General forecasts of the AFP at 21:00 GMT

MAIN NEWS

UKRAINE RUSSIA CONFLICT: Biden calls Putin a “war criminal” for bombing civilians in Ukraine

MEXICO PRESS: Journalist murdered in Mexico, eighth in 2022

— UKRAINE RUSSIA CONFLICT

KIEV:

Biden calls Putin a “war criminal” for bombing civilians in Ukraine

US President Joe Biden called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” on Wednesday and announced massive military aid to Ukraine, where civilians were bombed in front of a store and market in the north and fleeing Mariupol in the south,

By Danny KEMP with Emmanuel DUPARCQ

(Ukraine conflict Russia US sanctions, Central Note, Update, 950 words - Already transmitted)

PHOTOS, INFOGRAPHICS, VIDEO

VARSOVIA:

Belarusian volunteers get ready to fight with Ukrainian forces

For the first time in his life, teenager Gleb Gunko will enter combat in Ukraine. The scenario is new, but the reasons are not. As a Belarusian, he sees this conflict as an extension of the struggle for democracy in his country.

By Anna Maria JAKUBEK

(Poland Belarus Ukraine conflict Russia, Feature, 750 words - Already broadcast)

PHOTOS

WASHINGTON:

Javelin, the anti-tank weapon symbol of Ukrainian resistance

Images of Ukrainian soldiers carrying Javelin missile launchers on their shoulders have gone around the world. This anti-tank weapon capable of piercing the most sophisticated armored vehicles, particularly useful in a guerrilla context, has become the symbol of Ukrainian resistance.

By Sylvie LANTEAUME

(US Ukraine conflict Russia defense armament, Focus, 650 words - Already aired)

PHOTO, VIDEO, INFOGRAPHIC

BRUSSELS: NATO rules out peace deployment in Ukraine, but will strengthen its eastern flank

The countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) closed the door on Wednesday to the possibility of sending a peace mission to Ukraine, as requested by the Deputy Prime Minister of Poland, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, although it will strengthen its eastern flank. (Russia Poland Ukraine NATO diplomacy defense, Note, 550 words - Already transmitted)

VIDEOS, PHOTOS

VIENNA:

Austria and Sweden, the two models that Russia proposes for Ukraine

Austria and Sweden are two non-NATO countries whose neutral status Russia cited as an example to apply in Ukraine, although, since the Russian invasion, both are questioning the feasibility of the model.

By Blaise GAUQUELIN, with Marc PRÉEL in Stockholm

(Austria Russia Sweden Ukraine diplomacy, Box, 500 words - Already transmitted)

PARIS:

Memes proliferate in Ukraine to escape the anguish of war

A gigantic Adolf Hitler leans over and patts a docile Vladimir Putin: it is one of the animated images that the official Ukrainian government account on Twitter posted on February 24, when the invasion began.

By Joseph BOYLE

(Ukraine conflict Russia culture press-internet memes, Focus, 500 words - Already aired)

PARIS:

Violent Islamist Movements Rejoice in Ukraine's 'Crusader War'

The major violent Islamist movements, with the exception of the Taliban, welcome the Russian offensive in Ukraine and the casualties it causes, while calling on their followers to depart from a “war between crusaders”.

By Joris FIORITI

(Ukraine Russia conflict religion jihadists, Focus, 600 words - Already aired)

PARIS:

Pink Floyd, Madonna, The Cure: the pop/rock sphere supports Ukraine

Madonna condemns the invasion, Iggy Pop cancels a tour of Russia, Sting asks for donations, The Cure promotes charitable t-shirts: initiatives in favor of Ukraine are multiplying in the rock and pop sphere.

By Philippe GRELARD

(US conflict Ukraine music people Russia GB, Focus, 450 words - Already broadcast)

PARIS:

Joseph Stiglitz asks Europeans to stop buying Russian oil and gas

The speed and intensity of the economic and financial sanctions decided against Russia will make them effective, but Europe must stop buying Russian oil and gas, Nobel Prize winner in economics Joseph Stiglitz said in an interview with AFP.

By Marie HEUCLIN

(EU economy inflation gas energy sanction Russia Ukraine, Interview, 600 words - Already aired)

PARIS:

In Chernobyl, a hundred employees, “hostages” of the war, fear the worst

“Save our loved ones!” , “Ukraine does not need a second Chernobyl”. Some 50 people demonstrated on Sunday in Slavutych, a small town near the famous nuclear power plant, where their relatives have been held since the start of the Russian offensive.

By Joris FIORITI

(Ukraine Russia nuclear conflict energy, Focus, 600 words - Already aired)

PARIS:

IEA fears strong “impact” of war in Ukraine on world oil supply

The International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Wednesday that it feared a strong “impact” on world oil supply due to sanctions imposed on Russia by the invasion of Ukraine, and estimated that Russian oil could not be replaced immediately.

