CIVILIAN REFUGEES from the fighting in Ukraine are increasing every day (Shutterstock).

About 100 civilians were evacuated from the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol over the weekend, defenders of the city said on Monday.

The evacuation took place during a brief cease-fire between the Russian invaders and the port city’s Ukrainian defenders. According to the Associated Press, most of Mariupol has been conquered by the Russians, but thousands of troops are dug-in inside a huge factory complex and are holding on despite bombings, artillery fire and missile strikes.

In related news:

• Denmark will be opening its embassy in the Ukrainian capitol of Kyiv this week and the U.S. will do the same later this month, according to The New York Times
• Germany will reportedly agree to an immediate embargo on Russian oil, according to Reuters. Russia is a major provider of fossil fuels to Europe, and a stop on sales of oil and natural gas could deal a major economic blow to Vladimir Putin’s nation.

Court upholds display of Christian flag

UNITED STATES Supreme Court bldg.

On a 9-0 vote, the U.S Supreme Court ruled that the City of Boston had violated the First Amendment by denying a group’s request to fly a Christian flag outside City Hall in 2017.

City officials turned down the request because they feared it would violate the principle of separation of church and state.

However, the court agreed with the argument that the three poles in front of city hall had flown many kinds of flags and therefore was “a public forum” and did not represent an endorsement of religion.

Sports: Angels rise in power rankings

Fueled by the best offense in Major League Baseball, the Los Angeles Angels rose into seventh place in Sports Illustrated’s weekly rankings of Major League Baseball teams. The Halos jumped from 11th place in the ratings and are in first place in the American League West.

Still on top are the Los Angeles Dodgers, who continue to hang onto the lead in the powerful National League West. The top five are the Dodgers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays. The San Diego Padres are sixth.

Weather: Cloudy and warmer

The mercury in the thermometer will rise for the next three days in the West Orange County area, but warmer temperatures will not bring sunny skies … yet. The forecast for Tuesday through Thursday calls for partly cloudy conditions. But the daytime high will creep from 71 on Tuesday to 78 on Wednesday and 80 on Thursday. After that, the sunshine will break through but highs will begin to drop into the mid- and low-70s.

Business:  Labor union loses second Amazon vote

Workers at Amazon warehouse on Staten Island in New York City voted to reject unionization, according to The New York Times.

The vote was 380 in favor and 618 against, the National Labor Relations board revealed on Monday. The setback for the new Amazon Labor Union comes after the ALU prevailed at a large warehouse nearby.