April 18, Monday, 2022 (1:30 p.m.) Newsline

1.Ukrainian forces in the besieged port city of Mariupol have rejected Russia’s demands to surrender. Officials say Russian forces have encircled civilians and military personnel. Russia set a Sunday deadline for Ukrainian forces in the southeastern city to lay down their arms.
2.NHK has learned that at least 500 Belarusian volunteers have traveled to Ukraine to fight against Russian troops. An organization in Warsaw linked to Ukraine’s Azov Battalion has been training Belarusian fighters in Poland and sending them to Ukraine, according to the leader of the organization, Pavel Kukhta. The Azov Battalion has been putting up resistance against the Russian invasion in eastern Ukraine.
3.Japanese students studying international law at Waseda University in Tokyo have held a mock trial on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In March, the International Court of Justice issued a provisional order for Russia to immediately suspend its military action in Ukraine after Kyiv filed a suit asserting that Russia had no lawful basis for military action. Using the ruling as a reference, the students prepared statements.