tisdag 31 mars 2026
Latest news
Political situation in the UK
King Charles to the US – despite calls to cancel
King Charles of Great Britain will make a state visit to the US in April, the British court announced on Tuesday.
The visit aims to highlight the special relationship between the countries and takes place in connection with the US entering its 250th year as an independent nation.
At the same time, the trip takes place in a situation where relations between the countries have been shaken. Many have demanded that the visit be cancelled or postponed due to the war in Iran, writes AFP.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly accused Prime Minister Keir Starmer of not having done enough in the war.
US envoy Warren Stephens also warned last week that it would be a “big mistake” to cancel the visit.
Middle East Crisis Oil Market
Brazil's Model Mitigates the Impact of the Oil Crisis
The global oil crisis resulting from the war in Iran has led to rising gasoline prices worldwide and shaky stock markets. Brazil, however, has been relatively protected, reports AP.
While gasoline prices in the United States, for example, have risen by 30 percent, the corresponding increase is only five percent in Brazil.
One explanation is the country's extensive fleet of flex-fuel cars, which can run on both ethanol and gasoline. Tens of millions of car owners can choose to fill up with either pure sugarcane ethanol or a gasoline blend containing about 30 percent biofuel.
Several countries, such as Mexico and India, have now begun to eye the Brazilian model. It took off as early as 1975 as a blueprint for future energy security.
On the other hand, diesel prices in Brazil have risen by about 20 percent. Diesel is produced to a greater extent from imported oil and is blended with a significantly lower proportion of biofuel than gasoline in the country.
Security around the Baltic Sea
New drone in Finland – area evacuated
A new suspected drone has crashed in Finland, reports Iltalehti. The police are keeping quiet about the incident, but according to the newspaper, an area around a lake in Parikkala has been cordoned off and residents in the area are being evacuated.
According to the Finnish Border Guard and the police, however, it does not pose a danger to the public, but evacuation is being carried out as a safety measure.
What kind of drone is involved is unclear and there is no information about any injuries.
Two drones crashed in Kouvola, Finland over the weekend, one of them has been confirmed to have come from Ukraine. It is unclear whether this drone is connected to this weekend's incident, writes Ilta Sanomat.
Ukraine apologizes after drones in Finland
Ukraine has apologized to Finland after drones crashed outside Kouvola on Sunday, AFP reports.
– No Ukrainian drones were under any circumstances aimed at Finland. The most likely cause is interference from Russian electronic warfare systems. We have already apologized to the Finnish side for the incident, says Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhij Tychyj.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj also states on Telegram that he had a telephone conversation with Finnish President Alexander Stubb during the day.
“Alex and I share the same view on the situation. We are providing all necessary information,” he writes.
Middle East Crisis Iran War
Analysis: US Redefins Regime Change in Iran
The Trump administration has changed its tone on possible regime change in Iran.
President Donald Trump speaks of a “new and more reasonable” Iranian regime. On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also said that it is a “new regime,” because, according to him, a change has already occurred.
“The president’s statements this week, in which he claims that removing the leadership is the same as regime change, can be interpreted as an attempt to redefine the term so that he can claim that the original goal of the war has been achieved,” writes the New York Times’ Edward Wong in an analysis.
The new regime is outwardly led by the former Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son Mojtaba, but he has not been seen since his appointment and is said to have been injured in the attack that killed his father.
However, his quick appointment does not rule out a power vacuum, writes Afshon Ostovar in an analysis in Foreign Affairs. According to him, several actors are ready to take over, mainly linked to the Revolutionary Guard.
“If they consolidate power, Tehran will continue to be reflexively antagonistic towards Israel, the US and pro-democracy forces within the country,” he writes.
Trump rages at allies: “Go get your own oil!”
Donald Trump is sharply criticizing the countries that “refused to participate in the beheading of Iran,” according to a post on Truth Social.
He now lists two suggestions for the countries that are short of jet fuel due to the blockade of Hormuz.
