While Iran's de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is causing oil and gas prices to rise sharply, US President Trump has called on Nato and Asian states to help secure this critical waterway for global shipping. Europe's media analyse the US's response to this emerging energy crisis and outline its global economic and social impact.
The world-renowned German philosopher Jürgen Habermas has died at the age of 96. Beyond advocating respectful communication in theory, Habermas actively engaged in public debates. In Germany's famous Historians' Dispute, he insisted on the unique nature of the Holocaust. His 'constitutional patriotism' is the modern concept of defining belonging through commitment to democratic principles rather than ethnicity or cultural identity.
In the first round of municipal elections on Sunday, the left-wing populist La France Insoumise (LFI) and the far-right Rassemblement National (RN) gained ground in many areas. In the run-up to the second round on March 22, candidates are trying to form alliances in many municipalities, particularly between moderate left-wing parties and the controversial LFI.
Four weeks before the parliamentary elections in Hungary, both the ruling coalition and the opposition have held large demonstrations in Budapest. Péter Magyar’s Tisza Party is leading in most independent polls. If it wins, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz would have to relinquish power after 16 years. Commentators stress that outcome is still open.
Hungarian security forces stopped two Ukrainian bank vehicles transporting cash from Austria to Ukraine last week. Employees of Ukraine's state-run Oschadbank were temporarily detained and nine gold bars and banknotes worth around 69 million euros were seized. Budapest said it was acting to counter money laundering. Europe's press sees a connection with the dispute over the Druzhba Pipeline and Hungary's election campaign.
After two weeks, there is still no sign of an end to the war in Iran. The US and Israeli airstrikes continue and Tehran is responding with missile and drone attacks on targets in the Arab Gulf states and Israel. The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has caused oil prices to soar worldwide. Commentators puzzle over the US administration's strategy and goals.
For a week now, mobile Internet and public Wi-Fi hotspots in central Moscow have been disrupted. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said the outages were due to security requirements. Up to now network shutdowns in the Russian capital were temporary, implemented during major events or when Ukrainian drones were detected in the city's airspace.
Danish chef René Redzepi, co-founder and head chef of Noma in Copenhagen, often ranked as the world's best restaurant, has announced his resignation. The move comes after reports in the New York Times about his violent and demeaning behaviour towards employees over many years. Danish media shine a light on the dark corners of the culinary world.
At a nuclear energy summit near Paris attended by representatives from around 40 countries, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced new financial support for nuclear power projects on Tuesday, describing the nuclear phase-out of recent years as a "strategic mistake". The development of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) was also discussed at the meeting. Europe's press is at odds.
The EU has so far failed to reach a common position on the war in Iran. Differences are evident not only between the leaders of individual countries but also among top figures in Brussels. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday that the "old world order" no longer existed, only to be contradicted on Tuesday by Council President António Costa, who said that Europe must ensure that we continue to live in a rules-based world.
In response to the de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the International Energy Agency (IEA) plans to release strategic oil reserves amounting to 400 million barrels of crude oil. Never before have the agency's 32 member countries taken so much oil from their emergency reserves in a joint action aimed at stabilising the energy market. For the media, the problems are far from over.
There are unclear signals as to how long this should continue: on Monday US President Donald Trump said it would end "very soon", but shortly afterwards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement saying that they were "not done yet". The air strikes on Iran intensified on Tuesday, and Tehran also continued its attacks on Israel and the Gulf states. Europe's press casts about for realistic exit scenarios.