Portal:Current events

Topics in the news

Jane Campion

• The Power of the Dog wins Best Film and Best Director (Jane Campion pictured) at the British Academy Film Awards.
• The discovery of the wreck of the Endurance, 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.

Ongoing:

• COVID-19 pandemic
• Russian invasion of Ukraine

Recent deaths:

• Eugene Parker
• Pervis Spann
• Gordon Lee
• Leo Marx
• Nadungamuwa Raja
• Mary Coombs

March 17, 2022 (2022-03-17) (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Panama's maritime authority states that Russia has hit three Panamanian-flagged civil vessels in the Black Sea since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, of which one sank. No deaths were immediately reported. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• An Emirati-flagged ship sinks off the Iranian coast in the Persian Gulf due to winds exceeding 70km/hr. (IRIBNEWS)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
    • South Korea reports 621,328 new COVID-19 cases, a new single-day record. (Yonhap)

March 16, 2022 (2022-03-16) (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian War
  • 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Siege of Mariupol
      • Mariupol theatre airstrike
        • The Donetsk Regional Drama Theatre in Mariupol, Ukraine, which is currently being used as an air raid shelter holding up to 1,200 civilians, is largely destroyed by bombing. Ukraine accuse that Russian have conducted an airstrike targeting at the theatre, while Russian authorities deny their responsibility, instead accusing the Azov Battalion of having planned and carried out the theatre bombing. (BBC News) (RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty)
      • Siege of Chernihiv
        • Russian troops reportedly shoot dead ten people queuing for food in Chernihiv. The Russian Defence Ministry denies Russian forces were behind the killings. (Sky News) (Reuters)
      • Battle of Melitopol
        • Captured Melitopol mayor Ivan Fedorov is freed in exchange for nine Russian POWs. (Ukrinform)
    • Foreign aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War
      • British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace says that the UK has begun supplying Starstreak anti-aircraft missiles to the Ukrainian military. (Reuters)
      • U.S. President Joe Biden announces a further $800 million in "security assistance" to Ukraine, including 800 anti-aircraft systems, and thousands of anti-tank missiles and armed combat drones to counter Russia's invasion. (Reuters)
    • Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses his ministers on the ongoing situation in Ukraine and the Russian economy, saying that Russian "traitors" and "scum" would be "spit out like a midge that accidentally flew into their mouths", and also accuses a so-called "fifth column" of attempting to destroy the country from within. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• 2022 Fukushima earthquake
  • A 7.3 magnitude earthquake strikes off Fukushima, Japan, triggering tsunami warnings and causing power outages for millions of people in Tokyo. At least four people are killed and 94 others are injured. (Al Jazeera) (NDTV)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
    • South Korea reports a record 400,741 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours. (Korea Herald)
  • COVID-19 vaccine
    • A compromise is reached regarding a COVID-19 vaccine intellectual property waiver for developing countries. According to the compromise, developing countries which have exported less than 10% of the world's COVID-19 vaccine doses in 2021 do not need to seek consent from the owner of the patent before authorising the vaccine. The patent waiver does not apply to other COVID-19-related pharmaceutical products. (Politico)

International relations

• Reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Russia–Ukraine relations
    • Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says that there is hope of reaching a compromise aimed at a ceasefire. (Politico EU)
    • In a report from the Financial Times, a peace plan is drafted by Ukraine and Russia. The conditions include a ceasefire and Russian withdrawal if Ukraine abandons all attempts of joining NATO and accepts limits on its armed forces. (Naharnet) (Financial Times)
  • Japan–Russia relations
    • Japan announces that it will revoke Russia's most favoured nation trade status as part of further sanctions on Russia. (Reuters)
  • Belarus–Canada relations
    • Canada bans Belarusian aircraft from its airspace due to Belarus's support of Russia in the invasion. (The Hill)
  • Russia in the Council of Europe
    • Russia is expelled from the Council of Europe due to the invasion of Ukraine, although the Russian Foreign Ministry had previously announced that it would be quitting the organisation. (AP)
• Iran–United Kingdom relations
  • Iranian-British dual citizens Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori are released from prison in Iran and return to the United Kingdom after spending 5 years and 11 months, and 2 years and 7 months, respectively, in prison for suspected espionage. (BBC News)
  • The British government releases $500 million of sanctioned Iranian assets after Iran releases the prisoners. (BBC News)
• 2021–2022 North Korean missile tests
  • The South Korean military says that North Korea launched a suspected ballistic missile from Pyongyang International Airport, which exploded prematurely in mid-air. (Reuters)
• Iranian nuclear program
  • The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps announces a new independent branch called the Nuclear Command Corps. (Asriran)
• China–United States relations, Chinese espionage in the United States
  • Prosecutors for the U.S. Justice Department accuse five people working on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of State Security of conspiring to spy on and intimidate several dissidents living in the United States, such as the father of Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu, and Tiananmen Square protest leader and current congressional candidate Xiong Yan. The department says it is the first time that federal elections in the country have been interfered with in this manner. Three have been arrested while two remain at large. (The Guardian) (BBC News)