“Number 1, buy from the US, we have plenty of it, and Number 2, gather some belated courage, go to the strait and just take it.”
According to Trump, the hard part has already been done and therefore the countries concerned can “go get your own oil.”
Report: US Sending Another Aircraft Carrier
The US aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush is on its way to the Middle East, according to information from the Wall Street Journal.
The ship joins the already deployed aircraft carriers USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald Ford, which are anchored in Croatia for repairs.
According to the newspaper, the ship left the port of Norfolk, Virginia, on Tuesday.
Trump: We will leave Iran within two to three weeks
The US military will leave Iran within two to three weeks, says Donald Trump at a press conference in the Oval Office, according to several media outlets.
The main goal of the war was to ensure that Iran could not develop nuclear weapons, says the president.
– That has been achieved. Now we are finishing the job.
Furthermore, Trump says that the US will not interfere in what happens in the Strait of Hormuz when they go home.
– It is not up to us. It is up to France and everyone who uses the strait.
Trump's USA
The President's New Construction
Judge stops construction of Donald Trump's ballroom
A federal judge has stopped construction of President Donald Trump's ballroom until the project receives approval from Congress, CNN reports.
The Trump administration has 14 days to appeal the decision, according to Judge Richard Leon. He also warns that all construction work during the period that does not follow the decision risks demolition.
"Unless and until Congress approves the project through legislation, construction must be stopped," Richard Leon writes in the decision.
The future of the Republicans
Attack helicopters at Kid Rock's pool are being investigated
A video of two AH-64 Apache attack helicopters flying above artist and Maga profile Kid Rock's pool in Nashville is being investigated by the local military, several media outlets report.
A very satisfied Kid Rock published the clip on Saturday with the accompanying text: "This is a level of respect that the brain-dead governor of California will never understand."
The helicopters also flew over a protest against Trump in nearby Nashville the same day. The local military says they were training in the area and that the flight over the protest was not planned. The flight over Kid Rock's residence, which he himself calls the "White House of the South", is being investigated, however.
In an interview with a local television channel that Fox New refers to, Kid Rock says that the pilots have nothing to worry about.
- I'm friends with the president. What are they even going to investigate? They stopped for a few seconds, he says.
Source: Pilots suspended - flew over Kid Rock's home
The pilots who flew two Apache helicopters over the home of the American Maga profile and artist Kid Rock have been suspended, according to information to ABC News.
In total, there are four people who have been suspended pending the completion of an investigation into the flight.
Kid Rock himself posted the incident on Instagram, where helicopters were seen circling over his pool in Nashville.
The military announced early on that the incident would be investigated, but according to Kid Rock, the pilots have nothing to worry about.
– I'm friends with the president. What are they even going to investigate? They only stopped for a few seconds, he told a local television channel, according to Fox
Pressat Kina lägger fram fredsplan om Iran
TT
China and Pakistan have developed a five-point plan to end the war in the Middle East.
That China is emerging as an active mediator may be partly due to the country being under pressure, according to China expert Björn Jerdén.
The proposal includes, among other things, a point on “immediate ceasefire” and a call to begin peace talks “as soon as possible”, according to Pakistan.
Another point concerns the safety of shipping lanes in the region. There, Islamabad and Beijing want the parties to “maintain the safety of ships and crews stranded in the Strait of Hormuz” and that merchant ships are allowed to pass “as soon as possible”.
Difficult for China
Pakistan has previously taken a central role in the negotiations to end the war. The fact that China is now also joining in may indicate growing concern about the consequences of the war, according to Björn Jerdén, head of the National Knowledge Centre on China at the Swedish Institute for Foreign Policy.
– The current situation is difficult, the lack of gas and oil imports is a direct blow to China, he says.
– The long-term effects that the conflict could have on the world economy are also worrying. China is a major trading nation and a weaker world economy and lower growth will have a negative impact on the country.
But it is not just economic concerns that are causing China to emerge – the country can also benefit from a more prominent role, says Jerdén.
