Three Things for April 5
1. Olivia Rodrigo wins first Grammy
Olivia Rodrigo, 19-year-old American singer-songwriter, won her first Grammy for Best New Artist on Sunday, April 3.
Rodrigo ended the evening with three awards.
Rodrigo performed her best-known song, “Drivers License,” while seated on a Mercedes on the Grammys stage. She won her awards by beating out artists such as Saweetie, Glass Animals and more in the running for Best New Artist.
"This is my biggest dream come true. Thank you so much,” said Rodrigo. “I want to thank my mom for being so supportive for all of my dreams, no matter how crazy. I want to thank my mom and dad for being equally as proud of me for winning a Grammy as they were when I learned how to do a back walk.”
According to AP News, Rodrigo also took home the award for best pop vocal album.
2. Oil prices fall following a truce in the Middle East conflict
On Sunday, April 3, oil prices fell after the United Arab Emirates and the Iran-aligned Houthi group came to a truce.
According to Reuters, the truce states military operations on the Saudi-Yemeni Border will halt and help reduce concerns about the possibility of supply concerns.
“The early losses this week come after oil prices settled down around 13% last week - their biggest weekly falls in two years - when U.S. President Joe Biden announced the largest-ever U.S. oil reserves release,” reports Reuters.
The truce is the first of its kind in years amidst Yemen’s seven-year conflict. This truce allows fuel imports into Houthi-held areas, along with a few flights to head from Sanaa airport, reported a United Nations envoy.
"This was a threat to supply, and a ceasefire would reduce that threat to supply," said Phil Flynn, an analyst at Price Futures Group.
3. Million of Shanghai residents tested for COVID
In one of China’s community health responses, the country has sent military personnel and thousands of healthcare workers to test Shanghai’s 26 million residents.
Numerous residents who wished to be tested for Nucleic Acid were forced to wake before dawn.
According to Reuters, Sunday, April 3rd, over 2,000 medical personnel were recruited from the army, navy and other forces called the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to go to Shanghai to help with the extensive measures.
This will be the largest communal health push since China first deployed safety measures in the height of COVID-19.
Last Monday, March 28, Shanghai started a two-stage lockdown.
All residents in Shanghai have been quarantined to their homes with 8,581 reporting to be asymptomatic and 425 residents reporting to have symptoms of COVID-19. During the lockdown, residents have been asked to use self-testing kits.
