Putin insisted Ukraine could have been behind terror attack
President Vladimir Putin of Russia acknowledged for the first time that “radical Islamists” had carried out the attack on a concert hall near Moscow, while insisting that Ukraine could still have played a role.
“This atrocity can be just an element in a series of attempts of those who have been at war with our country since 2014,” Putin said during a publicly broadcast meeting with government officials, referring to the Ukrainian government. He questioned why the four suspects in the Friday attack, which killed at least 139 people, had been captured in a part of Russia that borders Ukraine.
Russian state media has been pushing the narrative that Ukraine was behind the attack, even though the Islamic State claimed responsibility. The U.S. and France both said that an Islamic State entity was responsible, and Ukraine has denied involvement. Russian investigators have shown no evidence that the four suspects, migrant workers from Tajikistan, have any connection to Ukraine.
The suspects: The four men looked battered when they were arraigned, and videos of them being tortured and beaten during interrogation circulated widely on Russian social media. A New York Times visual investigation linked them to the attack.
 |
| The humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the possibility of an Israeli ground invasion in the city of Rafah have increased global pressure to negotiate a cease-fire. Eyad Baba/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images |
The U.N. Security Council passed a Gaza cease-fire resolution
The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, with 14 votes in favor and the U.S. abstaining.
The vote ended a five-month impasse during which the U.S. had vetoed three calls to halt the fighting. The resolution also called for the “immediate and unconditional release of all hostages” and the lifting of “all barriers to the provision of humanitarian assistance.” The U.S. said it had abstained in part because the resolution did not condemn Hamas.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel criticized the U.S. for allowing the resolution to pass and canceled a delegation that had been scheduled to go to Washington to hold talks with U.S. officials about alternatives to a planned invasion of Rafah.
What’s next: Security Council resolutions are considered to be international law, and if Israel ignores the resolution, the Council could impose punitive measures like sanctions. Top Israeli officials indicated that they would not implement the resolution for now.
 |
| Former President Donald Trump is expected to stand trial on criminal charges in New York on April 15. Pool photo by Brendan McDermid |
A date is set for Trump’s criminal trial
Donald Trump is all but certain to become the first former U.S. president to stand trial on criminal charges after a judge rejected his effort to delay the proceeding.
The trial, in which Trump will be accused of covering up a sex scandal during his 2016 campaign, is set to begin on April 15.
Separately, an appeals court panel reduced Trump’s bond in a civil fraud trial from $454 million to $175 million, potentially staving off financial disaster for him. Both developments highlighted the chaotic effects that Trump’s legal troubles could have on the presidential election.
