enToday's news, livenews and breaking top stories on France 24https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/Mon, 30 Mar 2026 02:57:15 GMTBusinesshttps://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260330-philippines-oil-refinery-secures-2-5-mn-barrels-of-russian-crude The Philippines has seen the price of fuel hit historic highs since the US-Israeli war with Iran forced the partial closure of the Strait of Hormuz, with President Ferdinand Marcos most recently saying stocks could last until June 30. AFP reported last week that a tanker filled with Russian crude oil had arrived at the harbour servicing refinery operator Petron Corp, a purchase unthinkable before longtime treaty ally the United States eased sanctions tied to Moscow's war in Ukraine. In a report to the Philippine stock exchange released Monday, Petron said it had agreed to purchase Russian crude after seeing at least four million barrels in shipments cancelled since the start of the Middle East war. "The purchases were undertaken strictly out of extreme necessity as an extraordinary emergency measure in response to unprecedented geopolitical and supply-chain disruptions and only after exhausting all commercially and operationally viable alternatives," the report reads. "A refinery shutdown for failure to secure crude would lead to serious nationwide fuel shortages and sharp price spikes," said the company, whose refinery accounts for about 30 percent of the country's fuel needs. Since the war began, the cost of diesel and gasoline has skyrocketed, driving protests by groups representing the country's jeepney drivers and others. Prices were set to tick up again on Tuesday. The United States earlier this month eased some restrictions on sales of Russian crude, allowing countries to purchase oil that was already at sea until April 11. The Philippines' Department of Energy last week announced the arrival of 142,000 barrels of government-procured diesel, part of its target of "up to two million barrels of additional supply for the country". Energy secretary Sharon Garin told AFP that shipment had come from Japan. c2ae5d30-2be2-11f1-bc10-4d0d8de26555Mon, 30 Mar 2026 02:47:14 GMT© Ted ALJIBE / AFPFRANCE24Sporthttps://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260330-king-kimi-max-misery-bearman-smash-japan-gp-talking-points AFP Sport looks at three talking points from the third race weekend on the 2026 Formula One calendar: Mercedes protect teen hero Antonelli is in only his second season, but already Mercedes are playing down expectations of the 19-year-old -- now the youngest title race leader in Formula One history. "We need to protect him now from people talking about world championships," said Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff after the race. Antonelli admitted he had a stroke of fortune with a safety car that enabled him to dive in for fresh tyres and emerge in the lead after his rivals had already pitted. It was the second race in a row where a slow getaway saw him relegated from pole position and having to play catch-up. "I had a terrible start. I need to check what happened. Then I was lucky with the safety car to be in the lead but then the pace was incredible," said Antonelli "Luckily, I've got three weeks, so now I can practise some clutch drops just to get a better feel with it. "It's been a weak point and I need to improve because you can easily win or lose races." Verstappen quit threat Red Bull's four-time world champion Verstappen openly questioned his future in Formula One after finishing eighth and lashing out again about the new cars and regulations. "It's really anti-driving," he told the BBC. "Then at one point, yeah, it's just not what I want to do." Verstappen had won at Suzuka in each of the previous four years but was way off the pace and even waved goodbye to one car that overtook him, knowing that he did not have any capability to strike back. The Dutchman said Formula One bosses "know what to do" to address his concerns and added: "You don't need to feel sorry for me, I'll be fine." Bearman sparks safety call Oliver Bearman escaped serious injury in a horror crash which prompted drivers to call for changes in the regulations. The 20-year-old's Haas was closing rapidly at high speed on Franco Colapinto and smashed into the barriers after swerving to avoid the Argentine's Alpine. Drivers and teams complained it had been an accident waiting to happen because of Formula One's new regulations that mean cars can be travelling at drastically different speeds on the track at the same time. "These kind of closing speeds and these kind of accidents were always going to happen, and I'm not very happy with what we've had up until now," Grand Prix Drivers' Association chief Carlos Sainz told Sky Sports F1. "Hopefully we come up with a better solution that doesn't create these massive closing speeds and a safer way of going racing," added the Williams driver. Bearman said: "I think we've, as a group, warned the FIA what can happen, and this has been a really unfortunate