Portal:Current events/2022 February 15

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian War
  • 2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis
    • Reactions to the 2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis
      • Vladimir Putin claims that a "genocide" is occurring in Eastern Ukraine. (Reuters)
      • The State Duma of Russia passes a bill to officially recognise the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic in Eastern Ukraine as independent states. The bill has been sent to President Vladimir Putin for final approval. (Xinhuanet) (Deutsche Welle)
    • Russian President Vladimir Putin says that diplomatic talks will continue. Russia also announces that troops will be partially pulled out from the border but that exercises will continue. (Wall Street Journal) (Truthout.org)
    • Several Ukrainian websites, including the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, Privatbank, and Oschadbank are affected by cyberattacks. (CBS News)
    • The U.S. and its NATO allies in Europe say that they are ready to retaliate against Russian cyberwarfare on Ukraine depending on the severity of the attacks. (Reuters)
  • War in Donbas
    • The Luhansk People's Republic says that a service member has been killed on the frontline by a Ukrainian military sniper, according to its office at the Joint Centre of Control and Coordination. (Urdu Point)
    • An attempted terrorist attack on a memorial rally in the city of Luhansk is reportedly stopped. Russian media blames the Ukrainian Defence Ministry and "special services" of being involved in the attack. A video shows an improvised explosive device being discovered inside a garbage can. (The Jerusalem Post)

Disasters and accidents

• Capsizing of the Villa de Pitanxo
  • A Spanish-owned fishing trawler, Villa de Pitanxo, sinks off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, killing 10 crew members and leaving 11 others missing. A search and rescue operation is underway. (BBC News)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
      • Indonesia reports a record 57,049 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 4.9 million. (Kompas)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
      • Japan reports a record 236 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, the number of cumulative COVID-19 cases surpasses four million. (The Japan Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
      • South Korea reports a record 57,177 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1.46 million. (The Korea Herald)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
      • Vietnam lifts its COVID-19-related curbs on international passenger flights with no limitation on the number of flights in order to restore the travel to pre-pandemic level. (Al-Jazeera)

Law and crime

• Canada convoy protest
  • 2022 alleged plot to kill Coutts RCMP officers
    • Four men are arrested on suspicion of plotting to murder officers with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The arrests occurred during a protest blockading the Canada–U.S. border near Coutts, Alberta. (The Globe and Mail)
  • A number of protestors at Coutts have dispersed after an RCMP raid on a "smaller group within the larger protest" resulted in the seizure of weapons, ammunition, and body armour and the arrests of 13 people on Monday. (CTV News)
  • Chief of police of the Ottawa Police Service Peter Sloly resigns amid criticism of his handling of the protests. (CTV News Ottawa)
• Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández is arrested in Tegucigalpa after the U.S. requested his extradition on charges of drug trafficking. (EFE)

Politics and elections

• 2022 United States elections
  • 2022 Louisville mayoral election
    • In Louisville, Kentucky, council candidate Quintez Brown is charged with attempted murder, a day after he allegedly opened fire on mayoral candidate Craig Greenberg in his campaign office, narrowly missing him. (AP via The Washington Post)