Fighting in Ukraine, White House Correspondents' Dinner, Canada protests: 5 things to know this weekend

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·5 min read
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Ukraine slows Russian advance, but remains in a 'fight for life'

Russia foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Chinese state news agency Xinhua that Moscow has evacuated over 1 million people from Ukraine since the war there began. Lavrov offered no evidence to support his claim in the interview. The comments Saturday come on the heels of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in his nightly video address to the nation Friday, accusing Russia of trying to destroy the Donbas region and all who live there saying, "Russia wants to empty this territory of all people." On the military front, the British Defense Ministry said in a tweet Saturday as part of a daily report it provides on Russia's war on Kyiv that it believes Russian forces in Ukraine are likely suffering from "weakened morale" and adds that Russia still faces considerable challenges" in fighting. Also, a senior U.S. defense official told the Associated Press Friday the Russian offensive is going much slower than planned in part because of the strength of the Ukrainian resistance.

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Biden, first lady to attend White House Correspondents' Dinner after years-long break

President Joe Biden will attend the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner Saturday as the black-tie gala makes its return for the first time since 2019. Biden's attendance will mark the return of another tradition of sorts: The sitting president and first lady traditionally have attended the dinner. The last appearance by a sitting president was in 2016, when Barack Obama attended during his final year in office. The soirée is a scholarship dinner hosted by the White House Correspondents' Association and is attended by journalists, celebrities, politicians and other Washington movers and shakers. This year's dinner will be a celebration of the First Amendment and will feature entertainment by Trevor Noah, the host of "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central.

'Rolling Thunder' rally to continue with protests in Ottawa

The Ottawa Police Service reported that it made seven arrests Friday night in Canada's capital city after facing off against protesters who have gathered for a weekend rally. Big-rig trucks attempted to make their way to Parliament Hill as part of the "Rolling Thunder" rally, organized by Freedom Fighters Canada, a group dedicated to speaking out against COVID-19 mandates. The protesters plan to rally again Saturday, but a statement on the "Rolling Thunder" website attributed to organizer Neil Sheard says the protesters plan to leave Sunday, and they do not support "blockades, obstruction of police performing their duties ..." Many of the protesters were also part of the Freedom Convoy demonstration that gridlocked Ottawa earlier this year. That protest ended after hundreds of police officers moved in to disperse the crowds, making dozens of arrests. The protests extended to the shutting down of the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and the Canadian border which severely hampered U.S.-Canada trade.

Hong Kong will allow non-residents to fly in again May 1; Shanghai still under lockdown

Hong Kong will allow non-residents who are vaccinated and have a negative virus test to fly into the city again starting Sunday. This marks the end of a two-year-old travel ban — one of the world's most stringent — imposed in March 2020. Hong Kong Disneyland and museums reopened last week and restaurants resumed evening dining as new daily case numbers fell. Meanwhile, a paralyzed Shanghai is expected to remain under lockdown as it works to contain China's largest COVID-19 outbreak since 2020. China's financial capital and biggest city with a population of over 25 million, has been under a strict lockdown since March. Liang Wannian, the head of China's COVID-19 expert team, said Friday there have been signs of improvement, but the situation remains serious. Infections hit a near-month low Saturday, but Shanghai's anti-pandemic work was still "at a critical stage" and the government will keep tightening restriction measures at the community level, another official said Saturday.

NFL draft wraps up while NBA's conference semifinals tip off

The first three rounds of the NFL draft are in the books and the event will finish Saturday with Rounds 4-7 (noon ET; ABC, ESPN, NFL Network). For the second consecutive day, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will open the proceedings with the first selection and they will have their pick of notable talent still on the board, including Oklahoma defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey and North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell. Moving to the hardwood, the NBA playoffs resume Sunday with two conference semifinal best-of-seven series getting started. In the Eastern Conference, the No. 2 seeded Boston Celtics, fresh off their first-round sweep of the Brooklyn Nets, host the Milwaukee Bucks, who are the defending NBA champions and the No. 3 seed in the East (1 p.m. ET, ABC). Later, in the Western Conference, the No. 2 seeded Memphis Grizzlies, who completed a series victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday night, get right back to work at home, taking on the No. 3 seeded Golden State Warriors (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC).

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine war, correspondents' dinner: 5 things to know this weekend