Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, met European leaders in Paris. Emmanuel Macron, France’s president, and Sir Keir Starmer, Britain’s prime minister, said that Europe should maintain sanctions on Russia. They also reiterated their willingness to deploy a European “reassurance force” in Ukraine after a peace deal. Earlier France pledged €2bn ($2.2bn) in defence aid.
Several countries criticised Donald Trump’s announcement of 25% tariffs on all cars and some automobile parts imported to America. Germany said that it would “not give in” to Mr Trump’s threats; Japan said that “every option” would be considered in retaliation to the move. Mr Trump said the levies on cars would come into effect on April 3rd, and those on parts a month later.
Hundreds of people took to the streets in northern Gaza for a second consecutive day to protest against Hamas. A senior official from the militant group suggested there were “suspicious political agendas” behind the rallies. Meanwhile Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, threatened to seize territory in Gaza should Hamas refuse to release the remaining Israeli hostages it holds.
Turkey dismissed international condemnation of the jailing of Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul and a rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Officials said Western countries should view Mr Imamoglu’s detention with “common sense”; Mr Imamoglu’s party calls the allegations against him politically motivated. Nearly 1,900 people have been arrested in protests across Turkey following his arrest last week.
Robert F. Kennedy junior, America’s health secretary, announced that the Department of Health and Human Services would reduce its full-time staff from 82,000 to 62,000. Roughly half would be dismissed; the rest had already decided to leave the department after Donald Trump returned to the presidency. Mr Kennedy, long critical of HHS before his appointment, said that the decision would “streamline” the agency.
Israel’s parliament passed a law giving politicians greater control over judicial appointments. It takes effect after the next election, expected in late 2026. The law reshapes the nine-member committee that selects judges, to include ministers and representatives from the opposition. Critics say it undermines judicial independence and protects Mr Netanyahu, the prime minister, who is on trial for corruption.
Fenix International, the parent company of OnlyFans, a subscription platform for adult entertainment, was fined £1.05m ($1.4m) by Ofcom, Britain’s media watchdog, over inconsistencies in its age-verification process. Ofcom said the website failed to provide accurate information about its use of third-party facial estimation technology to screen the age of its users, who must be over 18 to enter.
Figure of the day: 458, the number of elephant statues in the opulent Eisenhower Lounge of the Capitol Hill Club, a gathering spot for Washington’s Republican elite. Read the full story.
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