March 9, Wednesday, 2022 (1:30 p.m.) Newsline

1.A humanitarian evacuation corridor has been cleared for Ukrainian civilians fleeing the northeastern city of Sumy. The first such route was opened after an agreement between Russian and Ukrainian officials. Residents of the city fled to Poltava, to the south.
2.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a speech to British lawmakers via videolink that his country will fight to the end. The Ukrainian president described the 13 days of fighting as the war that “we did not start and we did not want.” He said, “But we are waging it. Because we do not want to lose what we have, what is ours – Ukraine.”
3.US President Joe Biden has announced a ban on Russian energy imports. The decision comes as the US and its allies target the Russian economy over the invasion of Ukraine. He said the US is united in its purpose to keep pressure mounting on Putin and his “war machine.” He said he is exacting the ban to inflict further pain on Putin.