Commissioner Dombrovskis has been invited to an Economic Dialogue, following the 15 December 2025 Economic Dialogue on the launch of the 2026 European Semester Cycle, which covered the key elements of the Commission’s package, including the Macroeconomic Imbalances Procedure, the Joint Employment Report, the Euro Area policy recommendations and ongoing efforts to strengthen the EU’s global competitiveness. This briefing first takes stock of the latest economic developments, including the impact of the conflict in the Middle East, notably through higher energy prices and their implications for the EU economy. It then provides an update on recent developments on EU fiscal surveillance, focusing on the state of play and implementation of the medium-term fiscal-structural plans (MTFSPs), draft budgetary plans for 2026, and the broader implementation of the revised economic governance framework. Finally, it covers latest developments related to the simplification package, forthcoming changes to the methodology of Country-Specific Recommendations (CSRs), and key findings from the Debt Sustainability Monitor. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Access to affordable, adequate and energy-efficient housing has become one of the EU's most pressing socio-economic challenges. Rising house prices and rents, limited affordable supply and regional disparities have intensified housing insecurity, especially for low-income households and young people. Although housing policy remains primarily a national competence, it has gained prominence on the EU agenda in response to concerns about affordability, social exclusion and energy poverty. In December 2025, the European Commission published an affordable housing plan aimed at boosting housing supply, mobilising investment, simplifying permits, and targeting young people and the homeless to facilitate access to affordable housing. Additionally, the Commission provides guidance to Member States on housing issues through the European Pillar of Social Rights and the European Semester. The Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the main instrument of Next Generation EU, plays a significant role in supporting housing-related reforms and investments through Member States' national recovery and resilience plans (NRRPs); it supports 50 housing-related investments and 21 reforms. Housing-related investments are also supported by traditional EU funding instruments under the multiannual financial framework (MFF), including cohesion policy funds and InvestEU. The NRRPs cover a wide range of relevant investment and reform measures, including areas such as social and affordable housing supply, energy renovation, urban regeneration and regulatory reforms. An analysis of the 10 plans with the largest share of measures supporting affordability and availability of housing show the different approaches Member States have taken within the RRF framework. The European Parliament has called for access to decent and affordable housing to be recognised as a fundamental right and put forward a set of recommendations prepared by its Special Committee on the Housing Crisis. Overall, the EU's evolving approach aims to enhance coordination between Member States, increase funding mobilisation and provide clearer policy guidance to tackle the housing crisis. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Air raid sirens were sounded four times this morning, including in Tel Aviv and adjacent areas

The institute is also working on a visual-inertial navigation system for search drones, capable of mapping terrain and detecting people in real time

The Yemeni rebels said the attack achieved its objectives and was conducted jointly with Iran and the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah

The An-26 military transport aircraft crashed into a cliff

According to Mikhail Galuzin, the United States and the European Union are pressuring Russia’s Central Asian partners to join illegal anti-Russian sanctions, which Moscow «simply does not recognize»

WESTERN BUREAU: Pastor Mary Wildish turned her church into a war room. Tamika Williams opened her home as a lifeline for battered communities. And five months’ pregnant Tiffany Grant introduced ‘Sunday dinner’ to hurricane victims determined to hold on to their dignity. They were among seven honorees from western Jamaica recognised on Sunday as Jamaican Women of Resilience by the Women of Western Jamaica (WOWJa) during a brunch hosted by S Hotel Montego Bay and Sagicor Group.

WESTERN BUREAU: A major clean-up operation at the mouth of the South Gully is bringing renewed focus to proper waste disposal and regular drainage maintenance as Montego Bay prepares for the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season. The work is being carried out by the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) under the second phase of a national debris management programme introduced after the destruction caused by Hurricane Melissa.

A police sergeant, who has been freed of drug-related charges, previously filed multiple complaints internally about sexual harassment by high-ranking police officers and victimisation, her attorney has disclosed. Marcus Goffe, the lawyer representing Sergeant Tamica Taylor, said he believes the complaints fuelled “this escalation of the case”, culminating with the criminal charges filed against his client and her fiancé, Rayon Harris.

