delegation to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.
Why it matters: The visit is a reflection of the growing pressure for the U.S. to send high-level officials to Kyiv, after recent visits by U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the prime ministers of Spain and Denmark.
Ukrainian officials said Saturday that over 250 cultural institutions have been "damaged or destroyed" and thousands of artifacts looted since Russia launched its invasion on Feb. 24, per the New York Times.
The big picture: Among the items Putin's forces are accused of stealing are ancient Scythian gold objects from "one of the largest and most expensive collections in Ukraine," in the Russian-occupied Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia, said the southeastern city's mayor, Ivan Fedorov.
The Ukrainian Red Cross said its office in the Donetsk region town of Dobropillia was one of six buildings damaged in a bombing on Saturday, as heavy shelling by Russian forces was reported across eastern Ukraine.
What they're saying: It's the eighth Ukrainian Red Cross to have been damaged or destroyed since Putin's forces launched their invasion of Ukraine in February, the nonprofit humanitarian organization said in a statement on Saturday.
Pope Francis warned on Friday that people will further lose trust in the Catholic Church if it does not become more transparent and accountable on abuses against children committed by priests and covered up by religious superiors, AP reports.
Driving the news: Francis told his sex abuse advisory commission to create special survivor welcome centers around the world where victims of sexual abuse can find healing and justice. He also requested an audit of the church's progress on protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse.
Russia made a number of international debt payments late Friday to avoid a default, Reuters reports.
Why it matters: It made the payments in dollars and euros, despite a decree from Russian President Vladimir Putin in early March that Russia and Russian companies would only pay foreign creditors in rubles. Moscow took the stance after Western sanctions on its foreign reserve currencies in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The Department of Commerce's probe into whether Chinese companies are skirting tariffs on solar panel shipments to the U.S. is delaying projects nationwide, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).
Why it matters:The industry trade group claims that the investigation is setting back efforts to cut carbon emissions and harming U.S. green jobs, while potential tariffs resulting from it could further stunt solar growth.
