As a ceasefire over negotiations in Ukraine continue, there’s a feeling of deja vu of demands wanting President Volodymyr Zelensky to avoid a ‘Minsk 3’ - the 2014 agreement that was hailed as a deal to end the fighting in Ukraine’s Donbas region. CNN’s Clare Sebastian reports
Despite the White House declaring after Donald Trump’s call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that “we have never been closer to peace,” fighting resumed within hours. Early this morning, Russia targeted railway and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine’s Kirovohrad region. The Ukrainian Air Force reported downing 75 of 171 Russian drones, redirecting 63. Later, Russia claimed Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery and a strategic bomber base 700 km inside its territory. Despite the massive distrust on both sides, both leaders spoke positively about their one-hour call. Trump pledged to help Ukraine source more Patriot missiles, though availability remains limited - both in the U.S. and Europe. Zelensky agreed to a “partial ceasefire against energy,” a key Russian demand as Ukrainian strikes strain Moscow’s hydrocarbon revenue.
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In a surprising twist, the White House suggested U.S. ownership of Ukraine’s power plants could bolster security, including the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Washington’s top diplomat, Marco Rubio, argued that”American ownership of those plants would be the best protection for that infrastructure and support for Ukrainian energy infrastructure”A Ukrainian opposition MP criticized the idea, describing it to me last night as “a form of colonialism.”
In the high-stakes call, Trump reportedly asked Zelensky about children missing from Ukraine during the war, including those abducted. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the U.S. pledged to “work closely” with both Russia and Ukraine to ensure their return. She was also asked about reports that the Trump administration halted funding for a Yale-led program tracking the mass deportation of Ukrainian children. The report angered Democratic lawmakers, who sent a letter urging the program’s reinstatement and sanctions against those involved. Leavitt said the White House had no comment on those reports.
At least 71 Palestinians, including women and children, have been killed in predawn attacks by Israel in the north and south of the territory, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Gaza reported. The latest killings will add to the Gaza Health Ministry’s death toll of some 436 Palestinians, including 183 children, killed since Israel shattered the ceasefire on Tuesday. As Israeli ground troops join the attack on Gaza, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of a “larger and stronger front” in the occupied West Bank in addition to “fierce war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip”.
Meanwhile, relatives of hostages still held in Gaza say they are “fuming” over reports that the government has delayed a planned meeting on the Gaza war in order to discuss the firing of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar. In a harshly worded statement, the relatives accuse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet of ignoring them and endangering their loved ones. According to the families, the security cabinet was supposed to convene Thursday evening “to discuss the fate of [the hostages] who are currently at risk of death and disappearance in Hamas’s Gaza tunnels.” They added: “The families demanded at the start of the week, and throughout all the past months, an urgent meeting with the prime minister and cabinet,” the statement reads. “Not a peep and not an answer.” - Israel Times
A reminder that in January, at a celebration ahead of his second inauguration, Donald Trump spoke of achieving an “epic” peace in the Middle East, with the Gaza ceasefire agreement as the first step. He said at the time: “I will end the war in Ukraine, I will stop the chaos in the Middle East and I will prevent World War III from happening. And you have no idea how close we are.”
Protests erupted in Turkey after authorities detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a key opposition figure, days before his expected nomination as a presidential candidate. İmamoğlu is widely regarded as one of the strongest challengers to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has led Turkey for over two decades. Police also detained 100 people as part of the investigation, including politicians, journalists and business figures. The Istanbul governor’s office has imposed four days of restrictions in the city. Despite the measures, protests spread across Istanbul on Wednesday, with demonstrators gathering in streets, university campuses and even underground stations in rare displays of public opposition to the president. There were also reports of the police using pepper spray on protesters at Istanbul University. The authorities also detained 37 suspects for allegedly making “provocative posts inciting crime and hatred” on social media in protest against the arrests and were continuing efforts to track down other suspects, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on the X social media platform. The minister said 18.6 million posts about İmamoğlu were shared on X in less than 24 hours after his detention. He was detained on Wednesday on charges of corruption and aiding a terrorist group in what the main opposition party called “a coup against our next president.” - TVP World
According to the Netblocks internet observatory, following the arrests, the Turkish government began restricting access to multiple social media platforms including 𝕏, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, CNN Turk reported. Meanwhile, the Turkish lira plunged in value, falling as much as 12.7%, according to Reuters, and stocks on the Istanbul market were trading lower.
