March 9, 2022

*) Air alert declared in Ukraine capital as fighting continues An air alert has been declared in and around Ukraine’s capital Kiev, with residents urged to get to bomb shelters as quickly as possible. For days, as Moscow's forces have laid siege to Ukrainian cities, attempts to create corridors to safely evacuate civilians have stumbled amid continuing fighting. Russian forces have seen their advances stopped in certain areas, including around Kiev, the capital, by fiercer resistance than expected from the Ukrainians *) Russia to allow Ukrainian civilians to leave major cities Russia has announced its forces will stop firing from 700 GMT to provide humanitarian corridors for people to leave Kiev and four other cities. Civilian evacuations took place on Tuesday, in particular from the town of Sumy, where two convoys left during the day. Evacuations also took place outside the capital Kiev. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is travelling to Türkiye, where he will have talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, according to the TASS news agency. *) Israel’s Herzog visits Turkey Israeli President Isaac Herzog is set to meet Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his two-day visit to Ankara starting Wednesday. Ankara and Tel Aviv have had ups and downs in their ties since the 1950s. But the two countries have been able to find common ground despite their differences. In a remarkable development for both states, the two presidents are likely to discuss the range of issues affecting the two states. *) Chinese-linked hackers target at least six US states: Mandiant At least six US states have been targeted by hackers linked to China who exploited vulnerabilities in tech programs. "APT41's recent activity against US state governments consists of significant new capabilities," researchers at cybersecurity company Mandiant said on Tuesday. Notorious Chinese hacking group APT41 has been targeting US states in a tenacious and adaptive campaign, according to a Mandiant report. And fi