Portal:Current events

Topics in the news

Endurance in 1915

• The discovery of the wreck of the Endurance (pictured), sunk during Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, is announced.
• Yoon Suk-yeol is elected president of South Korea.
• Australian cricketer Shane Warne dies at the age of 52.
• An attack at a mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan, kills at least 63 people and injures more than 190 others.
• The Winter Paralympics is held in Beijing, China.

Ongoing:

• COVID-19 pandemic
• Russian invasion of Ukraine

Recent deaths:

• Nadungamuwa Raja
• Mary Coombs
• William Hurt
• Donald Pinkel
• Margaret Farrow
• Brent Renaud

March 15, 2022 (2022-03-15) (Tuesday)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
    • China reports 5,280 cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, a new single-day record since the start of the pandemic. (The Straits Times)

March 14, 2022 (2022-03-14) (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian War
  • 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Siege of Mariupol
      • Local officials in Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast, say that over 160 cars have left the city in the first successful attempt to arrange a humanitarian corridor to evacuate the city. (Reuters)
    • Russia denies having requested military assistance from China, as alleged by several US officials. US-listed Chinese stocks drop to their lowest levels since 2015, slumping about 10 percent. (BBC News) (Forbes) (Al Jazeera)
    • A Russian Air Force airstrike on a television tower in Rivne Oblast in Western Ukraine kills at least nine people, according to Rivne governor Vitaliy Koval. (Reuters)
    • A drone of uncertain origin crashes near a village in Bistrița-Năsăud County, Romania. (Euronews)
• Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
  • 2021–2022 Armenia–Azerbaijan border crisis
    • Armenia–Azerbaijan relations
      • Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan asks the OSCE Minsk Group to help initiate peace talks with Azerbaijan in an effort to normalize relations following the conflict. (ThePrint)
• Yemeni Civil War
  • Famine in Yemen
    • The United Nations reports that around 161,000 people in Yemen are expected to face a famine in the second half of the year. (Bloomberg)

Disasters and accidents

• 2022 California wildfires
  • Evacuation warnings are lifted in Santa Barbara County after 50% of the Hollister Fire is contained. (KCRA-TV)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario
      • Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on long-term care facilities
        • Long-term care homes in Ontario will keep their vaccine mandates for employees despite the province lifting all mandates. (Global News)
      • Ontario health officials report no deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours for the first since December 20. (CTV News Toronto)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New Brunswick
      • New Brunswick lifts their COVID-19 restrictions including their mask mandate, social distancing rules, and limits on gatherings. (CBC)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
    • COVID-19 vaccination in South Korea
      • Interior Minister Jeon Hae-cheol announces that South Korea will begin its COVID-19 vaccine campaign for children between the ages of 5 and 11 years on March 31. Booster doses will also be administered for children between the ages of 12 and 17 years. (Korea Herald)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
    • The incidence rate for COVID-19 reaches an all-time high in Germany for the third consecutive day, at a seven-day moving average rate of 1,543 infections per 100,000 people. (Bloomberg)

International relations

• Reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Russia–Ukraine relations
    • The fourth round of talks between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations resumes in an effort to end the war but is delayed until tomorrow due to technical issues. (Wall Street Journal) (Reuters)
  • Russia–Slovakia relations
    • Slovakia expels three Russian diplomats for alleged espionage and bribery. (AP)
• Germany–United States relations
  • Germany announces that it will buy 35 F-35 Lightning II fighter jets from the United States to replace its aging fleet of Panavia Tornados. Germany will also purchase 15 Eurofighter Typhoon jets from Airbus. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Protests against the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Anti-war protesters seize the mansion of Oleg Deripaska in London. Four of the protesters who were seen on the balcony of Deripaska's mansion are later arrested. (The Guardian)
  • International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War
    • Andrey Turchak, the secretary-general of the ruling party United Russia, declares that the party will draft a bill criminalising compliance with the Western sanctions. (Kommersant)
• 2022 Northeastern U.S. serial shooter
  • The New York City Police Department releases images of a suspected serial killer who has shot five homeless men, two fatally, in New York City and Washington, D.C. in the last week. (The New York Times)
• Cameroon bans shisha smoking, becoming the sixth African country to do so. (Africanews)

Science and technology

• A cyberattack takes down Israeli government websites, including the interior, health, justice, and welfare ministries and the prime minister's office website were temporarily taken offline in the DDoS attack. (Middle East Eye)

