Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is visiting Europe for the first time since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip. He arrived today in Budapest, where he will be received by Viktor Orbán - despite the fact that Hungary, as a member state of the International Criminal Court (ICC), is obliged to arrest Netanyahu under an international arrest warrant. The Hungarian government has announced its intention to leave the ICC instead.
Three Yale professors, historian Timothy Snyder, Eastern Europe expert Marci Shore and fascism researcher Jason Stanley, have announced that they are leaving the US and moving to the University of Toronto, citing concerns over the political and social climate in the US. European academic institutions are also receiving an increased number of requests for positions from US scholars.
After a heated controversy in the Dutch parliament, the right-wing populist asylum and migration minister Marjolein Faber has survived a vote of no confidence but has been sharply criticised from within the government. Faber is boycotting the awarding of a royal distinction to five former asylum volunteers by withholding her signature. The national press comments.
After being convicted of embezzling EU funds, the right-wing populist leader Marine Le Pen has harshly criticised the French judiciary and called for protests at the weekend. The leader of the far-right Rassemblement National party says that the judges' decision was politically motivated and that millions of French people are incensed. Commentators see repercussions that reach far beyond France's borders.
Released in March, the British crime drama Adolescence about a 13-year-old called Jamie who murders a classmate takes a disturbing look at violence among young people and the impact of social media. The UK government has announced that the Netflix production will be shown and discussed in schools across the country. Europe's media take up the debate.
Five workers died and four others were seriously injured in an accident in a mine in Asturias on Monday. Initial indications showed the blast may have been caused by an explosive mixture of gas in the mine. In the past a lot of coal was mined in the north of Spain, but the shafts are now being used to search for minerals that can be extracted and are in high demand. The national press discusses the risks this entails.
Alexander Stubb made a surprise visit to Florida on the weekend, where he played golf with Donald Trump and spoke to him at length about the war in Ukraine. Shortly afterwards, Trump declared that he was "very angry, pissed off" at Putin for questioning the legitimacy of the Ukrainian leadership and threatened to impose new sanctions against Russia if it refused to show willingness to make peace. Did the visit make a real difference?
US tariffs against the EU, threats to take over Greenland, offensive remarks by high-ranking US officials in a Signal chat - the tone between Washington and Brussels is becoming increasingly sour. Commentators discuss what Europe's focus should be and whether massive rearmament is the right strategy.
During a flying visit to a US military base on Greenland, US Vice President JD Vance has accused Denmark of neglecting the island and reasserted the US's interest in its territory. Copenhagen rejected the accusations and their "tone" as inappropriate. The new Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen also declared that Greenland "does not belong to anyone else".
The mass demonstrations against Ekrem İmamoğlu's imprisonment and dismissal as mayor of Istanbul continued over the weekend. Hundreds of thousands responded to the opposition party CHP's call to protest in Istanbul on Saturday. The CHP has chosen İmamoğlu, who is considered long-term President Erdoğan's most promising rival, as its candidate for the 2028 presidential election.
A French court has found Marine Le Pen guilty of embezzling millions of euros in EU funds. The leader of the far-right Rassemblement National party now faces a prison sentence and a fine, as well as being declared ineligible to run for five years. France's media discusses the political implications for the three-time presidential candidate.
Donald Trump has made good on his threat: from the start of April the US will impose a 25 percent tariff on cars and car parts imports. With this move he hopes to generate additional revenues, strengthen the domestic car industry and create jobs by encouraging foreign carmakers to open factories in the United States. Commentators voice doubts.