South Asia
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa imposed a ban on strikes by healthcare workers, using a 1979 law that calls for five-year sentences in case of any violation. Rajapaksa’s decision comes just days after thousands of healthcare workers launched a strike over non-payment of salaries and brought a halt to several routine services, performing only emergency functions. [Al Jazeera]
Nepal’s top judge, Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana, has been suspended as he faces impeachment proceedings before the country’s Parliament over allegations of corruption. He is Nepal’s second chief justice to face the impeachment procedure. [Indian Express]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Hundreds of people gathered in Almaty, Kazakhstan on Sunday to honour the memory of those who were killed during last month’s violent protests, when at least 227 people, including 19 law enforcement personnel, died in the western region of Manghystau. People also protested against the government and called for the impeachment of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. [RFE/RL]
An official in Turkmenistan’s Central Election Commission said on Saturday that the country will hold a presidential election on March 12, a day after President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said that he planned to resign soon. The President is reportedly attempting to transfer power to his son, Serdar. Turkmenistan has never held free and fair elections since gaining independence in 1991. [RFE/RL]
East and Southeast Asia
A committee of the International Labour Organisation expressed “deep concern” over China’s policies in the Xinjiang province. It called Beijing’s practices in the region “discriminatory” and called on the government to adjust its employment practices in line with global standards. [The Straits Times]
Japan’s airforce announced Sunday that it had recovered the body of one of two crewmen of an F-15 fighter jet that recently went missing. The aircraft was part of a training mission on January 31 and disappeared from radar shortly after take off. [Channel News Asia]
Europe
On the eve of his trip to Kyiv and Moscow, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged Russia to de-escalate and warned of immediate sanctions in collaboration with NATO and European allies if it invaded Ukraine. Russia has amassed tens of thousands of soldiers near Ukraine, indicating another Russian invasion of Ukraine. Scholz is scheduled to meet his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. [DW]
Poland’s Minister of Interior Affairs, Mariusz Kamiński, on Sunday said that Warsaw is ready to handle a potential influx of refugees from neighbouring Ukraine in case of a Russian invasion. Kamiński’s deputy, Maciej Wąsik, affirmed earlier on Friday that Poland can brace the arrival of “up to one million people” from Ukraine. Recent years have seen more than a million Ukrainian emigrate to Poland. [The First News]
Former British Prime Minister Sir John Major accused Boris Johnson of finding “brazen excuses” to defend himself and his staff for the COVID-19 lockdown violations highlighted in the Partygate scandal. He added that such “foolish behaviour” has deteriorated the “trust in politics.” [Euronews]
Latin America and the Caribbean
The United States has suspended all imports of avocados from Mexico “until further notice” after an American plant safety inspector in Mexico received a “threatening message,” Mexico’s Agriculture Department confirmed. Mexico’s avocado industry accounts for roughly $3 billion in annual exports. [Associated Press]
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is set to visit Russia on Tuesday amid the enduring standoff at the Russia-Ukraine border, despite vocal opposition from the United States and even members of his own Cabinet. Bolsonaro has insisted that his meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is centred purely around trade ties. However, critics say that the message of Bolsonaro’s trip is clear, given that he also plans to visit Hungarian far-right leader Viktor Orbán in Budapest on Thursday. [Buenos Aires Times]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Bahrain announced on Saturday that an Israeli security official will be stationed in the country as part of an unnamed international coalition of more than 34 countries. Manama said that the coalition’s task includes securing freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf, protecting international trade, and combating piracy and terrorism. [Reuters]
Israel’s Foreign Ministry has urged all citizens in Ukraine to leave the country amid threats of an imminent Russian invasion. It also called on Israelis planning to visit Ukraine in the near future to cancel their travel plans. [Israel MFA]
North America
On Saturday, during his ongoing Indo-Pacific tour, United States (US) Secretary of State Anthony Blinken confirmed Washington’s plans to build an embassy in the Southern Pacific nation of Solomon Islands. According to the Associated Press, the US believes China has been “aggressively” engaging with elite politicians and businesspeople on the Solomon Islands. [The Voice of America]
Reuters reported on Sunday that the United States’ (US) ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Linda Thomas-Greenfield, will focus on diplomatic efforts to curb Russian military aggression against Ukraine during her trip to Liberia for the Bicentennial Celebrations in Monrovia. The Minsk Agreements between Russia and Ukraine will be the agenda of the UN Security Council meeting on Thursday. [Reuters]
Oceania
On Sunday, Australia announced that it is evacuating its embassy in Ukraine amid concerns of an impending Russian invasion. Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne said operations in Kyiv will be shifted to a temporary office in Lviv, in western Ukraine. Payne also reiterated calls for Australians in Ukraine to leave the country immediately. [9 News]
On Saturday, New Zealand’s Foreign Minister, Nanaia Mahuta, urged New Zealanders in Ukraine to leave immediately, saying, “Aotearoa New Zealand does not have diplomatic representation in Ukraine and the government’s ability to provide consular assistance to New Zealanders in Ukraine is therefore very limited. The security situation in Ukraine could change at short notice and New Zealanders should not rely on support with evacuating in these circumstances.” Mahuta also called on Russia to de-escalate and reduce tensions at the border. [Government of New Zealand]
Sub-Saharan Africa
On Saturday, roughly 5,000 combat troops from the Democratic Republic of Congo’s elite Republican Guard unit, which is tasked with protecting the president, were deployed throughout the capital city Kinshasa following a failed coup attempt. Presidential security adviser Francois Beya has allegedly been arrested by the National Intelligence Agency for “undermining state security,” alongside other perpetrators. [Africa News]
Zimbabwe has suspended up to 135,000 teachers and warned of school closures after a number of teachers rejected a 20% salary increase and demanded payment in US dollars. In fact, schools only reopened last Monday after a one month closure due to a rise in COVID-19 cases; however, several teachers at public schools did not report for work. Those who participated in the walkout last Monday have been suspended without pay for three months. Teachers in Zimbabwe are currently paid roughly $90 per month; the government’s proposed increase would have taken this to around $110, far below the teachers’ demands for a minimum monthly wage of $540. [The East African]