Key Storylines
- AFRICA: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reached out to the African Union (AU) for support against Russia’s aggression and requested to address the continental organization.
- AMERICAS: The Brazilian Supreme Electoral Court for the first time invited European Union officials to observe this year’s general elections.
- ASIA: India hopes that Pakistan’s new prime minister Shehbaz Sharif will herald a diplomatic thaw between the two nuclear-armed foes after years of tensions.
- EUROPE: A delegation from the German coalition government will visit Ukraine as pressure grows on Chancellor Olaf Scholz to follow other Western leaders to Kyiv.
- MIDDLE EAST: Iran summoned Afghanistan’s envoy in Tehran over attacks the previous day on Iranian diplomatic missions in the neighboring country.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Meta announced it is beginning to test tools for selling digital assets and experiences over its Horizon Worlds virtual reality platform.
Top Story
- China: Shanghai Eases Two-Week Lockdown as COVID Curbs Slow Down.
- Shanghai residents stepped out of their homes for the first time in more than two weeks as the city took tentative steps towards easing a COVID-19 lockdown.
- About 6.6 million people will be allowed to leave their homes, but some must stay in their own neighborhoods as markets and pharmacies reopen.
- The American government announced all “non-emergency US government employees” would be withdrawn from its Shanghai Consulate.
- Authorities in Shanghai introduced the three-tier disease control system allowing residents in areas where no cases have been reported for 14 days to leave their homes so long as they follow health protocols and remain in their sub-district.
- Shanghai added 22,342 new cases on Tuesday, including 994 symptomatic cases, bringing the city’s total infections to about 227,000 since March 1.
- Reuters, AP, The Guardian, AlJazeera, SCMP
Africa
- Region: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reached out to the African Union (AU) for support against Russia’s aggression and requested to address the continental organization. (BBC)
- Botswana: The health ministry said it has detected a new lineage of the Covid-19 Omicron variant. (BBC)
- DR Congo: The last four members of a team that traveled to Ituri province to mediate with an armed group who then took them hostage are now free. (AFP)
- Somalia: UN agencies warned that millions of people are at risk of famine, with young children the most vulnerable to the worsening drought in the troubled Horn of Africa nation. (AFP)
- South Africa: At least five people have been killed in floods and mudslides across the port city of Durban following heavy rains in recent days. (AFP)
Americas
- Region: Mexican truck drivers blockaded two bridges on the United States border amid rising tensions over an order by Texas governor Greg Abbot which has slowed commercial crossings. (Reuters)
- Brazil: The Supreme Electoral Court for the first time invited European Union officials to observe this year’s general elections. (Reuters)
- Chile: The country announced an unprecedented plan to ration water for the capital of Santiago. (Reuters)
- Mexico: Authorities said gunmen killed eight people, including four minors, in an attack on a house near Mexico City. (AFP)
- United States: The Supreme Court announced it will stop allowing the public to attend sessions in person in April amid a rise of COVID-19 cases in the capital. (Reuters)
Asia
- Australia: Minister for the Pacific Zed Seselja was dispatched to the Solomon Islands over a controversial security pact Western allies fear will enable a Chinese military foothold in the South Pacific. (AFP)
- India: The country hopes that Pakistan’s new prime minister Shehbaz Sharif will herald a diplomatic thaw between the two nuclear-armed foes after years of tensions. (AFP)
- Indonesia: Parliament passed a landmark sexual violence bill that raises hopes of justice for victims after the country recorded a spike in reported cases during the coronavirus pandemic. (AFP)
- Philippines: Rescuers hampered by mud and rain searched for survivors of landslides that smashed into villages in the central region, as the death toll from tropical storm Megi rose to 27. (AFP)
- Taiwan: Premier Su Tseng-chang called for the speedy passage of laws mandating tougher punishments to prevent China from stealing chip technology. (Reuters)
Europe
- France: Former president Nicolas Sarkozy threw his support behind Emmanuel Macron in his bid for reelection, touting Macron’s experience in the face of the “grave international crisis” in Ukraine. (AFP)
- Germany: A delegation from the coalition government will visit Ukraine as pressure grows on Chancellor Olaf Scholz to follow other Western leaders to Kyiv. (AFP)
- Russia: President Vladimir Putin warned the West that attempts to isolate Moscow would fail. (Reuters)
- Ukraine: The United Kingdom reported it is trying to verify reports that Russia has deployed chemical weapons in the siege of Mariupol. (AFP)
- United Kingdom: Armed Forces Minister James Heappey warned any use of chemical weapons by Russia in its attacks on Ukraine “will get a response and all options are on the table.” (AFP)
Middle East
- Region: The UN World Food Program warned that the war in Ukraine could worsen humanitarian crises in Yemen, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. (BBC)
- Region: Iran summoned Afghanistan’s envoy in Tehran over attacks the previous day on Iranian diplomatic missions in the neighboring country. (AP)
- Israel: Police said an officer shot and killed a Palestinian man who stabbed him during a security check. (AP)
- Lebanon: Security officials said at least one person was killed and several were injured after an explosion demolished a building in the country’s south. (AP)
- Palestinian Territories: Fresh clashes between Israeli soldiers and militants rocked the West Bank city of Jenin as a Palestinian stabbed a police officer in Israel before being shot dead. (AFP)
Tech & Communications
- Social Media: Meta announced it is beginning to test tools for selling digital assets and experiences over its Horizon Worlds virtual reality platform. (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 11APR22)
- Confirmed cases: 498,154,313
- Deaths: 6,176,420
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 11APR22)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (13APR22)
- Event: Council on Foreign Relations ‘China’s Russia Dilemma’ event.
- Event: Carnegie Connects conversation with former Sec of Defense Robert Gates.
- Event: Peterson Institute discussion on Ukraine’s wartime economy.
- Global: G24 Deputies Meeting, virtual
- Africa: Visit by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock to Mali and Niger (to 14APR)
- Palau: Our Ocean Conference (to 14APR)
- Thailand: New Year
- United States: Visit by UK North America Minister James Cleverly (to 14APR)
- United States: Treasury Secretary Yellen delivers a special address on the global economy following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (virtual).
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