Key Storylines
- AFRICA: A new World Bank report ranked South Africa as the most unequal country in the world.
- AMERICAS: The Biden administration said it plans to continue talking with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on “a range of issues,” including the release of more American prisoners.
- ASIA: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida congratulated South Korean president-elect Yoon Suk-yeol and promised greater cooperation between the two countries.
- EUROPE: The Hungarian Parliament elected Katalin Novak as the country’s first female president for a five-year term, winning over economist Peter Rona in a vote split along party lines.
- MIDDLE EAST: Tehran offered mixed signals as a deadline loomed in talks over the nuclear deal with world powers, with its president defending the negotiations while a top security official blamed the US for the deadlock.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Twitter launched a privacy-protected version of its website accessible through the Tor browser to bypass surveillance and censorship by Russia.
Top Story
- Europe: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met his Ukrainian Counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in Turkey for the First Time Since the Invasion.
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba met for face-to-face talks in Turkey in the first high-level contact between the two sides since Moscow invaded Ukraine last month.
- A first round of talks between the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine has failed to yield progress on a ceasefire.
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow presented Ukraine with its proposals on how to end the conflict and expected a reply, but Kuleba characterized Russia’s demands as nothing short of a full surrender.
- Lavrov also said that President Vladimir Putin would not refuse a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy to discuss “specific” issues.
- Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba described the meeting as “difficult”, accusing his Russian counterpart of bringing “traditional narratives” about Ukraine to the table.
- No progress was made on establishing a cease-fire or safe passage for civilians trying to flee the besieged city of Mariupol.
- AlJazeera, BBC, RFE/RL, Reuters, AFP, CNBC
Africa
- Ethiopia: An inquiry committee set up by the National Electoral Board confirmed that the chairman of the opposition Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), Dawud Ibsa, has been under house arrest since May 2021. (BBC)
- Gabon: President Ali Bongo said the country is lifting its curfew and all other coronavirus restrictions. (BBC)
- Kenya: A court ordered the government and the UK to resolve a dispute, in which British soldiers were accused of starting a wildfire during a training exercise that damaged a wildlife conservancy. (BBC)
- Mali: The country announced a murder inquiry after an outcry in neighboring Mauritania over the death of Mauritanian civilians in a border area but contested allegations its troops were to blame. (AFP)
- South Africa: A new World Bank report ranked the country as the most unequal in the world. (AFP)
Americas
- Region: The Biden administration said it plans to continue talking with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on “a range of issues,” including the release of more American prisoners. (Miami Herald)
- Brazil: President Jair Bolsonaro suffered a setback in his effort to rush through a law that would allow mining on indigenous reservations. (Reuters)
- Cuba: Protests were held outside Panama’s embassy in Havana in response to new visa requirements. (Reuters)
- Honduras: Juan Carlos Bonilla Valladares, a former head of the national police, was arrested in response to a US extradition request on drug and weapons charges. (AP)
- United States: The House of Representatives passed a $1.5 trillion funding bill providing $13 billion in aid for Ukraine and also funding the federal government through September 30. (Reuters)
Asia
- Region: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida congratulated South Korean president-elect Yoon Suk-yeol and promised greater cooperation between the two countries. (Reuters)
- Australia: Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the defense forces would be increased by 18,500 personnel by 2040. (AFP)
- China: The country is tackling a COVID-19 spike with selective lockdowns and other measures that appear to slightly ease its draconian “zero tolerance” strategy. (AP)
- Indonesia: The volcanic Mount Merapi erupted several times, forcing several hundred to evacuate nearby villages. (AP)
- Philippines: President Rodrigo Duterte is ready to open the country’s “facilities” to American forces under a 1951 mutual defense treaty if Russia’s war against Ukraine turns for the worse and embroils the United States in the fighting. (AP)
Europe
- Hungary: Parliament elected Katalin Novak as the country’s first female president for a five-year term, winning over economist Peter Rona in a vote split along party lines. (Xinhua)
- Italy: Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi agreed that coordination of the international community is the only way to reach a diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian crisis. (Reuters)
- Russia: A new decree states that unauthorized use of patents owned by those in “unfriendly” countries would no longer be compensated. (WaPo)
- Spain: Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez accused Russia of “war crimes”, a day after a shocking attack on a children’s hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol. (AFP)
- Ukraine: Central Bank governor Kyrylo Shevchenko said that frozen Russian assets should be used to rebuild the country after the war. (BBC)
Middle East
- Region: Israeli Military Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi arrived in Manama for a first official visit to Bahrain. (Xinhua)
- Iran: Tehran offered mixed signals as a deadline loomed in talks over the nuclear deal with world powers, with its president defending the negotiations while a top security official blamed the US for the deadlock. (WaPo)
- Iraq: Protests have erupted in the impoverished south over a rise in food prices that officials attributed to the conflict in Ukraine. (AlJazeera)
- United Arab Emirates: Global oil prices fell after Ambassador Yousuf Al Otaiba announced his country’s support for increasing oil production. (BBC)
- Yemen: UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg continued his consultations with Yemeni political parties in a bid to resume peace talks. (Xinhua)
Tech & Communications
- Social Media: Twitter launched a privacy-protected version of its website accessible through the Tor browser to bypass surveillance and censorship by Russia. (AP)
World
- Cyclones: Nothing to Report.
- Hurricanes: Nothing to Report.
- Earthquakes: Nothing to Report.
- Volcanoes:
- Mount Merapi, Indonesia
- Highly Explosive activity
- Erupting
- Source
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 10MAR22)
- Confirmed cases: 451,790,917
- Deaths: 6,023,845
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 10MAR22)
- Mount Merapi, Indonesia
Tomorrow’s Outlook (11MAR22)
- Global: Meeting of G7 agriculture ministers, virtual.
- Global: 2nd anniversary of COVID-19 declared a pandemic.
- Africa: Visit by US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman to Algeria and Egypt.
- Chile: Inauguration of President-elect Gabriel Boric.
- China: Beijing Winter Paralympic Games. (to 13MAR)
- China: National People’s Congress scheduled to conclude.
- Europe: Visit by US Vice President Kamala Harris to Poland and Romania.
- Finland: President Sauli Niinisto holds a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the situation in Ukraine.
- France: European Council informal meeting of EU heads of state and government in Versailles.
- Lesotho: Moeshoeshoe Day.
- Lithuania: Day of Restoration of Independence.
- United States: Deadline for new funding bill to avert federal government shutdown.
- United States: President Joe Biden delivers remarks to House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference.
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