One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Reading time 3 min PRESS REVIEW – Thursday, January 19: We look at why Russian oil is the big winner from the US and Israel's war in Iran. Also, the New York Times reveals sexual assault and rape allegations against the late US civil rights leader Cesar Chavez. In Mexico, the new leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel is a US-born citizen, which will complicate efforts to eradicate him. Plus: researchers reveal the science behind bad jokes in the workplace. The war in Iran has sparked an unprecedented energy crisis around the world and one country stands to profit from it: Russia. The energy crisis is dominating the British dailies after Israel struck the world's largest gas field in Qatar. The Guardian calls it a dangerous escalation in the war. Iran and Qatar share the Pars site, which accounts for 70 percent of Iran's domestic supply and contributes significantly to Qatar's gas exports. The Middle East conflict is providing an unexpected boom for Russian oil. The Wall Street Journal focuses on Etibar Eyyub, an Azeri oil trader whose main client is the Russian oil company Rosneft. Described as Moscow's "shadow fleet kingpin", he is responsible for finding buyers for the $50 billion of oil produced each year by Russia. Ships he controlled via shell companies were sitting pretty with millions of barrels of unsold oil. Now with the Strait of Hormuz closed, the only way for global oil supplies to get close to meeting demand is for the Russian crude that he handles to reach world markets. In the process, Eyyub and Russian oil prices are experiencing a "second awakening." Russia seeks to benefit from the war, but has no intention of come to its ally Iran's aid. Foreign Affairs magazine explains why Russia is "watching Iran burn." Despite Tehran providing support to Russia in its war against Ukraine, Russia has provided little support to Iran – beyond helping with targeting data and advance drone tactics. Foreign Affairs explains that when Russian's friends are in need, it does nothing. It was the same for Bashar al-Assad's regime, toppled by rebels in 2024, and in the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2023, as well as the US's abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The Kremlin's impotence – and refusal to help – also lay bare the limitations of Russian power to shape outcomes around the world. The New York Times publishes damning evidence of sexual abuse allegations against a beloved civil rights leader. Cesar Chavez co-founded the United Farm Workers labour union. For decades, he helped improve wages, living conditions and health care while elevating the status of Latino Americans. He also coined the phrase, "Si se puede" which later inspired Barack Obama's "Yes, We Can" slogan. Behind the scenes, several women say he sexually abused them while they were teenagers and in some cases raped them. Due to his status within the union and fears that they would not be taken seriously, the women were forced to live with the trauma for decades. Their stories are revealed in the Times. Turning to Mexico, the alleged new leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel is a US-born citizen. The Wall Street Journal recounts that no sooner was El Mencho buried in a gilded coffin this month, than his stepson began ascending to the throne. Juan Carlos Valencia Gonzalez was born in California – meaning an American citizen now appears to be in charge of Mexico's most powerful drug cartel. This could potentially complicate US efforts to eradicate the narcotics trade. The rules for surveiling US citizens are very bureaucratic and could only take place if authorities prove Valencia Gonzalez is acting as an agent of foreign power. It could also complicated Trump's efforts if he follows through with his publicly expressed desire to carry out targeted assassinations against Mexican drug lords. Finally, a new study shows that lame jokes can actually serve a purpose, at least in the workplace! The Times of London reports that researchers tracked the use of humour to combat tedium across 531 talks at 14 biology-related conferences. They observed how often scientists tried to make a joke. Men attempted it more than women. Some 870 jokes were attempted and about 580 landed mildly or fell flat. Just one in 10 elicited real laughs, but researchers concluded that even the lame jokes served to break the ice! We leave you with a few science jokes: Why did the biologist break up with the physicist? They had no chemistry. Why can't you trust atoms? Because they make up everything. You can catch our press review every morning on France 24 at 7:20am and 9:20am (Paris time), from Monday to Friday.