– China has often had a somewhat withdrawn role in this type of military crisis and has been, with some exceptions, quite cautious. But if China proves to be a responsible country that can help and achieve a peaceful solution to a global crisis, it could benefit the country in the form of higher prestige.
“Not typical”
With the five-point plan, China is signaling that it is ready to take a more active role, says Jerdén – who at the same time does not want to exaggerate the significance of the country's development of the peace plan.
– But if it were to lead to China really stepping in as some kind of guarantor for a solution to the conflict, albeit temporary, then it is not typical. Then we will see if it is realistic.
Netanyahu: The war is halfway
Half of the missions in the war against Iran have been carried out, claims Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
– It has definitely passed halfway. But I don't want to set a timetable, he tells Newsmax according to AFP.
US President Donald Trump said at the start of the war, in late February, that the operation would last four to six weeks.
Netanyahu now points out that half of the war's missions do not necessarily correspond to half of the time the war will last. He also says he is convinced that the regime in Iran will fall.
– I believe that the regime will collapse from within. But right now, at this moment, we are working to weaken their military capabilities, he says.
Send feedback
Hälften av uppdragen i kriget mot Iran har genomförts, påstår Israels premiärminister Benjamin Netanyahu.
– Det har definitivt passerat halvvägs. Men jag vill inte sätta någon tidsplan, säger han till Newsmax enligt AFP.
USA:s president Donald Trump sade vid krigets inledning, i slutet av februari, att insatsen skulle pågå i fyra till sex veckor.
Netanyahu poängterar nu att hälften av krigets uppdrag inte nödvändigtvis motsvarar hälften av den tid kriget kommer pågå. Han säger sig även vara övertygad om att styret i Iran kommer att falla.
– Jag tror att regimen kommer att kollapsa inifrån. Men just nu, i detta ögonblick, arbetar vi med att försvaga deras militära kapacitet, säger han.
Italy denies US warplanes landing
Updated 10.51 | Published 10.38
American warplanes heading to the Middle East are not allowed to stopover at a base in Sicily, Italy announced according to Corriere della Sera.
The denial risks fueling tensions with the US, the newspaper writes, recalling that Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that after the Iran war, the US could be forced to reevaluate its relationship with the NATO defense alliance.
The announcement came after Italy received a travel plan from the US, without Washington DC consulting Italian authorities, and when the warplanes were already in the air, according to the newspaper.
Since the plane in question was neither on a logistics or routine mission, the flight was considered to be outside the bilateral agreement between the countries, and a stopover was therefore denied.
The move comes the day after Spain's Defense Minister Margarita Robles announced that the country's airspace is closed to American aircraft participating in the Iran war.
The Spanish government has previously been among Europe's most critical of Israel's war in Gaza, and now describes the Iran war as illegal.
Information: Trump wants to end despite closing Hormuz
Updated 11.29 | Published 01.48
US President Donald Trump, photographed outside the White House on Sunday.
1 / 2Photo: Jose Luis Magana /AP/TT
US President Donald Trump is considering ending the Iran war – without reopening the Strait of Hormuz, according to information to The Wall Street Journal.
Meanwhile, attacks continue around the Middle East.
An effort to open the trade route that is so important for global oil trade that Iran has strangled would prolong the conflict by up to six weeks, according to a conclusion that Trump and his advisers are said to have reached.
The US is considering instead focusing on achieving other goals, such as crippling Iran's navy and missile arsenals, and then escalating the fighting, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Officials tell the newspaper that Washington DC would then pressure allies in Europe and the Persian Gulf region to make an effort to open the strait at a later date.
Halfway through?
However, Trump's running mate in the war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has a different opinion.
According to him, the war, which has now entered its second month, is half over. However, he tells Newsmax in the US that he does not want to set a timetable for the warfare, which according to initial assessments would last four to six weeks.
At the same time, the war continues to rage, with attacks on Iran and Iranian counterattacks on pro-Western targets in the region.
