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Foreign Policy

  • Strait of Hormuz crisis

    2026-03-03

    The Strait of Hormuz, the only route out of the Persian Gulf, is as important as the Suez Canal. Tehran warned vessels not to travel through the strait, and has now said it will attack ships that try to. 17 container vessels with a size larger than 4000 TEU are trapped inside the Gulf.

  • Congress to Vote on Ending the War on Iran

    2026-03-03

    U.S. lawmakers are expected to vote this week on whether to order an end to military strikes against Iran. The war on Iran was not authorized by Congress and is likely illegal under international law. Democrats are arguing that the attacks on Iran are neither legal nor in the United States’ best interests.

  • The Trump Administration’s Iran War Justifications Keep Changing

    2026-03-03

    The White House is discovering that Iran and Israel have a higher tolerance for pain, according to Mideast expert Vali Nasr. Lawmakers are expected to vote on a resolution later this week that would block Trump from continuing to attack Iran without congressional approval.

  • How China Sees the War in Iran

    2026-03-03

    China could use its influence in Yemen to pressure the Houthis to curb attacks on shipping. A sharp escalation might accelerate U.S. efforts to reshore its critical mineral supply. Rumors have swirled that China would provide Iran with air defense support.

  • Americans Stranded in Middle East as U.S. Urges Its Citizens to Depart

    2026-03-03

    A juvenile crocodile was spotted in the temperate Australian city of Newcastle. The reptile, believed to have been a released pet, will stay at the Australian Reptile Park until officials assign it a permanent home. South Korea and the Philippines agreed on Tuesday to bolster bilateral defense and shipbuilding cooperation.

  • Witkoff and Kushner Get an F in Diplomacy

    2026-03-03

    There’s no precedent in the annals of U.S. diplomacy for a president turning the efforts to resolve three historic conflicts simultaneously over to his best friend and his son-in-law. The Trump team is clearly uninformed or ignorant about the deep roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the authors say.

  • Europe Abandons Both Integrity and Influence on Iran

    2026-03-03

    Europe's response to the U.S.-Israeli assault on Gaza has been criticized as hypocritical. Peter Bergen says Europe has been world champions in normative grandstanding. Trump's path to ending hypocrisy is to discard norms and embrace unrepentant power politics, he says.

  • It’s Time to Retire the Pottery Barn Rule

    2026-03-03

    Both the Venezuela and Iran interventions could well end in shattered dreams for freedom and security. But that does not necessarily mean that the U.S. will be blamed by the two nations’ populations. Failed states, ungoverned spaces, and protracted conflicts have devastating human consequences.

  • A Middle Powers Club Would Make the World More Dangerous

    2026-03-03

    Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has embarked on a weeklong diplomatic mission to India, Australia, and Japan. Miller: Middle powers do not have the capacity to create an international order that encompasses the world. The U.S. seems bent on destroying the international order it created, writes Miller.

  • Prabowo’s Peacemaker Campaign Now Extends to Iran

    2026-03-03

    Joint Thai-U.S. exercise Cobra Gold kicks off. Thailand has suspended oil exports over worries about spiking prices. Malaysia is continuing to ramp up its anti-LGBT policies. Indonesia jailed nine people on corruption charges.

Politico

  • Spain’s Sánchez emerges as chief EU critic of Trump’s strikes on Iran

    2026-03-03

    Spain is a member of the European Union, which has a common trade policy. Any attempt to single out Madrid would create friction with other member states, like France and Italy. Spain's prime minister says the U.S. should not be allowed to take part in the conflict.

  • War in the Middle East poses a puzzle for Europe’s far right

    2026-03-04

    Jean-Luc Mélenchon is accused of shutting out journalists in a bid to avoid tough questions after the death of an activist. The captain of the Boracay, an EU-sanctioned vessel, was in court in Brest on Monday.

  • Germany’s Merz sits powerless as Trump attacks European allies in Oval Office

    2026-03-04

    The German chancellor said his government is in no position to reproach Trump on Iran given Europe’s own failures and the need to work with the U.S. to end the war in Ukraine. The chancellor said he aimed to reduce his country's ballooning trade deficit with China.

