The US is to deploy hundreds of unarmed National Guard troops to Washington ahead of the arrival of trucker convoys protesting against pandemic restrictions. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin approved a request from the District of Columbia government and the US Capitol police for 700 troops. Around 25 separate convoys plan to join forces and converge on the nation’s capital, to replicate recent protests in Canada. The stand-off there paralysed Ottawa for days. The National Guard troops will man traffic posts and “provide command and control” from Saturday until 7 March, a statement said. Some 50 “large tactical vehicles” will be stationed 24 hours a day, it added. The troops will not carry firearms or take part in law enforcement.(BBC)…[+]

Major Western nations have reacted with outrage at Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, accusing it of bringing war back to Europe. US President Joe Biden feared a “catastrophic loss of life” and said allies would impose severe sanctions. In eastern Europe, the fears extended to coping with a wave of refugees. Other nations, including China, which bridled at the word invasion, were more muted. Some focused more on the safety of their citizens in Ukraine. Ukraine says Russia is carrying out a full-scale attack from many directions, but the details of the assault and the number of casualties are not yet clear. Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken of a “special military operation” aimed at the demilitarisation and “denazification” of Ukraine, but his overall goals also remain unclear.(BBC)…[+]

A court in Nicaragua has found seven critics of the government of President Daniel Ortega guilty of conspiracy in what human rights groups have denounced as a “political trial”. Among those convicted are three opposition leaders who had planned to run in the 2021 election. Dozens of government critics were detained in the run-up to the poll, in which Mr Ortega won a fifth term. The prosecution has asked for sentences ranging between eight and 13 years. Those convicted are: Juan Sebastián Chamorro, presidential hopeful

In a trial held at El Chipote prison behind closed doors, the judges found the seven guilty of “conspiracy to undermine [Nicaragua’s] national integrity”. The rights group Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights said the seven were innocent: “The regime convicted them of crimes they have not committed.” They are not the first to be convicted in a wave of trials against opponents of the Ortega government. Earlier this month, two of the most outspoken critics of the president – Dora Téllez and Lesther Alemán – were also found guilty of conspiracy in trials dismissed by rights groups as a “sham”. Less than two weeks ago, another jailed opposition leader, Hugo Torres, died while awaiting trial.(BBC)…[+]