Portal:Current events/2022 March 11

March 11, 2022 (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)