Latest news for 5 March 2026

UKRAINE

This war’s still on.

Russia has accused Ukraine of sinking the Russian-flagged LNG tanker Arctic Metagaz off the coast of Libya, using drones launched from Libyan territory. Meanwhile, Ukraine seems to be advancing on the battlefield, with its top general (Syrskyi) claiming it made more gains than losses last month. (Moscow Times)

CUBA

Isolation deepens.

An unexplained blackout has left millions of Cubans without power, amid fuel shortages exacerbated by US pressure. Meanwhile, Ecuador has expelled the entire staff of Cuba’s local embassy ahead of a White House summit on Saturday. (Al Jazeera)

JAPAN

Unification Church liquidated.

Japan’s high court has confirmed a lower ruling, calling for the dissolution of the controversial Unification Church on grounds its coercive donation tactics are “significantly harming the public welfare”. (Japan Times)

Comment: The name sounds normal enough to the unfamiliar, but this group teaches that a Korea-born tax felon was the second coming of Christ. Ex-PM Abe’s assassin was angry at his political ties to the group, which the shooter blamed for his own family’s financial ruin.

FRANCE

(Not) working together.

French family-owned defence giant Dassault is warning lofty plans for a joint Franco-German-Spanish next-gen fighter jet are “dead” unless Airbus (repping Germany and Spain) lets the French firm direct the project. Leaders announced the $120B project nine years ago. (Guardian)

Comment: It’s hard to think of a better example of Europe’s inability to cooperate. Guess what else happened the same year (2017) leaders announced this project? Palmer Luckey et al founded defence tech firm Anduril in California. Fast forward nine years and Anduril is now worth ~$89B, aka three times Dassault.

NEPAL

Voting day.

Millions head to the polls today (Thursday) for Nepal’s first elections since last year’s mass Gen Z-led anticorruption protests. Polls suggest the race is shaping up as a head-to-head between the old guard (communist four-time leader K.P. Sharma Oli) and newer voices like rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah. (Reuters)

COLOMBIA

Now we’re equal.

Bogota is planning to impose reciprocal 50% tariffs on a variety of Ecuadorian goods in retaliation for Ecuador’s own 50% levy on Colombia. (ColombiaOne)

Comment: There’s a political dimension here (conservative Quito vs left-leaning Bogota) plus a security dimension (Ecuador blaming Colombia for a recent collapse in security), but it’s also a big deal in trade circles wondering if Trump’s shoot-from-the-hip approach to tariffs will spread.

SENEGAL

UN chief nominee.

Burundi has formally nominated former Senegalese leader Macky Sall to succeed Antonio Guterres as the next UN Secretary General from January 1st. (AllAfrica)

Comment: It’s technically Latin America’s turn, which is why the other formal nominees (for now) include Argentina’s UN nuclear watchdog head Rafael Grossi, former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, and former Costa Rican VP Rebeca Grynspan.