March 13, 2022 (2022-03-13) (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian War
  • 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Eastern Ukraine offensive
      • Usage of white phosphorus bombs is reported overnight in the town of Popasna in Luhansk Oblast. (Ukrayinska Pravda)
    • Kyiv offensive
      • Brent Renaud, a filmmaker and photojournalist with former affiliation with The New York Times, is shot and killed by Russian troops in Irpin, Kyiv Oblast. His colleague, another U.S. citizen, is wounded and evacuated to a hospital. (Jerusalem Post)
    • Battle of Melitopol
      • Russian occupation forces install Halyna Danylchenko as the new mayor of Melitopol following the abduction of Ivan Fedorov. Danilchenko, a former member of the city council, calls on residents to "adapt to the new reality" and stop "committing extremist acts". However, the city council refuses to recognise Danilchenko as mayor and calls on Ukrainian authorities to indict her for treason. (Sky News) (Ukrayinska Pravda)
    • Siege of Mariupol
      • Ukrainian authorities say that 2,187 civilians have now been killed in Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast. Mariupol's City Council says that Russian forces are deliberately targeting residential buildings and densely populated areas in the port city. (Ukrayinska Pravda)
    • Aftermath of the Battle of Chernobyl
      • Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko announces that power has been restored to the former power plant in Chernobyl. (Axios)
    • Russian airstrikes inflict significant damage on the Ivano-Frankivsk International Airport in western Ukraine, with no casualties immediately reported. (CNN)
    • An airstrike on the NATO–Ukraine Partnership for Peace Yavoriv military base some 10–20 km (6.2–12.4 mi) from the border with Poland kills 35 people and injures 134 others. (USA Today)
    • White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan warns that Russia could be preparing to use chemical weapons in Ukraine. (USA Today)
    • Russian forces abduct Yevgeny Matveyev, the mayor of Dniprorudne in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, after he refused to cooperate with the military. (The Jerusalem Post)
    • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy again calls for a no-fly zone over Ukraine, saying "it is only a matter of time before Russian rockets fall on your territory, on NATO territory". (NDTV)
• Persian Gulf crisis
  • 2022 Erbil rocket attacks
    • Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claims responsibility for the overnight missile strikes on Erbil in Kurdistan Region, Iraq, saying that the strikes were in response to "recent crimes of the fake Zionist regime". The missiles were launched from Iran's East Azerbaijan province. (The Jerusalem Post)
• Insurgency in Northern Chad; aftermath of the 2021 Northern Chad offensive
  • The Transitional Military Council of Chad meets with 44 different armed rebel and opposition groups, including the Front for Change and Concord in Chad, Movement for Democracy and Justice in Chad, and the Union of Forces for Democracy and Development in Doha, Qatar for peace talks. The President of Chad, Mahamat Déby, hopes that the talks will be the first step towards agreeing on a new constitution and holding free elections. (ABC News) (France24)
  • The Transitional Military Council says that it has released hundreds of prisoners of war and has granted amnesty to several prominent leaders as a condition for the talks. (France24)
• Benishangul-Gumuz conflict
  • The Ethiopian government says that it will take action against men who were seen in a video wearing Ethiopian military and police uniforms and burning civilians alive in the Metekel Zone. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021–22 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season
  • Around 12 people in Mozambique are dead after Tropical Cyclone Gombe struck the Nampula and Zambezia provinces. (Phys.org)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Shanghai
      • Shanghai restricts access and urges residents not to leave the city amid an increase in the number of new COVID-19 cases. (Seven News Australia)
      • Areas in the Jinshan and Minhang districts of Shanghai are elevated to medium-risk areas of COVID-19. (Shanghai Daily)
    • Shenzhen enters a lockdown until March 20 after 66 cases of COVID-19 were reported in the city. (Bloomberg)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • Former President Barack Obama tests positive for COVID-19. (People)

International relations

• Reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Russia–Ukraine relations
    • Ukrainian negotiator and presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliyak and Russian delegate Leonid Slutsky say that there are signs of progress in the peace talks. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman says that Russia is willing to engage in negotiations aimed at a ceasefire. (Reuters)
    • Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov and Ukrainian adviser Mykhailo Podoliyak confirm that the fourth round of talks between Russia and Ukraine will resume tomorrow. (Times of Israel) (Market Screener)
    • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that the purpose of the talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations is to ensure direct talks between himself and Russian President Vladimir Putin. (GMA Network)
  • India–Ukraine relations
    • The embassy of India in Ukraine is relocated from Lviv to Poland due to the attacks on Western Ukraine. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Protests against the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • 2022 anti-war protests in Russia
    • Around 250 anti-war protesters are detained in Russia for opposing the military invasion of Ukraine. (The Moscow Times)

Politics and elections

• 2022 Colombian parliamentary election
  • Colombians go to the polls to elect the members of the Congress. (France 24)

Sports

• 2022 Winter Paralympics
  • The closing ceremony of the Winter Paralympics is held in Beijing. (CBC)

March 12, 2022 (2022-03-12) (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian War
  • 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Eastern Ukraine offensive
      • Russian soldiers have damaged the Sviatohirsk Lavra, a popular Orthodox pilgrimage site under the jurisdiction of Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, at around 22:00 local time. (Kyiv Independent) (Ukrayinska Pravda)
    • Russia warns that it could fire on any future NATO armaments shipments to Ukraine, saying that the weapons shipments are "legitimate military targets" for its military. (Financial Times)
• Persian Gulf crisis, Iraqi conflict, 2022 Erbil rocket attacks
  • Iran launches twelve ballistic missiles at the Iraqi city of Erbil, Kurdistan Region, with explosions reported near the U.S. consulate and Erbil International Airport. The missiles are believed to be Fateh-110s. There are no reports of injuries or deaths. (The Jerusalem Post) (MSN) (Al Arabiya)
  • Iraqi security officials confirm that the missiles were launched from Iran and that several missiles hit the U.S. consulate building. (DW)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • 2022 boycott of Russia and Belarus
    • Pokémon Go suspends operations in Russia and Belarus following the invasion. (Gamerant.com)
  • The Central Bank of Russia announces that stock trading on the Moscow Stock Exchange will remain suspended until at least March 18 due to the fallout from the Russian invasion. (The Wall Street Journal)

