Steve Rosenberg: How Are Russian Newspapers Reacting to Viktor Orbán's Defeat?

Apr 12, 2026 | Here’s a look at what this morning’s Russian papers are saying about the Hungarian election and the defeat of Viktor Orbán. Plus, reports of “layoffs, production cuts” in Russia.

Orban Loss in Hungary Is a Big Moment for the E.U. Here’s Why.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Prime Minister Viktor Orban has stymied the European Union for years, and particularly in recent months. Peter Magyar’s election could change that, if only so much.

Viktor Orban has long been a challenge and a frustration for the European Union, and his concession in Sunday’s Hungarian election was greeted by top E.U. leaders as a potential moment for sea change after years of clashes between Brussels and Budapest.

“Europe’s heart is beating stronger in Hungary tonight,” Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Union’s executive arm, posted on social media as the votes came in.

Mr. Orban has often stood in the way of critical policy goals for the European Union, including blocking a loan to Ukraine and sanctions packages targeting Russia. His administration has long been viewed as a security risk at sensitive meetings because of its comparatively cozy ties to the Kremlin. With the victory of Hungary’s opposition party, led by Peter Magyar, that could begin to change.

Mr. Magyar and his Tisza party have struck a friendlier tone toward the European Union and NATO alike. As voting was underway, he pointed out that it was taking place on the anniversary of a 2003 vote in favor of Hungary joining the European Union — a potential signal that he wanted to break with Mr. Orban’s animosity toward Brussels.

Most immediately, the new leadership is widely expected to clear the path for a 90 billion euro loan to Ukraine that has been frozen for weeks because of Mr. Orban’s objections.

“The election result is a game changer for Europe,” said Mujtaba Rahman, managing director for Europe at the Eurasia Group, a political risk consultancy. » | Jeanna Smialek | Reporting from Brussels | Monday, April 13, 2026

NYT: What Orban’s Defeat Means for the Rest of the World »

Four Ways Trump’s War Is Weakening America

THE NEW YORK TIMES — OPINION: When President Trump attacked Iran on Feb. 28, we called his decision reckless. He went to war without seeking congressional approval or the support of most allies. He offered thin and contradictory justifications to the American people. He failed to explain why this naïve attempt at regime change would end better than earlier attempts by the United States in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

In the six weeks since, the recklessness of his war has become clearer yet. He has disdained careful military planning and acted on gut instinct and wishfulness. After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel predicted to Mr. Trump that the attacks would inspire a popular uprising in Iran, the director of the C.I.A. countered that the notion was “farcical,” The Times reported. Mr. Trump proceeded nonetheless. He was so confident that he assembled no plan to respond to an obvious countermove available to Iran: causing a spike in oil prices by blocking the Strait of Hormuz. Nor did he develop a feasible strategy for securing the enriched uranium that Iran can use to rebuild its nuclear program.

Last week he careened from illegal and immoral threats about erasing Iranian civilization to a last-minute cease-fire that accomplishes few of his announced war aims. Iran continues to defy a central part of the deal and block most traffic from crossing the Strait of Hormuz. Mr. Trump’s irresponsibility has left the United States on the cusp of a humiliating strategic defeat.

As we have emphasized, Iran’s regime deserves no sympathy. It has spent decades oppressing its people and sponsoring terrorism elsewhere. And the current war, combined with the June attacks by the United States and Israel and other Israeli operations since 2023, weakened Iran in important ways. Its navy, air force and air defenses have been degraded, and its nuclear program has been set back. Its murderous network of regional allies — including Hamas, Hezbollah and Syria’s fallen government — has been eroded.

Yet these successes cannot mask the ways in which the war has weakened the United States. We count four main setbacks for America’s national interests that are the direct result of Mr. Trump’s carelessness. These setbacks likewise weaken global democracy when authoritarians in China, Russia and elsewhere were already feeling emboldened. » | The Editorial Board | The editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values. It is separate from the newsroom. | Sunday, April 12, 2026

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Brit in Germany: Europe's Immigration Paradox

Apr 12, 2026 | Europe is entering a demographic transition. Birth rates are falling, populations are ageing, and labour shortages are emerging across many industries.

