Eurotopics.net

Now that the two-week ceasefire in the Iran war has begun, doubts about whether it will hold are growing. Israel has intensified its attacks on Lebanon, which Tehran sees as a violation of the agreement, and uncertainty about whether the Strait of Hormuz will remain open as agreed is increasing. Talks between Iran and the US are due to begin in Pakistan on Saturday. Europe's press delivers a sobering assessment of the situation.

Israel has said that the ceasefire agreed between Washington and Tehran does not apply to its war against the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon and is continuing its attacks. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, more than 180 people died in Israeli attacks on Wednesday. Commentators focus on the role of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in this war.

Ten years ago on 6 April 2016, in the run-up to his first presidential campaign, Emmanuel Macron founded the En Marche movement, which now operates as a political party under the name Renaissance. Its aim was to overcome the right-left polarisation in France's political landscape and give the country a new dynamic. Commentators evaluate its success.

Two court cases have begun against former high-ranking politicians from the country's two main parties: the ruling Socialist PSOE and the conservative Partido Popular (PP). The charges include embezzlement of public funds and covering up illegal party financing. The national media see the scandals less as isolated criminal cases and more as a flaw in the political system.