Disasters and accidents

• 2022 Lualaba train accident
  • At least 61 people are killed and 54 more injured by a train crash in Lualaba Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Al Jazeera)
• 2022 California wildfires
  • The Hollister Fire near Santa Barbara County, grows to 1,000 acres, prompting evacuations off the Gaviota Coast. (Merced Sun-Star)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
      • China reports more than 3,100 cases of COVID-19, a new single-day record. (South China Morning Post)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
      • South Korea reports a record 383,665 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours. (Korea Herald)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
      • Vietnam reports a record 454,197 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, including a record 225,693 new cases in Hanoi, which is the highest single-day total in any municipality or province. (VnExpress)

International relations

• Reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Russia–Ukraine relations
    • Israel–Ukraine relations, Israel–Russia relations
      • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that ceasefire negotiations between Russia and Ukraine should be held in Jerusalem. He also says that Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett could have a positive impact on the negotiations. (Times of Israel)
    • Azerbaijan–Ukraine relations, Azerbaijan–Russia relations
      • Azerbaijani Foreign policy adviser Hikmet Hajiyev says that Azerbaijan is open to holding talks between Ukraine and Russia. (Trend)

Law and crime

• Reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Protests against the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Battle of Melitopol
      • Demonstrators gather to protest the abduction of Melitopol mayor Ivan Fedorov. (BBC News)
    • Anti-war protesters gather in Florence, Tuscany, Italy, to listen to a videotaped speech by Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (Reuters)
  • International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War
    • Italian police seize sailing yacht A at the Port of Trieste after its owner, Russian oligarch Andrey Melnichenko, was sanctioned by the European Union. (The Guardian)
• Capital punishment in Saudi Arabia
  • Saudi Arabia executes 81 people, making it the largest execution in Saudi Arabian history, surpassing a January 1980 mass execution of 63 militants who were convicted of attempting to seize the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca. (Time)

Politics and elections

• 2022 Turkmenistan presidential election
  • A presidential election is held in Turkmenistan, with Serdar Berdimuhamedow expecting to be elected President of Turkmenistan to succeed his father, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow. (Al Jazeera)

Sports

• Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo surpasses Josef Bican as the sport's official top goalscorer of all time as recorded by FIFA, after scoring his 806th and 807th goals during a Premier League match with Manchester United against Tottenham Hotspur. (The Indian Express)

March 11, 2022 (2022-03-11) (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian War
  • 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Southern Ukraine offensive
      • Battle of Melitopol
        • Russian troops capture the mayor of Melitopol Ivan Fedorov, and take him to an unknown location after he refused to cooperate with Russian occupation forces. Fedorov's capture is confirmed by Ukrainian Internal Affairs Ministry official Anton Herashchenko. (BBC News)
    • Kyiv offensive
      • A large convoy of Russian military vehicles, including tanks and self-propelled artillery, begins "fanning out" to forests and towns near Kyiv as it prepares to advance on the capital. (BBC News)
    • Siege of Chernihiv
      • Ukrainian Ground Forces launch a counter-offensive in Chernihiv Oblast, regaining control of five settlements from Russian forces, and seizing two Russian armoured personnel carriers and ammunition. (Ukrinform)
    • Northeastern Ukraine offensive
      • Battle of Sumy
        • Around 104 Russian soldiers are taken as prisoners of war in Sumy. (Ukrinform)
    • Russia allows foreign volunteers to join its armed forces to fight the war against Ukraine. Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu says that he has received around 16,000 applications, mostly from people in the Middle East. (AP)
    • Russia launches "high-precision" airstrikes on airfields in Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk in Western Ukraine, killing four Ukrainian service members and injuring six others. Russian Air Force jets also bomb the city of Dnipro for the first time, destroying a shoe factory and killing one person. (AP)
• Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts
  • The Pakistani military says that a surface-to-surface missile hit near Mian Channu, Punjab. India later admits to accidentally firing a missile into Pakistani territory. No casualties were reported by either side. (BBC News) (Reuters) (The Washington Post)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • 2022 boycott of Russia and Belarus
    • Kazakhstan–Russia relations
      • Air Astana suspends all flights to and from Russia, citing the “withdrawal of insurance coverage for commercial flights”. (Kazinform)
  • 2020–present global chip shortage
    • Two Ukrainian semiconductor-grade neon gas producers, making about half of the world's supply of the gas, have shut down their operations due to the invasion. This will likely worsen semiconductor shortages that started with the COVID-19 pandemic. (Reuters)
  • The Central Bank of Russia orders all banks not to take any commission for the withdrawal of foreign-denominated cash from bank accounts of natural persons. Additionally, all remittances from abroad can only be withdrawn after they are converted to rubles. (Meduza)
  • Stock prices increase in the United States and other global markets after Russian president Vladimir Putin said that there was progress during talks with Ukraine. Following Putin's reports, the DOW increased by 300 points. (Nasdaq) (Reuters) (MarketWatch)

Disasters and accidents

• Wildfires in 2022
  • The wildfires in Uljin County increase to 24,000 hectares, becoming the most destructive wildfires in South Korean history. (Korea Herald)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Shanghai
        • Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education
          • Shanghai will close their primary, middle, and high schools due to a rise of COVID-19 cases. (Reuters) (Business Standard)
        • Shanghai will also close their cinemas and imposes a reduced capacity and partial restrictions for visitors at the Shanghai Disneyland to combat the spread of COVID-19. (Variety)
        • Shanghai Disney Resort will also require visitors to show a negative nucleic acid test. (Shanghai Daily)
      • China orders a lockdown of Changchun amidst a rise of COVID-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant. (AP)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
      • The Filipino FDA announces that the Philippines has approved the use of Pfizer's Paxlovid COVID-19 drug. (The Philippine Star)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    • COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia
      • The government of British Columbia lifts the provincial mask mandate for most indoor public settings, citing a decreased number of hospitalizations and high vaccination rates. Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry says that masks will remain mandatory in healthcare settings and federally-regulated areas such as airports, and local businesses have the discretion of continuing to require the usage of masks. British Columbia will also repeal their vaccine card mandate on April 8. (CBC)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya
    • Kenya lifts its remaining COVID-19-related restrictions including a ban on large indoor gatherings, mandatory mask wearing, and a requirement to present a negative COVID-19 test for arriving air passengers as the number of new cases declined. (Reuters)

