As Cuba lurches into yet another month of blackouts courtesy of the near-total fuel blockade imposed by the US, residents say their daily schedules now revolve around when the lights might - or might not - come on. For Ana Rosa Romero, a 70-year-old widow living in a high-rise building, the constant power cuts have turned ordinary life into a game of electrical roulette. The BBC's Will Grant spoke with her about the impact, presumably while carrying a flashlight.
Meanwhile, the DOJ has charged Cuba's former leader with murder and other crimes for his alleged role in the downing of two civilian aircraft in 1996. BBC correspondent Will Grant reports from Havana, just hours after the US charged the former Cuban president with conspiracy to kill US nationals and other crimes over the same incident. Because nothing says 'diplomatic thaw' like a decades-old indictment.
Elsewhere in world news, Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Russia's Vladimir Putin with a ceremony nearly identical to the one he gave Donald Trump last week - because why reinvent the red carpet? Laura Bicker and Steven Rosenberg explain the relationship between the leaders as the pair meet in Beijing, likely discussing who gets the better photo op.
Juan Orlando Hernández, controversially pardoned by Trump in December while serving a 45-year prison sentence for drug trafficking, is presumably enjoying his newfound freedom. US fans of the Eurovision Song Contest gathered in Washington DC to cheer on their favorite European acts, proving that geopolitical tensions can be temporarily forgotten for sequins and key changes.
The BBC's Tom Bateman asked President Trump about China's willingness to pressure Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz. Trump concluded a two-day visit to Beijing at a high-stakes summit with Xi Jinping, where the agenda likely included trade, tariffs, and whose military band plays louder. Passengers on a 20-minute inter-island flight spent hours on a floating life raft after their plane went down - a commute that definitely exceeded expectations.
China welcomed Trump with cheering children and a troop parade before a nearly two-hour meeting with Xi. Laura Bicker breaks down what could be on the agenda for the US president and China’s leader - spoiler: probably not karaoke. The French president stood up during a conference in Kenya to tell the audience to quieten down, citing 'impossible' conditions for speakers. The Dutch foreign ministry confirmed that a British, German, and Dutch national had been taken from a virus-hit ship, adding to the global list of 'places you don't want to be right now.'
Each bear in an installation in Washington, DC, represents one of the children Ukraine says Russia has abducted - because sometimes the only way to count war crimes is with stuffed animals. Officials in both US states cite dry conditions, high winds, and drought as key factors making fires difficult to control. Despite Trump's announcement of an extension of the US-Iran ceasefire, several vessels have been attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, proving that ceasefires are more suggestion than rule.
The BBC's Azadeh Moshiri is in Islamabad, where preparations for peace talks continue despite no confirmed date - the diplomatic equivalent of 'we'll start when we start.' Esmail Baghaei expressed concern regarding the US’s naval blockade of its ports and the seizure of an Iranian vessel, because nothing says 'good faith negotiations' like a little light boat theft.