Russian forces blow up gas pipeline in Ukraine

 

 
The Ukrainian president’s office said Russian forces blew up a gas pipeline in Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city.
The State Service of Special Communication and Information Protection warned that the explosion, which it said looked like a mushroom cloud, could cause an “environmental catastrophe” and advised residents to cover their windows with damp cloth or gauze and to drink plenty of fluids.
According to AP News, Ukraine’s top prosecutor, Iryna Venediktova, said the Russian forces have been unable to take Kharkiv, where a fierce battle is underway.
The city of 1.5 million is located 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Russian border.

$2.9 million worth of meth disguised as onions seized at California border
Authorities have seized approximately 1,336 pounds of methamphetamine disguised as onions in Southern California, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Friday. The confiscated drugs are worth an estimated $2.9 million, authorities said.  "This was not only a clever attempt to try and smuggle in narcotics, one I haven't seen before, but also time consuming to wrap narcotics into these small packages, designed to look like onions," Sidney Aki, director of field operations in San Diego, said in a statement.
On February 20, border patrol officers inspected a tractor trailer carrying a shipment indicated as onions. An officer referred the 46-year-old driver and the items for a "more intense examination," where a canine team screened the tractor trailer. A dog alerted to the shipment, which prompted officers to search it further.  The driver, who is a Mexican citizen, was arrested for the alleged drug smuggling attempt and turned over to federal agencies for additional disposition.