result." c2141626-2be2-11f1-88fd-dd05b0d993c8Mon, 30 Mar 2026 02:47:13 GMT© Philip FONG / AFPFRANCE24Mid-Easthttps://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260330-syrian-president-to-talk-war-migrants-on-germany-visit Sharaa, on his first trip to Germany since ousting Syria's longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, is expected to meet Chancellor Friedrich Merz and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The former Islamist rebel leader has managed to build relations with Western governments and made several overseas trips, including to the United States, France and Russia. As a result, many international sanctions on Syria have been lifted to help the country rebuild after its bloody 14-year civil war. German government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said Merz and Sharaa would discuss the Middle East war, Syria's political situation and reconstruction efforts, and the return of Syrians to their homeland. While in Berlin, Sharaa will also join a political and business forum exploring "prospects for economic recovery and the reconstruction of Syria", a German foreign ministry spokesman said. "With the lifting of numerous EU, UN and other sanctions following the end of the Assad regime, the foundations for (economic recovery) have been laid," he said. Ahead of the visit, the German interior ministry announced a new initiative to provide support to Syria's disaster management ministry and help train emergency services. Asked whether the talks would also address the case of German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann, who is missing in Syria, the foreign ministry spokesman said Berlin was "looking into" the matter. 'No grounds for asylum' Roughly one million Syrians fled their war-torn country for Germany in recent years, many of them arriving at the peak of the migrant influx in 2015-16 to escape the civil war. The conservative Merz, who took power last May, has stepped up a drive to limit irregular immigration as he seeks to counter the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Merz said last year that, with Syria's civil war over, people from that country now have "no grounds for asylum in Germany". The government in December resumed deporting criminals to Syria, though only a handful of cases have gone ahead so far. Merz also said he assumed many Syrians would return home voluntarily, drawing criticism from campaign groups who cite continued instability and rights abuses in Syria. Since Sharaa has been in power, sectarian tensions have continued to cause repeated bloodshed, while the Islamic State group remains active. After Assad's overthrow, Israel moved its forces into the UN-patrolled demilitarised zone on the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, and has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria as well as regular incursions. Protest against visit Sharaa was initially planning to visit Germany in January, but the trip was postponed as he sought to end fighting between Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the country's north. The KGD group that represents the Kurdish community in Germany charged that Sharaa "bears responsibility for numerous human rights violations, war crimes and crimes against humanity". "Back in January, together with other civil society organisations, we had already voiced strong criticism of the planned visit and called for protests," said Ali Ertan Toprak, chairman of the group. "Despite these objections, the German government has so far stood by the invitation. We consider this to be expressly wrong." Representatives of the Syrian Christian Aramean minority meanwhile called for a "comprehensive political approach that recognises and institutionally anchors the country's historic diversity". A demonstration against the plan to send refugees back to Syria has been registered in Berlin on Monday under the motto "No deportation deals with human rights abusers". 877595dc-2be0-11f1-8d31-4d0d8de26555Mon, 30 Mar 2026 02:31:16 GMT© Rami al SAYED / AFPFRANCE24Sporthttps://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260330-all-blacks-prop-williams-out-of-super-rugby-season-with-back-infection The 25-year-old is under medical care after being diagnosed with discitis -– an infection in one of the discs in his spine, his club said. Williams will remain in hospital until he is stable enough to return home. He will play no further part in the Super Rugby season, which runs until the final in mid-June, with his return beyond that guided by medical advice. The All Blacks kick off their season against France in Christchurch on July 4. "I'm feeling gutted, but I'm also grateful that the news isn't as bad as what it could be," said Williams, who has been capped 26 times by New Zealand. "Being in hospital you see a lot and it makes you appreciate that this place is here to save us. "I've been told I'm going to make a 100 percent recovery, so I'm thankful for that." The defending champion Crusaders are currently sixth on the 11-team Super Rugby