Immigration appears to be the obvious solution, yet it has also become one of the most contested issues in modern European politics.

This video explores the deeper structural forces behind Europe’s immigration paradox.

Spain's Pedro Sánchez Attacks Israel: "Suspend the Agreement with the EU."

Apr 11, 2026 | In his speech at the European Pulse Forum 2026 in Barcelona, Pedro Sánchez takes a clear stance on the Middle East crisis, calling on the European Union to suspend the Association Agreement with Israel for violations of international law.

Jung, frustriert, verschuldet – Generation Z im Check

Apr 9, 2026 | Viele junge Menschen denken laut einer Studie darüber nach, Deutschland zu verlassen. Was ist da los? Mirko Drotschmann, MrWissen2Go, erklärt in diesem Video, wie ihr, wie die junge Generation tickt.

Laut der Trendstudie „Jugend in Deutschland“ können sich 41 Prozent der 14- bis 29-Jährigen vorstellen, aus Deutschland auszuwandern. Ungefähr ein Fünftel spricht sogar von konkreten Auswanderungsplänen. In der Studie ist von einer Generation im „Dauerkrisenmodus“ die Rede. Als größte Sorgen nennen junge Menschen Krieg, Inflation, teuren Wohnraum, Spaltung der Gesellschaft, Trump als US-Präsident oder Klimawandel. Bei Wahlen und Umfragen zeigt sich: Der Trend geht weg von der politischen Mitte. Die Linke schneidet bei den Jungen am besten ab, dahinter folgt die AfD.

Fast die Hälfte hält es für unrealistisch, eine gute, bezahlbare Wohnung zu finden und fürchtet, sich die Miete in Zukunft nicht mehr leisten zu können. Viele Studierende und Auszubildende wohnen noch bei den Eltern. Immer mehr verschulden sich, Anfang 2026 waren es 23 Prozent. Dabei spielen Konsumschulden für Einkäufe auf Raten oder mit „Buy Now Pay Later“-Modellen die größte Rolle.

Fast ein Drittel der jungen Generation hat das Gefühl, wegen psychischer Belastung eine Behandlung zu benötigen. Ein weiteres verbreitetes Problem: Viele junge Menschen fühlen sich einsam – mehr als in allen anderen Altersgruppen und mehr als jemals zuvor. Allen anderen Altersgruppen etwas voraus haben die Jungen dagegen bei der Nutzung von Künstlicher Intelligenz. Die gehört für viele längst zum Alltag. Studien zeigen einen selbstbewussten, aber auch reflektierten Umgang mit KI.

Carney Confronts Trump Policies in Explosive Canada-First Speech

April 12, 2026

Mark Carney is a great leader. — © Mark Alexander

Russian Hackers Are Using Your Wi-Fi Router to Spy: Here’s How You Can Protect Yourself

Apr 8, 2026 | “There’s absolutely no doubt that not only are they in our edge devices, like Wi-Fi routers, but they’re in our infrastructure.”

Russian hackers are using home Wi-Fi routers as spying devices, giving them access inside the UK and potentially enabling them to carry out attacks, says cybersecurity and fintech specialist Mike Godfrey.

Rob Groves: BREXIT - 63% Now Want Back In. Thanks, Trump!

Apr 11, 2026 | Ten years ago, 52% of voters chose to leave the European Union, on the basis of lies painted on a bus and a campaign bankrolled by dodgy money. A decade on, the bill keeps arriving. Haulage companies going bust at twice the pre-Brexit rate, food prices rising, trade barriers grinding away at the economy, and a so-called special relationship with America that turned out to be a vassal state telling itself a flattering story.

Meanwhile, the latest YouGov polling shows 63% of Britons would now vote to rejoin the EU. Among 18-25 year olds, that figure is 86%. Even among retirees, 60% say they'd vote to rejoin. The tide has turned. The argument has been won. The question now is: what happens next?

