Chocolate prices could soar as changing climate patterns worsen cocoa crisis (news.sky.com)
Houthis sentence 9 men to death on dubious 'sodomy' charges in Yemen (news.yahoo.com)
Russia has questions to answer over response to Moscow terror attack (news.sky.com)
A Russian Defector’s Killing Raises Specter of Hit Squads (www.nytimes.com)
Mr. Kuzminov defected from Russia to Ukraine last summer, flying his Mi-8 military helicopter into Ukrainian territory and handing the aircraft along with a cache of secret documents to Ukrainian intelligence operatives. In doing so, he committed the one offense President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has said again and again he...
Turkish opposition leads in vote to run Istanbul and other key cities (www.euronews.com)
With nearly 60% of the ballot boxes counted, incumbent Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, of the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, was leading in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city and economic hub, according to state broadcaster TRT....
Israel lodges proposal with UN for dismantling of Palestinian relief agency (www.theguardian.com)
Israel has given the UN a proposal to dismantle Unrwa, its relief agency in the Palestinian territories, and transfer its staff to a replacement agency to make large-scale food deliveries into Gaza, according to UN sources....
Anti-deforestation law will deepen Europe’s cocaine problem, warn ambassadors (www.politico.eu)
Ban on imports linked to deforestation might push South American farmers to grow more illegal coca....
Belgium’s renowned chocolatiers grapple with soaring cocoa prices (www.politico.eu)
You famously never know what you’re going to get when you open a box of chocolates. But for Belgium, a state that’s synonymous with the high-end confectionery, soaring cocoa prices are making life for the nation’s chocolate aficionados even more uncertain than usual....
The Treacherous Mission to Rescue Americans Trapped in Haiti (www.thedailybeast.com)
Pouria Zeraati: Iranian journalist shares defiant photo of himself from hospital bed after being stabbed in London (news.sky.com)
Finnish authorities detect sulphur-like smell in Helsinki region (www.reuters.com)
Unraveling Havana Syndrome: New evidence links the GRU's assassination Unit 29155 to mysterious attacks on Americans, at home and abroad (theins.press)
Kinahan Cartel: Wanted Narco Boss Exposes Whereabouts by Posting Google Reviews (www.bellingcat.com)
One of the world’s most wanted men, a notorious narco kingpin whose gang is implicated in multiple murders, has left a trail of Google reviews providing valuable new insights into his movements and whereabouts over the past five years....
A Russian Defector’s Killing Raises Specter of Hit Squads (www.nytimes.com)
The death in Spain of Maksim Kuzminov, a pilot who delivered a helicopter and secret documents to Ukraine, has raised fears that the Kremlin is again targeting its enemies....
Israel created 'kill zones' in Gaza. Anyone who crosses into them is shot (www.haaretz.com)
“In practice, a terrorist is anyone the IDF has killed in the areas in which its forces operate,” says a reserve officer who has served in Gaza....
Israel lodges proposal with UN for dismantling of Palestinian relief agency (www.theguardian.com)
Israel has given the UN a proposal to dismantle Unrwa, its relief agency in the Palestinian territories, and transfer its staff to a replacement agency to make large-scale food deliveries into Gaza, according to UN sources....
Israel and the Puritans: A dangerous historical romance (www.salon.com)
Passport checks for air travellers lifted as Bulgaria and Romania join EU's Schengen (www.reuters.com)
Saharan dust smothers Switzerland, southeast France (phys.org)
An exceptionally rare haze of Saharan dust cloaked Switzerland and southeastern France on Saturday, sparking health warnings as a yellow hue tinged the sky....
The UK Is Using a New Definition of “Extremism” to Repress Palestine Solidarity (truthout.org)
Ukraine's critical infrastructure targeted in Russian overnight attack (kyivindependent.com)
Russia attacked Ukraine with drones and missiles overnight on March 31, damaging infrastructure facilities and killing at least one person....
Taiwan’s Indigenous tribes could hold the key to its independence (www.politico.eu)
By calling for conquest, Xi has made an enemy of the Taiwan’s tribes, which rightfully say their ancestors inhabited the island long before the dawn of the Chinese era....
Putin wants Berlin assassin Vadim Krasikov. but prisoner swap is murky (www.bbc.co.uk)
U.S. eyes change to military command in Japan as China threat looms: Reuters (www.cnbc.com)
U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will agree next month to tighter military cooperation, including talks on the biggest potential change to Washington’s East Asia command structure in decades, two sources said....
France asks for foreign police and military help with massive Paris Olympics security challenge (apnews.com)