Law and crime

• 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • The International Court of Justice orders Russia to immediately halt its invasion of Ukraine. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposes a series of reforms to the national parliament, including re-establishing the Constitutional Court, reducing the membership requirement for establishing political parties from 20,000 to 5,000, reducing the number of parliament deputies appointed by the president, and restoring three regions that were merged during the 1990s. He says that the purpose of these reforms is to move the current political system from "superpresidential" rule to a presidential republic with a strong parliament. (Reuters)

Science and technology

• Reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission bans Russian television networks RT and RT France from Canadian airwaves. (CBC)

March 15, 2022 (2022-03-15) (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian War
  • 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Kyiv offensive
      • Battle of Kyiv
        • The Kyiv city government and Kyiv Oblast administration impose a 35-hour curfew starting at 20:00 local time (18:00 UTC). (Reuters)
      • Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski and producer Oleksandra Kuvshynova are killed, and war correspondent Benjamin Hall is injured, while covering the fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces in Horenka, Kyiv Oblast. (The Guardian)
    • Eastern Ukraine offensive
      • Siege of Mariupol
        • Around 2,000 private cars have left Mariupol since a humanitarian corridor was imposed, with another 2,000 cars waiting to leave. (Deccan Herald)
        • Russian troops storm the Mariupol regional intensive care hospital and take around 400 people hostage. Local authorities confirm that the damaged hospital is now under Russian control. (BBC News)
    • Southern Ukraine offensive
      • The Russian Defence Ministry says that its forces have taken full control of Ukraine's Kherson Oblast and that they destroyed six Ukrainian Air Force jets, seven helicopters, and 13 UAVs in the last 24 hours. (The Nation)
      • Satellite images from Planet Labs appear to show multiple Russian helicopters burning at Kherson International Airport after Ukrainian forces said they struck the airport. This is the second major Ukrainian attack on the facility since it fell to Russian forces on 2 March. (The Drive) (CNN)
    • Ukrainian refugee crisis
      • The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says that over three million people have now fled Ukraine since the invasion began. (The Independent)
• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • Two Palestinians are shot and killed in clashes with Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian sources. A man is also killed in the Bedouin town of Rahat in the Negev following clashes with members of the Border Police. (Al Jazeera) (The Jerusalem Post)

Business and economy

• Puerto Rican government-debt crisis
  • Puerto Rico exits out of bankruptcy after completing the largest public debt restructuring in U.S. history. (NBC News)
• U.S. President Joe Biden signs a $1.5 trillion budget bill, which includes $13.6 billion in aid for Ukraine. (The Hill)
• The United Kingdom's Gambling Commission awards the next licence to run the National Lottery to Czech-owned lottery operator Allwyn Entertainment Ltd, replacing Camelot Group which has operated the lottery since it was started in 1994. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

• University of the Southwest pick-up truck accident
  • Nine people die in a head-on collision between a pickup truck and a van carrying members of the University of the Southwest men's and women's golf teams in Andrews County, Texas, United States. Six students and a faculty member are killed in the team vehicle, with two other students airlifted to a hospital in Lubbock, Texas in critical condition. The driver of the pickup and its passenger also die. (ESPN)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
    • Brazil reports its first two cases of the Deltacron variant in Northern stated of Pará and Amapá. (The Brazilian Report)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
    • China reports a record 5,280 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours. (The Straits Times) (NDTV)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Namibia
    • Namibia drops its requirement of face mask and mandatory PCR COVID-19 test for vaccinated visitors as the number of cases falls. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff tests positive for COVID-19. (NPR)

