Russia
Death toll in Myanmar earthquake could hit 10,000 claims US agency
The death toll from the March 28 M7.7 earthquake in Myanmar has reportedly moved past the 1000 mark. It is expected to climb further with some claims hinting at several thousand people still unaccounted for.
Trump and Carthage: The end of history revisited
What has gone wrong with the world? Protests and wars have broken out across the globe. Analysts are warning that weak countries could face problems but the strong ones are suffering from a deeper long term rot that will change the world order.
Panama revokes 128 ship registrations in crackdown on Russia and Iran’s shadow fleet
Panama has intensified its crackdown on sanctioned vessels by revoking the registration of 128 ships, a move primarily targeting the "shadow fleet" facilitating oil exports from Russia and Iran.
EU holds trump card in Rosselkhozbank sanctions delisting
The EU's jurisdiction over the SWIFT messaging service is a major obstacle to US-Russian proposals to lift sanctions on Russia’s Rosselkhozbank, according to Yuliia Pavytska, head of the sanctions programme at the KSE Institute.
COMMENT: Europe’s outlook improves as Trump makes Ukraine conflct progress
European leaders are alarmed at the increasingly warm relations between US President Trump and Putin, but economists are encouraged as even a “quick and dirty” ceasefire deal to the Ukraine conflict will buoy flagging CEE economies.
US sends Kyiv an even harsher fourth version of the mineral deal
A new draft of the proposed US-Ukraine minerals deal has drawn criticism in Kyiv as the new demands are even harsher than the previous three versions.
EU Paris summit breaks up with little achieved, highlighting Europe’s increasing irrelevance in Ukraine conflict
The latest EU emergency meeting in Paris broke up again with little decided, significant backtracking on earlier commitments to sending peacekeepers to Ukraine and Europe’s increasing irrelevance to Ukraine’s fate in its conflict with Russia.
Europe pulls back from peacekeeper plans as unworkable
European countries are struggling to establish a some sort of security framework for Ukraine to prevent a second invasion should a ceasefire be agreed.
Hungary to expand energy cooperation with Russia, foreign minister says in live stream from Red Square
Hungary views the operations of its oil company MOL in Russia as highly successful and expects further expansion, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said during his visit to Moscow.
Russian pranksters trick Kosovo PM Kurti in fake call
Kurti told prankster posing as Latvian president he was victim of hybrid war by Russia and said US special envoy Richard Grenell brought down his last government.
Indonesia joins BRICS' new development bank
Indonesia has formally decided to become a member of the BRICS-affiliated New Development Bank, just months after fully integrating into the China-led economic alliance
Russia's VK Plans to launch a copycat of China's WeChat
Russian tech giant VK, which has recently disclosed significant losses, is planning to introduce a “super-app” in an effort to replicate the functionalities of China’s widely used WeChat app.
The Red Terror Returns: Quarter of Russians say they are willing to snitch on neighbours for criticising military
Nearly one in four Russian citizens would report a neighbour for criticising the country’s armed forces, according to a new survey conducted by the government-aligned Public Opinion Foundation.
Russia, US discussing restarting Nord Stream gas deliveries to Europe
Moscow and Washington are currently in talks on the possibility of restarting Nord Stream gas pipelines deliveries to Europe, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
Kremlin demands sanctions relief in temporary Ukraine conflict ceasefire deal
The White House said that both Russia and Ukraine have agreed to ensure safe shipping in the Black Sea and will “develop instruments” to ban strikes on energy assets in two separate statements after a second round of negotiations wound up.
No country has agreed to resettle Palestinians, says acting Israeli envoy to Russia
No country has yet agreed to accept Palestinians in their possible future resettlement from Gaza, Acting Israeli Ambassador to Russia Alexander Ben Zvi has said.
Russian region bribes schoolgirls to get pregnant
Russia’s Oryol Region has introduced a new decree offering schoolgirls RUB100,000 ($1,200) if they officially register a pregnancy with the social services while studying full-time.
Nitty gritty horsetrading gets underway at second round of Ukraine talks in Riyadh
The horse-trading got underway in earnest at the second round of ceasefire talks in Riyadh on March 23. Two negotiating teams from Ukraine and Russia met separately with their US counterparts to start setting the conditions for an end of hostilities.
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Energy demand surges, renewables increase substantially
The latest report from the International Energy Agency has revealed a significant rise in global energy demand in 2024, driven primarily by a sharp increase in electricity consumption.
TNT ammunition depot in Czechia explodes
The cause of the explosion is currently unclear, but police said a “technical issue” is “the most likely cause”.