Arrested Russian captain of a #cargo vessel involved in North Sea collision charged.

#LONDON — British police said Friday the Russian captain of a cargo ship that collided with a U.S. tanker has been charged over the death of a crew member, who is missing and presumed dead.

Vladimir Motin, who was the master of the Portugal-flagged cargo vessel Solong, will appear in Hull Magistrates’ Court on Saturday charged with what English legal authorities term “gross negligence manslaughter,” Humberside Police said.

It wasn’t immediately clear where Motin was being held or whether he has approved legal representation.

Motin, 59, who is from Primorsky, St. Petersburg, was arrested in northeast England on Tuesday, a day after the collision with the MV Stena Immaculate, a tanker transporting jet fuel for the U.S. military in the North Sea.

Humberside Police confirmed that the missing crew member is “now presumed dead” after extensive searches. It said the family are being supported by specialist trained officers.

The Crown Prosecution Service said Filipino national Mark Angelo Pernia, 38, has been named as the crew member who is presumed to have died in the collision.

“We have authorized Humberside Police to charge a Russian national in relation to a collision involving two vessels in the North Sea off the east coast of England,” said Frank Ferguson, head of the prosecutor’s office special crime and counter terrorism division.

Shipping company Ernst Russ, which owns the Solong, has said previously that the ship’s 14 crew were a mix of Russian and Filipino nationals.

U.K. authorities have said there is nothing so far to indicate that it’s connected to national security.

The U.K. Marine Accident Investigation Branch is also involved in investigating what caused the Solong, bound from Grangemouth, Scotland, to Rotterdam, Netherlands, to hit the stationary tanker, which was anchored about 10 miles (16 kilometers) off the English coast.

The investigation is being led by the U.S. and Portugal, the countries where the vessels are flagged.

Port inspection documents show the Solong failed steering-related safety checks in Dublin, Ireland, in July, with the vessel’s “emergency steering position communications/compass reading” unreadable. Inspectors found a total of 10 deficiencies, including “inadequate” alarms, survival craft “not properly maintained” and fire doors “not as required.”

#Russia deputy foreign minister visits North Korea, #KCNA says.— Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko is visiting North Korea, North Korean state media KCNA said on Saturday.

His trip takes place following a U.S. proposal for a ceasefire in the Ukraine war where thousands of North Korean troops have been deployed to support Russian forces, according to Ukrainian, U.S. and South Korean officials.

Rudenko has been involved in developing Russian ties with North Korea since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He was also a member of the Russian delegations at peace negotiations with Ukraine early in the war.

KCNA reported that the deputy minister had visited a landmark monument in the capital Pyongyang but did not provide further details.

More than 12,000 North Korean troops were in Russia, fighting against Ukrainian forces in the border region of Kursk, Dorothy Shea, then-deputy U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, told the U.N. Security Council in January.

U.S. President Donald Trump urged Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin on Friday to spare Ukrainian troops that Russia is pushing out of the Kursk region, an appeal Putin said he would honor if they surrendered.

Satellites could monitor ceasefire in Ukraine, US state secretary says.A joint statement, published after March 11 US-Ukrainian talks in Jeddah, said that the countries have agreed to sign a comprehensive agreement on the development of critically important mineral resources soon.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio believes that satellites might be used to monitor compliance with potential ceasefire agreements in Ukraine.

"Well, the interesting thing about modern warfare is that it's easier than ever to monitor," he told reporters at an airport in Ireland after talks with a Ukrainian delegation in Jeddah. "Simply because there's so many eyes on the ground, and there's also all sorts of overhead commercial satellites, and it would be pretty hard to hide drone strikes, it would be hard to hide missile strikes, ballistic strikes, artillery," Rubio said when asked how a potential ceasefire could be enforced. "So, we feel like that is something that could be monitored," the secretary of state noted.

A joint statement, published after March 11 US-Ukrainian talks in Jeddah, said that the countries have agreed to sign a comprehensive agreement on the development of critically important mineral resources soon. The Kiev regime has confirmed its readiness to accept Washington’s proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in the conflict with Russia. The United States pledged to resume providing intelligence and support to Ukraine immediately.