Sandra Navidi zur Hormus-Maut | ntv

Apr 11, 2026 | Die Gebühren, die der Iran für die Passage der Straße von Hormus verlangen will, lösen beim US-Präsidenten zunächst Empörung aus. Kurze Zeit später heißt es, man wolle mitverdienen. Für Sandra Navidi ist das keine Überraschung: "Es geht um Erpressung. Da ist Donald Trump natürlich ganz vorne dabei."

Steve Rosenberg: "Forecasts of a Deeper, More Protracted Recession in Russia": Russian Paper

Aug 10, 2026 | In today’s Russian papers: latest data “rules out stabilisation or economic growth [in Russia]…forecasts of a deeper & more protracted recession.” Plus, Russian kindergartens to teach “traditional values” via games. And watch to the end for a Russian joke that’s a real puzzle...

France Moves 129 Tonnes of Gold from New York Federal Reserve

Apr 8, 2026 | France's central bank has pulled its remaining gold deposit out of the US with a capital gain of $15 billion. Over the past year and a half, 129 tonnes of gold has been moved from New York back to France, while other gold stocks were sold off at record prices. The value of gold has more than quadrupled over the last decade.‬ ‪

Why does gold still matter so much in 2026? International business commentator Vicky Pryce talks with CGTN about the move.‬

Why Are Tourists Turning Away from America?

Aug 7, 2026 | Recent data shows a 5 per cent drop in international arrivals to the United States, compared with the previous year.

Washington correspondent George Grylls explains what could be causing holidaymakers to turn away from the US.

The decline comes at a critical time for the industry, as the US is set to host events such as the World Cup this year and the LA Olympics in 2028.

Can the US convince tourists to visit?

Nobody in his right mind would want to visit the US while Trump is in the White House. When people go on holiday, they want a good time. They don’t want to be arrested by ICE agents, beaten by them, and then disappeared! Sensible people are rightly staying well away from Trump’s dystopia. — © Mar Alexander

America’s Suez Moment: Trump Has Completely Underestimated Iran | General Sir Richard Shirreff

Apr 8, 2026 | “You now see the global superpower humbled by a tinpot theocratic dictatorship.”

Trump's failure to force the Iranians to open the Strait of Hormuz "is America's Suez moment”, and he has completely underestimated Iran’s “tinpot theocratic dictatorship”, says General Sir Richard Shirreff, former deputy supreme allied commander of NATO.

Steve Rosenberg: "Warnings of a [Russian] Economic Crisis Grow Louder" - Russian Newspaper Headline

Apr 8, 2026 | Despite high oil prices boosting export revenues, these are some of the headlines in today’s Russian papers: “Warnings of an economic crisis [in Russia] grow louder” and “A reduction in purchases by Russians is ringing alarm bells for the economy.”

2-Week Cease-Fire Takes Hold

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Israel said the cease-fire did not include Lebanon. It was unclear whether ship operators considered the Strait of Hormuz safe for transit, or if word of the deal had reached local Iranian commanders.

The United States and Iran announced a two-week cease-fire on Tuesday evening, shortly before President Trump’s deadline for Iran to unblock the Strait of Hormuz or to see its “whole civilization” destroyed.

But on Wednesday morning, it was unclear whether word of the nascent deal had reached Iranian local commanders, as fresh missile and drone attacks were reported across the Persian Gulf. And even though the news sent the international oil price benchmark down 15 percent, to $93 a barrel, it remained unclear whether ship operators considered the strait — a critical passage for the world’s oil and gas — safe for transit.

After Mr. Trump said on Tuesday night that he had agreed to the cease-fire proposed by Pakistan, a U.S. official said American military strikes against Iran had stopped. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said the country’s armed forces would “cease their defensive operation,” and that safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible for two weeks if it was coordinated with Iran’s military.