ladder after round seven. a722d8dc-2bda-11f1-afe3-4d0d8de26555Mon, 30 Mar 2026 01:49:12 GMT© Miguel MEDINA / AFPFRANCE24Digital Worldhttps://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260330-life-with-ai-causing-human-brain-fry Too many lines of code to analyze, armies of AI assistants to wrangle, and lengthy prompts to draft are among the laments by hard-core AI adopters. Consultants at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) have dubbed the phenomenon "AI brain fry," a state of mental exhaustion stemming "from the excessive use or supervision of artificial intelligence tools, pushed beyond our cognitive limits." The rise of AI agents that tend to computer tasks on demand has put users in the position of managing smart, fast digital workers rather than having to grind through jobs themselves. "It's a brand-new kind of cognitive load," said Ben Wigler, co-founder of the start-up LoveMind AI. "You have to really babysit these models." People experiencing AI burnout are not casually dabbling with the technology -- They are creating legions of agents that need to be constantly managed, according to Tim Norton, founder of the AI integration consultancy nouvreLabs. "That's what's causing the burnout," Norton wrote in an X post. However, BCG and others do not see it as a case of AI causing people to get burned out on their jobs. A BCG study of 1,488 professionals in the United States actually found a decline in burnout rates when AI took over repetitive work tasks. Coding vigilance For now, "brain fry" is primarily a bane for software developers given that AI agents have excelled quickly at writing computer code. "The cruel irony is that AI-generated code requires more careful review than human-written code," software engineer Siddhant Khare wrote in a blog post. "It is very scary to commit to hundreds of lines of AI-written code because there is a risk of security flaws or simply not understanding the entire codebase," added Adam Mackintosh, a programmer for a Canadian company. And if AI agents are not kept on course by a human, they could misunderstand an instruction and wander down an errant processing path, resulting in a business paying for wasted computing power. 'Irritable' Wigler noted that the promise of hitting goals fast with AI tempts tech start-up teams already prone to long workdays to lose track of time and stay on the job even deeper into the night. "There is a unique kind of reward hacking that can go on when you have productivity at the scale that encourages even later hours," Wigler said. Mackintosh recalled spending 15 consecutive hours fine-tuning around 25,000 lines of code in an application. "At the end, I felt like I couldn't code anymore," he recalled. "I could tell my dopamine was shot because I was irritable and didn't want to answer basic questions about my day." A musician and teacher who asked to remain anonymous spoke of struggling to put his brain "on pause", instead spending evenings experimenting with AI. Nonetheless, everyone interviewed for this story expressed overall positive views of AI despite the downsides. BCG recommends in a recently published study that company leaders establish clear limits regarding employee use and supervision of AI. However, "That self-care piece is not really an America workplace value," Wigler said. "So, I am very skeptical as to whether or not its going to be healthy or even high quality in the long term." 6a570984-2bd8-11f1-9bfc-29b278ca604dMon, 30 Mar 2026 01:33:11 GMT© Michael M. Santiago / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFPFRANCE24Internationalhttps://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260330-dubious-ai-detectors-drive-pay-to-humanize-scam As AI falsehoods explode across social media, often outpacing the capacity of professional fact-checkers, bogus detectors risk adding another layer of deception to an already fractured information ecosystem. While even reliable AI detectors can produce false results, researchers say a crop of fraudulent tools has emerged online, easily weaponized to discredit authentic content and tarnish reputations. AFP's fact-checkers identified three such text detectors that claim to estimate what percentage is AI-generated. The tools -- prompted in four languages -- not only misidentified authentic text as AI-generated but also attempted to monetize those errors. One detector, JustDone AI, processed a human-written report about the US-Iran war and wrongly concluded it contained "88% AI content." It then offered to scrub any trace of AI for a fee. "Your AI text is humanizing," the site claimed, leading to a page where "100% unique text" was locked behind a paywall charging up to $9.99. Two other tools -- TextGuard and Refinely -- produced similar false positives and sought to monetize them. 