Portal:Current events/2022 February 14

February 14, 2022 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis
  - Reactions to the 2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis
    - Belarus–United States relations
      - The U.S. State Department tells Americans to leave Belarus immediately due to the threat of war. (National Post)
    - The United States relocates its embassy operations from the capital Kyiv to Lviv in western Ukraine, citing a "dramatic acceleration in the buildup of Russian forces" on the Russia–Ukraine border. (Reuters)
  - Russia rejects an official Ukrainian request for a meeting between both countries and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in order to discuss the crisis. (ABC News Australia)
  - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declares February 16 as a "day of unity". On this day, all Ukrainians will be asked to display the national flag from their buildings, and sing the national anthem in unison. Western intelligence has cited the day as the most likely time of a Russian attack against the country. (Reuters)
  - U.S. officials say that Russian troops, along with long-range artillery and missile launchers have begun moving into staging areas near the Ukrainian border after leaving their assembly areas. (CBS News)
Yemeni Civil War
- Saudi Arabian–led intervention in Yemen
  - The Saudi-led coalition airstrikes Sanaa, Yemen, in retaliation for an attack by Houthi forces on the Saudi Arabian city of Abha. A Houthi telecommunications system used to command drones is destroyed. (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque explosion
- Seven people are killed and 20 others injured by an explosion and fire at a block of flats in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque, Pyrénées-Orientales, France. Firefighters are searching for survivors. (BBC News)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong
    - Hong Kong reports a record 2,071 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the territory-wide total of confirmed cases to 25,051. (South China Morning Post)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Kuwait, Travel during the COVID-19 pandemic
    - Kuwait lifts many of its COVID-19-related restrictions, including allowing foreign travel for unvaccinated and vaccinated citizens and allowing the entry of unvaccinated people into shopping malls as long as they show a negative PCR COVID-19 test from the previous 72 hours. (Al-Arabiya English)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore, COVID-19 vaccination in Singapore
    - The Singaporean Health Sciences Authority grants interim authorisation for the use of the protein-based Novavax COVID-19 vaccine. (CNA)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden, COVID-19 vaccination in Sweden
    - The Public Health Agency of Sweden recommends that people over the age of 80 years, residents of nursing homes, and people receiving at-home care should receive a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (MedicalXpress)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, tests positive for COVID-19. (BBC News)

International relations

Mexico–United States relations
- The United States suspends all imports of Mexican avocados after threats are made against an American plant safety inspector in Uruapan, Michoacán. (AP)
Chagos Archipelago sovereignty dispute
- The flag of Mauritius is raised on the British-controlled Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean for the first time in history. Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth describes the event as a "historic moment", saying that it was time for the United Kingdom to cede control of the archipelago. (BBC News)

Law and crime

Canada convoy protest
- The government of Canada invokes the Emergencies Act for the first time since the law was passed in 1988, thereby giving the federal government temporary powers to deal with ongoing blockades associated with the protests. (CBC News)
- Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland announces that, as part of the invoking of the Act, crowdfunding platforms such as GoFundMe and GiveSendGo must immediately register with the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) and authorizes banks to freeze accounts suspected to be involved in the blockades. (CTV News)
The United States Department of Justice asks Honduras for the arrest and extradition of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who left office less than a month ago. (Reuters)