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Hard Numbers: Le Pen probed, Jerusalem clashes, Myanmar amnesty, cross-border Taliban trouble
Paige Fusco
April 17, 2022
140,000: A French prosecutor is investigating a report by the EU's anti-fraud agency alleging that far-right presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen misappropriated EU funds worth 140,000 euros ($151,357) when she was an MEP in Brussels. Le Pen faces incumbent Emmanuel Macron in the runoff election next Sunday.
17: At least 17 Palestinians were wounded on Sunday, when Israeli riot police entered the al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City to protect Jewish worshippers visiting the holy site. This year, Ramadan has coincided with Easter and Passover, raising chances for clashes between religious Jews, Muslims, and Christians at holy sites in Israel.
1,619: On Sunday, Myanmar's junta released 1,619 prisoners to mark the Lunar New Year in the Buddhist-majority nation. But there's a catch: the amnesty excluded those arrested for protesting against the ruling generals.
47: At least 47 people were killed in Pakistani airstrikes against the Pakistani Taliban in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday. A recent offensive by the militant group — which is separate from the Afghan Taliban but shares its ideology — has soured ties between Islamabad and Kabul.More For You
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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney attended a meeting of the European Political Community in Armenia this weekend, a first by the leader of a non-European country. He was invited to discuss common interests in trade, energy, and security. In a speech that echoed his address to the World Economic Forum in Davos two months earlier, Carney called on middle powers, including Canada and European nations, to work together in the wake of disruption of the established world order — implicitly pointing to the United States. “It’s my strong personal view that the international order will be rebuilt,” he told the crowd in Yerevan, “but it will be rebuilt out of Europe.”
Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan’s government fell after losing a no-confidence vote, putting Romania’s access to EU recovery funds – worth approximately $13 billion – at risk.
Natalie Johnson
Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan’s government fell after losing a no-confidence vote, putting Romania’s access to EU recovery funds – worth approximately $13 billion – at risk. The country, which has the largest budget deficit in the EU, has to complete the bloc’s mandated economic reforms by August to unlock the funds. But with its country’s pro-EU government pushed out, those reforms are uncertain.
One year after announcing its European digital commitments, Microsoft shared an update on progress across the region, highlighting new investments and expanded infrastructure to support AI adoption, strengthen resilience, and protect data. As demand for AI grows, organizations across Europe are increasingly focused on digital sovereignty, seeking greater control over data, stronger security, and assurance that critical systems remain available amid geopolitical uncertainty. Microsoft’s latest update outlines progress across key areas, including cloud expansion, cybersecurity, and privacy protections, helping enable AI and cloud adoption at scale while aligning with European regulations and priorities. Read the full update here.
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