The leadership of Jamaica College was meeting up to late last night to deliberate on a violent incident involving students at the Old Hope Road, St Andrew-based institution. The episode left one boy seriously injured and his mother facing medical bills already exceeding a quarter million dollars and still rising.

Taxpayers will have to dig deeper into their pockets to cover the Customs fees waived by the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) when it applied its tax-exemption status to import goods on behalf of at least four private companies. Acting chief executive officer of the UHWI, Eric Hosin, told members of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Tuesday that the Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) had made it clear that it was the hospital that would have to cover the unpaid taxes and penalties as it had no arrangements with the private companies who benefited.

[RFI] Central African President Faustin-Archange Touadéra has pledged to buttress security and peace as he was sworn in for a third term on Monday, in one of the world's poorest and most volatile countries.

[allAfrica]

A 61-year-old woman was found dead at the foot of an HDB block in Yishun on Tuesday (March 31) morning.The incident happened at about 9.05am at Block 136 Yishun Ring Road.When AsiaOne reached the scene at about 12pm, there were at least three police fast response cars present. A police cordon was set up at the ground floor next to a lift lobby built during the block's Lift Upgrading Programme.The body was already removed by then, but a police investigation officer was still conducting checks at the scene.Responding to media queries, the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force said the woman was found lying motionless at the foot of the block and was pronounced dead at the scene by a paramedic.The police confirmed that the woman had fallen from height, adding that preliminary investigations do not suggest foul play and that investigations are ongoing.

Pacific nations are not yet suffering large-scale petrol shortages but are already starting to grapple with the economic impacts of the war, with fuel price hikes threatening to drive up inflation.

The court in Zomba on Tuesday denied bail to Senior Chief Malemia and adjourned his high-profile rape case to Wednesday at 10:30 a.m., after key State witnesses failed to appear, stalling proceedings in a matter that has drawn sharp public attention. Senior Chief Malemia, whose real name is Lloyd Clement, is facing serious criminal charges […] The post Court Denies Bail for Senior Chief Malemia, Adjourns Rape Case Over Missing Witnesses appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.

Parliament has swiftly passed five critical money Bills designed to unlock and operationalise the 2026/2027 National Budget, tightening the fiscal framework and expanding government’s revenue base in a decisive legislative push. The package of laws—passed days after the budget’s approval on March 24, 2026—includes the Supplementary Appropriation Bill (No. 2 of 2026), Taxation (Amendment) Bill […] The post Parliament Pushes Through Five Key Money Bills to Power 2026/27 Budget appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.

The Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services (DCCMS) has attributed the growing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in Malawi to climate change, warning of escalating social and economic consequences across the country. Presenting the 2025 State of Climate Report for Malawi, officials said shifting weather patterns are already undermining livelihoods, with an […] The post Climate Change Driving Surge in Extreme Weather, Government Warns appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.

Government has announced that domestic flights to Mzuzu will resume within the next eight weeks, signalling a long-awaited restoration of air connectivity to the Northern Region after months of disruption that have strained business, tourism and mobility. Minister of Transport and Public Works Jappie Mhango, speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, said authorities are racing to […] The post Flights to Mzuzu Set for Comeback in Eight Weeks as Government Moves to Fix Airport Gaps appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.

Leader of Opposition Chithyola Banda has launched a scathing attack on government over a 65 percent increase in Malawi Housing Corporation (MHC) rentals, describing the move as “excessive, tone-deaf and economically punishing” at a time Malawians are already suffocating under rising taxes and a spiralling cost of living. In a strongly worded reaction, Chithyola said […] The post Chithyola Slams 65% MHC Rent Hike as “Economic Brutality” Amid Tax Surge appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.