On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump announced that Washington intended to hold talks with the Russian side later "today or tomorrow." Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova did not rule out that contacts between Russian and US representatives would occur in the next few days

Air defenses eliminate 88 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions overnight
52 UAVs were eliminated over the territory of the Belgorod Region.

Russian air defense systems downed 88 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions overnight, the Defense Ministry reported.

"In the period from 8:00 p.m. on March 8 to 7:00 a.m. on March 9 on-duty air defense capabilities intercepted and destroyed 88 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV): 52 UAVs over the territory of the Belgorod Region, 13 UAVs over the territory of the Lupetsk Region, nine UAVs over the territory of the Rostov Region, eight UAVs over the territory of the Voronezh Region, three UAVs over the territory of the Astrakhan Region, and one UAV over each of the territories of the Krasnodar Region, the Ryazan Region, and the Kursk Region," the ministry said.

#Djokovic crashes out of Indian Wells opener

#Europe does not know how to resolve Ukraine crisis, #Trump says
The #US president said that he had always had a good relationship with Russian leader Vladimir Putin

#Iran won’t negotiate with US until it stops imposing its interests — Khamenei
The comments were in response to a letter from #US President Donald Trump, where he proposed talks on Iran’s nuclear program

#Musk says Ukraine’s front line would collapse in case of disconnection from Starlink.

Celebrity entrepreneur also stated that he is "sickened by years of slaughter in a stalemate that Ukraine will inevitably lose."

SpaceX owner Elon Musk has said that the Starlink satellite system is the backbone of the Ukrainian army, adding that Kiev’s entire front line would collapse in case of the country’s disconnection from the system.

"My Starlink system is the backbone of the Ukrainian army. Their entire front line would collapse if I turned it off," he wrote on the X social network.


Celebrity entrepreneur also stated that he is "sickened by years of slaughter in a stalemate that Ukraine will inevitably lose."

"Anyone who really cares, really thinks and really understands wants the meat grinder to stop," Musk noted.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered a speech in Ottawa on Tuesday after a trade war was triggered by U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on Canada and Mexico.

After a 30-day reprieve expired, Canada and Mexico now face 25 per cent across-the-board tariffs on all imports into the United States, with a 10 per cent levy on Canadian energy. Canada and Mexico hit back at the U.S. with retaliatory tariffs.

Trump also doubled the tariff on China’s products to 20 per cent, which sparked retaliatory measures from Beijing, The Associated Press reported.
Here is the text of Trudeau’s speech:

Today the United States launched a trade war against Canada, their closest partner and ally, their closest friend. At the same time, they’re talking about working positively with Russia, appeasing Vladimir Putin, a lying murderous dictator. Make that make sense. Canadians are reasonable and we are polite, but we will not back down from a fight, not when our country and the well-being of everyone in it is at stake.

At the moment the U.S. tariffs came into effect in the early hours of this morning and so did the Canadian response. Canada will be implementing 25 per cent tariffs against $155 billion worth of American goods, starting with tariffs on $30 billion worth of goods immediately and tariffs on the remaining $125 billion of American products in 21 days time.

Today we will also be challenging these illegal actions by filing dispute resolution claims at the World Trade Organization and through the USMCA. But in the meantime our tariffs will remain in place until the U.S. tariffs are withdrawn and not a moment sooner.

Should these tariffs not cease, we are in active and ongoing discussions with provinces and territories to pursue several non-tariff measures, measures which will demonstrate there are no winners in a trade war. Just like I did a month ago, I want to speak first directly to the American people. We don’t want this. We want to work with you as a friend and ally and we don’t want to see you hurt either. But your government has chosen to do this to you.

As of this morning markets are down and inflation is set to rise dramatically all across your country. Your government has chosen to put American jobs at risk at the thousands of workplaces that succeed because of materials from Canada or because of consumers in Canada or both. They have chosen to raise costs for American consumers on everyday essential items like groceries and gas, on major purchases like cars and homes and everything in between.

They have chosen to harm American national security, impeding access to the abundant critical minerals, energy, building materials and fertilizers that we have and that the United States needs to grow and prosper. They have chosen to launch a trade war that will first and foremost harm American families. They have chosen to sabotage their own agenda that was supposed to usher in a new golden age for the United States.

