GLOBAL DIARY

“For 30 years we have been trying to agree with NATO on the principles of equal and indivisible security in Europe, and we have constantly faced with either cynical deception and lies, or attempts at pressure and blackmail” – VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN

PRESIDENT

RUSSIA’S INVASION OF UKRAINE

Russia has launched a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine as President Vladimir Putin demanded Kyiv’s army lay down its weapons. The US, EU and Western allies have ramped up sanctions against Russia, targeting banks, oil refineries, and military exports. Russia launched a military assault on Ukraine in the early hours of 24 February. Western leaders had warned of this possibility for weeks did little to cushion the shock. President Putin announced what he characterised as a “special military operation” to demilitarise and “denazify” Ukraine, and made a barely coded threat of nuclear strikes upon any outside power that might come to its aid. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pledged to not surrender and continue fighting to defend his country. At least 100,000 Ukrainians have already reportedly fled their homes – with many crossing into neighbouring countries, underlining the regional nature of this growing crisis.

SERGIO MATTARELLA REELECTED ITALY’S PRESIDENT

Sergio Mattarella has been reelected as Italy’s president, ending days of a farcical parliamentary voting process that has exposed deep divisions within the country’s governing coalition. Mattarella won a second seven-year mandate with 759 votes, far exceeding the threshold of 505, after being persuaded to stay on in the role after ruling party leaders failed to reach an agreement on a candidate who could secure broad support from the 1,009 parliamentarians and regional representatives electing the president.

BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS 2022

After 16 days and 109 events, the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics officially ended with the traditional closing ceremony. A small, but enthusiastic, group of spectators sat in the stands at Beijing’s Bird’s Nest stadium during the bitterly cold night in the host city. Some did the wave and cheerfully waved the Chinese flag while waiting for the night’s festivities to start. Chinese President Xi Jinping sat next to International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach in the stands, watching the ceremony unfold. With all 109 medal events decided, competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing was officially completed. After three weeks of dominance, Norway stands alone atop the chart with the most total medals (37) and the most gold medals

“There are no NATO combat troops, no NATO troops at all inside Ukraine. We have made it clear that we don’t have any plans and intention of deploying NATO troops to Ukraine.” – JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL

WORLDWIDE PROTESTS SUPPORTING UKRAINE

At least 1,728 people were detained after anti-war protests took place in cities across Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. Protesters took to the streets in 53 cities — including Moscow, St. Petersburg and the far eastern Siberian city of Novosibirsk — to show their discontent with the Kremlin’s war, according to OVD-Info, a civil society group whose website was blocked by Moscow in 2021 amid a wider crackdown on dissenting voices. Videos on social media showed protests of varying sizes, ranging from hundreds of people in St. Petersburg and Moscow to a handful in smaller cities like Chelyabinsk in central Russia. In Moscow, where more than 900 people were allegedly detained, footage posted online showed heavily armed police filling the streets. Pro-Ukraine demonstrations erupted also across the world, as thousands took to the streets from London to New York to Tehran to denounce Russia’s assault on its neighbor.

DJOKOVIC DEPORTED AFTER LOSING AUSTRALIA VISA BATTLE

Novak Djokovic has been deported from Australia after losing a last-ditch court bid to stay in the country. Judges rejected a challenge by the unvaccinated tennis star after the government cancelled his visa on “health and good order” grounds. Djokovic said he was “extremely disappointed” but accepted the ruling. He has left on a flight to Dubai. It marks the end of a 10-day saga, in which the Serb fought to stay to defend his title in the Australian Open. Djokovic’s supporters fell silent outside the courtroom as the decision was announced on the eve of what would have been his opening match in the tournament.

KETANJI JACKSON - FIRST BLACK WOMAN ON US SUPREME COURT?

US president Joe Biden nominated judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the supreme court, seeking to elevate a black woman to the country’s highest court for the first time in its 232-year history. Ms Jackson (51) was nominated to succeed justice Stephen Breyer (83), for whom she clerked. Mr Justice Breyer, the most senior jurist in the court’s three-member liberal wing, will retire at the end of the court’s current session this summer. “Judge Jackson is an exceptionally qualified nominee as well as a historic nominee, and the Senate should move forward with a fair and timely hearing and confirmation,” the White House said in a statement.