SINGAPORE — A former pre-school principal, who agreed to reformat a CCTV system after a cook was caught on video molesting a two-year-old girl, was sentenced to 10 days' jail on April 1.The 62-year-old woman had pleaded guilty to one count of intentionally omitting information on sexual assault committed by Teo Guan Huat.Before handing down the sentence, District Judge Sharmila Sripathy-Shanaz said that the former principal was in a position of trust, but failed to honour that trust.In November 2025, Teo, then 61, was sentenced to nine years, four months and seven weeks in jail.The prosecution said it was one of the most horrendous acts of sexual abuse committed in a pre-school.Teo pleaded guilty to three molestation charges in October 2025. The Malaysian had molested three girls, aged one to two, while the victims were in a nap room at the facility.In December 2025, the former principal was one of three women convicted in offences linked to the reformatted CCTV footage.One of them was the vice-principal, then 49, who was sentenced to three months and two weeks' jail in January. 

There may not be quite as many bins in other countries compared to Singapore - but that doesn't mean littering is allowed.A Singapore resident has been sentenced to RM1,000 (S$322) and four hours of community service in Johor Bahru's Magistrates' Court on Wednesday (April 1) after he was caught for littering.He was among the four in court on Wednesday facing charges relating to littering. Sinha Vaibhav, 40, pleaded guilty but asked for a reduction in community service due to a knee injury, providing the judge with a doctor's memo.He will serve his four hours of community service over the course of six months, spending an hour each day he conducts his service.'I shouldn't have done that'Speaking with AsiaOne, Vaibhav shared that he threw a can of coke into a pile of trash outside a KKMart in front of KSL City Mall while waiting for his car to finish servicing on Jan 14 this year.The Singapore resident - who is here on an employment pass - told AsiaOne that he was unable to find a bin nearby, and believed it was okay to toss his trash there because someone else had already done the same.

Denise Wong has been appointed commissioner of the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC), the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) announced on Wednesday (April 1).Wong, who is presently assistant chief executive (ACE) at IMDA's innovation and protection group, and concurrently PDPC's deputy commissioner, will continue to serve as ACE — where she oversees Singapore's data and artificial intelligence governance policies and ecosystem development.In a joint media release by the authority and the commission, they said that Wong will lead the development and execution of PDPC's strategic direction in her new role.The agencies added that apart from regulatory and enforcement decisions, she will also advise the Government on data protection matters and lead the commission to represent the Government internationally on matters relating to data protection."(In her previous role as deputy commissioner) she was instrumental in the formulation and implementation of policies that advance the responsible use of data. 

[263Chat] Public hearings on the proposed Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 in Harare were disrupted by violence with opposition figures alleging they were prevented from participating in the consultation process.

[Daily Trust] The Senate on Tuesday approved a loan request by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to secure new foreign loans totalling $6 billion for infrastructure development, debt servicing, and port rehabilitation.

[Daily Trust] The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) has confirmed the deportation of 40 out of 42 Nigerians arrested and locked up for weeks in Mozambique.

Delhi faces challenges in HIV treatment coverage, with only 70% of identified patients linked to care. The Union health ministry is intensifying district-level action to improve testing, treatment linkage, and patient follow-up, aiming to bridge the gap in the HIV care continuum. Efforts focus on patient-centric models and addressing barriers like stigma and mobility.

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has expedited counselling for super-specialty postgraduate seats by allowing those cleared by its First Appeal Committee to be included immediately. This move aims to reduce delays and provide clarity for medical aspirants, enabling counselling authorities to proceed without waiting for final approval letters.

Private hospitals have been granted a final extension until April 30, 2026, to complete mandatory empanelment formalities for the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS). This move follows technical hurdles on the new digital portal, with non-compliance leading to de-empanelment from May 1.

As of 3:30 a.m. Moscow time, the price increased 4.23%

The official says that Vladimir Zelensky, according to his statement, has no plans to withdraw troops from Donbass

The company named sustainable supply of high-quality motor fuel to Russian consumers one of its main priorities