Situation Reports

Vietnam released a new baseline map delineating its maritime claims in the Gulf of Tonkin, state-run Bao Chinh Phu reported on Feb. 21.

China's navy conducted live-fire drills in the Tasman Sea between Australia's east coast and New Zealand, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported on Feb. 21.

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to sign a memorandum on Feb. 21 that will authorize the creation of reciprocal tariffs in response to foreign digital services taxes, or DSTs, imposed by various other countries on a variety of large U.S. technology companies, Bloomberg reported the same day.

Tigray's interim regional administration accused certain leaders of the Tigray Defense Forces, or TDF, of dismantling local government structures in the region, warning that further attempts by the TDF to undermine local government could cause a "severe crisis," Addis Standard reported on Feb. 21.

Apple stopped offering its Advanced Data Protection feature for new users in the United Kingdom following London's January order for Apple to build a backdoor enabling the government to access encrypted user data, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 21.

Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum submitted to Congress two constitutional reform proposals aimed at protecting the country's national sovereignty from foreign intervention and introducing the crime of terrorism for those involved in arms trafficking, La Jornada reported on Feb. 20.

Mozambican President Daniel Chapo announced that "almost 100% consensus" had been reached in talks between the ruling Frelimo party and opposition parties for an agreement that would ensure Mozambique's "economic, political and social stability," Club of Mozambique reported Feb. 20.

Three empty buses exploded in Bat Yam and Holon near Tel Aviv, while Israeli police discovered two additional unexploded devices; however, no casualties were reported, Times of Israel reported Feb. 20.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission announced on Feb. 20 a public inquiry into major tech platforms' content moderation policies and decisions to ban users over the content of their speech or affiliations.

Australia and New Zealand are actively monitoring a Chinese naval task force transiting south off Australia's east coast 150 nautical miles east of Sydney, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported on Feb. 20.