'Scams' AFP presented its findings to all three detectors. "Our system operates using modern AI models, and the results it provides are considered accurate within our technology," TextGuard's support team told AFP. "At the same time, we cannot guarantee or compare results with other systems." JustDone also reiterated that "no AI detector can guarantee 100 percent accuracy." It acknowledged the free version of its AI detector "may provide less precise results" due to "high demand and the use of a lighter model designed for quick access." Echoing AFP's findings, one user on a review platform complained that "even with 100% human-written material, JustDone still flags it as AI." AFP fed the tools multiple human-written samples -- in Dutch, Greek, Hungarian, and English. All were wrongly flagged as having high AI content, including passages from an acclaimed 1916 Hungarian classic. The tools returned AI flags regardless of input -- even for nonsensical text. JustDone and Refinely appeared to operate even without an internet connection, suggesting their results may be scripted rather than genuine technical analysis. "These are not AI detectors but scams to sell a 'humanizing' tool that will often return what we call 'tortured phrases'" -- unrelated jargon or nonsensical alternatives -- Debora Weber-Wulff, a Germany-based academic who has researched detection tools, told AFP. 'Liar's dividend' Illustrating how such tools can be used to discredit individuals, pro‑government influencers in Hungary claimed earlier this year that a document outlining the opposition's election campaign had been entirely created by AI. To support the unfounded allegation, they circulated screenshots on social media showing results from JustDone. The tools tested by AFP sought to lure students and academics as clients, with two of them claiming their users came from top institutions such as Cornell University. Cornell University told AFP it "does not have any established relations with AI detector companies." "Generative AI does provide an increased risk that students may use it to submit work that is not their own," the university said. "Unfortunately, it is unlikely that detection technologies will provide a workable solution to this problem. It can be very difficult to accurately detect AI-generated content." Fact-checkers, including those from AFP, often rely on AI visual detection tools developed by experts, which typically look for hidden watermarks and other digital clues. However, they too can sometimes produce errors, making it necessary to supplement their findings with additional evidence such as open-source data. The stakes are high as false readings from unreliable detectors threaten to erode trust in AI verification broadly -- and feed a disinformation tactic researchers have dubbed the "liar's dividend": dismissing authentic content as AI fabrications. "We often report on misinformers and other hoaxsters using AI to fabricate false images and videos," said Waqar Rizvi from the misinformation tracker NewsGuard. "Now, (we are) monitoring the opposite, but no less insidious phenomenon: claims that a visual was created by AI when in fact, it's authentic." burs-ac/dw 6a08d368-2bd8-11f1-b876-a1d3b0fa616dMon, 30 Mar 2026 01:33:11 GMT© Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFPFRANCE24Sporthttps://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260330-test-star-carey-the-hero-as-south-australia-win-sheffield-shield-final Facing defeat at 79-5 in the second innings, Carey stepped up to crunch 103 in a crucial late stand with number nine Nathan McAndrew (60). Their bowlers then finished the job at Melbourne's Junction Oval to deny Victoria a first domestic red-ball crown since 2018-19. "Very nervous, thinking maybe the game had just slipped through our hands," South Australia captain Nathan McSweeney told reporters. "But the boys, Kez (Carey) and Macca (McAndrew), to be able to spend so much time in the middle and chip away at a total... then to get 195 ahead just gave us so much momentum and something to really bowl at. "Our quicks have been great all year. To give them the ball and go to work was fantastic to see," he added. Victoria took an early stranglehold on the five-day decider when they dismissed South Australia for 198, with Will Sutherland taking 4-54 and Fergus O'Neill 3-30. In reply, the hosts hit 261 on the back of O'Neill's unbeaten 64 and former Australian opener Marcus Harris's 40. When South Australia were reduced to 79-5 in their second innings, they looked doomed. But Carey dug in, sharing in a 105-run stand with McAndrew to set a tricky target of 196 for Victoria to chase. They reached 102-3 but then collapsed, losing 7-37 to be all out for 139 with McAndrew, Liam Scott and Henry Thornton all taking three wickets. "The key moment was probably that partnership between McAndrew and Carey," said Victoria skipper Sutherland. "I still think we probably could have got it done this morning... it's still a bit of a young group that can maybe handle those chases under high pressure slightly better I think." Last year South Australia beat Queensland in the final, with a superb Carey century again leading the way. 242498f0-2bd8-11f1-a422-29b278ca604dMon, 30 Mar 2026 01:31:13 GMT© William WEST / AFPFRANCE24Sporthttps://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260330-defending-champ-kim-hyo-joo-holds-off-korda-to-win-lpga-ford-championship Kim, who had set the LPGA 54-hole scoring record at 25-under on Saturday, fired a three-under par 69 for a 28-under total and a two-shot win over Korda at Whirlwind Golf Club in Phoenix, Arizona. "It feels fantastic," said Kim, the world number four who last week withstood a late surge by Korda to win the Founders Cup by one stroke. She had more breathing room on Sunday after firing impressive 61s in the first and third rounds, starting the day with a four-shot lead and picking up birdies in three of her first seven holes. A double bogey at the eighth cut her lead to one stroke, but she responded with birdies at 10 and 12 that pushed her lead back to four. After a bogey at 16, Kim nabbed her last birdie of the day at the par-five 17th. "Hyo-joo has been playing amazing golf," said Korda, who had two eagles and four birdies in her five-under 67 for 262. Kim, 30, bagged her ninth LPGA title, making her first successful title defense and claiming multiple wins in a season for the first time. "It has been inspiring to see," said Korda after being alongside the South Korean for a second straight weekend. "Playing with her I definitely elevate my game." Korda made sure of solo second place with a bravura finish that featured an eagle at the 17th and a birdie at the last. Japan's Minami Katsu had charged up the leaderboard with seven birdies in a seven-under 65, her 23-under total briefly pulling her level with Korda before she settled for third. Korda, who claimed her first win since her seven-title 2024 season when she captured the season-opening Tournament of Champions, said she had little to fault in her game. "I mean, two eagles today," Korda said. "Made some solid putts, missed one or two that I wish I could get back, but that's just golf. "(I'm) just excited with the way my game is going and I'm excited to keep improving." 069150f4-2bd7-11f1-b557-a1d3b0fa616dMon, 30 Mar 2026 01:23:14 GMT© Sarah Stier / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFPFRANCE24Internationalhttps://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260330-australian-police-shoot-dead-fugitive-wanted-for-killing-officers Desmond Freeman fled into dense bushland in August last year after shooting and killing two police officers who came to search his rural home in Victoria state. Hundreds of police have pursued Freeman through the region's rugged terrain over the past seven months, pouring resources into one of Australia's largest manhunts. Police tracked Freeman to a caravan parked on a "very remote" property in rural Victoria, police commissioner Mike Bush said, shooting him after he refused pleas to surrender. "Everything I know at this point tells me that this shooting was justified," Bush told reporters. "There was a standoff. There was an opportunity for him to surrender peacefully, which he did not." The state coroner would now confirm the identity of the body and cause of death, he added. Local media described Freeman as a conspiracy theorist and member of the so-called "sovereign citizen" movement, which falsely believes it is not subject to the law. While fighting a speeding penalty in a Melbourne court, Freeman referred to police as "frigging Nazis", "Gestapo" and "terrorist thugs", according to court documents. The 56-year-old -- known as "Dezi" -- escaped into a national park littered with disused mineshafts. Helicopters, dog squads and reinforcements from New Zealand were dispatched to help track Freeman, who reportedly possessed strong bushcraft and outdoor survival skills. Police considered Freeman armed and dangerous. At one point involving around 450 police officers, the manhunt was one of the "most significantly resourced police operations" in Australian history, Bush said. 'Courage and bravery' Police believed Freeman may have evaded capture with the help of locals sympathetic to his anti-authority views. "It would be very difficult for him to get to where he was without assistance," Bush said. They offered a Aus$1 million ($685,000) reward -- the largest possible -- for information that helped bring him into custody. Freeman opened fire on police as they raided his home in the small village of Porepunkah in August. He killed 59-year-old detective Neal Thompson and 35-year-old senior constable Vadim De Waart. A third officer was wounded in the lower body. "Today, we won't reflect on the loss of a coward," said the Police Association of Victoria. "We will remember the courage and bravery of our fallen members and every officer that has doggedly pursued this outcome for the community." While the reason for the search warrant has not been released, police said at the time the team included members of the sexual offences and child investigation squad. cca40890-2bcd-11f1-ab09-29d9c63df84bMon, 30 Mar 2026 00:17:11 GMT© William WEST / AFPFRANCE24Internationalhttps://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260330-uk-police-question-suspect-after-car-hits-pedestrians-in-english-city Police