“Paintings by Renoir, Cézanne and Matisse worth millions of euros were stolen in a heist on a museum near the Italian city of Parma, police say. Four masked men entered the Magnani Rocca Foundation villa on 22 March, police said, making off with Les Poissons by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Still Life with Cherries by Paul Cézanne and Odalisque on the Terrace by Henri Matisse. The gang was in and out in three minutes, Italian media outlets have reported, and was only interrupted by the museum’s alarm system, preventing them from stealing more. … The thieves involved in the robbery forced their way through the main door to the Villa dei Capolavori, nestled in the Parma countryside, and nabbed the paintings from the French Room on the building’s first floor, Italian media outlets have reported.” (03/30/26)
“White House ‘border czar’ Tom Homan said Sunday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents could remain at U.S. airports to assist security operations even though Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials are set to receive their paychecks. Homan, in news appearances Sunday, said that ICE’s presence at American airports hinges on how many TSA agents report back to work. More than 500 TSA workers have quit since a partial government shutdown in February over funding for the TSA’s parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security. Thousands of TSA employees, who as essential workers are expected to work without pay during the shutdown, called out sick, with many taking on other jobs to make ends meet, resulting in travelers trapped in long lines at airport security checkpoints.” (03/30/26)
“The president of the Central African Republic, Faustin-Archange Touadéra, was sworn in for a third term on Monday three months after a disputed general election. Touadéra will be serving a new seven-year term. He was declared the winner of the vote in December, which was boycotted by the coalition opposition party following a 2023 constitutional referendum that removed term limits and increased the presidential term from five to seven years. ‘We aspire to build a sovereign economy and ensure transparent management of our natural resources,’ Touadéra said at the swearing-in ceremony in Bangui, attended by the presidents of Congo-Brazzaville and Comoros. Opposition parties and civil society rejected the results of the election, which the Constitutional Council said that Touadéra won with 77.9% of the vote. ‘You have to be a fool to believe that,’ said Frédéric Godoba, a civil society activist.” (03/30/26)
“The Kremlin on Monday welcomed the arrival of a Russian-flagged oil tanker to Cuba, saying energy supplies to the fuel-starved island had been discussed with the U.S. ahead of its delivery. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow considered it its duty to help Cuba, according to Russian state news outlet RIA Novosti. He added that Havana needed petroleum products amid a de facto U.S. oil blockade. A Russian oil tanker carrying a humanitarian shipment of 100,000 tons of crude oil reportedly arrived in Cuba earlier in the day.” (03/30/26)
“An American E-3 Sentry was destroyed during Iran’s attack on the Prince Sultan air base in Saudi Arabia, according to US officials and new photos. Viral images circulated online and verified by the AFP show the E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System Aircraft (AWACS) ripped in two following Friday’s missile and drone assault. The destruction of the $270 million aircraft is a significant blow to America’s ability to get a real-time picture of battle and assess incoming attacks in the Middle East, retired Air Force Col. John Venable told The Wall Street Journal. … Twelve US service members were also reportedly injured after an Iranian missile and multiple drones hit the air base. … Multiple US refueling aircraft were also damaged in the attack.” (03/29/26)
“Protesters filled the streets Saturday at more than 3,300 rallies across all 50 states for No Kings, a movement that bills itself as nonviolent opposition to what organizers view as authoritarian rulers in the White House and beyond. … While real-time turnout is tough to measure, the coalition of left-leaning groups steering No Kings expected this weekend’s headcount to break records. The last eruption of nationwide gatherings in October drew approximately 7 million people, according to their tally.” (03/28/26)
“Bitcoin briefly fell to $65,112, its lowest level since the war-related February crash, before rebounding above $67,000 as Asian markets opened. The latest escalation in the conflict, including Houthi involvement, new U.S. troop deployments and Iranian attacks on aluminum facilities, rattled global markets and pushed Brent crude to about $115 a barrel. Bitcoin’s drop below its recent pattern of higher lows raises questions about whether its war-time trading range will hold, while surging oil and metals prices threaten broader inflation and could delay Federal Reserve rate cuts.” (03/30/26)
“All three people who died in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon were television journalists, it has been confirmed. The Lebanese trio were travelling in a car when they were killed on Saturday. Fatima Ftouni, an Al Mayadeen reporter, and Ali Shoaib, an Al Manar correspondent, were among those who died. It has emerged the third person killed was Ms Ftouni’s brother, cameraman Mohammed Ftouni. Fatima Ftouni had done a live report from southern Lebanon just before the strike in the Jezzine region. … Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun said the attack on the journalists was a war crime. … The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) described the bombing as a ‘targeted strike’ and claimed that Ali Shoaib was ‘a terrorist in the intelligence unit of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force.’ It added: ‘Additionally, the terrorist engaged in incitement against IDF troops and Israeli civilians, using his position as a channel to disseminate Hezbollah propaganda materials.'” (03/28/26)
“Russia’s Baltic Ust-Luga port, one of its largest petroleum export hubs, was damaged again on Sunday by a Ukrainian drone attack which sparked a blaze later brought under control, Russian officials said. It followed several Ukrainian drone strikes last week on Russia’s western energy corridor when facilities at the ports of Ust-Luga and Primorsk came under fire, igniting storage tanks and forcing a suspension of oil and oil product loadings. … The port, operated by Russian oil pipeline monopoly Transneft handles around 700,000 barrels per day of oil exports, and, according to sources, shipped 32.9 million metric tons of oil products in 2025.” (03/29/26)
“For the second year in a row, United States Vice President JD Vance has topped the straw poll at the 2026 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), one of the biggest right-wing gatherings in the country. The poll is a bellwether – albeit, not necessarily an accurate one – for who might ultimately become the Republican nominee for the next presidential race. … The results were revealed on stage Saturday. Vance had swept up 53 percent of the votes cast by nearly 1,600 attendees. But rising up the ranks was another senior official under US President Donald Trump: his top diplomat, Secretary of State Marco Rubio. A former senator from Florida, Rubio notched 35 percent of the vote. It was a markedly improved standing for Rubio, who tied for fourth place at last year’s CPAC straw poll.” (03/28/26)
