WeekDay AM: 10 Things you need to know this morning
A Black Sea truce, assisted dying delays, and the pet cloning boom in China

 
today's international story

Russia and Ukraine agree naval ceasefire in Black Sea

What happened
Ukraine and Russia have both consented to "eliminating the use of force" in the Black Sea, according to The White House.

Who said what
Washington said all parties were aiming for a "durable and lasting peace" in a statement announcing the agreement.

The ceasefire in the Black Sea, if it holds, would "reopen an important trade route", said the BBC. But Russia said the agreement was dependent on a number of sanctions against its food and fertiliser trades being lifted.

In his nightly address, Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of trying to deceive mediators by adding new conditions. "They are already trying to twist the agreements and actually deceive both our mediators and the whole world," said the Ukrainian president.

The "details and timeline of relaxing restrictions remain unclear", said CNN, "as does the future of European sanctions". Ukraine and its European allies have consistently cautioned against removing sanctions on Vladimir Putin's war economy before a ceasefire is agreed.

"Small wonder that the Russian president's overtures towards a ceasefire with Ukraine focused on a call for a suspension of fighting in the Black and Azov seas," said Sam Kiley in The Independent. "He's lost around 30-40% of his vessels there." With its small and "near invisible" fleet, "Kyiv rules the waves in the Black Sea".

What next? 
As it stands, the ceasefire deal "looks like a Russian wish-list tied with a US bow", said Andrew Roth in The Guardian. This agreement will only "raise further questions of whether the US can mediate a conflict in which it appears to clearly sympathise with the Kremlin".

 
 
today's politics story

Assisted dying law backers fear for its future

What happened
A new assisted dying law for England and Wales could take up to four years to fully implement, raising concern among supporters that it may never pass.

Kim Leadbeater, the MP leading the bill (pictured above, centre), yesterday proposed extending the initial timeline for its implementation from two years to four, shifting it close to the next election.

Who said what
Tom Gordon, a Liberal Democrat MP who sits on the Commons committee scrutinising the bill, said "delaying implementation risks pushing it beyond the next election, where it could be abandoned altogether".

The delay marks the "latest major change to the assisted dying proposals, which have proven deeply contentious in the Commons and beyond", said The Guardian.

What next?
The bill's supporters had originally hoped to pass it this year. Leadbeater's spokesperson said she still wanted to get the bill done as soon as possible and that the "four-year limit is not a target, it's a backstop".

 
 
Today's justice story

Depardieu admits grabbing woman, but denies assault

What happened
Gérard Depardieu told a French court that he did grab a woman in anger, but claimed that it was not sexual assault.

The high-profile trial against the French actor, 76, began in Paris on Monday, with Depardieu accused of assaulting "Amelie K" and a second female crew member on a film set in 2021, claims that he refutes.

Who said what
"I grabbed her hips," said the actor, admitting to physical contact with Amelie K for the first time. "I grabbed her hip so as not to slip because I was so upset by her, by the heat ... it was a Friday towards the end of shooting; I was very tired."

Depardieu also admitted to using crude language, but said it was related to her work. "I understand perfectly if she's a bit upset," he said. "I am capable of trash talk."

What next?
If found guilty, Depardieu could face up to five years in jail and a €75,000 (£63,000) fine. The trial continues.

 
 

It's not all bad

The World Council of Churches is urging Christians everywhere to take legal action against polluters and their financial backers. A new handbook outlines ways that faith groups can use climate litigation to hold companies accountable and protect future generations. Citing Christian teachings on stewardship and justice, the council argues that legal measures are vital as CO2 emissions keep rising. It also encourages divestment from fossil fuels and greater scrutiny of the financial institutions funding the industry.

 
 
under the radar

Pet cloning booms in China

Grieving pet owners in China are turning to science to try and bring their furry friends back from the dead.

An idea once "confined to the pages of science fiction", pet cloning is now an "established business" in the country, "fuelled by deep emotional attachments, advancing biotechnology" and a booming pet market, said The Independent.

In China, "losing a beloved pet" is "increasingly becoming not the end of a beautiful friendship", but "the start of something almost as good", said the South China Morning Post.

All you need to clone your pet is a tissue sample. DNA extracted from these cells is "inserted into a donor egg" and the resulting embryo "implanted into a surrogate mother", said The Independent. This means a "genetically identical twin" can be born "months – or even years – after the original pet has passed away".

But the process doesn't come cheap – typical fees range from £15,000 to £30,000 – and animal rights activists have called it "cruel" and "unethical", claiming that each surrogate mother undergoes "unnecessary suffering". But that doesn't seem to be slowing the increasing demand for cloned pets.

Could pet cloning take off in the UK? Cloning animals is banned here, except for research purposes. But there is a company in Shropshire that gets around this by freezing the tissue samples and sending them to the US for the cloning process before "a twin of the original animal" is brought back to the UK, according to The Guardian.

 
 
on this day

26 March 2005

"Doctor Who" returned to television 16 years after being cancelled, with Christopher Eccleston starring as the ninth Doctor. The beloved BBC sci-fi series is now on its 15th doctor, portrayed by Ncuti Gatwa. This week a new trailer was released for Gatwa's second season, set to air on 12 April.

 
 
Today's newspapers

In her spring statement today Rachel Reeves will "blame world events for Britain's faltering economy", says the Daily Mail, but "in a bombshell poll" voters "say it is her fault". The chancellor faces "tough choices" today, says The Guardian and may be "forced to make cuts to stay within her budget rules". "Is this the most dangerous man in the world," asks the Daily Star with a picture of JD Vance wearing a dunce's cap. "JD Dunce hates Britain, hates Europe and hates Ukraine … but could be US president at any moment".

See the newspaper front pages

 
 
tall tale

Jaws of victory

The Fitzroy River in Rockhampton, Queensland has been suggested as a potential venue for rowing events at the 2032 Olympic Games despite the presence of crocodiles. The fears were dismissed by Brisbane Olympic chief Andrew Liveris, who called for a “can do, not can’t do” attitude. “There are sharks in the ocean and we still do surfing,” added Liveris. Rockhampton Fitzroy Rowing club president Sarah Black last month told a parliamentary inquiry into hosting the Olympics that Rockhampton rowers “have processes in place” for reporting crocodile sightings and working around the deadly reptile's behaviour with croc "managers".

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Arion McNicoll, Jamie Timson, Harriet Marsden, Ross Couzens and Chas Newkey-Burden, with illustrations by Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Anatolii Stepanov / AFP / Getty Images; Justin Tallis / AFP / Getty Images; Benoit Peyrucq / AFP / Getty Images; Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images.