On Tuesday, fireballs can be seen lighting up the sky in Isfahan, in a film clip shared by Donald Trump. The city, which is located in central Iran, is home to a nuclear facility that has previously been the subject of American attacks. According to information to The Wall Street Journal, it is a large ammunition depot that has been attacked with American, 900-kilogram bunker-busting bombs.
In parallel, a desalination plant on the Iranian island of Qeshm in the Strait of Hormuz has been attacked and damaged so badly that it is unusable, AFP reports, citing state media.
A pharmaceutical factory, focused on cancer medicine, has also been attacked, according to the regime.
Air raids and explosions
The Israeli military has also struck the “heart of Tehran” on Monday evening and carried out new attacks on Tuesday morning, with reports of power outages as a result. A Shiite Muslim shrine has been hit in northern Iran.
In central Israel, mainly, air raids have been sounded while Iranian missiles are being fought in waves. At least eight people are reported to have been injured, mainly by wreckage from downed missiles.
People have also been injured in Dubai by wreckage. A Kuwaiti oil tanker has been hit in nearby waters and several explosions have been heard there during the day.
Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have also reported attacks, and loud bangs have been heard in northern Iraq.
måndag 30 mars 2026
30 dead after heavy rain in Afghanistan
Published 2026-03-30 16.35
In recent days, at least 28 people have died as a result of flooding after heavy rain in Afghanistan. In addition, almost 50 people have been injured.
Storms and heavy rains have led to severe flooding and landslides in parts of the country, according to Afghan authorities, who fear that the death toll may rise.
According to the authorities, around 1,000 families have so far been affected by the storm - which has destroyed 130 homes and caused extensive material damage to another 500 homes.
Afghanistan is vulnerable to extreme weather, and floods cause several deaths annually. Last January, about ten people died in the country in rain and snow storms.
The latest storm is also having consequences in neighboring Pakistan. So far, 17 people have died and more than 50 people have been injured.
Trump's threat to Iran: "Open the Strait of Hormuz - or else..."
Published 2026-03-30 13.34
If the Strait of Hormuz is not opened, a large number of targets - and an oil island - will be blown up and completely destroyed.
This is the new threat to Iran from the US president.
The US is in "serious talks" with a "new" and more "reasonable" regime to end the war against Iran.
This is how Donald Trump's post on Truth Social begins. Immediately afterwards comes the threat:
“Great progress has been made, but if for some reason an agreement is not reached soon – which it probably will be – and if the Strait of Hormuz is not immediately opened to traffic, we will end our pleasant ‘stay’ in Iran by blowing up and completely destroying all their power plants, oil fields and Khargön”.
He continues:
“And possibly desalination plants too!”
Donald Trump has said that he wants the US to “take over Iran’s oil”. Most of the oil comes from Khargön – the US can take it, Trump told the Financial Times recently.
Economy
IMF on War: “All Roads Lead to Higher Prices”
The International Monetary Fund, IMF, warns that the war the US and Israel are waging against Iran could worsen the prospects for economies that have begun to recover from previous crises, writes Bloomberg.
The IMF points to countries in Africa and Asia that are heavily dependent on oil imports and that already have difficulty accessing supplies.
“All roads lead to higher prices and slower growth,” writes the IMF in a blog post.
The world may also end up in a kind of middle ground where tensions between countries remain and energy becomes too expensive. At the same time, inflation may prove difficult to tackle, with continued uncertainty and a geopolitical risk, writes the IMF.
Iran Approves Bill on Strait of Hormuz Tariffs
Iran’s National Security Committee has approved a bill to impose tariffs on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, Bloomberg reports, citing Fars news agency.
If enacted, the bill would explicitly ban Israeli and American ships from passing through the Strait. The ban would also apply to “any country that imposes unilateral sanctions on Iran,” Bloomberg writes.
Many dead in violence in central Nigeria
Published 13.51
At least 22 people have been killed in a spiral of violence in the city of Jos in Plateau state in Nigeria, according to residents and a local Red Cross representative.
