GHAZA, 17 March 2022, (TON): Israeli troops killed two Palestinians in separate shootings in the occupied West Bank, the latest in a flurry of deadly clashes as a US envoy tours the region seeking to ease tensions.

The Palestinian health ministry and Israeli security forces said “a 16-year-old died in an exchange of fire with troops carrying out an arrest raid outside the northern city of Nablus.”

The health ministry said “separately, a Palestinian in his 20s was killed in Qalandia outside Jerusalem.”

The ministry said “teenager Nader Haitham Rayan died in Balata camp near Nablus after being hit by bullets to the head, chest and hand.”

It did not give further details on the circumstances of his death.

MOSCOW, 17 March 2022, (TON): Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow had received guarantees from Washington on its ability to trade with Tehran as part of ongoing talks to salvage the Iran nuclear deal.

Lavrov said at a press conference in Moscow with Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian “we received written guarantees. They are included in the text of the agreement itself on the resumption of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear programme.”

More than 10 months of talks in Vienna have brought major powers close to renewing the landmark 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on regulating Iran’s nuclear programme.

The negotiations halted after Moscow earlier this month demanded guarantees that Western sanctions imposed following its military operation in Ukraine would not damage its trade with Iran.

TOKYO, 17 March 2022, (TON): The Japan Meteorological Agency said “a powerful 7.3-magnitude quake jolted east Japan, rattling the capital Tokyo and prompting a tsunami advisory for parts of the northeast coast.”

The quake was centred off the coast of the Fukushima region at a depth of 60 kilometres (37 miles).

Shortly after it hit at 11:36 pm (1436 GMT) an advisory for tsunami waves of one metre was issued for parts of the coast.

Electricity provider TEPCO said “there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, but at least two million households were left without power, including 700,000 in Tokyo.”

Regional energy company Tohoku Electric Power said “in the northeastern region, 156,000 households had no power.”

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters the government was gathering information on the situation.

He said “we will commit ourselves to gathering information, do our best to rescue those affected by the (quake) and communicate information appropriately.”

SEOUL, 17 March 2022, (TON): Seoul said “North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile that exploded mid-air shortly after launch.”

The launch North Korea's tenth suspected weapons test this year, comes after the United States said “the nuclear-armed country was preparing to fire an intercontinental ballistic missile at full range for the first time since 2017.”

Despite biting international sanctions over its weapons programmes, Pyongyang conducted seven missile tests in January and twice launched components of what it claimed was a reconnaissance satellite.

South Korea and the US said “last week those tests were actually of a new ICBM system that has never been launched before, likely the Hwasong-17, dubbed a monster missile by analysts after it was first unveiled at a parade in October 2020.

Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff told media “the suspected ballistic missile seems to have exploded in midair shortly after launch.”

NEW YORK, 17 March 2022, (TON): The UN Security Council extended the mandate for the 19,000-strong UN peacekeeping force in South Sudan for a year, while demanding an immediate end to fighting in the country and political dialogue to advance a plan to prevent the world’s newest nation from returning to civil war.

The resolution was adopted by a vote of 13-0, with Russia and China abstaining, both calling the measure unbalanced for focusing too much on human rights in the east African nation.

US Ambassador Linda Thomas Greenfield welcomed approval for the strengthened mandate for the mission, known as UNMISS, in the US-sponsored resolution.

She said the measure reinforces its mandate “to protect civilians, support delivery of humanitarian assistance, monitor and investigate human rights and support the peace process.”

The United States also supports the resolution, she said, “because it calls for UNMISS to strengthen its sexual and gender-based violence prevention activities, responding to the horrific sexual violence in South Sudan.”

China’s deputy UN ambassador, Dai Bing, criticized the United States for pushing “for inclusion of many human rights-related texts, resulting in a very unbalanced draft resolution.”

