Russia planning retaliatory visa measures - Lavrov
Moscow is developing measures to restrict entry into Russia for nationals of "unfriendly" countries, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said.
"A draft presidential decree is being developed on retaliatory visa measures in response to the unfriendly actions of a number of foreign states," he said in televised remarks.
The state news agency Tass quoted him as saying the measures would "respond to unfriendly actions by the United States and its satellites", including "illegitimate sanctions" and "decisions that infringe on the rights of Russian citizens and legal entities".
It did not specify which countries the measures would apply to, but the government has previously approved a list of states and territories "that commit unfriendly actions against Russia, its companies, and citizens".
The list includes the United States and Canada, the EU states, the UK, Ukraine, Switzerland, Norway, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and several others.
Shanghai begins locking down millions as China’s Covid cases surge
Shanghai has begun its phased lockdown as an Omicron-fuelled Covid-19 wave spreads through mainland China’s most significant financial hub, resulting in the country seeing the highest caseloads since the early days of the pandemic.
The eastern side of the Huangpu River, which divides Shanghai, will be under lockdown between Monday and Friday, officials said, followed by a similar lockdown of its western side beginning on 1 April. Massing Covid testing across the city is also underway.
The metropolis of 25 million people has in recent days become the leading hotspot in a nationwide outbreak that began to gain pace in early March.
Leading independent Russian newspaper stops operations amid Ukraine war censorship
Russia’s top independent newspaper has suspended its online and print operations after a warning from the country’s authorities.
Novaya Gazeta announced the decision on Monday, saying it would resume its investigative work after the war in Ukraine ends. This comes after an alleged warning from state communications regulator Roskomnadzor for failing to properly identify an organisation deemed a “foreign agent” by the Russian authorities in its publications.
The newspaper had recently removed material on what Moscow calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine, following the introduction of a law that criminalised the publication of information which contradicts the Kremlin’s official narrative.
Russia labels Deutsche Welle a 'foreign agent'
DW has been put on a list of "foreign agents" in Russia, which includes a number of foreign media operations as well as NGOs that receive funding from abroad.
Russia's Justice Ministry on Monday placed Germany's international broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) on a list of "foreign agents."
"This decision was made based on the documents received from the authorized state authorities," the ministry said in a statement. The statement didn't elaborate on the documents or authorities in question.
Top diplomats at Israeli-Arab summit show unity against Iran, call for Israeli-Palestinian talks
The top diplomats of the United States and four Arab countries convened in Israel on Monday in a display of unity against Iran but also used the rare summit to press their host to revive long-stalled peacemaking with the Palestinians.
Concluding the two days of discussions at a desert retreat where its founding father David Ben-Gurion is buried, Israel said the event would be repeated and expanded as it builds up commercial and security ties with like-minded Sunni Arab states.
"This new architecture – the shared capabilities we are building – intimidates and deters our common enemies, first and foremost Iran and its proxies," Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said alongside his U.S., Emirati, Bahraini, Moroccan and Egyptian counterparts.
Analysis: Can Ethiopia’s ‘truce’ end its devastating civil war?
Seventeen months into a brutal civil war, the Ethiopian government announced on Friday that it had declared a unilateral truce, ostensibly to facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid and end the conflict without further bloodshed.
The UN, US and a host of European states have already commended the development.
“The United States welcomes and strongly supports the declaration today [by Ethiopia] of an indefinite humanitarian truce,” read a statement by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
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