Shanghai fights against accelerating Covid outbreak

• Shanghai starts a new round of citywide Covid tests today as the city with 26 million people remains in lockdown amid an acceleration of infections. Chinese Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan visited the city on Saturday and asked the country’s financial hub to stick to the dynamic zero-COVID approach.

Biden administration approves third arms sales to Taiwan

• The U.S. Department of State approved a $95-million sale of services and equipment for the Patriot missile system to Taipei. The arms sales are the third to Taipei under the Biden administration and the second this year. The prime contractor of the sales is Raytheon Technologies, which was repeatedly subject to sanctions by China.

Poland is ‘open’ to U.S. nuclear weapons

• In an interview with a German newspaper, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Polish Deputy Prime Minister and the leader of Poland’s ruling party, said his country would be “open” to storing U.S. nuclear weapons. He also criticized Germany and France for their “strong inclination” toward Moscow.

• The Czech Republic became the first NATO member to send heavy weapons to help Ukraine against Russia by delivering tanks and infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) to Ukraine in an action backed by NATO allies. On April 1, Germany approved the delivery of 56 IFVs to Ukraine.

Countries join Russian diplomat expulsions

• The number of expelled Russian diplomats by the EU nations during the Ukraine crisis has amounted to over 200 on Monday after Italy, Denmark, Sweden, and Spain joined Belgium, the Netherlands, Eire, Germany, and France in the expulsions. The Kremlin described the expulsions as a “short-sighted move.”

• The mass expulsions were triggered by the report on Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians in Bucha. However, the Kremlin rejected the allegation, saying “the facts and the timeline likewise speak against the veracity of the claims.”

Lebanon goes bankrupt

• Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Saadeh al-Shami said that both his country and its central bank were bankrupt. However, Lebanon Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh soon denied the bankruptcy claim regarding the institution where he had served as a leader for 30 years.

• Lebanon has been mired in prolonged economic depression since 2019. According to the World Bank, the state’s GDP contracted by 58.1% from 2019 to 2021 in one of the most severe economic crises worldwide since the 1850s. A dire economic meltdown could become a factor of instability in the region. Lebanon is now seeking help from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).