But early on Wednesday, emergency sirens in Israel warned of incoming Iranian ballistic missiles. Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates reported missile and drone attacks. Bahrain’s interior ministry sounded warning sirens and reported a fire started by an Iranian attack. Iranian local commanders are allowed to make their own strike decisions under a decentralized control system. Iran War Live Updates » | Francesca Regalado, Elian Peltier, Ephrat Livni and Farnaz Fassihi | Wednesday, April 8, 2026

US and Iran Agree to Provisional Ceasefire as Tehran Says It Will Reopen Strait of Hormuz

THE GUARDIAN: US president abandons threat for Iran to surrender or face destruction with last-minute intervention led by Pakistan

The US and Iran agreed to a two-week conditional ceasefire on Tuesday evening, which included a temporary reopening of the strait of Hormuz, after a last-minute diplomatic intervention led by Pakistan, canceling an ultimatum from Donald Trump for Iran to surrender or face widespread destruction.

Trump’s announcement of the ceasefire agreement came less than two hours before the US president’s self-imposed 8pm Eastern time deadline to bomb Iran’s power plants and bridges in a move that legal scholars, as well as officials from numerous countries and the pope, had warned could constitute war crimes.

Just hours earlier, Trump had written on Truth Social: “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.” American B-52 bombers were reported to be en route to Iran before the ceasefire agreement was announced.

But by Tuesday evening, Trump announced that a ceasefire agreement had been mediated through Pakistan, whose prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, had requested the two-week peace in order to “allow diplomacy to run its course”.

Trump wrote in a post that “subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks”.

In a separate post later, the US president called Tuesday “a big day for world peace” on a social media post, claiming that Iran had “had enough”. He said the US would be “helping with the traffic buildup” in the strait of Hormuz and that “big money will be made” as Iran begins reconstruction. » | Andrew Roth in Washington | Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Un centime d’euro le litre : en Iran, les prix à la pompe restent les plus bas du monde

LE FIGARO : En Iran, les prix des carburants sont extrêmement bas. Deux raisons bien spécifiques à la République islamique contribuent à cet écart vertigineux avec le reste du monde.

1 centime d’euro. C’est le prix d’un litre d’essence en Iran, dans un pays où le salaire moyen est de 170 euros par mois et le salaire minimum de 85 euros. Sans appliquer de pondération par le niveau de vie sur place, l’Iran pratique le prix de l’essence le moins cher du monde. Avec la Libye, et le Venezuela, devant tous les grands producteurs pétroliers du Golfe.

Une spécificité d’abord liée à sa géographie. « L’Iran est un grand producteur, un grand raffineur de pétrole brut , et produit donc d’importants volumes de produits pétroliers. Il dispose d’un approvisionnement intérieur, ce qui rend les prix plus bas dès le départ que dans les pays qui doivent importer », explique Nader Itayim, spécialiste des hydrocarbures pour l’agence Argus Media à Dubaï. » | Par Clément Gros | mardi 7 avril 2026

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Deutschland vor dem Crash? Drei Krisen, die jetzt alles entscheiden

BERLINER ZEITUNG: Deutschland steckt in drei Krisen gleichzeitig. Energie, Rohstoffe und Krieg treffen die Wirtschaft hart. Doch die wahre Katastrophe steht erst bevor. Eine Analyse.

In Krisen wird oft auf Koalitionszwänge verwiesen. Auf Zuständigkeiten. Oder, wenn gar nichts mehr geht, eine „komplexe Gemengelage“. Deutschland erlebt gerade einen solchen Moment. Drei Krisen – eine selbst verschuldete, eine importierte und eine verschlafene – laufen aufeinander zu.

Jede einzelne wäre für eine handlungsfähige Regierung eine Herausforderung. Zusammen ergeben sie das Szenario eines ökonomischen Crashs, auf den die Bundesregierung unter Friedrich Merz (CDU) keine erkennbare Antwort hat. Schlimmer noch: Die konzeptionelle Leere ist kein Betriebsunfall dieser Koalition. Sie ist das Erbe einer politischen Kultur, die ideologische Selbstvergewisserung über die materiellen Interessen der eigenen Bürger gestellt hat – und die nun unfähig ist, die Folgen dieses Fehlers zu korrigieren. » | Harald Neuber | Dienstag, 7. April 7, 2026

Steve Rosenberg: Russian Paper: "People Believe Less and Less What Trump Says."

April 7, 2026