Find here all of our live #UKRAINE
1:23 p.m. : The mayor of Kharkiv, Igor Terekhov, accuses the Russian army of having dropped parachute bombs on his city. On social networks, several images show an explosive device connected to a white fabric, but these accusations have not been confirmed by an independent source. In his video, the elected official adds that 1,716 homes have been destroyed in the city since the start of the war.
1:16 p.m. : Are the economic sanctions against Russia really the strongest ever taken against a State? Never has a G20 country, in fact, suffered retaliatory measures of such magnitude. But several countries, such as Iran or North Korea, have been sanctioned much harsher. However, this did not change the policy of the leaders concerned. Explanations in this article.
1:11 p.m. : The German banking regulator says it has withdrawn control of its European subsidiary from the Russian bank VTB. The Russian group no longer has “more control” on VTB Bank SE, a subsidiary based in Germany, explains the financial market authority BaFin. VTB “can no longer dispose of the financial assets” of its European subsidiary, which is thus “fully isolated” of the Russian group, according to the regulator.
12:43 p.m. : Despite the bombardment of a maternity hospital in Mariupol on March 9, children are still being born in the Ukrainian city. A team from France Télévisions went to a makeshift maternity hospital, underground, where a hundred people now live crammed together.
(FRANCE TELEVISION)
12:23 p.m. : Pope Francis has called for a “Easter Truce” in Ukraine “to achieve peace through genuine negotiations”. He celebrated the Palm Sunday Mass in public, in the Place Saint-Pierre.
(VINCENZO PINTO / AFP)
12:21 p.m. : Here are the main news headlines:
• Participation in the first round of the presidential election stood at 25.48% at noon, down three points compared to 2017 (28.54%) at the same time.
• Some 48.7 million voters are called to the first round of the presidential election. Eleven of the 12 candidates have already slipped their ballot into the ballot box.
Ukraine has expressed its readiness to deliver a “great battle” in the east of its territory, a priority target for Moscow, where the evacuation of civilians continues in fear of an imminent offensive.
EU foreign ministers will discuss a sixth package of sanctions against Moscow tomorrow in Luxembourg.
Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) won the Australian Grand Prix, in the third round of the Formula 1 world championship.
11:54 : EU Foreign Ministers will discuss tomorrow in Luxembourg a sixth package of sanctions against Moscow. The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, announced his intention to launch the discussion on an oil embargo, “but a formal proposal is not on the table”according to a senior European official interviewed by AFP.
11:26 : A Russian frigate sailing in the Black Sea fired four Kalibr-type cruise missiles at Ukrainian targets, according to the Russian Defense Ministry quoted by the state agency Ria Novosti. Yesterday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson notably promised to supply kyiv with anti-ship missiles.
(RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY / RIA NOVOSTI)
11:18 a.m. : The day after his surprise trip to kyiv, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson explains that he traveled on a train from Poland. “I am traveling on a fantastic Ukrainian Railways train”, he says in a video released today. He praised the courage of the railway workers: “We call you ‘iron people’ here. It’s related to your profession, but it reflects your mentality”.
10:23 : Fertilizer manufacturers are very dependent on gas, which is used in the production of many nitrogenous fertilizers. With the war in Ukraine, prices jumped. Example with the fertilizer wholesaler Amaltis, based in particular in Parthenay (Deux-Sèvres). A ton of fertilizer, sold for 380 euros last year, is now worth more than 1,400, reports France Bleu Poitou.
09:19 : Lucien D’Agostino got into his van at the end of March in Gironde, before starting a long journey to Ukraine. After three days of travel, he finally reached the border with humanitarian aid, including medicine. These were distributed to several hospitals in kyiv.
(BENJAMIN THUAU / RADIO FRANCE)
08:27 : The Russian army last night carried out new strikes on the Dnipropetrovsk region, according to the regional governor. Among the targets: infrastructure at Dnipro – which has done at least “a victim” –, industrial sites in Pavlohrad and an agricultural building in Dniprovsk, specifies Valentyn Reznichenko on Facebook.
10:53 : It’s 8 o ‘clock. Here are the main news headlines:
• The polling stations have just opened in France, shortly after the start of the ballot in Overseas France and for French nationals living abroad. Some 48.7 million voters are called to the first round of the presidential election.
Ukraine has expressed its readiness to deliver a “great battle” in the east of its territory, a priority target for Moscow, where the evacuation of civilians continues in fear of an imminent offensive.
Several tens of thousands of people took part yesterday afternoon in marches for the climate, in several major cities in France.
Rennes returns to PSG’s runner-up after its snatch victory at Reims (3-2) and relegates OM to the third step of the podium. The capital club, he made short work of Clermont in the evening (6-1).