⏳ Monday Fix: On The Brink?

Morning all,

Concerns over the Ukraine crisis have reached a boiling point. Is a summit - agreed "in principle" between Putin and Biden - actually going to go ahead, which "media sources" were the US referring to when it warned its citizens, and will Prime Minister Johnson's grim prediction be proven correct?

Until tomorrow,

Your Fixers

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UKRAINE - WHAT'S THE LATEST?  

The Biden administration believes we are "on the brink" of a Russian invasion. Over the weekend, Prime Minister Johnson added it could be "the biggest war in Europe since 1945".

Why do they feel so certain an invasion could happen? Much of the media are now reporting there are 150,000 Russian troops near the border. There was also an announcement that Russian troops in Belarus will remain there indefinitely. A US official was also cited by CNN as saying "roughly 75% of Russian conventional forces" have been deployed against Ukraine.

Also worth noting: On Sunday, the US Embassy in Moscow issued a warning - citing "media sources" - to American citizens about possible attacks on "shopping centres, railway and metro stations" in Moscow and St Petersburg, as well as near the border with Ukraine.

The message encouraged US citizens to "have evacuation plans that do not rely on US government assistance". The US editor of the Moscow Times was among others saying she has not seen any news reports of possible terror attacks within Russia.

Diplomatic efforts continue: French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to both President Biden and President Putin over the weekend. Following this, both leaders agreed "in principle" to a summit on Ukraine.

The White House said President Biden would only participate "if an invasion hasn't happened". No date, time, or location for the summit has been mentioned.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation - often referred to as the OSCE - will meet today in an effort to find a solution to the ongoing Ukraine crisis.

NOTABLE DEATHS OVER THE WEEKEND

Unfortunately, the news can often feel negative. We try to balance this out, but over the weekend a number of deaths occurred that you should be aware of.  

Firstly, news broke over the weekend that a French man described as a "longtime associate" of Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in a Paris prison. As CNN reported, Jean-Luc Brunel "was found alone, hanged with bedsheets".  

The former model agent was in jail on counts of "rape of a minor over 15", and had also been accused of rape by a number of "former top models". He was also suspected of having supplied the late Jeffrey Epstein with a number of underage women.

Though authorities said early indications point towards suicide as a cause of death, an investigation will be opened.

Here is a very helpful article on this.

Jamal Edwards, a British music entrepreneur credited with helping launch the careers of Ed Sheeran and Jessie J, has died at the age of 31.

As the BBC's Music Correspondent wrote, "it's impossible to overstate how important Jamal Edwards was to British rap".

News of his death broke on Sunday evening. Media reports noted he is understood to have performed as a DJ at a gig on Saturday, but no details on a cause of death have been released.

In Northern Ireland, a DUP member called Christopher Stalford died suddenly over the weekend at the age of 39.

There will be a minute's silence at Stormont today.

Bipartisan shock: across the political spectrum in Northern Ireland, people paid their respects to Stalford's family. The SDLP party postponed their spring conference, which was due to take place on Sunday.

Sinn Féin's Mary Lou McDonald was also mentioned across many media reports for her message of condolence.

No cause of death was mentioned in media articles.

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PANDEMIC

• The Queen has tested positive for coronavirus, and is experiencing mild symptoms. Buckingham Palace made a point of saying she would be carrying out "light duties" this week.
• In Ireland, there are 52 people currently in ICU with coronavirus - the lowest number in five months.
• British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce the government's "living with Covid" strategy for England today. The Times said it would be bringing an end "to all remaining coronavirus restrictions".
• From today, Australia's border will be reopen to fully vaccinated visa-holders.

MEDIA MATTERS

British presenter Andrew Neil is to host a new Sunday night political show on Channel 4 from May.

As The Guardian noted, "it marks something of a leftwards lurch" for Neil - who played a pivotal role in launching GB News last year, before an "acrimonious departure".

MOST READ

• BBC News: Music entrepreneur Jamal Edwards dies aged 31
• The Guardian: Jamal Edwards, SBTV founder and music entrepreneur, dies aged 31
• The Financial Times: Russia using deception as pretext for Ukraine invasion, western leaders warn
• Al Jazeera: Biden, Putin agree 'in principle' to summit amid Ukraine tensions
• The Irish Times: Family haven't bothered transferring dead parents' house into their names

WORTH A READ

We all know who the current Dalai Lama is and what he looks like, but did you know there are some very real concerns he could be the last one?

For anyone who missed our weekend in-depth piece - it was a good one ✌🏽

China and Tibet: The Last Dalai Lama?

TODAY MARKS...

50 years since US President Richard Nixon because the first US president to visit the People's Republic of China.

As CNN noted, it came "after more than 20 years of hostility and almost no contact between the two countries".

TODAY ALSO MARKS...

Presidents' Day in the US. It is a day marked annually on the third Monday in February, and is mostly viewed as a day honouring George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

ON A LIGHTER NOTE...

Storms' a brewwww.