Cuba to receive a sanctioned Russian oil tanker, the first such delivery this year - apnews.com

Cuba to receive a sanctioned Russian oil tanker, the first such delivery this year  apnews.com

Huge fires at Russian oil facilities following Ukraine strikes, satellite images show

BBC Verify examines recent damage to three key Russian oil export facilities near the Baltic Sea.

After Months of Threats, Trump Softens His Stance on Blocking Oil to Cuba

The White House press secretary said the United States would evaluate oil shipments to Cuba on a “case-by-case basis,” after a Russian tanker full of crude reached the island.

By Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Anton Troianovski and Maria Abi-Habib

A blueprint for Chinese global leadership

With the US destroying its own credibility, the opportunity is Beijing’s for the taking

France sentences Chinese captain of suspected Russian 'shadow fleet' tanker to one year in jail

Chen Zhangjie was sentenced in absentia after the French navy boarded the Boracay tanker in September, before releasing the vessel and its crew days later.

Democrats claim ‘smear’ as Trump FBI pushes for release of Eric Swalwell file

California governor contender not accused of wrongdoing in decade-old inquiry into suspected Chinese agent The Trump administration has reportedly been pushing to release records from an FBI investigation related to Eric Swalwell and alleged links to a Chinese agent as the Democratic congressman makes gains in the California governor’s race. The Washington Post reported on Saturday, citing “three people familiar with the effort”, that the FBI director, Kash Patel, is pushing to release the fi...

By Dani Anguiano

Russians attack Dnipropetrovsk Oblast nearly 70 times in one day: 1 killed and 12 injured

A 65-year-old man has been killed and 12 people have been injured after Russian forces attacked the Nikopol and Kryvyi Rih districts in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast nearly 70 times with artillery and drones on 30 March.

By Anastasia Protz

French court convicts Chinese captain of oil tanker linked to Russian shadow fleet

A French court on Monday issued an arrest warrant and a one-year prison sentence against the Chinese captain of a suspected Russian “shadow fleet” tanker over failing to comply with orders to stop his ship. Chen Zhangjie, 39, was sentenced in absentia after the French navy boarded the Boracay tanker in September before releasing the vessel and its crew days later, in what Russian leader Vladimir Putin condemned as “piracy”. The court in the western city of Brest also ordered Chen to pay a...

By Agence France-Presse

EU seeks new strategy amid Sahel 'influence' rivalries

Following the 2022-2023 coups in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, the junta regimes turned to Russia, China, and even the US. Now, the EU wants to invest more in West Africa's security and growth to forge closer ties.

'The hypocrisy was so stark' expert says, as US reverses course on Cuba oil blockade

Speaking with FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney, Helen Yaffe, Professor of Latin American Political Economy at the University of Glasgow, describes the "stark hypocrisy" of the Trump administration's complaints about Iran blocking free movement on the seas while at the same time weaponising starvation by denying the Cuban people oil. The US has allowed a sanctioned Russian tanker to deliver fuel to the island for humanitarian reasons, saying such decisions would be handled on a ​case-by-case basis.

By Sharon GAFFNEY

UK-France £650m Channel deal talks stall over small-boat crossings

The French intercept 33 per cent of crossings, with Home Office figures showing rates have fallen to intercepting just 2,064 of 6,233 crossings

By Rebecca Whittaker

White House Says Oil Blockade On Cuba Still In Place After U.S. Allows Russian Tanker To Reach Island - Forbes

White House Says Oil Blockade On Cuba Still In Place After U.S. Allows Russian Tanker To Reach Island  Forbes

Country Garden posts 1st profit since 2022 on restructuring gain - Nikkei Asia

Country Garden posts 1st profit since 2022 on restructuring gain  Nikkei Asia

Mexico weighs oil cooperation with Cuba as Trump signals openness to Russian shipment

Cuba to receive sanctioned Russian oil tanker as it struggles under US blockade

It comes a day after US President Donald Trump told reporters he had “no problem” with the Russian oil tanker delivering relief to Cuba.

Allies sent Ukraine ‘signals’ on reducing strikes on Russian oil, Zelensky says - The Straits Times

Allies sent Ukraine ‘signals’ on reducing strikes on Russian oil, Zelensky says  The Straits Times

Allies sent Ukraine 'signals' on reducing strikes on Russian oil, Zelenskyy says

The Ukrainian president said Kyiv is ready ​to reciprocate if Moscow stops attacking the Ukrainian energy system, and that Kyiv is open to an Easter ceasefire.

White House says no change in Cuba policy after Russian tanker waiver

The White House said on Monday it has not changed US policy toward Cuba, even as it allowed a sanctioned Russian tanker to deliver fuel to the island for humanitarian reasons, saying such decisions would be handled on a case-by-case basis. “This is not a policy change. There has not been a formal change in […]

Captain of Russian 'shadow tanker' sentenced to one year in French prison

A French court has handed down a one-year prison sentence and issued an arrest warrant for the Chinese captain of a tanker suspected of being part of Russia’s so-called 'shadow fleet', in a case that highlights Europe’s growing efforts to enforce sanctions at sea.

By RFI

North Caucasus and Azerbaijan hit by largest-scale flooding in a century

A state of emergency has been declared in two Russian regions.

By Elizaveta Chukharova

NIO opens its first showroom in the Americas

Pussy Riot Stage Manhattan Protest of U.S. Tech Company They Say Is ‘Powering Russian War Crimes’

The Russian punk feminist collective claim that Ubiquiti's Wi-Fi equipment is being used in the war against Ukraine.

By Gil Kaufman

French Court Sentences Russia-Linked Tanker Captain to 1 Year in Jail

The vessel, claiming to be flagged in Benin, was thought to be part of a fleet transporting Russian oil in violation of Western sanctions.

Massive flooding in Russia’s North Caucasus destroys bridges, swamps homes, and leaves tens of thousands without power

Heavy rains triggered widespread flooding across Russia’s North Caucasus in recent days. Dagestan bore the brunt: tens of thousands of residents lost power, roads were disrupted, and railway infrastructure was damaged. Many streets in Makhachkala were submerged completely. In Chechnya, torrential rains and landslides damaged 17 bridges and destroyed dozens of homes, prompting authorities to declare a state of emergency. Power and water outages were reported in Ingushetia, while officials in K...

Ukraine used Storm Shadow to strike Russia's most irreplaceable weapons factory — and why it matters - The Kyiv Independent

Ukraine used Storm Shadow to strike Russia's most irreplaceable weapons factory — and why it matters  The Kyiv Independent

France tries Masonic hit squad in high-profile murder case

A sprawling murder trial opened in France on Monday, with 22 defendants accused of operating covert hit squads linked to a Masonic lodge, in a case that has stunned the country wit...

War update: 120 clashes on front lines, 65 Russian troops eliminated on Pokrovsk axis

On March 30, Ukrainian forces engaged in 120 combat clashes with Russian forces, the most active being the Pokrovsk sector, where the enemy attempted 24 attacks.

Air Force: Ukrainian drones stray into other countries due to countermeasures or faults

Col. Fredi Karu, chief of staff of the Air Force, told ERR that Ukraine does not use Estonian or other NATO countries' airspace to launch attacks against Russia. Instead, drones end up in other countries' territories due to electronic jamming or technical malfunctions.

When the Protector Leaves the Room: ECOWAS, the Alliance of Sahel States, and West Africa’s displaced millions

There is a particular kind of institutional failure that does not announce itself with a single catastrophic event. It accumulates quietly, in the gap between what regional bodies promise and what displaced people receive. It is visible in the mother in Ouagadougou, who has been displaced three times in four years and has stopped expecting […]

By Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie