Key Storylines
- AFRICA: Libyan Prime Minister Amdulhamid al-Dbeibah survived an assassination attempt unharmed.
- AMERICAS: Two people including a soldier were killed when a rebel’s motorized scooter exploded near the entrance to a military base in the Colombian city of Granada.
- ASIA: Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States remains focused long-term on the Indo-Pacific region despite concerns over the crisis in Ukraine.
- EUROPE: The United Kingdom has placed 1,000 troops on standby to deploy to eastern Europe if there is a refugee crisis prompted by a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
- MIDDLE EAST: Saudi King Salman and US President Joe Biden spoke on a call to discuss developments in Iran, Yemen, and global energy markets.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: The Biden administration plans to detail how it will award nearly $5 billion over five years to build thousands of electric vehicle charging stations.
Top Story
- Europe: Russia begins joint military drills with Belarus.
- Russia and Belarus started 10 days of joint military drills amid ongoing fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
- According to Russia’s Defense ministry, the drills will take place at five military training areas over the course of 10 days, mostly in western and southwestern Belarus, near the country’s borders with Poland and Ukraine.
- Around 30,000 Russian troops are believed to be in Belarus to take part in the exercises which may be the biggest Russian deployment there since the Cold War.
- France called the drills a “violent gesture” while NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg noted that this massive deployment by Moscow was a “dangerous moment for European security.”
- Moscow denied its plans to invade Ukraine after the US and its NATO allies warned a buildup of 130,000 Russian troops near the Ukrainian border may be preparation for an invasion, including via Belarus from the north.
- Foreign policy advisers from Germany, France, Russia, and Ukraine who met in Paris last month will once again meet in Berlin to get all sides to agree on the 2015 Minsk Protocol.
- BBC, DW, CNBC, AFP, Bloomberg, Forbes
Africa
- Region: Uganda says it is “unfair and wrong” that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) wants it to pay $325m in reparations to the Democratic Republic of Congo for invading Ituri province between 1998 and 2003. (BBC)
- DR Congo: President Félix Tshisekedi appointed Jean-Claude Bukasa as his new security adviser. (BBC)
- Libya: Prime Minister Amdulhamid al-Dbeibah survived an assassination attempt unharmed. (Reuters)
- South Africa: President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver a State of the Nation address facing demands for a master plan to reverse widening disillusionment with his government. (AFP)
- Tunisia: The justice ministry said President Kais Saied will alter the Supreme Judicial Council but not abolish it, days after his stated plan to dissolve the body met intense international criticism. (Reuters)
Americas
- Brazil: The government reportedly plans to announce over $700 million in new agriculture subsidies. (Reuters)
- Colombia: Two people including a soldier were killed when a rebel’s motorized scooter exploded near the entrance to a military base in the city of Granada. (AFP)
- El Salvador: A woman who suffered a miscarriage and was accused of abortion was released from prison after serving over ten years of a 30-year sentence. (AP)
- Honduras: The eviction of a hundred Lenca Indigenous families was halted at the request of President Xiomara Castro after dozens of police officers tried to remove them. (AFP)
- United States: Reporters say they have not been allowed access to the approximately 3,000 US troops being deployed in Europe in response to the Ukraine crisis. (AP)
Asia
- Region: Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States remains focused long-term on the Indo-Pacific region despite concerns over the crisis in Ukraine. (AP)
- India: The country’s most populous state Uttar Pradesh went to the polls in a key popularity test for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government. (AFP)
- Indonesia: The country signed a deal with France to buy six Rafale warplanes as part of an anticipated total order of 42. (AFP)
- New Zealand: Police began arresting protesters camped on the grounds of Parliament on the third day of a convoy protest against COVID-19 mandates. (AP)
- South Korea: Health authorities for the first time reported over 50,000 new daily COVID-19 cases. (Kyodo)
Europe
- Region: The Pentagon reported that Russia has now deployed over 100,000 troops along its border with Ukraine. (AFP)
- France: Paris police said they will ban “freedom convoys” inspired by a truckers’ protest against coronavirus restrictions that has paralyzed the Canadian capital Ottawa. (AFP)
- Italy: Two American tourists sentenced to life for stabbing police officer Mario Cerciello Rega to death in 2019 begin their appeal with their lawyers expected to argue that the verdict was biased. (AFP)
- Switzerland: The country will go to the polls on Sunday to decide whether animal and human testing should be banned, a proposal that has triggered an outcry in a country heavily reliant on big pharma. (AFP)
- United Kingdom: The government has placed 1,000 troops on standby to deploy to eastern Europe if there is a refugee crisis prompted by a Russian invasion of Ukraine. (The Guardian)
Middle East
- Saudi Arabia: King Salman and US President Joe Biden spoke on a call to discuss developments in Iran, Yemen, and global energy markets. (Reuters)
- Syria: The Civil Defense group said a building collapse in the northwest killed a woman and three of her children, while her husband and three other children survived. (AP)
- United Arab Emirates: Prince William visited an Abu Dhabi mangrove park at the start of a climate-focused visit to the Persian Gulf country. (AFP)
- Yemen: Civilian deaths and injuries in the war have almost doubled since UN human rights monitors were removed in October. (AFP)
Tech & Communications
- Technology: The Biden administration plans to detail how it will award nearly $5 billion over five years to build thousands of electric vehicle charging stations. (Reuters)
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 10FEB22)
- Confirmed cases: 403,911,482
- Deaths: 5,779,884
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 10FEB22)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (11FEB22)
- Global: International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
- Global: 2nd anniversary of novel coronavirus disease named COVID-19.
- Event: Atlantic Council discussion on Europe security crisis.
- Australia: Visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. (to 13FEB)
- China: Beijing Winter Olympic Games. (to 20FEB)
- Europe: Joint Russian-Belarusian military drills. (to 20FEB)
- Iran: Revolution Day.
- Japan: National Foundation Day.
- Liberia: Armed Forces Day.
- Myanmar: Corruption trial of Aung San Suu Kyi to resume.
- Russia: Visit by UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace to Moscow for Ukraine talks.
- Switzerland: UNCTAD Trade and Development Board Executive Session in Geneva, postponed from November 2021.
- Thailand: Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Senior Officials’ Meeting in Pattaya. (to 27FEB)
- Ukraine: Visit by Polish Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairman Zbignew Rau.
- Ukraine: Criminal case against former president Petro Poroshenko to begin.
END