They have chosen to undermine the incredible work we’ve done together to tackle the scourge that is fentanyl, a drug that must be wiped from the face of the earth. On that point, let me be crystal clear. There is absolutely no justification or need whatsoever for these tariffs today. The legal pretext your government is using to bring in these tariffs is that Canada is apparently unwilling to help in the fight against illegal fentanyl.

That is totally false. Let’s look at the facts. Our border is already safe and secure. Far less than one per cent of fentanyl flows and less than one per cent of illegal crossings into the United States comes from Canada. But we acted because we know we can always do better. We responded to concerns, including from the president, by implementing an ambitious $1.3 billion border plan, a border plan that includes generational investments in new AI and imaging tools to stop the flow of fentanyl in its tracks.

Stronger coordination and information sharing with American agencies along with the deployment of drones, helicopters and additional personnel to keep our border secure. A month ago as part of an agreement with the United States that paused the tariffs we made further commitments. We appointed Kevin Brosseau as our fentanyl czar, a man who dedicated his multi-decade career in law enforcement to combating organized crime networks and drug trafficking.

We designated seven drug cartels, sick evil groups who cynically profit off the pain and suffering of people on both sides of the border, as the terrorist organizations that they are. Just yesterday we launched a new joint operations partnership supported by a $200 million investment between Canada’s security and law enforcement agencies, a partnership that will enhance the coordination of information and intelligence in order to thwart criminal gangs involved in the illegal fentanyl trade.

Critically, our actions are working. As the U.S. customs and border protection just acknowledged, there was a 97 per cent drop in fentanyl seizures from January compared to December to a near zero low of less than half an ounce seized in January, even with all the further enforcements and actions we’ve taken at the border. In sum, we stepped up. We engaged closely and constructively with the president and his administration. We did everything we promised. We stuck to our word. We did it because we believe in working together to protect our citizens.

Now I want to speak directly to one specific American. Donald, in the over eight years you and I have worked together, we’ve done big things. We signed a historic deal that has created record jobs and growth in both of our countries. We’ve done big things together on the world stage as Canada and the U.S have done together for decades, for generations.

Now we should be working together to ensure even greater prosperity for North Americans in a very uncertain and challenging world. It’s not in my habit to agree with the Wall Street Journal but Donald, they point out that even though you’re a very smart guy, this is a very dumb thing to do. We two friends fighting is exactly what our opponents around the world want to see.

Now to my fellow Canadians. I won’t sugar coat it. This is going to be tough, even though we’re all going to pull together because that’s what we do. We will use every tool at our disposal so Canadian workers and businesses can weather this storm from expanding EI benefits and making them more flexible to providing direct supports to businesses. We will be there as needed to help.

But Canada, make no mistake. No matter how long this lasts, no matter what the cost, the federal government and other orders of government will be there for you. We will defend Canadian jobs. We will take measures to prevent predatory behaviour that threatens Canadian companies because of the impacts of this trade war leaving them open to takeovers. We will relentlessly fight to protect our economy. We will stand up for Canadians every single second of every single day because this country is worth fighting for.

We’ve been through tough spots before but every time we faced long odds and seemingly insurmountable obstacles, we’ve not only survived. We’ve emerged stronger than ever. Because when it comes to defending our great nation, there is no price we all aren’t willing to pay. Today is no different. Merci beaucoup mes amis.

Trump’s halt on military aid will hurt Ukraine’s defences. But it may not be fatal.

LONDON (AP) — The U.S. has been Ukraine’s biggest military backer since Russia’s full-scale invasion began three years ago. The suspension of that aid by the Trump administration doesn’t mean Ukraine’s defenses will quickly collapse.

But it’s a major blow that threatens to remove some of the most formidable weapons in Ukraine’s battlefield arsenal, and ratchets up pressure on Kyiv to accept a peace agreement.

Here’s a look at the decision and its implications.
How much of Ukraine’s aid comes from the U.S.?

The United States has given the Ukrainians more than $180 billion in assistance since Russia launched an all-out war on Feb. 24, 2022, including more than $66.5 billion in military aid.

Washington provides about 20% of Ukraine’s military supplies, and that includes the most lethal and important equipment, including longer-range missiles and Patriot air defense systems that can shoot down the most powerful Russian projectiles.

American military assistance also goes far beyond weapons and ammunition.

