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Good morning. Today is Friday, April 8th, and I'm'm your host Rina Schirbel. Our top stories today.

EU to ban Russia's coal imports, Shanghai lockdown grows, and Apple to stream Friday Night Baseball.

Leading today's news, targeting Moscow's key energy revenue for the first time,

the European Union has approved sanctions to ban coal imports from Russia.

Japan, one of the world's biggest energy importers,

is also considering similar legislation.

The EU package includes a separate ban on most Russian trucks

and ships entering the block and was

coordinated with the UK and the United States. On Thursday Congress voted to

ban American imports of Russian coal, oil, and gas with the bill moving to

President Biden's desk for his signature.

Many of the recent sanctions leveled on Russia have power because they're based on the US

dollar, which is the most widely used currency in global financial markets, trade, and

Central Bank reserves.

However, some are cautioning that weaponizing the greenback in this fashion could erode its

dominance.

Stoking fears that smaller currencies could gain a big role on the international stage.

China is already buying Russian energy with the Yuan,

while India is looking into a rupee-rubel trade arrangement.

An analyst at Credit Suisse Zoltin-Poser said,

...