International relations

• Reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War
    • Russia–United States relations
      • U.S. president Joe Biden announces that he will revoke Russia's most favoured nation trade status in coordination with the European Union and the Group of Seven. The U.S. will also ban all imports of Russian seafood, alcohol, and diamonds; forbid new investment in Russia by American citizens; and criminalise the export of U.S. banknotes to Russia. (AP) (Reuters)
      • U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announces that the U.S. Treasury has imposed sanctions against Viktor Vekselberg and the family of Putin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. (Reuters)
    • Russia–European Union relations
      • The EU announces that it will ban all imports of iron and steel goods from Russia, ban the export of luxury goods to Russia, and freeze Russia's cryptocurrency assets. (Reuters)
  • Russia–Ukraine relations
    • Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov says that Russian president Vladimir Putin is open to holding a meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (Ukraine News Today)
    • Igor Zhovkva, deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, says that President Zelenskyy is "ready to talk to President Putin anytime he is ready". (CNN)
  • Belarus–Russia relations
    • In a meeting with Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, President Putin says that there are "positive shifts" and progress during talks with Ukraine. (Reuters)
• Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
  • Iranian nuclear deal re-negotiations have reached an impasse because of Russian demands for their own sanctions exemption. (Reuters) (Politico)
• North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
  • South Korea says that it has detected new activity at the closed Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site in North Hamgyong Province, North Korea, via satellite imagery, stating that the North appears to be restoring tunnels that were demolished in 2018 when the site was shut down. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Protests against the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • 2022 anti-war protests in Russia
    • Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny renews calls for anti-war and anti-Putin protests in cities across Russia. (Reuters)
• Russian Wikipedia editor Mark Bernstein is detained in Belarus after being doxxed on Telegram. (Zerkalo)
• Saudi Arabian blogger Raif Badawi is released after spending a decade in prison. (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

• Gabriel Boric is sworn-in as President of Chile, becoming the youngest person to serve as President. (Reuters)

Science and technology

• Internet censorship in Russia
  • Russia blocks access to Instagram in response to Meta Platforms allowing "calls to violence" toward Russian soldiers in Ukraine as well as death threats toward Russian president Vladimir Putin. (BBC News)
• Asteroid impact prediction
  • 2022 EB5, a small 0.8-2 meter asteroid discovered by the Konkoly Observatory, explodes in a harmless fireball over the Arctic Ocean south of Jan Mayen at 21:22 UTC. This is the smallest asteroid to be discovered before impact. (Minor Planet Mailing List)
• Censorship by YouTube
  • YouTube blocks all accounts associated with Russian state-funded media outlets for violation of YouTube's policy of denialism or trivialisation of well-documented violent events. (Reuters)

March 10, 2022 (2022-03-10) (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian War
  • 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Eastern Ukraine offensive
      • Siege of Mariupol
        • Russian forces resume shelling the port city of Mariupol after yesterday's airstrike on a children's hospital which killed three people. A humanitarian aid convoy trying to reach the city is also forced to turn back due to heavy fighting. (BBC News)
• Aftermath of 2021 Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan clashes
  • An armed incident occurs between border guards at the Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan border, killing one Tajik border guard. Following the incident, officials from the Batken Region in Kyrgyzstan and the Sughd Region in Tajikistan hold talks. (Trend) (RFE/RL)