in Derby, about 40 miles (64 kilometres) north of Birmingham, said counter-terrorism officers were supporting the probe but they had not yet determined a motive for the incident there late Saturday. In an update Sunday, Chief Superintendent Emma Aldred told reporters investigators believe the "horrific incident" was "isolated" and that there was "no wider risk to the public". "Officers were on scene just seconds after a car collided with pedestrians who were simply enjoying a night out in Derby," she said. "While none of those injured in the incident have suffered life-threatening physical injuries, the impact on them, I am sure, is just beginning to be felt." Aldred noted the involvement of counter-terror officers was "common practice for an incident of this nature" as police probe the circumstances and a possible motive. "I would like to clarify that this does not mean the incident is currently being treated as terrorism," she added. The 36-year-old in custody is originally from India but is a Derby resident who has lived in the UK "for a number of years," according to Aldred. UK police forces have started to release such details in some high-profile cases, after a 2024 Southport mass stabbing targeting children was initially falsely blamed on a purported immigrant. Misinformation online was viewed as helping to fuel anti-immigration riots that subsequently swept the country. Seven injured The suspect in the Derby incident was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, causing serious injury through dangerous driving, inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent, and dangerous driving. Police have opted not to provide any further details about him. The interior ministry declined to comment on his immigration and citizenship status. "The police are leading the investigation and ministers are being kept updated as it progresses," a spokeswoman for the ministry said. Officers detained the suspect on the other side of central Derby seven minutes after the incident unfolded, thanks to eyewitnesses reporting the vehicle's movements in its aftermath, police said. The black Suzuki Swift car had struck the pedestrians at about 9:30 pm (2130 GMT) in the area around Friar Gate which is a popular nightlife spot. The seven injured, some seriously according to police, were treated at the scene and then taken to Royal Derby Hospital and Queen's Medical Centre in the nearby city of Nottingham. Interior minister Shabana Mahmood was being kept updated on the incident, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told the BBC. 6935ddf2-2bcc-11f1-869a-d9b588e44347Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:07:15 GMT© Darren Staples / AFPFRANCE24Sporthttps://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260329-world-number-two-sinner-overpowers-lehecka-to-win-miami-open Sinner had to wait out rain delays before and during the match to complete his "Sunshine Double," becoming the first man to sweep the elite hard court tournaments in California and Florida since Roger Federer in 2017 and the first to do so without dropping a set. In fact, Sinner -- who won Miami in 2024 but missed last year as he served a three-month doping ban -- has now won three straight Masters 1000 events, starting with a victory in Paris last year. "It's a very, very special moment," Sinner said. "Coming here, performing again in a very good way after Indian Wells means a lot to me. "It's something I never would've thought (I'd win) because it's difficult to achieve." Sinner's victory, coupled with Aryna Sabalenka's triumph over Coco Gauff on Saturday, mark the first time the Indian Wells-Miami sweep was achieved on both the men's and women's sides since Novak Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka both did it in 2016. It also saw the Italian gain a bit on Spain's Carlos Alcaraz -- who was upset in the third round -- in the race for world number one as the clay court season beckons. Early showers saw the match delayed for more than an hour. Sinner had just pocketed the first set when the showers hit again, halting the match for 90 minutes. It wasn't enough to unsettle Sinner, who fired 10 aces and won 33 of 36 points when he put his first serve in play. His return game was also spot on as he handed 22nd-ranked Czech Lehecka his first service break of the tournament for a 2-1 lead in the opening frame. Sinner trailed 0-40 in the following game but fired three service winners and a pair of aces to hold. "I tried to be focused," Sinner said. "I tried to understand why I missed the first serves before. In the beginning, the conditions were very different ... very, very heavy balls. I missed a couple of first serves in the net because they were quite heavy." 