A group of masked people opened fire inside a restaurant on Sunday, killing at least twelve people.
On Monday, reports emerged that at least ten people had been killed in a revenge shooting by an armed group.
A 48-hour curfew in the northern parts of Jos has been declared as a result of the violence, and came into effect on Monday night, reports BBC News Pidgin.
The attacks are being investigated by local authorities, but the motive is unclear. However, the area has been characterized for many years by deadly clashes between farmers and herders.
At least 16 dead after violent attack in Haiti
Published 21.18
At least 16 people have been killed after an attack carried out by gang members in Haiti.
The UN Secretary-General fears that the death toll could be significantly higher.
The attack - which is said to have been carried out by gang members - occurred in the centrally located town of Petite Riviere de l'Artibonite.
16 people have been confirmed dead and another ten have been injured, according to police. Several houses have also been burned down.
- This attack underlines the seriousness of the security situation facing the Haitian population, says Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
According to Dujarric, the death toll varies from 30 to 80 people.
Haiti is severely affected by violent crime and large parts of the country are controlled by armed gangs. In the past year alone, more than 1,400 people have been killed as a result of gang violence, according to a UN report.
Merz: 800,000 Syrians should return
Published 18.51
The absolute majority of all Syrians in Germany should return within the coming years.
That was the message from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz when he received Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Berlin.
More than a million people from Syria live in Germany - most of whom arrived during the refugee wave of 2015-2016 - making them the largest Syrian diaspora group in the EU.
After the meeting, Merz told reporters that he hopes 80 percent of all Syrians in Germany will return “within the next three years.”
Al-Sharaa’s visit to Germany, his first since the overthrow of dictator Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, has been met with criticism from groups who point to his past role as a leading jihadist and the violence against minorities that has occasionally flared since he took power.
Iran's plan: Tariffs in the Strait of Hormuz
Updated 22.21 | Published 21.13
Iran wants to impose tariffs in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Fars news agency.
Something that could lead to billions in losses in the coffers.
- Today, the roles between those who impose sanctions and those who are subject to them have been reversed, says Iranian economics professor Hossein Raghfar.
Iran has approved a plan for shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, reports the state-controlled Fars news agency.
Among other things, it wants to introduce a customs system for ships.
At the same time, American and Israeli ships will be banned from passing.
FACTS
Iran's plan for the Strait of Hormuz
Security arrangements for the Strait
Fleet security
Environmental issues
Financial arrangements and toll systems in rials
Ban for the US and Israel to pass
Exercise of Iran's sovereign role and armed forces
Cooperation with the respected country of Oman on the legal structure
Ban against countries that participate in unilateral sanctions against Iran
Source: Fars
If Iran were to impose tariffs, it could earn $60 billion annually, economics professor Hossein Raghfar told the Tasnim news agency.
Something equivalent to SEK 630 billion.
- Today, the roles between the one who imposes sanctions and the one who is subjected to them have been reversed. A very powerful tool is now in the hands of our country - control over the Strait of Hormuz, says Raghfar.
The news comes just hours after Donald Trump claimed that he is in “serious talks with a new and more reasonable regime to end the war on Iran”.
Donald Trump. Photo: Jose Luis Magana /AP/TT
In the same post, he threatened to strike the Strait of Hormuz if it is not opened soon.
“Great progress has been made, but if for some reason an agreement is not reached soon – which it probably will be – and if the Strait of Hormuz is not immediately opened to traffic, we will end our pleasant ‘stay’ in Iran by blowing up and completely destroying all of their power plants, oil fields and Khargön”.
The Iran war has led to enormous costs and Trump has an idea about who will pay:
The Arab countries:
– It is an idea I know he has and something that I think you will hear more about from him, says his press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
She says that talks with Iran are going well and that Tehran has agreed to some of the US points.
– Despite all the public attacks and false information from the regime, the talks continue to go well.
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