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09:31 : Another sanction in this sixth package: the freezing of assets and a ban on entering EU territory for Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church. The new list of people sanctioned, which will still have to be approved by member states, includes 58 members, including many Russian soldiers, but also the wife, daughter and son of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
09:19 : Proposed by the European Commission, this new package of sanctions against Russia must now be approved by the 27 Member States. This approval is expected by the end of the week.
09:27 : In this sanctions package is also the proposal to exclude three additional Russian banks, including Sberbank, the country’s largest institution, from the Swift international financial system. By hitting “banks of essential systemic importance for the Russian financial system”this will strengthen its “total isolation” and will undermine Moscow’s ability to finance its war in Ukraine, explains Ursula von der Leyen.
09:26 : “We will phase out Russian deliveries of crude oil within six months and of refined products by the end of the year.”
Here is Ursula von der Leyen’s statement on Russian oil. She did so during the presentation before the European Parliament of a sixth set of sanctions against Moscow.
09:25 : It is 9 a.m., here is the point on the news:
• The PS and LFI are on the verge of an agreement for the legislative elections. “There is now an agreement in principle between the ‘rebellious’ and socialist delegations”, said this morning on franceinfo the “rebellious” deputy Adrien Quatennens. The text must now be approved by the authorities of the PS.
• Brussels is proposing a gradual European embargo on Russian oil, announces Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.
• After the revelations of the American press, franceinfo explains why the constitutional right to abortion in the country could soon be overturned by the Supreme Court.
• The 38-year-old woman suspected of having committed violence against a firefighter during the May Day demonstration will be tried in immediate appearance by the Paris Criminal Court today, the Paris prosecutor’s office told France Télévisions.
09:07 : Brussels proposes a gradual European embargo on Russian oil, announces the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
09:06 : The battle around the Azovstal steelworks, Mariupol’s last pocket of resistance, continues in Ukraine. For researcher Edouard Jolly, this plant is “the only attainable goal” for the Russian army by May 9, the day of military remembrance in the country.
08:02 : “About half of the Ukrainians who have crossed the borders are children. That is to say, it is almost a child every second who, for two months, has crossed the borders of his country (… ) It is absolutely essential that we, neighboring countries, I am speaking of Europe in general, be able to welcome them in the best possible conditions.“
On franceinfo, this Unicef executive returned this morning to the Ukrainian exodus since February 24.
06:01 : We get up on the right foot with a first point on the news:
• No white smoke left. The negotiators of the PS and La France insoumise did not reach an agreement. Will negotiations continue today? Last night, Manuel Bompard (LFI) warned that no.
• After the revelations of the American press, franceinfo explains why the constitutional right to abortion could soon be overturned by the Supreme Court.
• • The 38-year-old woman suspected of having committed violence against a firefighter during the May Day demonstration will be tried in immediate appearance by the Paris Criminal Court today, the Paris prosecutor’s office told France Télévisions.
• On the 69th day of the invasion of Ukraine, the Russian army launched an assault on the Azovstal factory in Mariupol, a port city in southern Ukraine. The last pocket of resistance in the city is pounded by the Russian army. Franceinfo takes stock of what to remember from yesterday’s fights.