Business and economy

• 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • 2022 boycott of Russia and Belarus
    • Video game companies Nintendo and Sony Interactive Entertainment suspend all product sales in Russia. Sony's online PlayStation Store will also no longer be available in Russia. (CNBC)
    • U.S. bank Goldman Sachs announces that it is closing its operations in Russia, becoming the first major Wall Street bank to leave the country following the invasion of Ukraine. (Reuters)
  • 2022 Russian financial crisis
    • Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says that the Russian economy is experiencing a "shock" following an "absolutely unprecedented" economic war being waged against the country. Peskov also says that "the economic war that has started against our country has never taken place before. So it is very hard to forecast anything". (Reuters)
    • The International Monetary Fund no longer considers Russian default "improbable", and the World Bank also considers Russia's and Belarus's default likely. (Reuters) (Reuters 2)
    • The Central Bank of Russia limits withdrawals of US dollars, euros, British pounds and Japanese yen for Russian firms to the equivalent of $5,000, with the withdrawal of larger sums only possible with the Central Bank's permission. The withdrawn funds may only be used for covering overseas work trips. (Reuters)
  • International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War
    • Russian President Vladimir Putin admits that the sanctions have created problems for Russia. However, he also called the sanctions illegitimate and warned the West that Russia will emerge stronger and solve the problems. (Reuters) (Sky News)
  • The Ukrainian parliament begins to debate a new law which would allow the forced seizure of all assets belonging to Russians citizens as well as Ukrainians deemed by the courts or the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine to be Russian collaborators. Last week, a bill was approved that allowed forced seizure of assets owned by the Russian government and Russian companies. (Ekonomichna Pravda)
  • Russia's Ministry of Transport prepares a draft regulation which would allow airlines to not have to honour the request of the lessor to return leased aircraft unless a special government commission orders them to do so and would also allow companies to pay the lessor in rubles. The law comes amid EU sanctions which forces all lease contracts for Russian aircraft to be voided by late March and also forbids E.U. companies from insuring Russian aircraft. (Interfax Russia)
  • Russia introduces retaliatory sanctions against most foreign countries, with the exception of members of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union. The export of more than 200 items, mostly of technical and agricultural appliances, will also be banned until the end of the year. (Interfax Russia)
  • The Russian government abolishes penalties for theft of patents if they are held by natural or legal persons from countries considered by the Russian government as "unfriendly". The decriminalisation of the piracy of software from "unfriendly" countries is also being considered. (Euractiv) (The Register)
  • Facebook and Instagram starts to allow users in Eastern Europe, the Baltics, and the Caucasus to promote violence against Russians and Russian soldiers in the context of the war in Ukraine, which is normally restricted, according to internal emails. A Meta spokesperson states that "As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine we have temporarily made allowances for forms of political expression that would normally violate our rules like violent speech such as 'death to the Russian invaders.'" However, calls for violence against Russian prisoners of war and "credible calls for violence against Russian civilians" will remain prohibited. Death threats against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko will also be permitted. Meta's spokesperson adds that they are, "for the time being, making a narrow exception for praise of the Azov Regiment strictly in the context of defending Ukraine, or in their role as part of the Ukraine National Guard," which was previously forbidden. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• Around 250 people are evacuated after Mount Merapi on Java, Indonesia erupts overnight. (The Washington Post)
• 2022 Zagreb Tu-141 crash
  • A Tupolev Tu-141 reconnaissance drone crashes on the outskirts of Zagreb, Croatia, triggering a loud blast and forming a large crater, but causing no injuries. The unmanned aircraft flew through Hungarian airspace before crashing in Croatia and is likely to have severely malfunctioned. The aircraft, which travelled 560km, went undetected by both countries' air defences. (The Guardian) (ABC News)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Niue
    • Niue reports its first COVID-19 case since the pandemic began in a person who traveled from New Zealand and who had tested negative prior to departing. (The Guardian)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland
      • Scotland reports a record 14,387 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours. (The Herald)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in North Dakota
      • Governor Doug Burgum announces that North Dakota will shift its COVID-19 approach from a pandemic to an endemic phase. The state health department will also end their COVID-19 updates. (AP) (KVRR-TV)
    • Face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
      • The Transportation Security Administration and the Biden administration will extend the federal mask mandate for public transportation until April 18. (CNN)
    • History of COVID-19 vaccine development
      • Moderna begins a study and a phase 2 trial of a hybrid vaccine aimed at combating the Omicron variant with their current COVID-19 vaccine. (MarketWatch) (BNN Bloomberg)

International relations

• Russia–Ukraine relations
  • Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba hold talks in Ankara, Turkey. These are the highest level talks between the two nations since the invasion. No ceasefire is reached, but the possibility of a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin was discussed. (Reuters)
  • Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov says that Ukraine is willing to accept Russia’s surrender “with understanding”. (Ukrinform)
• Qatar–United States relations, Colombia–United States relations
  • U.S. President Joe Biden designates Qatar as a Major non-NATO ally and announces his intention to designate Colombia with the same status. (The Jerusalem Post)
• Russia in the Council of Europe
  • Russia announces that it will withdraw from the Council of Europe. (The Moscow Times) (TASS)

Law and crime

• Judiciary of Poland, Polish constitutional crisis
  • The Constitutional Tribunal, the highest court in Poland, declares that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) may not control the validity of the appointment of any judges in Poland. The Tribunal also wrote in its opinion that Poland is not obliged to implement four ECHR court rulings which found that the parties were denied a right to fair trial, as the relevant provision violates the Constitution of Poland when applied to control the judges' appointment. (Rzeczpospolita) (Euronews)
• The Israeli Knesset votes 45–15 to bar Palestinian spouses of Israelis from obtaining citizenship if they came from the West Bank or the Gaza Strip, and blocks family reunification of Israelis and their spouses if they came from "enemy countries" such as Lebanon, Syria, and Iran. This replaces a similar emergency order that was in place from 2003 to last year, when it failed to receive enough votes to be annually renewed. (Reuters)
• The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia condemns the arrest of the chairman of the Oromo Liberation Front, Dawud Ibsa Ayana, as illegal. The National Electoral Board also said it would investigate the reported arrest of opposition politicians from several other regions including Benishangul Gumuz, South Ethiopia, South West Ethiopia, Sidama, Oromia, and Addis Ababa. (AfricaNews)

Politics and elections

• 2022 Hungarian presidential election
  • Fidesz's Katalin Novák is elected the first female president of Hungary by the National Assembly. (Bloomberg)
• 2022 South Korean presidential election
  • Conservative opposition leader Yoon Suk-yeol is confirmed as the winner of yesterday's presidential election with 48.59% of the vote. He will take office as President of South Korea on May 10. (BBC News)

