Key Storylines
- AFRICA: Former Zambian Foreign Affairs Minister Joseph Malanji has been arrested for alleged money-laundering activities.
- AMERICAS: Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness told the visiting Prince William and Kate that he would seek to sever ties with the monarchy in an unexpected announcement.
- ASIA: Chinese Foreign minister Wang Yi made a surprise stop in Kabul to meet Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers.
- EUROPE: Western leaders meeting in Brussels will agree to strengthen their forces in Eastern Europe and increase military aid to Ukraine as the Russian invasion enters its second month.
- MIDDLE EAST: Commanders of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) displayed models of Iranian missiles at a defense show in Qatar.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Arizona became the first US state to roll out Apple’s virtual ID system for driver’s licenses and state ID cards.
Top Story
- North Korea: Pyongyang Returns to Long-Range Launches With Largest ICBM Test.
- North Korea conducted what is thought to be its largest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test ever marking a dramatic end to a self-imposed moratorium on long-range testing.
- South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff and Defense Ministry said the ICBM missile fired from the Sunan area near capital Pyongyang traveled 1,080 kilometers (671 miles) while reaching a maximum altitude of over 6,200 kilometers (3,852 miles).
- In response to the ICBM launch, South Korea test-fired five missiles from the ground, sea, and air, demonstrating it could strike a North Korean launch site and other support facilities at “any time.”
- The United States and South Korea have warned in recent weeks that North Korea may be preparing to test-fire an ICBM at full range for the first time since 2017.
- The United States condemned North Korea’s test firing of a new intercontinental missile and urged the world to hold Pyongyang responsible for violating UN Security Council resolutions.
- North Korea’s most recent missile launch marked the longest-range test since North Korean leader Kim Jong-un imposed a moratorium on ICBM and nuclear tests to pursue diplomacy with former President Trump.
- Reuters, AP, WSJ, BBC, AFP, Axios
Africa
- Ethiopia: Human Rights Watch urged the country to probe an airstrike on a school in the war-torn Tigray region that killed dozens as an “apparent war crime.” (AFP)
- Nigeria: A soldier said to have been under the influence of drugs killed at least three civilians and injured 13 others during a mass shooting. (BBC)
- Somalia: Amina Mohamed Abdi, a woman lawmaker is among at least 15 people killed in a suicide bombing that hit a polling station in the country’s central region. (AP)
- South Sudan: President Salva Kiir sacked the country’s health minister. (BBC)
- Zambia: Former Foreign Affairs Minister Joseph Malanji has been arrested for alleged money-laundering activities. (BBC)
Americas
- Brazil: The country’s attorney general asked the Supreme Court to investigate funding decisions made by the country’s education minister. (Reuters)
- Cuba: The government acknowledged a spike in demand for fuel has led to shortfalls at service stations nationwide, prompting hours-long queues for gasoline. (Reuters)
- Jamaica: Prime Minister Andrew Holness told the visiting Prince William and Kate that he would seek to sever ties with the monarchy in an unexpected announcement. (AP)
- Mexico: Two dozen lawmakers, including members of the ruling Moreno party, joined to create a congressional “Mexico-Russia Friendship Committee.” (AP)
- United States: Farm groups urged the Department of Agriculture to allow planting on land set aside for conservation as a substitute for Ukrainian crops. (Reuters)
Asia
- Region: Australia accepted an offer from New Zealand to resettle boat refugees it had sent to the remote island nation of Nauru. (WaPo)
- China: Foreign minister Wang Yi made a surprise stop in Kabul to meet Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers. (AP)
- Japan: Prime Minister Fumio Kishida condemned North Korea’s launch of a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile that landed in his country’s exclusive economic zone as an “outrageous, unforgivable” act. (AFP)
- Singapore: The city state’s most significant easing of Covid-19 curbs will take effect next Tuesday, with quarantine-free entry for vaccinated travelers from April 1. (SCMP)
- South Korea: Former President Park Geun-hye was discharged from the hospital three months after being pardoned from a 22-year prison sentence for corruption. (AP)
Europe
- Region: Western leaders meeting in Brussels will agree to strengthen their forces in Eastern Europe and increase military aid to Ukraine as the Russian invasion enters its second month. (Reuters)
- Russia: The US Embassy in Moscow received a list of diplomats to be expelled from the country in response to the US ousting Russian diplomats from its UN mission in New York. (Reuters)
- Switzerland: Police said four people have been found dead at the foot of a building in the lakeside city of Montreux. (AP)
- Ukraine: The country said it struck a Russian naval transport vessel docked in the Azov Sea near the besieged port city of Mariupol. (AFP)
- United Kingdom: Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced he would send 6,000 missiles and $33 million in financial aid to the Ukrainian military. (RFE/RL)
Middle East
- Egypt: The country asked for the International Monetary Fund’s support to implement a comprehensive economic program. (Reuters)
- Iran: Commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) displayed models of Iranian missiles at a defense show in Qatar. (Reuters)
- Iraq: A new report from Human Rights Watch said that armed groups, including the police and one of the country’s most powerful militias, attack LGBT people with impunity. (BBC)
- Israel: Energy Minister Karin Elharar is in Paris discussing ways to confront the challenges of the current global crisis as the country attempts to join the International Energy Agency. (Al-Monitor)
Tech & Communications
- Technology: Arizona became the first US state to roll out Apple’s virtual ID system for driver’s licenses and state ID cards. (UPI)
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 24MAR22)
- Confirmed cases: 475,909,400
- Deaths: 6,105,197
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 24MAR22)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (25MAR22)
- Global: International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
- Global: ILO ballot to elect new Director-General.
- Argentina: IMF Executive Board discusses the country’s request for an IMF-supported program.
- Belarus: Freedom Day
- Belgium: EU Summit Concludes.
- Europe: European Council meeting of EU leaders in Brussels
- Greece: Independence Day
- New Zealand: COVID-19 limits on outdoor gatherings to be lifted
- Poland: Visit by US President Joe Biden (to 26MAR)
END
