Covid
- A Johns Hopkins study finds lockdowns had almost no impact on reducing covid mortality. [Link]
- The Army will begin discharging soldiers who refuse the covid vaccine. Over 3,000 soldiers have received written reprimands for refusing the vaccine. [Link]
- The US sent 560,000 Pfizer covid vaccine doses to Ghana through covax. [Link]
US News
- A 13-year-old girl was beaten by a Phoenix police officer for being too close to a crime scene. [Link]
- A panel for the Office of Director of National Intelligence says it’s plausible that directed energy weapons caused some symptoms that are generally identified as ‘Havana Syndrome.’ However, the panel admitted information gaps remain and called for more research. [Link]
Russia
- A copy of the US response to Russia’s security proposal was leaked. [Link]
- The White House will stop using the word “imminent” to describe a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. [Link]
- Senator Josh Hawley calls on Biden to drop US support for Ukraine joining NATO. [Link] White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki accused Hawley of repeating Russian talking points. [Link]
- Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby says the US is deploying 2,000 troops to Germany and Poland. Also, 1,000 troops will redeploy from Germany to Romania. [Link]
- The US deploys six F-15s to Estonia. [Link]
- The US aircraft carrier USS Truman is carrying out war games in the Adriatic Sea under the command of NATO. [Link]
- USAID announces it will give $10 million to the ‘Resilient Ukraine’ fund. [Link]
- German Chancellor Olaf Shlotz will soon travel to Russia to meet with Putin. [Link]
- Turkey’s President Erdogan travels to Ukraine in an attempt to mediate the dispute between Russia and Ukraine. [Link]
- The French foreign minister says there are no indications that Russia will take action in Ukraine. [Link]
- UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will speak with Russian President Putin. [Link]
- Germany bans Russia’s German RT outlet, claiming it did not have the proper permits. [Link]
Myanmar
- A US official says Biden will add more sanctions on Myanmar. [Link]
Afghanistan
- Over a million Afghans are seeking to flee into Iran or Pakistan because of the economic crisis. [Link]
Turkey
- 12 migrants froze to death near the Greece-Turkey border. Turkey blamed the actions of Greek border guards. [Link]
- Turkish airstrikes in Iraq hit refugee camps, causing some civilian deaths. [Link]
- Turkey carried out a massive air raid against Kurdish militant groups in northern Iraq and Syria. The operations involved 60 aircraft striking 80 targets. [Link]
Syria
- Turkey is deporting scores of Syrian refugees into rebel-held Syria. [Link]
- US soldiers carried out a raid in northern Syria. [Link]
- Rocket fire killed nine people in al-Bab, Syria. The SDF denies they are responsible for the attack. [Link]
Middle East
- The US is leading 60-national naval war games. Participants include Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Oman. [Link]
- Israel will begin deploying its Iron Beam – a laser missile-interceptor – in the next 12 months. [Link]
- The UAE says it shot down three drones in its airspace. [Link]
- The US will deploy advanced fighter jets and the USS Cole to the UAE. The move is in response to recent Houthi missile attacks. [Link]
