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Gavin Blackburn

Europe News

Swedish coastguard boards tanker off Gotland subject to EU sanctions

According to the ship tracking site Marine traffic, Flora 1 departed the Russian oil port Primorsk headed for Santos in Brazil, flying the flag of Sierra Leone.

Ukraine

Kyiv region under 'massive' daytime drone and missile attack

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv was ready for a truce over the Easter holidays, but the Kremlin said it had not received any proposals.

Europe News

Three Greek MPs quit over EU farm subsidy scandal, state TV says

Most of the fraudulent subsidies went to the island of Crete, where the family of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has been politically influential for over a century.

Economy

Macron and Lee say they'll work together to reopen Strait of Hormuz

Iran warned the UN Security Council against any "provocative action", ahead of a scheduled vote on a draft resolution on the Strait of Hormuz that ended up being postponed.

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Iran

Israel under fire from Iranian missiles as Trump issues new warning

Israel's military reported a new missile salvo from Iran on Friday, with its air defences operating to down them, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Belarus

Belarus’ parliament passes bill to crack down on LGBTQ+ rights

Belarus decriminalised homosexuality in 1994 after the collapse of the Soviet Union, but it doesn’t recognise same-sex marriages and lacks protection for LGBTQ+ rights.

Culture news

Priceless golden helmet from Romania stolen from Dutch museum found

The helmet was on display at the small Drents Museum in January 2025, the last weekend of a six-month-long exhibition, when thieves broke in and grabbed it, along with three golden wristbands.

USA

Trump sacks attorney general and replaces with ex-personal lawyer

Bondi has reportedly drawn Trump's ire by falling short with efforts to prosecute perceived opponents such as former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Cuba

Russia plans to send second oil tanker to Cuba, energy minister says

Cuba produces barely 40% of its required fuel and relies on imports to sustain its crumbling energy grid.

Culture news

German artist given jail by Russian court for display mocking Putin

Jacques Tilly has been designing and building floats for Düsseldorf’s Carnival parade, one of Germany’s best-known, since 1984.

Iran

Iran vows 'crushing' attacks on US and Israel after Trump threats

The comments come after a prime-time address at the White House in which US President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Iran "back to the Stone Ages, where they belong."

Europe News

Austria refuses US overfly requests, citing its neutrality policy

US President Donald Trump has criticised European allies for refusing US military aircraft permission to use their airspace for operations connected to the war in Iran.

France

Trump undermining NATO by casting doubt on US commitment, Macron says

The US president has repeatedly railed against Western partners for not responding to his call to assemble a naval force to help reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz, which has effectively been closed by Tehran.

Ukraine

Russia fired record number of drones at Ukraine in March, data show

Ukraine has sought to scale up its air defences in response, deploying cheap interceptor drones to destroy their Russian counterparts.

Israel

Iran launches biggest salvo of missiles in three weeks at Israel

Iranian missile fire on Israel has slowed in the past two weeks to around 10-15 missiles a day, down from around 90 on the first day of the war.

Japan

Macron lauds Europe's 'predictability' in apparent swipe at Trump

Macron's office had expressed surprise at Trump's criticism of France for not letting planes carrying military supplies for the conflict fly over its territory.

USA

Top court casts doubt on Trump's bid to limit birthright citizenship

Trump signed an executive order on his return to the White House last year decreeing that children born to parents in the United States illegally or on temporary visas would not automatically become US citizens

Switzerland

Switzerland eyes dropping purchase of US Patriot air defence system

Switzerland, which is not in NATO, had ordered five Patriot systems in 2022, with delivery scheduled to begin this year and to be completed in 2028.

Germany

German teams halt rescue efforts for whale stranded off Baltic coast

Since it was spotted last week the whale had prompted a large-scale rescue operation involving firefighters, scientists and the maritime police.

USA

Trump isn't immune from civil claims his 2021 speech incited riot

Trump spoke to a crowd of his supporters at the rally before the mob’s attack disrupted the joint session of Congress for certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory over Trump.

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