⚡ Apple: RT, Sputnik news apps will no longer be available for download outside Russia

"We have paused all product sales in Russia," Apple said in a statement. "Last week, we stopped all exports into our sales channel in the country. Apple Pay and other services have been limited. RT News and Sputnik News are no longer available for download from the App Store outside Russia."

"Sweden and Finland, two countries that have never belonged to NATO, are thinking about joining, and I think we ought to sign them up tomorrow if they’re ready to join," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)said during a new conference.

The countries’ interest in NATO membership emerged as a result of Russian military operations in Ukraine, which Russian President Vladimir Putin said aims to demilitarize and de-nazify the country in defense of the self-declared republics in the Donbas region.

🇨🇦 Canada will maintain sanctions against Russia until the latter withdraws its troops from Ukraine, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday.

"We will keep the sanctions in place right up until Russia recognizes and admits they made a huge mistake and withdraws its soldiers from Ukrainian soil," Trudeau told the House of Commons during the day’s Question Period session.

Canada has imposed multiple rounds of sanctions against Russia following President Vladimir Putin’s approval of a military operation in Ukraine, including a ban on all engagements with the Russian central bank, a freeze on Russian sovereign fund assets and personal sanctions against top Russian officials.

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❗❗Foreign Minister: Turkey expects Russia and Ukraine to reach ceasefire agreement in upcoming talks

The time has come to withdraw nuclear weapons from Western and Eastern Europe, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva Gennady Gatilov said on Tuesday.

"The time is right to remove nuclear weapons from Western and Eastern Europe and everywhere else," Gatilov told Lebanese broadcaster Al-Mayadeen.

The envoy added that US military bases pose a threat to Russia's security, and Moscow has long demanded that Washington remove these weapons from Russia's borders.

In addition, the Russian diplomat pointed out that the United States will not be able to exclude Russia from the UN Human Rights Council or the UN Security Council.

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📈 Nations agree to release 60M barrels of oil amid Russia-Ukraine conflict

The International Energy Agency’s 31-member countries agreed Tuesday to release 60 million barrels of oil from their strategic reserves — half of that from the United States — “to send a strong message to oil markets” that supplies won’t fall short after the conflicts in Europe.

So far, US and European sanctions have not barred oil or gas exports and have included exceptions for transactions to pay for oil and gas. Western leaders are reluctant to restrict Russian oil exports at a time when global energy markets are tight and high prices are fueling inflation in developed economies.

On Tuesday, oil prices soared, with US benchmark crude surpassing $106 per barrel — the highest price since 2014. It’s only the fourth time in history that the IEA has done a coordinated drawdown since the reserves were established in the wake of the Arab oil embargo in 1974.

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⚾ Baseball Players Association rejects final MLB offer—Opening day canceled

Following a months-long lockout filled with negotiations, Major League Baseball team owners and the Players’ Association were unable to come to an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement ahead of the league’s 5 p.m. deadline, which the league said was the last window to complete a deal before it cancels the March 31 Opening Day for the 2022 season.

The two sides were unable to come to an agreement on a new competitive balance tax threshold—taxes a team must pay if they exceed certain salary figures on their player payroll—as well as arbitration terms for younger players, among other disputes.

The rejection means regular-season games will be canceled due to a work stoppage for the first time since 1995. The lockout began December 2, 2021, in the offseason, following the expiration of the league’s previous collective bargaining agreement.

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❗ US Announces emergency sale of 30 Mln barrels of crude oil from strategic petroleum reserve

⚡ US Expected to ban Russian aircraft from American airspace - Wall Street Journal

❗The Biden administration is expected to ban Russian aircraft from US airspace.

The order is expected to be issued within the next 24 hours and will apply to all Russian-owned-and-operated aircraft, the reports said on Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

🇨🇦 Canada has imposed sanctions against all of the Russian Security Council’s 18 members in response to Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine, Global Affairs Canada said.

"Canada is imposing new sanctions in response to Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine. The new amendments impose restrictions on 18 members of the Security Council of the Russian Federation responsible for these actions," the statement issued on Tuesday read.

While Canada announced personal sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and a few other senior official last week, the new decree affects the entirety of the Security Council, including Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin.

Furthermore, Ottawa is expanding the scope of the sanctions against the Russian Central Bank, National Wealth Fund and Ministry of Finance.

The sanctions go into effect immediately, according to Global Affairs.

⚡⚡Boeing suspending parts, maintenance and technical support services for Russian airlines