The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the United Nations’ top court for disputes between countries, ruled that Russia must immediately halt its military operations (Reuters) in Ukraine and that its justification for the invasion was unfounded. Russian forces yesterday bombed a theater (CNN) in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol where civilians were sheltering. Some survivors emerged from the building today.
 
Washington announced a new package of military aid to Ukraine that includes (NYT) antiaircraft missiles, anti-tank weapons, tactical drones, and small arms. After the announcement, U.S. President Joe Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin (Reuters) a “war criminal.” The Kremlin called the comment “unforgivable” and said that the war is going “according to plan.”

A Cambodian court delivered jail sentences ranging from five to ten years to the politicians and activists, some of whom were tried in absentia. A Human Rights Watch staffer called the charges baseless and politically motivated.
 
U.S./China: U.S. prosecutors charged five people (WaPo) with acting on behalf of the Chinese government to harass and spy on Chinese nationals in the United States who criticized Beijing.

Officials from the countries are discussing (FT) a trade arrangement of their currencies. The move would help Indian exports to Russia continue despite international sanctions due to the war in Ukraine.
 
U.S./Afghanistan: The U.S. government announced (WaPo) that Afghan nationals living in the United States as of March 15 will be eligible for temporary protected status (TPS), which would protect them from deportation for eighteen months. The announcement is expected to affect around two thousand people.
 
This Backgrounder explains TPS.

The conference sought pledges to fill a $4.3 billion funding gap for food aid in Yemen this year, but donors only committed around $1.3 billion (Al Jazeera).
 
UAE/Russia: In Moscow, the foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said Abu Dhabi seeks to cooperate with Russia (Reuters) on global energy security. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have so far resisted U.S. calls to boost their oil output to control rising prices.

The junta claimed (AFP) that RFI and France 24 had falsely accused Mali’s army of committing abuses. They were still broadcasting as of this morning.
 
Kenya: Presidential hopeful Raila Odinga said he would try to renegotiate (Bloomberg) Kenya’s nearly $100 billion in foreign debt if elected.

After meeting with Russia’s top diplomat in Moscow, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ankara will continue to support efforts (Hurriyet) toward a cease-fire.
 
CFR’s Steven A. Cook unpacks Turkey’s stance on the war.

U.S. prosecutors indicted (AP) former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez on drug trafficking charges after he left office in February.
 
Chile: A guarantee of reproductive rights, including abortion, was included (Reuters) in Chile’s draft constitution, which would come into effect (BBC) if it is approved by the constitutional convention and nationwide referendum. Chile currently permits abortion only in cases of rape, danger to a woman’s life, and fetal inviability.

Amid concerns over inflation, the Federal Reserve voted to raise interest rates (WSJ) for the first time since 2018 and signaled it plans to do so six more times this year, which would be the fastest rate of increases in more than fifteen years.
 
In this webinar, CFR’s Roger W. Ferguson Jr. discusses inflation and the U.S. economic outlook.