KIEV (Kyev) is the capitol city of Ukraine (Flickr/Vaseka Photography).

As Russian troops advanced toward the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv, the United States and allies responded with stronger economic sanctions aimed at the invading nation, but also at its president, Vladimir Putin.

According to the Associated Press, while Russian forces were at the outskirts of the city, their progress was slowed by strong resistance from Ukrainian defenders. Nevertheless, more assaults were expected. “This night they will storm,” said Volodomyr Zelensky, president of Ukraine.

In response to the invasion, the U.S. and allies slapped stronger financial measures on Russia and Putin and his foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov. Putin, in addition to being his nation’s chief of state, is also one of Russia’s wealthiest men, with large holdings in petroleum.

The European Union announced it would freeze Putin’s assets held in their countries and the British prime minister said his country would follow.

There were some hints of the possibility of talks between the two warring nations, but in the meantime an estimated 100,000 people have fled the affected areas, many of them headed toward the Polish border.

Ketanji Jackson nominated for high court

JUDGE KETANJI BROWN JACKSON (White House photo).

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, 51, a federal appeals court judge, was nominated on Friday to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Joe Biden.

If confirmed, she would be the first Black woman to serve on the court.

“For too long our government, our courts haven’t looked like America,” said Biden. “I believe it is time that we have a court that reflects the full talents and greatness of our nation.”

According to The New York Times, she is “liberal-leaning,” but she did get some Republican support when confirmed by the Senate last year.

Sports: Russia losing sports events, too

The world of athletics is rallying in opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The International Olympic Committee on Friday asked sports governing bodies across the world to cancel or relocate events planned to be held in Russia or its close ally, Belarus.

The Champions League final has already been moved from the Russian city of St. Petersburg to the suburbs of Paris, and Formula One skiing events are being pulled from Russia.

Weather:  Warm temps to resume

After some gloom and even some rain this past week, West Orange County can look forward to some sunny warm weather – mostly – for the next several days. The forecast for Saturday calls for a daytime high of 75 (overnight low of 45) with a mostly sunny sky. Sunday will be partly cloudy with a high of 78 (48), giving way to 83 (51) on Monday and lots of sun. It will bit a bit breezy with winds from 7 to 8 miles an hour.

Business: Stock market rebounds

After its initial decline in reaction to the news that Russia had invaded Ukraine, Wall Street rebounded on Friday, according to U.S. News & World Report.  The Standard & Poor 500 closed the week up by 1.5 percent recovering from a loss of 2.6 percent on Thursday.

Also showing weekly increases were the Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq. The price of oil declined from $100 per barrel to $91.59 for American crude.