Sports

• Reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War
    • The British government sanctions Russian oligarch and Chelsea F.C. owner Roman Abramovich, freezing all his assets in the United Kingdom. The sanctions mean that Premier League club Chelsea will not be able to sell any more tickets for games, its merchandise store will be closed, and it will be unable to buy or sell players on the transfer market until the club is sold. (BBC News)
• 2022 Major League Baseball season
  • 2021–22 Major League Baseball lockout
    • Major League Baseball reaches a labor collective bargaining agreement with the Major League Baseball Players Association to end the lockout and salvage a 162-game season. Opening day will begin on April 7 and training camp will begin tomorrow. (ESPN)

March 9, 2022 (2022-03-09) (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian War
  • 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Eastern Ukraine offensive
      • Siege of Mariupol
        • A Russian airstrike destroys a maternity ward and a children's hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, killing three people and injuring at least 17 people. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that many people are unaccounted for. (Business Insider) (AP) (The Chicago Tribune) (Sky News)
      • Battle of Kharkiv
        • Ukrainian forces announce that they have regained control of Derhachi, a city located in the Kharkiv Raion district of the Kharkiv Oblast. (Ukrinform)
    • Ukrainian refugee crisis
      • The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says over two million Ukrainians have now fled the country since the invasion began. Most have gone to neighbouring Poland, with Hungary, Romania and Slovakia also taking in several hundred thousand refugees each. (DW)
    • Poland–United States relations
      • The Pentagon rejects an offer from Poland's foreign ministry to "deploy – immediately and free of charge – all their MIG-29 jets" to the Ramstein Air Base and place them at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America" for transfer to the Ukrainian Air Force. (Reuters) (Reuters 2)
    • Reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
      • The British Army confirms that a number of active-duty soldiers have disobeyed orders and gone AWOL, and have likely gone to Ukraine to fight against the Russian military. Defence Minister Ben Wallace says that the serving members are "breaking the law and will be prosecuted" when they return to the United Kingdom. (Sky News)
      • The United Kingdom's Defence Ministry says that it is sending another 1,615 MBT LAWs, and a small number of FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missiles to the Ukrainian army. More small arms, body armour and medical supplies have also been sent. (BBC News)

Business and economy

• 2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis
  • 2022 Russian financial crisis
    • Fitch Ratings downgrades Russia from "B" to "C", one grade above default, and warns that Russian default on its obligations is "imminent". (BBC News)
    • The Russian Ministry of Economic Development proposes a draft nationalisation bill that will impose receivership for up to 3 months on assets of companies that boycotted the Russian market due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine if the ownership share by legal entities from "unfriendly countries" exceeds 25%. If the companies still do not resume their business in the country, their assets will be auctioned. More than 300 companies that left Russia or suspended operations in Russia could be targeted. (TASS)
  • 2022 boycott of Russia and Belarus
    • New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signs a legislation banning the state from doing business dealings with Belarus and Russia. (Patch.com)
    • John Deere announces that it will suspend shipments to Russia and Belarus following the invasion. (WBTV-TV)
    • American industrial conglomerate 3M suspends all business operations in Russia. (Reuters)
  • The Chinese Foreign Ministry announces that China will provide 5 million yuan ($790,000) in humanitarian aid to Ukraine. (South China Morning Post)

Disasters and accidents

• 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • The Ukrainian state grid operator warns that Russian forces, which are in control of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, have disconnected the plant from the electricity grid, which the operator says will impact nuclear fuel cooling, and which also caused a blackout in the nearby city of Slavutych. The nuclear plant previously suspended all communications with the IAEA, the United Nations-based organisation specialising in nuclear energy production. (The Independent) (Interfax Ukraine)
  • Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says that reserve diesel generators that cool spent nuclear fuel can only last for another 48 hours and that a radiation leak from Chernobyl is "imminent" if power is not restored immediately. Kuleba also says that "Putin's barbaric war" puts all of Europe in danger. However, the International Atomic Energy Agency says there is "no critical impact on security" imminent. (Times of Israel) (Reuters)
• 2022 eastern Australia floods
  • Prime Minister Scott Morrison declares a national emergency in Australia in response to the ongoing floods in Australia. (ABC News Australia)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Austria
      • Austria suspends its universal COVID-19 vaccine mandate one week before fines of up to €3,600 were scheduled to take effect for those who did not comply with the mandate. The suspension of the mandate will be reviewed in three months. (Politico)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Romania
      • Romania lifts all COVID-19-related restrictions including requiring a digital COVID pass to access institutions and the obligation to wear protective masks both indoors and outdoors. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
    • South Korea reports a record 342,446 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 Hours. (CNA)

International relations

• Reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War
    • Russia–United States relations
      • Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov tells the United States to "await its response" to the "economic war" being waged against Russia. (Reuters)
    • Russia–United Kingdom relations
      • The UK bans all Russian aircraft from landing in its territory and travelling in its airspace, impounding a Russian oligarch-owned private jet at Farnborough Airport. The UK also bans all exports of aviation and space industry-related goods and services. (Reuters)
  • Russia–Ukraine relations
    • Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrives in Ankara, Turkey, for upcoming talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. (Reuters)
    • Ukrainian foreign policy aide Ihor Zhovkva says that Ukraine is open to holding talks discussing Russia's demand of Ukraine's neutrality as long as Ukraine is given security guarantees. However, Zhovkva warned that Ukraine will not give up any of its territories. (Bloomberg)

Politics and elections

• 2022 South Korean presidential election
  • Preliminary results of the presidential election show a narrow victory for the conservative candidate Yoon Suk-yeol. (The New York Times)