  • US strikes on Iran ‘outside international law,’ says Macron

    2026-03-03

    Macron joins Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez in calling the legality of the strikes into question. Far-right National Rally wants to build a firewall around the hard-left France Unbowed after Quentin Deranque's death.

  • Top Trump ally threatens retaliation over EU space tech law

    2026-03-03

    The EU should be ‘a good partner of U.S.-based businesses’ if it wants growth and security, US media regulator chief Brendan Carr tells POLITICO. Paris prosecutors described raids as part of a ‘constructive approach’ to ensure platform complies with French law.

  • Would-be translators say EU botched their entry exams — again

    2026-03-04

    Figure represents a 50 percent increase, which Commission says is because of “the broader geopolitical context and increased volatility in international affairs” Global Counsel is being placed into administration after outcry over founder’s relationship with convicted sex offender. “How is it so difficult to arrange a test?” asked one frustrated applicant.

  • Brussels says its ‘Made in Europe’ act is ready for prime time. Here’s why it isn’t.

    2026-03-03

    Nine European Commission departments pan the Industrial Accelerator Act. The bill would include ‘trusted partners’ in its Made in EU mandate. It would also further curb investment by China.

  • 5 ways the Iran conflict is upending Europe’s energy plans

    2026-03-03

    The EU imports nearly all its fossil fuels, leaving it vulnerable to geopolitical conflict. A prolonged closure would have a major impact on global gas supply. The EU already had energy problems. The chaos in the Gulf just made them a whole lot worse.

  • TikTok starts court battle to save China ties

    2026-03-03

    Israel is implementing new rules that NGOs and data privacy regulators say are unlawful. The Irish case is a major test for Europe’s GDPR law. EU devices sent data to cloud, prompting the Parliament's IT support to switch them off.

  • Keep calm and carry on: Britain’s finance minister tries to dodge the Biden trap

    2026-03-04

    Laurie Magnus will investigate whether Cabinet Office Minister Josh Simons breached ethics rules. U.S. officials are quietly laying the groundwork to revisit the U.K.’s drug pricing deal.

  • Belgium arrests 4 in Cameroon war crimes probe

    2026-03-03

    Prosecutors say individuals in Belgium are raising money to buy guns and ammunition and directing attacks in Central Africa. Brussels has shifted into crisis mode, with emergency meetings piling up after the U.S.-Israel strikes against Iran.

  • Ireland backs ex-commissioner Hogan’s bid to lead UN food agency

    2026-03-03

    The Hungarian leader is escalating an energy dispute as he trails in the polls ahead of April elections. The prime minister’s plan to put Agrofert in a trust that would eventually go to his children has come under fresh scrutiny. Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty says reducing human rights protections for specific groups would create a ‘dreadful precedent'

  • Media must stop normalizing the far right

    2026-03-04

    Every uncritical mention of far-right rhetoric is an editorial decision with political consequences. Europe is at a turning point, where it can choose to reassert the ideals once pledged by the EU.

  • Europe is at war with Iran whether it likes it or not, Israel’s EU ambassador says

    2026-03-03

    European leaders urged restraint after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran. Hungary and Slovakia are pushing for a fact-finding mission to determine whether the Druzhba pipeline can be repaired. The bloc’s hopes for diplomacy with the regime are doomed to fail.

  • US or Russia should not dictate EU’s enlargement timeline, says French minister

    2026-03-03

    PM Viktor Orbán continues to joust with Brussels over aid to Ukraine. EU leaders want to avoid a legal blowup with the Hungarian prime minister. Orbán wants to portray his main rival, Péter Magyar, as a stooge.

  • Iran tells Europe: Helping the US and Israel means war

    2026-03-03

    The European Commission president calls for a “credible transition” that reflects “the democratic aspirations of the people of Iran.” Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticized businessman Jim Ratcliffe’s claims that Britain has been “colonized by immigrants”

  • Greens overtake Starmer’s Labour in new UK poll

    2026-03-03

    Left-wing environmentalists are just two points behind poll-topping Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in a new YouGov survey. The U.S. president said he now has ‘very strong relationships’ with other countries in Europe.

