RUSSIA vs. Ukraine. (Shutterstock).

Russia, which has sent 150,000 troops in an invasion of neighboring Ukraine, complained Friday that the Ukrainians had launched a helicopter attack that resulted in the destruction of a fuel depot in Russia.

Ukraine denied any involvement, but the Kremlin said such an incident was “not something that can be perceived as creating comfortable conditions for the continuation of the [peace] talks.”

In other related news:

• More Russian troops appear to be withdrawing from the area around the embattled capital city of Kyiv, but bombardment continued. The Ukrainian government warned its citizens that any Russian troop movement could mean more attacks in the eastern region of the nation.
• The U.S. is sending $300 million more in military aid to Ukraine, according to the Defense Department. The material on its way includes laser-guided rockets, armored vehicles, medical supplies and more. So far, the U.S has sent over $1.6 billion in “security assistance.”

Hiring booms, unemployment plunges

A trend toward hiring more employees continued in March. The Labor Department reported on Friday that 431,000 more jobs were added to the U.S. economy and the unemployment rate was down to 3.6 percent, among the lowest levels in 50 years, according to the Associated Press.

Additionally, it was announced that average hourly pay has risen by 5.6 percent over the past year, and by 11.8 percent for leisure and hospitality workers (including hotels, bars and restaurants).

Also in the news …

Will Smith announced on Friday he was resigning from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and would accept any punishment the Academy decided to impose. His resignation followed Smith’s slapping of Chris Rock on stage during Sunday’s Oscar awards telecast.

Sports: USA will face England in World Cup

The U.S. Men’s National Team will face England, Iran and – possibly – either Scotland or Wales or Ukraine – in the first round of the 2022 World Cup soccer tournament in Qatar.

The draw was announced on Friday. France is the defending champion. The American team is back in World Cup play after failing to qualify in 2018.

Weather: Bring a sweater to Open Streets

The Open Streets event in Garden Grove’s downtown area on Saturday will unfold under slightly cooler weather, with a predicted daytime high of 67 (56 overnight).  Breezes of up to nine miles an hour are also forecast. Sunday should be similar (67/55) but things will start to warm up on Monday (72/54) with sunny weather and a high of 76 seen.

Business: Amazon workers win in union vote

The National Labor Relations Board has declared that a majority of workers at an Amazon warehouse have voted to join a labor union.

According to BusinessInsider.com, the vote was 2,654 in favor to 2,131 against to join the new Amazon Labor Union. In Alabama, a similar effort is undecided as late and contested votes are examined.

A second Staten Island warehouse operated by Amazon is also being organized by the ALU, and vote is coming up “in the next few weeks.”