TOP NEWS

Political situation in France
French budget could be pushed through without a vote

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is working feverishly to try to get a budget through that reduces the country's national debt, several media outlets report.

The government has previously said that it will be impossible to adopt a budget through a vote and is therefore facing two elections, according to international news agencies.

Both options involve pushing the budget through without a vote in parliament, which risks triggering a vote of no confidence. But one of the options – which has never been used before in France – would mean that the budget would be pushed through regardless of whether the government is voted out or not.

The problem for Lecornu is that many members of parliament oppose a budget that has not been approved by parliament.

Political situation in South Korea
Yoon Suk-yeol gets five years in prison – more sentences expected

South Korea's former president, coup accused Yoon Suk-yeol, was sentenced on Friday to five years in prison for obstructing justice and other crimes related to his declaration of martial law in December 2024, Yonhap news agency reports.

The sentence is half of what prosecutors had requested last week.

It is the first sentence in a series of pending verdicts. The former president is charged in a total of eight court cases. Next month, a verdict is expected in the case of Yoon Suk-yeol's attempted coup. In that case, prosecutors have requested the death penalty.

Political situation in Hungary
Right-wing leaders support Viktor Orbán in new campaign

The world needs Viktor Orbán. This is stated by about a dozen right-wing leaders who have joined forces in a new campaign to support the Hungarian prime minister.

The video features Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Argentine President Javier Milei, among others.

“You can’t take security for granted. It has to be earned. And I believe Viktor Orbán possesses those qualities,” says Netanyahu.

“We stand together,” says Giorgia Meloni, emphasizing that she and Orbán stand for the same values.

Far-right politicians Marine Le Pen and AFD leader Alice Weidel also appear in the video.

The video is part of the Hungarian leader’s campaign ahead of the upcoming political elections in April. In the latest opinion polls, Orbán, who has been prime minister for 16 years, has received lower support than before.

The protests in Iran
Trump thanks Iran for not hanging people

In a statement on Truth Social, Donald Trump thanks the Iranian regime for postponing “planned hangings.” The president writes that he has great respect for the decision and claims that it involved 800 executions.

Iran has previously promised speedy trials and executions for people arrested in connection with the large protests. Yesterday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that no one would be executed on Thursday and Friday.

The US president has threatened retaliation if Iran executes protesters.