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       Russian news media reported on Thursday the sudden death of Vitaly Robertus, Vice President of the country’s oil and gas giant Lukoil, writing that the manager died from suicide in his office this week.

       Just before his death, local media wrote that Robertus had complained of suffering headaches and asking for medications before going to his office.

       He was later found hanged in the room.

       "He didn't leave for several hours and didn’t answer his phone. The employees decided to go into his office and found his body. The top manager died by suicide of asphyxia. He had worked at the company for about 30 years,” Baza wrote on Telegram reporting the manager’s death.

       According to the publication, Lukoil announced the death of Robertus on March 12.

       In March 2022, the board of the privately owned company called for an end to the conflict in Ukraine.

       They expressed “empathy for all victims who are affected by this tragedy” and urged a “settlement of problems through serious negotiations and diplomacy.”

       The company, estimated to produce 2% of the world’s crude oil, suffered greatly from sanctions imposed on Moscow by the US following the Ukraine invasion.

       The energy giant didn't incur EU sanctions, however.

       Robertus is the fourth Lukoil’s manager and the latest in a long list of tycoons and billionaires to suddenly die under mysterious circumstances since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022.

       Former Lukoil’s top manager Alexander Subbotin, 43, was found dead in May 2022 in the basement of a house in the town of Mytishchi of an alleged drug-induced heart attack.

       Lukoil’s former chairman Ravil Maganov, 67, died in September 2022 after falling from a window of Moscow’s Central Clinical Hospital.

       In late October 2023, Vladimir Nekrasov, chairman of Lukoil’s board, died of what the company said was heart failure at the age of 66.

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       The Croatian parliament was dissolved on Thursday to pave the way for a parliamentary election later this year, with 143 out of 151 lawmakers backing the decision.

       Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has suggested the election could be held before the vote for the European Parliament, which takes places on June 6-9, but no date has yet been set.

       The decision to dissolve parliament comes as Plenkovic and his conservative Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party are facing mounting accusations of high-level corruption from the opposition ahead of the ballot.

       Last month, thousands of protesters rallied in Croatia’s capital to protest against the government and demand that this year’s parliamentary election be held as soon as possible.

       The prime minister has denied any wrongdoing.

       An anti-government protester holds a banner during a protest at the St. Mark square in Zagreb, Croatia, Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024.AP Photo/Darko Bandic

       Plenkovic and HDZ are expected to be challenged by a group of centre and left-leaning parties who have already announced they will run in a coalition. The prime minister’s party has held power since Croatia gained independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991.

       Croatia is also scheduled to hold a presidential election as well by the end of the year.

       The country, a nation of some 3.8 million people which was the latest to join the European Union, remains one of the poorest economies in the bloc, surviving largely on tourism along its Adriatic Sea coastline.

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       Pope Francis is soon to release a new memoir in which he reveals his determination to complete numerous ongoing projects.

       "Life: My Story Through History," which Francis has co-authored with Italian journalist Fabio Marchese Ragona, will be released on the 11th anniversary of his papal inauguration.

       The book delves into pivotal moments of his life intertwined with global events, including World War II, the Argentine military regime, and Vatican politics, all of which have shaped his priorities.

       Addressing persistent conjecture regarding his health and criticisms from conservative quarters, the 87-year-old Francis confronts the implications of his age and health for his papacy's future.

       While papal resignations were once unheard of until Pope Benedict XVI's precedent-setting retirement in 2013, Francis maintains that the office is for life.

       Pope Francis: Ukraine should have courage of the 'white flag'

       However, he acknowledges the possibility of a resignation in case of severe physical impediment, having already prepared a letter of resignation deposited with the Secretariat of State.

       Despite facing bouts of bronchitis, flu, and colds this winter, along with recent hospitalisations for medical issues such as intestinal surgery, Francis remains resolute in his commitment to continue his duty as long as his health permits.