'Very precise' He said Lehecka's aggressive return game also gave him pause. "You have to hit very precise. If not, he has it on the racquet," Sinner said. But he made the advantage stand up and gave himself a first set point in the ninth game with a blistering cross-court forehand service return winner. Lehecka saved that one with a service winner and saved another set point with a volley, going on to seal the hold on his sixth game point before Sinner pocketed the set with a love game. Lehecka fought off five more break points before Sinner pounced for the lone break of the second set and a 5-4 lead, the Czech gifting Sinner a break chance with a loose forehand. Sinner didn't face a break point in the second set and gave himself a match point with a forehand volley winner, thought he had it on a serve that was called a let, and polished it off with another winner at the net. While Lehecka, playing in his first Masters 1000 final, couldn't follow compatriot Jakub Mensik into the Miami winner's circle, he will reach a career-high 14th in the world rankings on Monday. "I came here with not good form and I was able to come back to the tennis that I want to play," Lehecka said at the trophy ceremony. 00c24022-2bcb-11f1-8f6b-d9b588e44347Sun, 29 Mar 2026 23:57:10 GMT© MATTHEW STOCKMAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFPFRANCE24Internationalhttps://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260329-latin-patriarch-to-get-immediate-access-to-holy-sepulchre-netanyahu "I have instructed the relevant authorities that Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch, be granted full and immediate access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem," Netanyahu tweeted on X. Israeli police had prevented the senior Catholic cleric from entering Christianity's most sacred site to celebrate Palm Sunday mass over what Netanyahu had said were security concerns, provoking protests from the European Union and several European countries. Netanyahu elaborated on Israel's security concerns in his post. "Over the past several days, Iran has repeatedly targeted the holy sites of all three monotheistic religions in Jerusalem with ballistic missiles," he wrote. "In one strike, missile fragments crashed meters from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre." It was to protect worshippers that Israel had asked people of all faiths to "temporarily abstain" from worshipping at all the holy sites in Jerusalem's Old City, he added. dbdbe124-2bc4-11f1-9e6b-b14cecbfc0c4Sun, 29 Mar 2026 23:13:12 GMT© Ammar Awad / POOL/AFPFRANCE24Internationalhttps://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260329-russian-tanker-heads-to-cuba-despite-us-oil-blockade While the shipment would give the country some relief, Trump renewed his threats against the communist government, predicting that it would fail "within a short period of time." The Anatoly Kolodkin, which is carrying 730,000 barrels of crude, was off northeast Cuba on Sunday evening and is expected to dock in the western port of Matanzas by Tuesday, according to shipping tracker MarineTraffic. It would be the first shipment of oil to the island since January, bringing some temporary relief to the country of 9.6 million people that has endured a deepening energy and economic crisis. "If a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem with that, whether it's Russia or not," Trump told reporters as he flew back to Washington from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. "Cuba's finished, they have a bad regime, they have very bad and corrupt leadership, and whether or not they get a boat of oil it's not going to matter," Trump said. "I'd prefer letting it in, whether it's Russia or anybody else, because the people need heat and cooling and all of the other things that you need," he added. Cuba lost its main regional ally and oil supplier in January when US forces captured Venezuela's socialist leader Nicolas Maduro. Trump subsequently threatened to impose tariffs on any country sending oil to Cuba and has mused about "taking" the island. "Within a short period of time, it's going to fail, and we will be there to help it out," he said Sunday. "We'll be there to help our great Cuban Americans out who were thrown out of Cuba, in many cases, their family members were mutilated and killed by (Fidel) Castro...Cuba's going to be next." Daily outages After Washington launched the oil blockade, President Miguel Diaz-Canel imposed emergency measures to conserve fuel, including strict rationing of gasoline. He warned this month that "any external aggressor will encounter an unbreakable resistance." Fuel prices have soared, public transport has dwindled and some airlines have suspended flights to Cuba, hitting the country's fragile economy. Cubans have endured regular outages as its aging power plants struggle to meet demand, with seven nationwide blackouts since 2024, including two this month, sparking rare protests. A humanitarian aid convoy brought more than 50 tonnes of medicine, food, solar panels and other goods to Cuba by air and sea in recent days. The Anatoly Kolodkin, which is under US sanctions, left the Russian port of Primorsk on March 8. It was escorted by a Russian navy ship across the English Channel, but the two vessels parted ways when the tanker entered the Atlantic Ocean, according to the British Royal Navy. The