By Julien MIVIELLE

(Ukraine Russia oil energy conflict, Focus, 500 words - Already aired)

Africa begins to feel the economic impact of the war in Ukraine

From Nigeria to Malawi, African countries are already suffering the economic consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which translates into increases in the prices of basic necessities and oil, raising fears of worsening poverty throughout the continent.

By Patrick MARKEY and Joel Olatunde Agoi, with AFP offices

(Africa Ukraine Russia conflict economy, Focus, 550 words - Already aired)

PHOTOS, VIDEO

PARIS:

Three weeks of Russian invasion of Ukraine

By Karinne DELORME

(Ukraine conflict Russia politics diplomacy, Timeline, 800 words - Already transmitted)

— MEXICO CRIMEN PRESS

MEXICO:

Journalist murdered in western Mexico, eighth in 2022

Journalist Armando Linares, director of the news portal Monitor Michoacán, was murdered Tuesday in western Mexico, making him the eighth journalist to be killed in the country during 2022.

(Mexico press criminal rights, Central Note, 700 words - Already transmitted)

AGUASCALIENTES, Mexico:

Between bullets, the distressing daily life of Mexican journalists

It's Monday and Maria is ready to report in Aguascalientes, in Mexico, but, threatened with death, she must perform a ritual before leaving home: ask the authorities to monitor her steps and hand over the itinerary to her escorts.

By Jennifer GONZALEZ COVARRUBIAS

(Mexico Press Rights Criminality Politics Diplomacy Corruption Media USA, Special Report, 950 words - Already aired)

PHOTOS, VIDEO

OTHER NEWS BY REGION

— AMERICA

WASHINGTON:

The US expects to be “close” with Iran to revive the nuclear pact

The United States estimated on Wednesday to be “close” to an agreement with Iran to revive the 2015 pact between the Iranian government and the major powers on limiting Tehran's nuclear program.

(USA Iran nuclear diplomacy, Central Note, 680 words - Already transmitted)

RETAMAS, Peru:

They find the body of a man and a baby under the rubble after avalanche in the Peruvian Andes

Rescuers found on Wednesday the bodies of a man and a one-month-old baby, two of the eight disappeared in the avalanche that razed several houses in an Andean town in northern Peru, authorities reported.

(Peru climate and health, Central Note, 620 words - Already transmitted)

PHOTOS, VIDEO, INFOGRAPHICS

TEGUCIGALPA:

Judge evaluates US request to extradite former President Hernandez for drug trafficking

A judge in Tegucigalpa is evaluating on Wednesday whether he grants the extradition to the United States of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández (2014-2022), accused of participating in the export of some 500 tons of cocaine to the United States.

(Honduras US Justice Drug Trafficking Politics, Note, 600 words - Already Transmitted)

PHOTOS

GUATEMALA CITY:

Detention of anti-corruption lawyers in Guatemala: revenge?

Are Guatemalan authorities taking revenge on prosecutors who investigated corruption cases in the country? Those who led the anti-mafia teams that shook high echelons of power in the country suspect that they did.

By Henry MORALES ARANA

(USA Guatemala Justice Corruption UN, Focus, 800 words - Already transmitted)

SAN SALVADOR:

Soldiers at the wheel of public transport in El Salvador

At a public transport stop full of users in San Salvador, a minibus on Route 42 is parked, with a soldier as a driver. The line has been tapped by the government of Nayib Bukele for illegally increasing the price of the ticket.

(Transport Armed Forces Policy, Report, 600 words - Already aired)

VIDEO PHOTOS

— EUROPE

LONDON:

Iran releases two British-Iranians detained for years

British-Iranians sentenced to prison in Iran on charges of sedition and espionage they deny were released on Wednesday after years of ordeal, coinciding with London's payment to Tehran of an old debt of £400 million.

By Anna CUENCA

(GB Iran prisoners diplomacy, Central Note, Update, 700 words - Already transmitted)

VIDEO, PHOTOS ARCHIVE, VIDEO ARCHIVE,

LONDON:

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the taste of freedom after the hell of an Iranian prison

Detained for six years in Iran where she experienced the hell of being imprisoned, British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is preparing to reunite with her husband and young daughter in London after a tireless fight for her release.

By Martine PAUWELS

(GB Prison Prisoners Iran Diplomacy Rights, Sketch, 600 words - Already aired)

PHOTOS ARCHIVE

AJACCIO, France:

France proposes an “autonomy” to Corsica after riots on the island

On Wednesday, France expressed its willingness to negotiate an “autonomy” for Corsica, a proposal cautiously received by local politicians after two weeks of tension on the island and which generated controversy 25 days after the presidential election.

By Maureen COFFLARD, with Toni CERDÀ in Paris

(France Corsica political aggression prisoners demonstrations, Central Note, 600 words - Already transmitted)

PHOTOS

-- ASIA

SEOUL:

New North Korean projectile launch fails

North Korea fired an unidentified shell on Wednesday that reportedly failed just after it was launched, the South Korean military said, while analysts warn that it could have been an intercontinental missile.