  • France sends air defenses to Cyprus as Iran strikes spill over into EU

    2026-03-03

    Nicosia will make a formal diplomatic complaint and didn't rule out renegotiating the status of British bases in Cyprus. The deployment comes after a Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicle hit Britain’s airbase at Akrotiri in Cyprus overnight.

  • Trump says UK-US relationship ‘not like it used to be’

    2026-03-03

    The left-wing environmentalists are just two points behind poll-topping Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. The U.S. president said he now has ‘very strong relationships’ with other countries in Europe.

  • Public sector AI: Shifting from ambition to readiness

    2026-03-03

    In order for AI to add value to an organization, it needs up‑to‑date data, clear ownership and simple routes to information sharing across teams. In closing this gap, Europe can realize smarter, more trusted public services for every citizen.

LRT

  • Lithuanian intelligence foresees end to Ukraine war – president

    2026-03-03

    Lithuanian intelligence agencies predict that Russia’s war in Ukraine will eventually end. But threats to the region and Europe will persist, President Gitanas Nauseda said Tuesday. Intelligence officials presented their national security threat assessment.

  • Lithuania’s president endorses US attack on Iran, condemns Tehran’s retaliation

    2026-03-03

    Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda says his country understands the United States’ military action in Iran. He has condemned Tehran’s retaliatory strikes on Persian Gulf states. Lithuania advocates for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

  • Lithuania to begin evacuation of citizens from UAE amid Middle East tensions

    2026-03-03

    Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė says decision has been made to begin the evacuation of the most vulnerable groups of Lithuanian citizens. Foreign Ministry estimates that about 2,000 Lithuanians are in the region, including more than 1,000 in the United Arab Emirates. The move comes after the United States and Israel carried out strikes against Iran.

  • Baltic Film Festival concludes in Boston, draws growing US audience

    2026-03-03

    This year’s program featured 27 films from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, including seven from Lithuania. Among them was Renovation, the feature debut of Lithuanian director Gabrielė Urbonaitė. The film was screened just weeks ahead of its national premiere in Lithuania.

  • Lithuania reaffirms trust in US nuclear umbrella amid French proposal

    2026-03-03

    Lithuania continues to rely on the United States’ nuclear arsenal as the cornerstone of NATO’s deterrence. US officials have shown no signs of weakening their commitments to defend Europe with nuclear weapons. French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that France would increase the number of its nuclear warheads.

  • Lithuania would consider assisting US in war with Iran if asked, presidential adviser says

    2026-03-03

    Lithuania would consider assisting the United States in a military operation against Iran and could even send troops, if Washington made such a request, a senior presidential adviser said Tuesday.Asta Skaisgirytė, chief foreign policy adviser to President Gitanas Nausėda, said Lithuania has not received any request from the US to contribute troops.

  • Can ‘Kaunavilnis’ be Lithuania’s beating heart? A twin city vision divides opinion

    2026-03-03

    The regions anchored by Vilnius and Kaunas form Lithuania’s strongest economic corridor. The question now resurfacing is whether that axis could formally evolve into a regional metropolis – a twin city. A combined Kaunas–Vilnius agglomeration would have a combined population of more than 1 million, strengthening Lithuania’s competitive edge. In 2013, the initiative was halted amid funding shortages and institutional disagreements. The proposal resurfaced in 2020, when four members of the Liberal faction in parliament registered a draft resolution.

Economist

📊 VoxEU

  • The non-fungible token bubble: What investors actually earned

    2026-03-04

    The non-fungible token market exploded in 2021, but by late 2022 prices had collapsed. A disposition effect – the tendency for investors to hold onto losers and sell winners – inflated apparent returns and delayed the apparent timing of the crash.

  • A wartime labour market: The case of Ukraine

    2026-03-04

    Ukrainian labour market appears to have been resilient during the war. Job matching efficiency in the country has declined only modestly. Shortages of workers are emerging in many sectors of the economy. Success will depend on investing in human capital.

FT Markets

✍ Blogs

Paul Krugman

  • War Is Expensive for the Little People

    2026-03-03

    The cost of replacing the three jets shot down over Kuwait will cost about as much as providing 125,000 Americans with crucial food aid. U.S.-style war is extremely capital-intensive, deploying massive amounts of equipment while putting relatively few people in harm's way.

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Buliaus anatomija

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