The French government has slammed the ban on entry to the United States and subsequent deportation of a French researcher who had come to attend a conference because he had expressed a “personal opinion” on American research policy. “I learned with concern that a French researcher on assignment for the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) who was traveling to a conference near Houston was denied entry to the United States before being expelled,” said the Minister of Higher Education and Research, Philippe Baptiste, in a statement sent to Agence France-Presse (AFP). “This measure was apparently taken by the American authorities because the researcher’s phone contained conversations with colleagues and friends in which he expressed a personal opinion on the Trump administration’s research policy,” he added. According to a diplomatic source, the incident occurred on March 9. The space researcher was reportedly subjected to a random check upon arrival, during which his work computer and personal phone were searched. The same source also reported that messages discussing the Trump administration’s treatment of scientists were found. He was reportedly accused of messages “that reflect hatred toward Trump and can be described as terrorism.” His professional and personal equipment were reportedly confiscated, and the researcher was sent back to Europe the next day. According to another source who spoke to AFP, the French researcher was accused by the US authorities of “hateful and conspiratorial messages.” The source added that he was reportedly informed of an FBI investigation, for which “charges were dropped.” - Le Monde
Frenchman Olivier Grondeau has been released from an Iranian jail and is back in France after being held for more than 880 days, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday. Grondeau, 34, was detained on security charges in October 2022 while visiting Iran on a tourist visa. - France 24
A federal judge on Wednesday allowed for now the takeover of the U.S. Institute of Peace by tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, after the institute accused Musk’s team of occupying the building by force. The emergency ruling came after DOGE staffers on Monday gained access with the help of police officers to USIP, an independent, nonprofit organization funded by the U.S. Congress and whose Washington headquarters sits across the street from the U.S. State Department. The move by Musk’s team is the latest and potentially most aggressive example of DOGE taking over a building as part of the Trump administration’s push to slash the size of government by reducing the 2.3-million strong federal workforce and lowering costs. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell strongly criticized the way Musk’s team had entered the building but said she was not going to order a temporary halt to DOGE’s actions. USIP had asked the judge to stop DOGE “from completing the unlawful dismantling of the Institute.” - Reuters
The USIP houses some of the nation’s finest diplomats - including former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, William Taylor, who’s is its vice-president and very recognizable after he testified forcefully before Congress in the Trump quid pro quo scandal. White House Press Secretary Karoline Levitt called the USIP staff “a bunch of rogue bureaucrats” - hardly the case. The USIP is tasked by Congress with promoting conflict resolution and prevention worldwide. It provides research, analysis, and training to individuals in diplomacy, mediation, and other peace-building measures. It’s a place where people talk about the world.
An unspecified number of Canadians were executed by China earlier this year, Global Affairs confirmed Wednesday. In response to an enquiry from The Globe and Mail, which learned about the executions this week, GAC spokeswoman Charlotte MacLeod said Ottawa “strongly condemns China’s use of the death penalty, which is irreversible and inconsistent with basic human dignity.” She added: “Canada repeatedly called for clemency for these individuals at the senior-most levels and remains steadfast in its opposition to the use of the death penalty in all cases, everywhere,” she said. “We continue to provide consular assistance to the victims’ families.” Ms. MacLeod would not identify those executed and requested that media outlets respect their families’ privacy “during this difficult time.” The Chinese embassy in Canada confirmed Canadian citizens were executed in China in recent months but declined to say how many. - The Globe and Mail
Philippine officials on Thursday defended before the country’s Senate the arrest and transfer to the International Criminal Court of former President Rodrigo Duterte, as they faced allegations he was illegally abducted at the behest of a foreign institution. Duterte is set to be the first Asian former head of state to go on trial at the ICC after he was arrested last week and sent to The Hague, where he faces accusations of murder as a crime against humanity over a “war on drugs” that killed thousands of people and defined his 2016-2022 presidency. The government’s decision to hand Duterte over triggered a backlash among his supporters, family and allies, who have petitioned the Supreme Court arguing the arrest was illegal and the ICC no longer has jurisdiction in the Philippines. Duterte appeared before the ICC’s pre-trial chamber on March 14 and remains in ICC custody, with his next appearance scheduled for September - Reuters
Authorities in North Macedonia have shuttered dozens of nightclubs and entertainment venues across the country for not having valid operating licenses. It comes after a fire broke out at a concert in an unlicensed venue in the eastern town of Kočani on Sunday which killed 59 people. Government spokesperson Marija Miteva said that out of 50 establishments inspected in several cities, only 22 had valid licences. “For all premises with expired licenses or no license at all, the state market inspectorate has ordered the suspension of activities until all necessary documents are reviewed and validated,” Miteva said. - Euronews
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