New York Times, citing an unnamed US official briefed on the matter, said the US Coast Guard was allowing the tanker to reach Cuba. The US Coast Guard did not reply to an AFP request for comment. Another ship that was reportedly carrying Russian diesel to Cuba, the Hong Kong-flagged Sea Horse, rerouted to Venezuela this week. Diesel an 'urgent need' Once the Anatoly Kolodkin's crude arrives in Cuba, it would take about 15-20 days to process the oil and another 5-10 days to deliver its refined products, according to Jorge Pinon, an expert on Cuba's energy sector at the University of Texas at Austin. "The urgent need today in Cuba is diesel," the former oil executive said. The Russian shipment could be converted into 250,000 barrels of diesel, enough to cover the country's demand for around 12.5 days, Pinon said. Pinon said the government would have to decide whether to use the fuel for backup power generators or for buses, tractors and trains needed to keep the economy going for two weeks. "If you are Diaz-Canel or somebody making the decision, you go, 'OK, where where do I go with that diesel?'" he said. "Do I want to generate more electricity so there are less apagones (blackouts)? Or do I want to put it in the transportation sector?" f6088268-2bc0-11f1-af8f-8b510e270ad0Sun, 29 Mar 2026 22:45:18 GMT© STRINGER / AFP/FileFRANCE24Sporthttps://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260329-woodland-takes-houston-open-first-win-since-2019-us-open The 41-year-old American fired a three-under par 67 in Sunday's final round at Memorial Park to finish 72 holes on a tournament record 21-under 259 and defeat Dane Nicolai Hojgaard by five strokes. A tearful Woodland had disclosed earlier this month that he still fights post-traumatic stress disorder following 2023 surgery to remove a brain tumor. Just weeks later, Woodland took his first victory in seven years after admitting he has wanted to walk off golf courses numerous times during his struggle to find lost form. "Anybody that's struggling with something, I hope they see me and don't give up, just keep fighting," Woodland said as he wiped away tears on the 18th green moments after completing the long-sought victory. Spectators chanted his name while Woodland waited to make his final shots on the 18th green, then erupted in cheers as he tapped in for the triumph then looked up and exhaled, then tearfully embraced his wife, Gabby. "There's no chance I could do this without Gabby for sure," Woodland said. "This has been hard on me, and a lot harder on her and I love her to death. "We play an individual sport out here but I wasn't alone today. I've got a lot of people behind me, my team, my family and this golf world." Even in his moment of triumph, Woodland realized his battle with his own emotions is far from over. "It's just another day that I've got to keep healing. Today was a good day but I'm going to keep fighting," he said. "I've got a big fight ahead of me and I'm going to keep going -- but I'm proud of myself right now." With the victory, Woodland booked himself a spot in the Masters next month at Augusta National, where his best finish was a share of 14th in 2023. "My game is better than it has ever been," Woodland said. "I've got to battle some stuff with that but my game is (fine)." Woodland, leading after 54 holes for the first time since his US Open victory at Pebble Beach, grabbed his fifth career title, a run that also includes the 2011 Transitions Championship, the 2013 Reno-Tahoe Open and 2018 Phoenix Open. World number 139 Woodland, a Houston runner-up last year, became the seventh player age 40 or older to win the Houston title. Defending champion Min Woo Lee of Australia shared third on 265 with American Johnny Keefer. Woodland sank a 10-foot birdie putt at the fifth hole and closed out the front nine with three birdies in a row -- a putt from just inside 25 feet at the par-three seventh, a tap-in after landing his approach inches from the hole at the par-five eighth and a 29-foot putt at the par-three ninth. Woodland missed a six-foot par putt at the 14th but the stumble made no difference at the end. "I'm just so pleased for Gary playing so well," Australian Adam Scott said. "It's inspirational." Aces for Scott, Lowry Scott, the 2013 Masters winner, aced the 189-yard par-three 11th hole on his way to shooting 71 and finishing on 272. "It was a little into the wind, and the wind was tricky for me," Scott said. "Kind of back-footed an 8-iron and it just drew in there perfect." Ireland's Shane Lowry, who fired a 68 to finish on 273, aced the 170-yard par-three second hole. "I have a little cut 75 7-iron that I hit and it just come out perfect," Lowry said. "Just hit a beautiful shot." 446a5f8c-2bbf-11f1-8afa-0b54dab027ebSun, 29 Mar 2026 22:33:10 GMT© Jordan Bank / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFPFRANCE24Sporthttps://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260329-rain-halts-miami-open-men-s-final-with-sinner-one-set-up2bc95a76-2bb7-11f1-b987-a5de547b3ea0Sun, 29 Mar 2026 21:35:13 GMTFRANCE24