Key Storylines
- AFRICA: The Tunisian defense ministry said at least nine migrants died after their boat capsized off the coast.
- AMERICAS: The White House directed US federal agencies to drop COVID-19 masking requirements in federal buildings in counties with low infection levels.
- ASIA: China started evacuating its citizens from Ukraine, as fears grow for their safety with anger rising over Beijing’s refusal to condemn the Russian invasion.
- EUROPE: Ukrainian Representative to the EU Vsevolod Chentsov reported that his country’s application for membership in the bloc had been registered.
- MIDDLE EAST: Syria’s interior ministry said a fire at a shopping center in Damascus killed at least 11 people in one of the deadliest blazes in recent years.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Facebook and Twitter announced new restrictions against Russian state-linked news outlets, including RT and Sputnik.
Top Story
- Ukraine: Russian Convoy Masses Near the Capital Kyiv.
- A huge Russian military convoy was massing on the outskirts of Kyiv as fears grew the invading forces were set to launch devastating assaults aimed at taking control of the capital and other major cities.
- Satellite images showed a Russian military convoy north of Kyiv that stretches for about 40 miles (64 km), substantially longer than the 17 miles (27 km) initially reported.
- As the talks along the Belarusian border concluded, several blasts could be heard in Kyiv, and Russian troops advanced on the city of nearly 3 million.
- The movement of Russian military forces suggests preparations for military action against the capital Kyiv and other key cities in the coming days.
- Negotiations between delegations from Kyiv and Moscow held at the Ukraine-Belarus border on Monday ended with no agreements except to keep talking.
- AFP, Reuters, TIME, CNBC, AlJazeera
Africa
- Burkina Faso: Junta leader Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba signed a charter setting a 36-month transition period before the country will hold elections. (AFP)
- DR Congo: Courts appointed a temporary administrator to run the Tenke Fungurume copper and cobalt mine owned by China Molybdenum at the request of state miner Gecamines. (Reuters)
- Ethiopia: The country is planning to repatriate 100,000 nationals held in detention centers in Saudi Arabia. (BBC)
- South Sudan: The United Nations said at least 440 civilians died in fighting between warring groups in just a few months last year. (AFP)
- Tunisia: The defense ministry said at least nine migrants died after their boat capsized off the coast. (AP)
Americas
- Canada: The national air-traffic control service ordered two Russian planes out of its airspace after they declared themselves “humanitarian” flights. (Reuters)
- Cuba: The United States will increase staffing at its embassy in Havana to restore visa processing for Cubans which had been largely suspended during the Trump administration. (Reuters)
- Guatemala: Health authorities said over a million doses of the Russian Sputnik coronavirus vaccine have expired, because nobody wanted to take the shot. (AP)
- Honduras: The Ministry of Natural Resources announced it will cancel all environmental permits for mining and will ban open-pit mining. (Reuters)
- United States: The White House directed federal agencies to drop COVID-19 masking requirements in federal buildings in counties with low infection levels. (Reuters)
Asia
- Australia: Tens of thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate their homes as severe flooding struck Queensland and New South Wales. (AP)
- China: The country started evacuating its citizens from Ukraine, as fears grow for their safety with anger rising over Beijing’s refusal to condemn the Russian invasion. (AFP)
- Hong Kong: Residents braced for a city-wide lockdown, emptying supermarkets and pharmacies, even as leader Carrie Lam called for calm and appealed for the public not to worry over a compulsory mass COVID-19 testing plan. (Reuters)
- Japan: Toshiba CEO Satoshi Tsunakawa resigned after sources said revised restructuring plans sparked opposition within the company in addition to long-standing anger from shareholders. (Reuters)
- Taiwan: A delegation of former US defense officials is visiting the island in a sign of stepped-up communication between the sides amid a looming challenge from China. (AP)
Europe
- Region: Ukrainian Representative to the EU Vsevolod Chentsov reported that his country’s application for membership in the bloc had been registered. (Interfax)
- Belarus: President Alexander Lukashenko said the country is deploying more forces on its border with Ukraine. (Reuters)
- Poland: NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is meeting with President Andrzej Duda at the Lask Air Base for talks on the eastern flank’s security, as Russia wages war on Ukraine, just across the country’s eastern border. (AP)
- Russia: The Kremlin said it is too early to draw conclusions from a first round of talks held with Ukraine on ending the war following Moscow’s invasion last week. (AFP)
- United Kingdom: London’s underground Tube railway was suspended as staff strike over fears of job cuts and pension changes due to a funding crisis. (AFP)
Middle East
- Afghanistan: The Taliban administration’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that citizens would not be allowed to leave the country unless they had a clear destination and that women could not travel overseas for study without a male guardian. (Reuters)
- Iran: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the war in Ukraine should be stopped and accused the United States, which he called a “mafia-like regime”, of creating the conflict. (Reuters)
- Palestinian Territories: Israeli forces killed a Palestinian man, allegedly a member of Islamic Jihad, and wounded two others during a raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank. (Reuters)
- Saudi Arabia: No consultations have taken place with the kingdom regarding a potential release of oil reserves by the United States and its allies. (Reuters)
- Syria: The interior ministry said a fire at a shopping center in Damascus killed at least 11 people in one of the deadliest blazes in recent years. (AlMonitor)
Tech & Communications
- Social Media: Facebook and Twitter announced new restrictions against Russian state-linked news outlets, including RT and Sputnik. (AFP)
World
- Cyclones: Nothing to Report.
- Hurricanes: Nothing to Report.
- Earthquakes: Nothing to Report.
- Volcanoes: Nothing to Report.
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 01MAR22)
- Confirmed cases: 437,247,221
- Deaths: 5,958,321
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 01MAR22)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (02MAR22)
- Global: World Ocean Summit Virtual Week. (to 04MAR)
- Asia: US-Thailand Cobra Gold military exercises. (to 05MAR)
- Belize: CARICOM Inter-Sessional Meeting of Heads of Government in San Pedro.
- Brazil: Rio de Janeiro Carnival. (to 05MAR)
- Christianity: Ash Wednesday.
- Cyprus: Visit by Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
- Ethiopia: Battle of Adwa Day.
- France: Paris International Agriculture Show. (to 06MAR)
- Myanmar: Peasants’ Day.
END