Ukrainian troops rely on satellite communications systems supplied by Elon Musk’s Starlink to communicate on the front line, and on American intelligence to track Russian troop movements and select targets for Ukrainian strikes. If the U.S. stops sharing data from satellites and other assets, it would badly affect Ukraine’s capability to strike back at Russia, and Ukraine’s other allies lack the resources to fill the gap.

“A lot will depend on what’s covered by the American suspension,” said Malcolm Chalmers, deputy director-general of defense think tank RUSI. “Will they suspend all technical assistance to Ukraine? That would have a more dramatic, more rapid impact than simply stopping the pipeline of arms.”
Why has Trump cut it off?

The White House said the U.S. is “pausing and reviewing” its Ukraine aid to “ensure that it is contributing to a solution.” The order will remain in effect until U.S. President Donald Trump determines that Ukraine has demonstrated a commitment to peace negotiations with Russia.

The decision follows an explosive meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week, in which Trump and U.S. Vice President JD Vance said he hasn’t expressed sufficient gratitude for American support.
What has been paused?

It’s murky at best.

Trump’s order pausing aid includes military assistance and weapons that had already been approved and were en route to Ukraine, according to a defense official. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing deliberations, said it’s not clear what weapons that includes or how much aid was stopped even as it was heading to Kyiv.

Since the war began, the U.S. had used two major ways to provide security assistance to Kyiv: presidential drawdown authority, or PDA, which takes weapons and supplies from Pentagon stockpiles and sends them quickly to the front, and the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which uses longer-term contracts to send weapons.

The official said some weapons approved by the Biden administration in recent months that were being provided through the PDA were affected by Trump’s pause. But no details are available.

As an example, a $500 million aid package was the last one approved in January, before President Joe Biden left office. It included missiles for air defense, ammunition bridging systems and other equipment. Officials did not know how much of that aid had already arrived in Ukraine and how much, if any of it, has been paused.

It’s also unclear whether Trump’s order has any impact on any of the contracts that were authorized or finalized under USAI during the Biden administration.
How will it change the battlefield?

The U.S. move won’t have an immediate impact on the battlefield, where Kyiv’s forces are struggling to stem a relentless Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian forces have slowed Russian advances along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line, where Russia is slowly gaining ground at a huge human and material cost.

The pause in aid will weaken air defenses and will hurt Ukraine’s ability to hit Russian targets far behind the front lines.

Alexander Kots, a Russian war blogger, said that for Ukraine, “the U.S. aid suspension is unpleasant but not deadly.”

He said that while Ukraine’s European allies can fill some of the gaps and provide artillery systems, they don’t have alternatives to the U.S.-made air defense systems and longer-range HIMARS missile systems that can strike ground targets up to 300 kilometers (200 miles) away.

Ukraine is already running low on missiles for the American-supplied Patriot systems, which are crucial to defending cities from Russian air attacks, according to Patrick Bury, a warfare expert at the U.K.‘s University of Bath.

“The problem is, a lot of what the U.S. provides is the stuff that Europe cannot, and other countries cannot, provide in the short term — high-end stuff," he said.

Ukraine has stockpiles of artillery shells and other munitions, and has ramped up domestic production of drones, which are now among the most important weapons in the war. It’s estimated that just over half of the military hardware used by Ukraine is domestically produced.

Chalmers, the RUSI expert, said the Ukrainians have built up their defense production and “are innovating at an incredible rate because of the pressure they’re under.”

“I think they will survive for quite some time,” he said. “But it’s a material blow, and it’s also a challenge to Europe.”
Can Ukraine’s other allies step up?

A summit in London on Sunday was aimed at getting European leaders to step up and put Ukraine in the best possible position before potential peace talks.

The U.K. announced that it would use 1.6 billion pounds ($2 billion) in export financing to supply 5,000 air defense missiles. The European Union has proposed an 800 billion-euro ($841 billion) plan to bolster the defenses of EU nations and provide Ukraine with military muscle.

But Samir Puri, director of the Center for Global Governance and Security at international affairs think tank Chatham House, said that European and American aid are intertwined.

“This was always a joint effort,” he said. “The U.S. gives a lot, the Europeans give a lot. You take away the Americans from that joint effort and … there’s just a huge component missing to the structure.”