• 9:53 a.m.: Turkish parliament votes on Finland's NATO bid

The Turkish parliament is due to vote on Finland's application to NATO on Thursday, according to the parliament's agenda seen by AFP. Turkey would thus become the last member of the Atlantic Alliance to ratify the Nordic country's accession.

The ratification will be voted on in a parliamentary session that begins at 14 p.m. (11 GMT).

  • 9:45 a.m.: U.S. journalist arrested in Russia for espionage

The Russian security services (FSB) have announced the arrest of Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich for spying.

The arrest of a foreign journalist on such a ground is unprecedented in Russia's recent history.

"The FSB foiled the illegal activity of the accredited correspondent (...) of the Moscow office of the American newspaper Wall Street Journal, citizen of the United States, Evan Gershkovich," the FSB said in a statement quoted by Russian agencies.

He is "suspected of spying for the United States" and of collecting information "on a company of the military-industrial complex" Russian.

Before joining the American daily in 2022, Evan Gershkovich was an AFP correspondent in Moscow and had previously worked for the Moscow Times, an English-language publication. A perfectly Russian-speaking journalist, the 31-year-old journalist is of Russian origin and his parents are settled in the United States.

  • 9:36 a.m.: Ukraine calls Russia's presidency of the UN Security Council a 'bad joke'

Ukraine has called Russia's incoming presidency of the UN Security Council, which begins Saturday for a month, a "bad joke."

"Russia's presidency of the UN Security Council on April 1 is a bad joke. Russia has usurped its siege; it is waging a colonial war; its president is a war criminal wanted by the ICC for child abduction," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuliba said on Twitter.

  • 1:25 am: US General Staff evokes "carnage" for Russians in Bakhmut

Gen. Mark Milley of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff said in Washington that Russia had made "no progress" around Bakhmut in the past three weeks. "This is carnage for the Russians," he said.

  • The essentials of the day of March 29

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director Rafael Grossi was able to visit the Zaporizhzhia plant on Wednesday. On the spot, he regretted an "increase in military activity" near the nuclear site occupied by Russian forces. For his part, President Vladimir Putin acknowledged that the sanctions imposed on his country could have "negative" consequences on the Russian economy.

With AFP and Reuters

The summary of the week France 24 invites you to look back on the news that marked the week

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