Key Storylines
- AFRICA: Niger President Mohamed Bazoum termed the death of former Mali Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga an “assassination.”
- AMERICAS: The White House expanded travel bans against Chinese officials accused of repressing ethnic and religious minorities.
- ASIA: US President Joe Biden said India was an exception among Washington’s allies with its “shaky” response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
- EUROPE: Two teachers died after a violent attack at a secondary school in the southern Swedish city of Malmö.
- MIDDLE EAST: Yemen’s Houthi rebels this week struck the same oil storage tank in the Saudi city of Jiddah they had previously hit two years ago.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: The US Federal Trade Commission is seeking additional data in an antitrust review of Microsoft’s bid to acquire Activision Blizzard.
Top Story
- Ukraine: US President Joe Biden said Putin Could Use Chemical, Biological Weapons in Ukraine.
- Ukraine’s military warned the public of more indiscriminate Russian shelling from bogged-down Russian troops, and US President Joe Biden issued his strongest warning, yet that Russia is considering using chemical weapons.
- Biden also reiterated that such an action would prompt a “severe” but so far undefined response from Western allies.
- Meanwhile, the Pentagon said Ukrainian forces — including civilians — have put up a strong resistance and the Kremlin is struggling to achieve its goals in Ukraine.
- Biden warned the US business community of intelligence pointing to a growing Russian cyber threat and urging companies to “immediately” prepare defenses.
- Biden’s remarks echo previous comments by officials who have accused Russia of spreading an unproven claim that Ukraine had a biological weapons program as a prelude to launching its own biological or chemical attacks.
- Reuters, AFP, CNBC, Politico, The Guardian
Africa
- Region: A drive to vaccinate more than 9 million children against polio has been launched in four countries in southern and eastern Africa after an outbreak was confirmed in Malawi. (AP)
- Niger: President Mohamed Bazoum termed the death of former Mali Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga an “assassination.” (BBC)
- Nigeria: At least 16 were killed in an attack by cattle thieves in the remote northwestern village of Ganar-Kiyawa. (AFP)
- Tanzania: The country will begin the process of drafting a new constitution after the 2025 general elections. (BBC)
- Uganda: Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the government to stop using illegal detention centers as a weapon against dissidents and close the facilities. (AFP)
Americas
- Canada: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal party and the opposition New Democratic Party have reached a tentative agreement that would see Trudeau’s Liberals keep power until 2025. (AP)
- Colombia: National Registrar Alexander Vega announced he will order a recount of March 13’s Senate elections due to the large number of fraud accusations. (AFP)
- Cuba: Hours-long lines formed at gas stations in Havana after local media reported rationing of fuel in at least one province amid a biting economic crisis that has already left food and medicine in short supply across the island. (Reuters)
- Nicaragua: Opposition leader and former presidential candidate Christiana Chamorro was sentenced to eight years in prison on allegations of financial crimes. (AFP)
- United States: The White House expanded travel bans against Chinese officials accused of repressing ethnic and religious minorities. (AP)
Asia
- Australia: Google admitted to failing to include several candidates in its public data report on paid political material, raising doubts about the company’s ability to track advertising during the coming elections. (The Guardian)
- China: Beijing said it has the right to develop South China Sea islands as it sees fit and is accusing the US of undermining security in the disputed waterway. (AP)
- Hong Kong: Top scientists urged the government to transition from China’s zero-Covid strategy before the next outbreak unless the financial hub wants to be a “closed port forever.” (AFP)
- India: US President Joe Biden said the country was an exception among Washington’s allies with its “shaky” response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
- Japan: COVID-19 emergency measures were ended in all prefectures across the country. (Kyodo)
Europe
- France: Imprisoned Corsican nationalist Yvan Colonna, whose assault by a fellow prisoner on March 2 provoked riots on the island, died of his injuries. (BBC)
- Germany: Authorities carried out raids across the country and questioned more than 100 suspects in an investigation of hate posts against politicians connected to last year’s national election. (AP)
- Russia: Pro-Kremlin tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda published and quickly deleted an article claiming nearly 10,000 Russian soldiers have died in Ukraine, far more than the Ministry of Defense claims. (Forbes)
- Sweden: Two teachers died after a violent attack at a secondary school in the southern city of Malmö. (BBC)
- Ukraine: Video footage showed Russian troops using gunfire and stun grades to disperse a rally of protesters in the occupied city of Kherson. (Reuters)
Middle East
- Region: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hosted Israel’s prime minister and the de facto leader of the United Arab Emirates as talks to revive a nuclear deal with Iran remain in limbo. (Reuters)
- Egypt: Bread prices have increased since the Russian invasion of Ukraine as the country receives a majority of its wheat from the two Eastern European countries. (Al-Monitor)
- Iran: The United States said a deal to restore the JCPOA nuclear deal is not imminent, but that the US is prepared to make “difficult decisions” to make it happen. (AFP)
- Syria: Videos of Turkey-backed leaders and members showing off their luxurious lifestyle have sparked controversy in the opposition-held areas in the country’s northwest. (Al-Monitor)
- Yemen: Houthi rebels this week struck the same oil storage tank in the Saudi city of Jiddah they had previously hit two years ago. (AP)
Tech & Communications
- Technology: The US Federal Trade Commission is seeking additional data in an antitrust review of Microsoft’s bid to acquire Activision Blizzard. (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 22MAR22)
- Confirmed cases: 472,222,374
- Deaths: 6,094,632
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 22MAR22)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (23MAR22)
- Event: Atlantic Council discussion on European defense policy.
- Global: World Meteorological Day.
- Global: G7 trade ministers meeting, virtual.
- Belgium: Visit by US President Joe Biden. (to 25MAR)
- Bolivia: Day of the Sea.
- Europe: NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to hold a press conference in advance of the North Atlantic Council in Brussels.
- Europe: European Parliament plenary session. (to 24MAR)
- France: International Energy Agency ministerial meeting in Paris. (to 24MAR)
- France: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to address parliament.
- Germany: European Central Bank Governing Council meeting in Frankfurt.
- Japan: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to address the National Diet.
- Pakistan: Organization of Islamic Cooperation foreign ministers meeting in Islamabad. (to 23MAR)
- Pakistan: Pakistan Day.
- Ukraine: 36-hour curfew continues in Kyiv.
- United Kingdom: Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak to deliver Spring Statement.
- United States: Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for SCOTUS nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson. (to 24MAR)
- United States: Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing on strategic competition and security cooperation in the Western Hemisphere.
END