Science and technology

• The wreck of Ernest Shackleton's ship Endurance, which sank in 1915, has been located beneath the Weddell Sea. (The New York Times)

Sports

• 2022 Major League Baseball season
  • 2021–22 Major League Baseball lockout
    • Major League Baseball postpones opening day to April 14 after failing to reach a deal with the Major League Baseball Players Association. (Bleacher Report) (ABC News)

Time: 03:58 UTC|Day: 15 March

March 2022

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30	31

Ongoing events

Disasters

• Climate crisis
• COVID-19 pandemic
• Opioid epidemic
• 2021–22 European windstorm season
• 2020–2022 H5N8 outbreak
• Madagascar famine
• Yemeni famine

Economics

• 2020–present global chip shortage
• 2021–2022 global energy crisis
• 2021–2022 global supply chain crisis
• COVID-19 recession
• Lebanese liquidity crisis
• Pandora Papers leak
• Russian financial crisis
• Suisse secrets
• Sri Lankan economic and food crisis
• Turkish currency and debt crisis

Politics

• Belarus−European Union border crisis
• Brazilian protests
• Haitian protests
• Insulate Britain protests
• Libyan peace process
• Malaysian political crisis
• Myanmar protests
• Nicaraguan protests
• Nigerian protests
• Partygate
• Persian Gulf crisis
• Peruvian crisis
• Russo−Ukrainian crisis
• Somali political crisis
• Tigrayan peace process
• Thai protests
• Tunisian political crisis
• Ukrainian refugee crisis
• Venezuelan presidential crisis
• Xinjiang internment camps

Elections and referendums

Recent

• February
  • 27: Belarus, Constitutional referendum
• March
  • 3: Armenia, President (indirect)
  • 9: South Korea, President
  • 10: Hungary, President (indirect)
  • 12: Abkhazia, People's Assembly
  • 12: Turkmenistan, President

• 13: Colombia, House of Representatives, Senate

Upcoming

• 15: Somalia, President (indirect)
• 19: East Timor, President
• 26: Malta, House of Representatives
• 27: Uruguay, Referendum

Trials

Ongoing

• Armenia: Serzh Sargsyan
• France: Brussels Islamic State
• Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu
• Italy: Matteo Salvini
• Kosovo: Specialist Chambers
• Kyrgyzstan: Almazbek Atambayev
• Malta: Yorgen Fenech
• Philippines: Leila de Lima
• Sudan: Omar al-Bashir
• Sweden: Hamid Nouri
• United States: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
• Vatican City: Giovanni Angelo Becciu

Upcoming

• Canada: Peter Nygård
• Nigeria: Nnamdi Kanu
• ICC: Ali Kushayb

Sport

• Association football
  • 2021–22 UEFA Europa League
  • 2021–22 UEFA Champions League
  • 2021–22 Premier League
  • 2021–22 Bundesliga
  • 2021–22 Serie A
  • 2021–22 La Liga
  • 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
  • 2020–21 UEFA Nations League
• Basketball
  • 2021–22 NBA season
  • 2021–22 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Season
  • 2021–22 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Season
• Cricket
  • 2021–23 ICC World Test Championship
  • 2020–23 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League
  • 2019–23 ICC Cricket World Cup League 2
  • 2019–22 ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League
• Golf
  • 2021 PGA Tour Champions
  • 2021–22 PGA Tour
  • 2022 Ladies European Tour
  • 2022 European Tour
  • 2022 LPGA Tour
• Ice hockey
  • 2021–22 NHL season
• Motorsport
  • 2021–22 Formula E World Championship
• Rugby union
  • 2022 Six Nations Championship
  • 2021–22 Premiership Rugby
  • 2021–22 United Rugby Championship
  • 2021–22 Top 14
  • 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season
• Tennis
  • 2022 ATP Tour
  • 2022 WTA Tour
  • 2021–22 King Cup
• Other sports seasons
  • 2021–22 International cricket season
  • 2021–22 snooker season
  • 2021–22 curling season

More details – current sports events

Recent deaths

March / February

• 14: Scott Hall
• 13: William Hurt
• 13: Bernard Nussbaum
• 13: Brent Renaud
• 12: Traci Braxton
• 12: Karl Offmann
• 11: Timmy Thomas
• 11: Rupiah Banda
• 10: Emilio Delgado
• 10: Bruce Duffy
• 10: Bobbie Nelson
• 10: Mario Terán
• 9: Inge Deutschkron
• 8: David Bennett Sr.
• 8: Ron Miles
• 7: Nadungamuwa Raja
• 7: Muhammad Rafiq Tarar
• 6: Frank O'Farrell
• 5: Lynda Baron
• 4: Elsa Klensch
• 4: Mitchell Ryan
• 4: Anne Beaumanoir
• 4: Sunith Francis Rodrigues
• 4: Rod Marsh
• 4: Shane Warne
• 3: Tim Considine
• 3: Walter Mears
• 2: Johnny Brown
• 2: Kenneth Duberstein
• 2: Alan Ladd Jr.
• 2: Autherine Lucy
• 2: Tony Walton
• 2: John Stahl
• 1: Conrad Janis
• 1: Katie Meyer
• 28: Abuzed Omar Dorda
• 28: Kim Jung-ju
• 27: Richard C. Blum
• 27: Ned Eisenberg
• 27: MC Skibadee
• 26: Danny Ongais
• 26: Snootie Wild
• 25: Farrah Forke
• 25: Shirley Hughes
• 24: Sally Kellerman
• 24: Gary North
• 24: John Landy
• 24: Va'aiga Tuigamala
• 23: Carlos Barbosa-Lima
• 23: Edmund Keeley
• 22: The Amazing Johnathan
• 22: Anna Karen
• 22: Mark Lanegan
• 21: Ernie Andrews
• 21: Paul Farmer
• 21: Chor Yuen
• 20: Bob Beckel
• 20: Joni James
• 20: Jamal Edwards
• 19: David Boggs
• 19: Emile Francis
• 19: Dan Graham
• 19: Nightbirde
• 19: Charley Taylor
• 19: Gary Brooker
• 19: Jean-Luc Brunel
• 17: David Brenner
• 17: Jim Hagedorn
• 17: Martin Tolchin
• 16: Cristina Calderón
• 16: Walter Dellinger
• 16: Gail Halvorsen
• 16: Amos Sawyer
• 15: P. J. O'Rourke
• 15: Alfred Sole
• 15: Bappi Lahiri