WASHINGTON, 17 March 2022, (TON): During today’s 2022 High-Level Pledging Event for the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen, I announced nearly $585 million in humanitarian assistance from the United States to the people of Yemen. 

With this funding, the United States has provided nearly $4.5 billion to the Yemeni people since the crisis began more than seven years ago.  Amid all the humanitarian crises in the world, the generosity of the American people remains unwavering. 

In keeping with the President’s commitment to help alleviate this suffering, today’s announcement is the largest single U.S. contribution to-date for the humanitarian response in Yemen.

This announcement also reflects the scale of the crisis facing the Yemeni people.

The assistance includes more than $561 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and more than $23 million from the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. 

WASHINGTON, 17 March 2022, (TON): President Biden announced new military assistance for Ukraine that will include anti-aircraft defenses, drones and other weaponry, offering fresh U.S. support to in the wake of an urgent plea from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Biden announced $800 million in new assistance for Ukraine, which, paired with $200 million authorized over the weekend, brings the total new aid for the country to $1 billion over the past week.

The new aid will help provide 800 anti-aircraft systems to combat Russian planes; 9,000 anti-armor systems to help destroy Russian tanks and armored vehicles; 7,000 small arms such as machine guns and shotguns; and a total of 20 million rounds that inclu-des artillery and mortar.

Biden said “I want to be honest with you: this could be a long and difficult battle.”

Biden added “we are united in our abhorrence of Putin’s depraved onslaught, and we’re going to continue to have Ukraine’s backs as they fight for their freedom, their democracy, their very survival.”

 “And we’re going to give Ukraine the arms to fight and defend themselves through all the difficult days ahead.”

WASHINGTON, 17 March 2022, (TON): The International Monetary Fund said “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will affect the entire global economy by slowing growth and jacking up inflation, and could fundamentally reshape the global economic order in the longer term.”

The IMF said “beyond the human suffering and historic refugee flows, the war is boosting prices for food and energy, fueling inflation and eroding the value of incomes, while disrupting trade, supply chains and remittances in countries neighboring Ukraine.”

It said “it is also eroding business confidence and triggering uncertainty among investors that will depress asset prices, tighten financial conditions and could trigger capital outflows from emerging markets.”

The IMF said “the conflict is a major blow to the global economy that will hurt growth and raise prices.”

IMF officials has already said they expect to lower the Fund’s previous forecast for 4.4 percent global economic growth in 2022. In Tuesday’s post, they suggested their regional growth forecasts would also be likely be revised downward.

TEL AVIV, 17 March 2022, (TON): Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog will leave for a two-day visit to France at the invitation of his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, where he will take part in commemorative events dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the Toulouse attack.

This was announced on Wednesday by the office of the Duke.

The statement said “during his visit [to France] on March 20 and 21, 2022, the President [The Duke] will take part in commemorative events marking the tenth anniversary of the Toulouse attack.”

The office added that the president will “hold a diplomatic meeting” with Macron during the visit.

ANKARA, 17 March 2022, (TON): Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said “the bloodshed in Ukraine must be stopped, the humanitarian situation in this country is deteriorating.”

He said at a press conference that Turkey has maintained a clear position since the beginning of the crisis in Ukraine. We have always honestly and sincerely shared our concerns and criticism, called for common sense and dialogue, and drew attention to the need to reduce tensions and create a field for diplomacy. We have invested in securing a ceasefire from the very beginning.

Cavusoglu said “however, unfortunately, from February 24 to the present day, the devastation and humanitarian drama [in Ukraine] continue to grow. Thousands of civilians died and more than 3 million people left their country.”

The Turkish Foreign Minister added “all this must be put to an end. It is necessary that the bloodshed [stop] and the tears stop flowing. We have always affirmed and will continue to affirm that there are no winners in wars.”

The Turkish minister noted that despite the complexity of the situation, Ankara continues to believe in diplomacy. According to him, Turkey supports the Russian-Ukrainian talks in Belarus and wants them to bring results.