The United Nations delivered six hundred thousand COVID-19 vaccine doses to Ghana in the first rollout under COVAX (AP), a global initiative to ensure equitable access to the vaccines. Ghana had proved to COVAX (WaPo) that it has the infrastructure to efficiently distribute vaccines. The West African country, which has recorded more than eighty-one thousand coronavirus cases, will begin its vaccination campaign on March 2.

Ghana is one of more than ninety countries expected to receive free vaccines through COVAX, which aims to deliver (Al Jazeera) two billion doses in 2021. Shipments to other countries are expected soon. However, COVAX has faced difficulties procuring vaccines, even as some high-income countries have made deals with manufacturers for enough doses to vaccinate their residents more than once. Last week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called global distribution “wildly uneven and unfair.” Today, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scientists backed Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine, and an FDA committee will meet Friday (CNBC) to discuss granting it emergency use authorization.

The Chinese and Singaporean navies began their first joint exercise (SCMP) since 2016 as China seeks to deepen regional military cooperation and counter increased U.S. operations in the South China Sea. China’s defense ministry said the navies would perform search-and-rescue and communication exercises.
 
Indonesia/Myanmar: Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi canceled a trip to Myanmar (Straits Times) that would have made her the first known foreign diplomat to visit the country since the February 1 military coup. Instead, she met with Myanmar’s junta-appointed foreign minister today in Thailand.
 
CFR’s Joshua Kurlantzick explains the deteriorating situation in Myanmar.

A New Delhi court granted bail to climate activist Disha Ravi, who was arrested this month (Al Jazeera) for allegedly encouraging violence during ongoing protests against agriculture laws. The court said (Hindu) evidence against Ravi, charged with sedition, is “scanty and sketchy.”
 
Sri Lanka: Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena urged the UN Human Rights Council (PTI) to reject a proposed resolution that alleges a deteriorating human rights climate in Sri Lanka, arguing that it is politically motivated. The council is expected to discuss the resolution today.

U.S. President Joe Biden will speak with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud today, Axios reports. Tomorrow, the United States is expected to release a report implicating Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
 
Iraq: During a call, President Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi vowed to hold accountable (Al Jazeera) the perpetrators of recent rocket attacks against Iraqi personnel and the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, the White House said. Iran-backed militia Kata’ib Hezbollah denied responsibility (Reuters) for attacks on U.S. targets.
 
This CFR In Brief looks at Iran’s regional armed network.

Mohamed Bazoum, a close ally of Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou, will be Niger’s next president (AFP), according to provisional results from Sunday’s runoff election. Niger’s could witness its first-ever democratic transfer of power.
 
Guinea: The country launched a campaign (Al Jazeera) to vaccinate people against Ebola in the southern prefecture of Nzerekore, where an outbreak emerged this month. The virus’s resurgence threatens health-care systems already confronting the coronavirus.
 
This CFR Backgrounder explains the Ebola virus.

A German court sentenced a former Syrian intelligence officer, Eyad al-Gharib, to four and a half years in prison for facilitating crimes against humanity, becoming the first court outside of Syria to rule on torture by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Al-Gharib allegedly delivered (WaPo) anti-government protesters to a detention center where they were tortured in 2011.
 
Brussels: AstraZeneca said it will likely meet (Politico) the target for supplying COVID-19 vaccine to the European Union this quarter. Earlier, Reuters reported that the company will deliver less than half the agreed-upon number of doses.

At least seventy-five people were killed and dozens more, including police officers, were injured during simultaneous riots (LAHT) at three prisons in Ecuador. The violence erupted as gangs battled for control of the prisons. Police and military forces were deployed (WSJ).
 
Mexico: The Chamber of Deputies passed a bill that partially overturns (WSJ) 2013 energy sector reforms and favors Mexico’s state-owned power utility over private producers. The bill is expected to pass the Senate, the body’s majority leader said, but the legislation will likely face legal challenges.

During their testimonies before two Senate committees, former Capitol Building security officials minimized their responsibility (WaPo) for the deadly January 6 insurrection and blamed the attack on intelligence failures. They also described being surprised by the riot’s size and fervor.