Key Storylines
- AFRICA: The M23 rebel group denied shooting down a UN helicopter that crashed on Sunday while carrying peacekeepers on a reconnaissance mission in northeastern DR Congo.
- AMERICAS: Thousands protested a surge in kidnappings and lack of action by the Haitian government of Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
- ASIA: A drug trafficker was hanged in Singapore’s first execution since 2019 despite appeals for clemency from the United Nations and rights groups.
- EUROPE: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in China in his first visit to the key ally since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine last month.
- MIDDLE EAST: A Saudi-led coalition battling rebels who hold Yemen’s capital Sanaa began a unilateral cease-fire in the yearslong war.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Hackers infiltrated the blockchain Ronin Network, allowing them to steal $625 million in cryptocurrency from the video game Axie Infinity.
Top Story
- China: Beijing hosts Russian, American, and Pakistani Officials for Talks on Afghanistan.
- Officials from the United States, Russia, China, and Pakistan are scheduled to meet in China this week to discuss Afghanistan.
- The dialogue is expected to promote the Afghan side to build an open and inclusive political structure, pursue a moderate and stable domestic and foreign policy, and effectively fight terrorism.
- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in the eastern Chinese province of Anhui, where China was set to host two days of meetings on Afghanistan.
- Afghan acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is attending the two-day meeting to be attended by foreign ministers of Afghanistan’s immediate neighbors – Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
- US Special Representative for Afghanistan Tom West will attend the troika plus meeting in Tunxi.
- The talks come against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and as Afghanistan suffers an economic and humanitarian crisis worsened by a financial aid cutoff following the Taliban takeover as U.S.-led troops departed in August.
- The Hill, CGTN, Reuters, AlJazeera, VOA,, SCMP
Africa
- DR Congo: The M23 rebel group denied shooting down a UN helicopter that crashed on Sunday while carrying peacekeepers on a reconnaissance mission in the northeast. (BBC)
- Ethiopia: The country started a new drive to repatriate tens of thousands of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia. (BBC)
- Liberia: Laye Sekou Kamara, an accused rebel leader during the civil war, was arrested in New York City. (AFP)
- South Sudan: The United States called on all parties to respect the 2018 peace agreement following the opposition SPLM/A-IO party’s withdrawal from monitoring and verification bodies. (AFP)
- Sudan: Military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan appointed new heads of 30 public universities. (BBC)
Americas
- Colombia: Eleven rebels suspected of formerly belonging to FARC were killed in military operations near the Peruvian border. (AFP)
- El Salvador: Under the new state of emergency, security forces intensified operations against gangs with mass arrests, cordoning off of neighborhoods, and house-by-house searches. (AP)
- Guatemala: A Guatemalan court sentenced eight people to long prison sentences for the 2019 murder of three soldiers in an Indigenous community after the soldiers arrived to investigate drug trafficking. (Reuters)
- Haiti: Thousands protested a surge in kidnappings and lack of action by the government of Prime Minister Ariel Henry. (AFP)
- United States: Officials, already coping with record numbers of migrants crossing the southern border, said they are making contingency plans for an even larger surge should pandemic-related restrictions be lifted. (WaPo)
Asia
- China: Authorities are planning new restrictions on the country’s $30 billion live-streaming industry. (Reuters)
- India: Prominent activist and writer Rana Ayyub was prevented from flying to Europe to speak about intimidation of journalists and rights in the world’s largest democracy. (AFP)
- Pakistan: Prime Minister Imran Khan’s future looked increasingly in doubt after a key coalition partner switched allegiance ahead of a parliamentary no-confidence vote that could be held as early as this weekend. (AFP)
- Singapore: A drug trafficker was hanged in the city-state’s first execution since 2019 despite appeals for clemency from the United Nations and rights groups. (AFP)
- South Korea: President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol proposed a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at an early date after the end of the war with Russia. (Yonhap)
Europe
- Region: European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said that the continent is facing slower growth and higher inflation as the war in Ukraine is pushing up energy prices. (Reuters)
- Germany: The government raised the alert level under its emergency gas plan as fears rose that Russia could cut off supplies if Western countries refused to make payments in rubles. (AFP)
- Russia: Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in China in his first visit to the key ally since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine last month. (AFP)
- Ukraine: President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed a Russian military pullback near Kyiv as a ploy to refit troops after heavy losses. (Reuters)
- United Kingdom: The government said that it is withdrawing its judges from Hong Kong’s top court because keeping them there would “legitimize oppression” in the former colony. (AP)
Middle East
- Egypt: President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi received Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of the ruling Sovereign Council in Sudan for talks focusing on ties between the two neighbors. (AP)
- Iraq: Lawmakers will try to elect a new national president for a third time after the two previous attempts failed because of boycotts by a Shiite coalition. (AFP)
- Iran: Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian headed to the eastern Chinese city of Tunxi to attend a summit of the foreign ministers of Afghanistan’s neighbors. (Al-Monitor)
- Israel: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas issued a rare condemnation of the terror attack that left five dead in Bnei Brak. (Times of Israel)
- Yemen: A Saudi-led coalition battling rebels who hold Sanaa began a unilateral cease-fire in the yearslong war. (WaPo)
Tech & Communications
- Cybersecurity: Hackers infiltrated the blockchain Ronin Network, allowing them to steal $625 million in cryptocurrency from the video game Axie Infinity. (WaPo)
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 30MAR22)
- Confirmed cases: 485,302,038
- Deaths: 6,134,080
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 30MAR22)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (31MAR22)
- Event: AEI discussion on ‘Latin America’s inflation challenge’.
- Global: OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting, virtual.
- Global: International Transgender Day of Visibility.
- Australia: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses Parliament.
- Brazil: Deadline for candidates for office to leave current positions.
- China: Ministerial Conference of Afghanistan’s Neighboring Countries in Tunxi.
- Europe: NATO Annual Report.
- Germany: Visit by Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer.
- Italy: COVID-19 state of emergency to end.
- Malta: Freedom Day.
- Russia: Deadline for gas payments in Roubles.
- Thailand: King Nangklao Memorial Day.
- United States: President of Botswana Mokgweetsi Masisi to virtually address the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on COVID-19 in Africa.
- United States: Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing on China’s role in Latin America and the Caribbean.
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