Cuba relied heavily on Venezuelan oil, but a US embargo cut supplies, triggering blackouts. Now a Russian tanker with 100,000 metric tons of crude oil has reached Havana—the first shipment since the US-imposed blockade began in January. AL Jazeera's @lucianewman reports.

Black rain hammered Tehran after oil depot strikes in the US-Israel war on Iran, choking the city in toxic petrochemical smoke that can poison lungs, soil, and water. How far will this war’s damage reach, and how long will it haunt Iran? 🎧#TheTake's @anima_tk hears from, cultural anthropologist, Narges Bajoghli: youtu.be/44rV5XnSHjg

Chaired by Donald Trump, the new Board of Peace met to discuss a Gaza ceasefire and reconstruction, but many key US allies are staying out. What’s really at stake for Gaza here? 🎧#TheTake's @anima_tk hears from @AJEnglish's @harbpeace: youtu.be/rIOjS3csDrE

How is this legal?

The U.S. Justice Department has quietly dropped its earlier claim that Venezuela’s “Cartel de los Soles” is a formal drug cartel led by President Nicolás Maduro, the revised indictment unsealed after Maduro’s capture shows, NYT reports. DOJ still accuses him of participating in drug trafficking, but reframes the “Cartel de los Soles” as a loose patronage system and culture of corruption tied to drug money, not an actual organization. The original claim, first advanced in a 2020 indictment and later used to justify terrorism designations by the Trump administration, had long been criticized by experts as lacking any evidence. The shift raises new questions about the legitimacy of those designations.

Rubio: This is about a dictator who oppresses his people. Hegseth: It’s about drugs that pose an imminent threat. Trump: Nah, it’s about oil.

WINNER FPA MEDIA AWARDS 2025 - RADIO / PODCAST of the Year Kevin Hirten, Tamara Khandaker, Craig Pennington, Will Thorne with  “Uprising in Bangladesh” for Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit @AJIunit CONGRATULATIONS @kdhirten @anima_tk

This is my will and my final message. If these words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice. First, peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings. Allah knows I gave every effort and all my strength to be a support and a voice for my people, ever since I opened my eyes to life in the alleys and streets of the Jabalia refugee camp. My hope was that Allah would extend my life so I could return with my family and loved ones to our original town of occupied Asqalan (Al-Majdal). But Allah’s will came first, and His decree is final. I have lived through pain in all its details, tasted suffering and loss many times, yet I never once hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification—so that Allah may bear witness against those who stayed silent, those who accepted our killing, those who choked our breath, and whose hearts were unmoved by the scattered remains of our children and women, doing nothing to stop the massacre that our people have faced for more than a year and a half. I entrust you with Palestine—the jewel in the crown of the Muslim world, the heartbeat of every free person in this world. I entrust you with its people, with its wronged and innocent children who never had the time to dream or live in safety and peace. Their pure bodies were crushed under thousands of tons of Israeli bombs and missiles, torn apart and scattered across the walls. I urge you not to let chains silence you, nor borders restrain you. Be bridges toward the liberation of the land and its people, until the sun of dignity and freedom rises over our stolen homeland. I entrust you to take care of my family. I entrust you with my beloved daughter Sham, the light of my eyes, whom I never got the chance to watch grow up as I had dreamed. I entrust you with my dear son Salah, whom I had wished to support and accompany through life until he grew strong enough to carry my burden and continue the mission. I entrust you with my beloved mother, whose blessed prayers brought me to where I am, whose supplications were my fortress and whose light guided my path. I pray that Allah grants her strength and rewards her on my behalf with the best of rewards. I also entrust you with my lifelong companion, my beloved wife, Umm Salah (Bayan), from whom the war separated me for many long days and months. Yet she remained faithful to our bond, steadfast as the trunk of an olive tree that does not bend—patient, trusting in Allah, and carrying the responsibility in my absence with all her strength and faith. I urge you to stand by them, to be their support after Allah Almighty. If I die, I die steadfast upon my principles. I testify before Allah that I am content with His decree, certain of meeting Him, and assured that what is with Allah is better and everlasting. O Allah, accept me among the martyrs, forgive my past and future sins, and make my blood a light that illuminates the path of freedom for my people and my family. Forgive me if I have fallen short, and pray for me with mercy, for I kept my promise and never changed or betrayed it. Do not forget Gaza… And do not forget me in your sincere prayers for forgiveness and acceptance. Anas Jamal Al-Sharif 06.04.2025 This is what our beloved Anas requested to be published upon his martyrdom.

Nothing I’ve ever seen compares to this. It’s beyond dystopian. It feels like the end of what it means to be human.

What key issues are influencing Canadian voters in this election? 🎧#TheTake guest host ,@ndeltoro, speaks with @supriyadwivedi, former senior advisor to Prime Minister Trudeau: youtu.be/wBJSfd5P630

REPORT: Biden Officials Admit They Never Pressured Israel for Ceasefire, as Israeli Leaders Boast of Playing Washington “God did the State of Israel a favor that Biden was the president during this period… We fought [in Gaza] for over a year and the administration never came to us and said, ‘ceasefire now.’ It never did. And that’s not to be taken for granted.” —Former Israeli ambassador Michael Herzog: A sweeping Israeli Channel 13 investigation has exposed the Biden administration’s complicity in Israel’s 19-month war on Gaza. Nine top Biden officials acknowledged avoiding real pressure on Israel—even as the death toll surpassed 30,000. Israeli leaders openly bragged they dragged out the war, playing for time until Donald Trump’s return. Former National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Ambassador Tom Nides, and others defended their unwavering support for Israel—even as they admitted enabling a campaign one U.S. aide described as “killing and destroying for the sake of killing and destroying.” Here’s what the investigation revealed: 🧵⬇️

Louis Theroux’s “The Settlers” is deeply disturbing television. The horror - the daily horror - of what happens in the West Bank gets far too little mainstream coverage. It’s great to see someone with Theroux’s profile expose a new audience to this reality. Watch it, share it.

The Atlantic's decision to withhold newsworthy information over vague national security concerns is part of a disturbing trend in which media sees itself as an adjunct of the government kenklippenstein.com/p/trump-…

A group of settlers just lynched Hamdan Ballal, co director of our film no other land. They beat him and he has injuries in his head and stomach, bleeding. Soldiers invaded the ambulance he called, and took him. No sign of him since.

I'm standing with Karam, Hamdan's 7 year old son, near the blood of Hamdan's in his house, after settlers lynched him. Hamdan, co-director of our film No Other Land, is still missing after soldiers abducted him, injured and bleeding. This is how they erase Masafer Yatta.

🚨The Trump administration is considering ending all ongoing shipments of military aid to Ukraine in response to Zelensky’s remarks in the Oval Office on Friday and his perceived intransigence in the peace process, per senior administration official

This Zelensky-Trump-Vance exchange is hands down one of the most insane things I’ve ever seen in my life.

"I came home from school and half of our house was gone. There was a settler inside it. A settler from Long Island." Writer @m7mdkurd, whose new book "Perfect Victims" is out today, tells his story of growing up in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem.

Al Jazeera anchor: “In response to your protest, the NFL says you’ll now be banned for life. Would you still have done it if you knew the risks?” Super Bowl protester Zul-Qarnain Nantambu: “The risk of a ban? I was afraid I’d get sniped by a Secret Service bullet. I can watch a football game on television if I choose to, sir.”