---

Russo−Ukrainian War

• • 11: Andrei Kolesnikov
  • 10: Yevhen Deidei
  • 7: Vitaly Gerasimov
  • 7: Oleksandr Marchenko
  • 6: Pavlo Lee
  • 5: Vladimir Zhoga
  • 3: Valeriy Chybineyev
  • 2: Volodymyr Struk
  • 1: Yevhen Malyshev
  • 28: Andrey Sukhovetsky

Ongoing conflicts

Africa

• Angola
  • Cabinda War
• Burkina Faso
  • Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso
• Cameroon
  • Anglophone Crisis
• Central African Republic
  • Civil War
• Chad
  • Insurgency in Northern Chad
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Kivu conflict
  • Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
  • Ituri conflict
  • Lord's Resistance Army insurgency
• Ethiopia
  • Tigray War (spillover)
  • Oromo conflict
• Ethiopia and Sudan
  • Sudanese–Ethiopian clashes
• Ghana
  • Western Togoland Rebellion
• Maghreb and Sahel regions
  • Maghreb insurgency
• Mali
  • Mali War
• Mozambique
  • Insurgency in Cabo Delgado
• Nigeria
  • Boko Haram insurgency (incl. Lake Chad region)
  • Communal conflicts in Nigeria
• Senegal
  • Casamance conflict
• Somalia
  • Civil war
• South Sudan
  • Ethnic violence in South Sudan
• Sudan
  • War in Darfur
  • South Kordofan conflict
  • Sudanese nomadic conflicts (incl. South Sudan)
• Tunisia
  • ISIL insurgency in Tunisia
• Western Sahara
  • Western Sahara conflict
    • Western Saharan clashes (2020–present)

Americas

• Colombia
  • Colombian conflict
• Mexico
  • Mexican drug war
• Paraguay
  • Insurgency in Paraguay
• Peru
  • Internal conflict in Peru

Asia-Pacific

• Afghanistan
  • Panjshir conflict
  • Islamic State–Taliban conflict
• India
  • Insurgency in Northeast India
    • Assam separatist movements
    • Insurgency in Manipur
    • Ethnic conflict in Nagaland
  • Naxalite–Maoist insurgency
• India and Pakistan
  • Kashmir conflict
• Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines
  • Moro conflict
    • Cross border attacks in Sabah
• Indonesia
  • Papua conflict
• Myanmar
  • Internal conflict in Myanmar
    • Kachin conflict
    • Karen conflict
    • Rohingya conflict
• Pakistan
  • Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • Insurgency in Balochistan
• Philippines
  • Communist rebellion
  • Philippine drug war
• Thailand
  • South Thailand insurgency

Europe

• Armenia and Azerbaijan
  • Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
• Ireland and the UK
  • Dissident Irish republican campaign
• Turkey
  • Kurdish–Turkish conflict
• Ukraine
  • Russo-Ukrainian War
    • 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • War in Donbas

Global

• War on terror

Middle East

• Egypt
  • Sinai insurgency
• Iran and the Persian Gulf
  • Iran–Israel proxy conflict
  • Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict
  • Sistan and Baluchestan insurgency
  • Kurdish separatism in Iran
• Iraq
  • Iraqi conflict
  • American-led intervention in Iraq
  • Iranian intervention in Iraq
• Iraq and Syria (map)
  • International military intervention against ISIL
• Israel and Gaza
• Israel and Syria
  • Israeli-Syrian border conflict
    • Israeli-Syrian ceasefire line incidents
• Syria
  • American-led intervention in Syria
  • Russian military intervention in the Syrian civil war
  • Turkish occupation of northern Syria
• Yemen and Saudi Arabia
  • Yemeni Civil War
  • Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
  • Houthi–Saudi Arabian conflict

Further information: List of ongoing armed conflicts

2022 events and developments by topic

Arts

Architecture – Animation – Anime – Comics – Film (Horror, Science fiction) – Literature – Music (Classical, Country, Hip hop, Latin, Metal, Rock, UK, US) – Radio – Television (UK, US, Italy, Scotland) – Video games

Politics and government

Elections – International leaders – Sovereign states – Sovereign state leaders – Territorial governors

Science and technology

Archaeology – Biotechnology – Computing – Palaeontology – Quantum computing and communication – Senescence research – Sustainable energy research – Space/Astronomy – Spaceflight

Environment

Birding/Ornithology – Climate change

Transportation

Aviation – Rail transport

Establishments and disestablishments categories

Establishments – Disestablishments

Works and introductions categories

Works – Introductions – Works entering the public domain