Tropical Storm Alex, D-Day anniversary, NHL Western Conference finals: 5 things to know Monday

Editors
·4 min read
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Russia tightens pressure on Donbas region

Russia is continuing what British officials have called a "creeping advance" on Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region on Monday. Russian troops blew up bridges and shelled apartments in Sievierodonetsk and neighboring Lysychansk, the last two major cities of the Luhansk province still held by Ukraine. If captured, Russian President Vladimir Putin would take control of the contested area. The British Defense Ministry said Sunday that Ukrainian forces counterattacked Sieverodonetsk, likely blunting Russia’s momentum there. Military analysts say Russia hopes to overrun Ukraine’s embattled industrial Donbas region, where Russia-backed separatists have fought the Ukrainian government since 2014, before the arrival of any U.S. weapons that might turn the tide. The U.S. is sending a new security package to Ukraine that will include four sophisticated, medium-range rocket systems and ammunition, the Pentagon said Wednesday. The Pentagon said it would take at least three weeks to get the precision weapons and trained troops onto the battlefield.

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Tropical Storm Alex heads toward Bermuda

Tropical Storm Alex, which became the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season Sunday, is forecast to pass just north of Bermuda on Monday, after killing three people in Cuba and causing flooding in parts of Florida. Forecasters said it could drop 1 to 2 inches of rain from late Sunday into Monday. Alex reached tropical storm force after strengthening off Florida's east coast early Sunday, and was centered about 245 miles west of Bermuda late Sunday, with maximum sustained winds at around 70 mph, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Bermuda's National Security Minister Michael Weeks said emergency services were monitoring the storm. Alex partially emerged from the remnants of Hurricane Agatha, which made landfall on Mexico’s southern Pacific Coast last week, killing at least nine people as it moved overland.

78th anniversary of the historic D-Day operation of World War II

Monday marks the 78th anniversary of the historic D-Day operation. In the midst of World War II on June 6, 1944, Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy in Nazi-occupied France. More than 156,000 troops, notably from the United States, Britain and Canada, confronted Nazi forces, forever reshaping the war, according to the Department of Defense. D-Day began the assault phase (codenamed Operation Neptune) of the wider Allied invasion of northwest Europe led by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, known as Operation Overlord. The exact number of people killed in the fighting is unknown, but research by the U.S. National D-Day Memorial Foundation estimates that there were over 4,000 Allied deaths and between 4,000 and 9,000 German losses on D-Day. More than 100,000 Allied and German soldiers died during the full Battle at Normandy and around 20,000 French civilians were reportedly killed in the bombings.

Apple expected to unveil iOS 16 changes at WWDC

Tech giant Apple will host a virtual keynote for its annual Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, and iPhone users are likely to get a first glimpse of how their device will change this fall. The next software update, tentatively called iOS 16, will introduce a new look and feel to all iPhones. Bloomberg reported the Messages and Health apps could see changes, along with enhancements to the lock screen. It's an open question whether much older models going back to the iPhone 6S, which launched nearly seven years ago, will still run the latest version of iOS. Apple will also likely unveil new versions of its operating systems for iPads and Apple Watches.

NHL's Western Conference final Game 4 on Monday

The Colorado Avalanche could become the first team to clinch a spot in the NHL's Stanley Cup Final when they visit the Edmonton Oilers in Game 4 on Monday. The Avalanche, who haven’t been to the Final since winning the Cup in 2001, lead the best-of-seven Western Conference final 3-0. The Avalanche will be without No. 2 center Nazem Kadri, who was injured on a boarding penalty by Edmonton’s Evander Kane in Game 3 and has been ruled out for the rest of the series. The Oilers will be without Kane, the league's leading playoff goal scorer, on Monday after he was suspended for one game. If the Oilers fail to advance, it would extend Canada’s futility in the playoffs. The 1993 Montreal Canadiens were the last Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup. The winner of the Western final will face either the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning or the New York Rangers in the championship round. The Rangers lead the Eastern final 2-1.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tropical Storm Alex, D-Day, NHL Western Conference finals: 5 things to know Monday