International relations

• Reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Russia–Ukraine relations
    • The fourth round of talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations resumes a day after talks were suspended for technical reasons. (The Quint) (CBS News)
    • Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak reaffirms that ceasefire negotiations are ongoing. (The Free Press Journal)
    • Podolyak says that talks between Ukraine and Russia are difficult but also says that there is "certainly room for compromise". Talks between both countries will continue tomorrow. (AP) (Reuters)
  • Ukraine–European Union relations
    • The prime ministers of Poland, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic travel to Kyiv by train to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in order to demonstrate "unequivocal support" of the European Union for the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. (CNN)
  • International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War
    • Russia–United States relations
      • Russia sanctions U.S. President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, CIA Director William Burns, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in response to United States sanctions on Russian officials. (Sky News)
    • Canada–Russia relations
      • Russia sanctions Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, General Wayne Eyre and most members of the Canadian parliament. All those sanctioned are banned from entering Russia. (CBC News)
    • Russia–Spain relations
      • Spanish police seize a superyacht at the Port of Barcelona which is owned by Russian oligarch Sergey Chemezov, after Chemezov was sanctioned by the European Union. (Reuters)
    • Belarus–United States relations
      • The United States imposes additional sanctions on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. (CNN)
  • Enlargement of NATO
    • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledges that Ukraine will not be able to join NATO. (The Independent)
  • Russia in the Council of Europe
    • Russia formally withdraws from the Council of Europe. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• 2022 Karnataka hijab row
  • In India, the Karnataka High Court upholds restrictions on the wearing of the hijab in its schools, with Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi saying in the court's judgement that the wearing of the hijab "does not form a part of essential religious practice in Islamic faith." (Reuters)
• 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Illia Kyva, a politician for the pro-Russian Opposition Platform — For Life, is deprived of his MP status in the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament. A further four MPs quit the party. (Interfax Ukraine)
• 2022 Northeastern U.S. serial shooter
  • The DC Police Department arrest a suspected serial killer involved in the murders of two homeless men, and the attempted murder of three others in Washington, D.C. and New York City. (The New York Post)

Politics and elections

• Reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • War crimes in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • The United States Senate unanimously passes a bipartisan resolution declaring Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal, and calls for his investigation by the International Criminal Court. (Reuters)
• 2022 Turkmenistan presidential election
  • Serdar Berdimuhamedow is elected President of Turkmenistan, succeeding his father Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow. (AP)

Science and technology

• Intel pledges €33 billion in investments in the European Union factories and research facilities, including €17 billion for building a chip-making plant in Magdeburg, Germany and €12 billion for upgrading the Irish plant; the company promises €80 billion over the next decade for the EU. (ZDNet)

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. (BBC News) (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 Russian Orlan-10 UAV 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 time 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)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    • Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin announces that the city has ended their mask requirements and other COVID-19 measures for business. (Reuters)

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
    • 2022 anti-war protests in Russia
      • Marina Ovsyannikova, a Russian state television journalist, interrupts a live news broadcast of Channel One Russia, holding a sign saying "No War" and "Stop the war. Do not believe propaganda, they tell you lies here", and is promptly arrested. (MSN)
    • 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)

Politics and elections

• Political impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Jean Charest, a candidate for the upcoming Conservative Party of Canada leadership election, tests positive for COVID-19. (CBC)

Science and technology

• A DDoS cyberattack temporarily takes down Israeli government websites, including the websites of the interior, health, justice, and welfare ministries and the prime minister's office. (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 formerly affiliated 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)

Arts and culture

• 75th British Academy Film Awards
  • The 75th British Academy Film Awards is held, with The Power of the Dog winning Best Film and Best Director. (BBC)

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)

Time: 16:22 UTC|Day: 17 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

• 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

• 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
  • 2022 MLS season
• 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