One month after the US-Israeli attack on Iran and still no peace in sight. Pakistan's government may have announced that it is ready to host talks between Washington and Tehran. Yet media reports say that the US is preparing to send in ground troops. In a further twist, the Houthis in Yemen have also declared war and fired rockets at Israel.
With parliamentary elections just a fortnight away, things are getting nastier. Long-term Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is trailing behind in the polls and is accusing the opposition party Tisza of being an EU-Ukraine puppet. The challengers, for their part, are accusing the government of ignoring the nation's problems. Meanwhile, Brussels is investigating allegations that the Hungarian foreign minister has been feeding internal information to Moscow.
In recent days, facilities in the Russian Baltic ports of Primorsk and Ust-Luga came under renewed attack and were set on fire by Ukrainian drones. Several drones crashed inside Finnish territory. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo suggested that Russia’s capabilities for “electronic jamming” were causing Ukrainian drones to veer off course, describing this as a “serious matter”.
The 25-year-old Noelia Castillo died by legal euthanasia in a Catalan hospice on Thursday. She had applied for the procedure two years ago, but her father had taken legal action to prevent it. Castillo, who had been placed in foster care by the state, had attempted suicide after experiencing traumatic sexual violence; she had been paraplegic ever since and suffered from chronic pain.
A US court has ordered Meta and Google to pay a 20-year-old plaintiff millions in compensation after ruling that tech companies can be held liable for addiction caused by social media use. The two companies have announced they will appeal the decision. Commentators debate whether this hails a fundamental shift.
The US government has reportedly delivered a 15-point plan to the Iranian regime to end the war. Iran has rejected the proposals, which called among other things for a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and denies that any negotiations are underway. Claiming that 'very good' talks being conducted, Donald Trump has pushed back his already extended ultimatum – this time until 6 April.
The Danish elections have failed to produce a clear winner and a left-wing coalition government is looking just as unlikely as one on the centre-right. The Moderates, led by former foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, could be the kingmaker, but Løkke is refusing to work with the Danish People's Party (DF), which has recently shifted to the right.
A majority in the European Parliament has adopted the Return Regulation, which, among other things, allows for the establishment of "return hubs" in third countries. Instead of being the result of a parliamentary majority reached by conservative, social democratic and liberal groups, as has been the case with many key votes in recent years, the decision is the result of conservative, right-wing and far-right parties voting together in favour of the regulation.
Oil and gas exports from the Gulf region have plummeted as a result of the war with Iran – triggering price spikes on the global market. Although Iran has now reportedly reopened the Strait of Hormuz to cargo ships from "non-hostile countries", European media discuss the problems associated with the supply crisis and potential remedies.
According to an investigation by the Washington Post, the Hungarian Foreign Minister, Peter Szijjarto, has been passing on confidential information about the EU to his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. The newspaper also says that the Russian foreign intelligence agency, the SVR, is backing the Orbán government in the current election campaign. Budapest vehemently denies the allegations. The EU Commission has demanded an explanation. Europe's media call for decisive action.
After eight years of negotiations, the EU and Australia have agreed on a sweeping free trade deal. Once ratified, almost all tariffs and trade barriers will be removed, except for strict upper limits for certain foods such as beef. There are also plans to improve Europe's supply of critical raw materials.
Italy has voted against judicial reform in a referendum. A 54-percent majority rejected the constitutional amendment required for the project for which Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had campaigned. Even before the vote, Meloni ruled out stepping down in the event of defeat. Two senior civil servants in the Ministry of Justice have already resigned.