(Korea Korea Armed Forces, Central Note, 550 words - Already Transmitted)

China releases hospital beds in the face of wave of omicron cases

China released hospital beds on Wednesday to prevent them from being submerged by a wave of omicron cases, which has already caused the confinement of tens of millions of people.

By Poornima WEERASEKARA

(China Hong Kong virus health pandemic epidemic, Central Note, 450 words - Already transmitted)

PHOTOS

— MIDDLE EAST

ABU DABI:

Johnson in the Gulf amid fears of an energy crisis due to war in Ukraine

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson met on Wednesday with the leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, hoping to convince them to increase crude oil production to stop the price hike caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

By Rania SANJAR

(Saudi GB economy diplomacy conflict Ukraine UAE Russia, Central Note, Update, 600 words - Already transmitted)

PHOTOS, VIDEO

GAZA, Palestinian Territories:

Concern among the Palestinian group Hamas over the rapprochement between Turkey and Israel

Israeli President Isaac Herzog's recent visit to Turkey raises concern, but also some hope, in the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which has Ankara as a political rear base, analysts consulted by AFP say.

Por Adel ZAANOUN

(Israel Palestinians conflict diplomacy Turkey Gaza, Focus, 600 words - Already transmitted)

— ECONOMICS

WASHINGTON:

Fed raises interest rate for the first time since 2018 and increases inflation forecast

The US Federal Reserve (Fed, central bank) raised its benchmark interest rates Wednesday by a quarter of a percentage point to 0.25-0.50%, in its first increase since 2018, to address 40-year high inflation.

(US economy loans inflation macroeconomics rates, Central Note, 600 words - Already validated)

NEW YORK:

Oil continued to decline and is approaching the level before the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Oil prices continued to fall on Wednesday and are approaching pre-Russian invasion levels of Ukraine, weighed down by fears of a drop in demand for black gold and optimism about ongoing deals between Moscow and Kiev.

(oil US energy Russia China Iran Ukraine crude, Note, 550 words - Already transmitted)

Brazil's Central Bank Defines Interest Rate Hike Amid Strong Inflationary Pressures

The Central Bank of Brazil (BCB) defines this Wednesday whether it increases its benchmark interest rate by a percentage point as it did in February and as expected by the market, to 11.75%, in search of controlling inflation, exacerbated by the war in Ukraine.

(Brazil inflation rates consumption conflict, Central Note - 21H30 GMT)

The lockdown of Shenzen, the “Silicon Valley of China”, threatens the economy

The confinement of the city of Shenzhen, the “Silicon Valley of China” where video games and smartphones are produced for the whole world, threatens the good health of the Asian giant's economy and worries markets.

Por Beiyi SEOW

(China economy virus health epidemic pandemic, Box, 550 words - Already transmitted)

PHOTOS ARCHIVE

GIN:

WTO celebrates first commitment on patents for covid vaccines

The four major manufacturers of covid vaccines reached a compromise on the repeal of intellectual property rights, celebrated on Wednesday the head of the World Trade Organization (WTO), who called for a consensus on the issue of all member countries.

By Agnès PEDRERO (WTO pandemic patents trade vaccines virus health, Central Note, 580 words - Already transmitted)

MADRID:

Inditex (Zara) tripled profits in 2021 despite the persistence of the pandemic

Spanish fashion giant Inditex, owner of the Zara brand, recorded a high increase in profits in 2021, despite the impact of the omicron variant of the coronavirus on the results of the third quarter.

By Valentin BONTEMPS

(Spain textile utilities, Focus, 500 words - Already transmitted)

— SOCIETY

QUITO:

He broke the silence! : Ecuadorian biologists capture the song of a toad considered mute for a century

A very sharp sound in the forest caught the attention of Ecuadorian biologist Jorge Brito. He thought it was the cri-cri of a cricket, but he found a kind of toad with a prominent nose that since its discovery, a century ago, science believed to be dumb.

By Paola LOPEZ

(Ecuador animals environment science biology, Report, 700 words - Already transmitted)

PHOTOS AND VIDEO

CHICHIRIVICHE OF THE COAST, Venezuela:

Domino, the master of games in Venezuela and a game of masters

“Shoe! Get out! Get out! Get out!” , domino players in Chichiriviche de la Costa, a small fishing village about 50 km from Caracas, scream laughing over drinks.

By Patrick FORT

(Venezuela games domino society, Reportage, 650 words - Already aired)

VIDEO PHOTOS

PARIS:

The fatal attraction between Ben Affleck and Ana De Armas

If there's a director who knows how to make an erotic thriller in Hollywood, it's Adrian Lyne.

By Eric RANDOLPH

(film marriage USA people, Interview, 500 words - Already aired)

VIENNA:

Ai Weiwei exhibits in Vienna and laments the “shaky foundations” of democracy

Russia's invasion of Ukraine highlights the “shaky foundations” of democracy, according to dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, whose work is the subject of an ambitious retrospective in Vienna.

(Austria China culture dissent Russia Ukraine conflict, Photostory, 350 words - Already aired)

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