The Geo Lines

In its latest move to deny the Russian military of American technology and other commodities, the US put 71 Russian and Belarusian entities on its trade blacklist on Thursday, including several aircraft manufacturing, shipbuilding and research centres.

Ukraine is fighting for time after 100 days of conflict, seeking to hold off Russian bombardment on its eastern front long enough for Western weapons to arrive.

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said on Wednesday that the airline was still working on an aircraft contract with Boeing Co.

On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden unveiled a fresh $700 million weapons package for Ukraine, which will include high mobility artillery rocket launchers that can reach targets up to 80 kilometres distant with pinpoint accuracy (50 miles).

According to a German government official, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has urged on Turkey to display patience towards Greece as tensions between the two nations have risen.

On Wednesday, a man armed with a rifle and a handgun killed four people inside a medical building in Tulsa, Oklahoma, before fatally shooting himself, according to police. Officers' prompt response to the incident helped guarantee that no more people were wounded, according to authorities.

Leaders of the European Union will meet on Monday to reaffirm their support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia, but the meeting will be overshadowed by their failure to agree on a fresh sanctions package against Moscow.

The German finance ministry stated on Sunday that the country has decided to amend its constitution to allow for a credit-based special defence fund of 100 billion euros ($107.35 billion) suggested in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

As Moscow struggles to fulfil its goals in Ukraine three months after its invasion, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated on Wednesday that he does not believe Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to militarily challenge NATO.

Oil prices rose over 5% on Wednesday after falling nearly 10% in the previous two sessions, boosted by supply fears as Russian gas deliveries to Europe decreased and the European Union attempted to secure support for a Russian oil embargo.

If Finland decides to join NATO to strengthen its own security, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin should look in the mirror.

A representative for Facebook-owned Meta Platforms Inc confirmed on Wednesday that the business is planning cuts in its Reality Labs division, a crucial unit at the centre of its ambition to refocus the company on hardware products and the "metaverse."

According to a Reuters calculation, the United States has already reported more than 1 million COVID-19 deaths, crossing a previously inconceivable milestone just two years after the first instances upended and dramatically reshaped everyday life.

Early results from local elections in the United Kingdom showed that Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative Party lost control of traditional strongholds in London and suffered losses elsewhere, as opposition parties capitalised on the government's recent issues.

As the war in Ukraine casts a cloud over the euro zone's third largest economy's growth prospects, Italy revealed a costly package of measures on Monday aimed at insulating businesses and individuals from rising energy bills.

According to Politico, a leaked initial draught majority opinion reveals the US Supreme Court has voted to overturn the Roe v. Wade ruling, which legalised abortion statewide.

According to Russia's defence ministry, more than 11,500 people, including 1,847 children, were carried from Ukraine into Russia on Monday without the cooperation of Kyiv authorities.

As the alternative to nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) cells begins to take root outside of China, several companies plan to open production facilities for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries or components in North America and Europe by 2025.

Demonstrators in central Paris were charged and sprayed with teargas after President Emmanuel Macron was re-elected on Sunday, according to footage posted on social media.

The European Union is contemplating "smart sanctions" against Russian oil imports, according to The New York Times, citing Valdis Dombrovskis, the European Commission's executive vice president.

On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva to discuss the country's financial stability and post-war reconstruction.

Quran burnings sparked riots in many places over the weekend, resulting in clashes between police and protesters.

To avoid falling foul of European Union sanctions on Russia, major global trading firms are aiming to restrict crude and fuel purchases from Russia's state-controlled oil corporations as early as May 15, according to sources.

According to Donetsk area governor Pavlo Kyrylenko, the death toll following a missile strike on a train station in Ukraine's Kramatorsk has grown to 57 victims.

On Sunday, Ukraine informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it had completed the first staff rotation at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant in three weeks, according to IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, who also stated that the agency would send a mission to Ukraine soon to assist in the return to normalcy.

Financial sanctions imposed by the US and its Western allies on Russia's banks, state-owned firms, and other institutions are expected to reduce Russia's GDP output by 11.2 percent in 2022, according to the bank.

In the final runoff, President Emmanuel Macron will not be able to rely on the typical anti-far-right front among French voters, and will have to step up his campaign if he is to defeat Marine Le Pen, who has successfully softened her image.

Ukraine has banned all imports from Russia, which was one of the country's most important business partners before the war, with yearly imports worth roughly $6 billion, and has urged other nations to follow suit and slap tougher economic penalties on Moscow.

After accusing certain countries of still prioritising money over punishment for civilian fatalities that the West condemns as war crimes, Ukraine wants penalties that are economically damaging enough for Russia to cease its conflict.

President Macron has enacted legislation to combat violent extremism and Islamist radicals who oppose France's secular principles. Some argue that it provides government free reign to close places of worship without due process.