Eurotopics.net

A majority of nearly 55 percent of Swiss voters rejected a proposal to cap the country's population at ten million in a referendum held on Sunday. Launched by the right-wing populist Swiss People's Party (SVP), the 'No to a Switzerland of 10 Million' initiative proposed restricting the number of refugees admitted to the country once a certain population threshold is reached and, under certain circumstances, also ending the freedom of movement agreed with the EU.

According to several sources, the US and Iran have agreed on a framework deal to end the war. The announcement was first made by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country is mediating in the conflict. The official signing ceremony is due to take place on Friday. The details of the agreement remain unclear, as does the question of whether renewed Israeli attacks in Lebanon will jeopardise the deal.

British forces have intercepted an oil tanker in the English Channel that appears to belong to Russia's shadow fleet. Russia uses the vessels to evade Western sanctions and generate revenues from oil shipments which are then used to fund the war against Ukraine. The British media praise the move, not only for its impact on Russia.

Romania needs a new prime minister after Ilie Bolojan of the National Liberal Party (PNL) was ousted by a vote of no confidence. Bolojan had announced his intention of naming his successor. However, President Nicușor Dan appointed a second candidate at the weekend, Adrian Veștea, without consulting the parties, after it became clear that the first candidate would be unlikely to secure a majority. Romania's media call for an end to the president's unilateral moves.

With a valuation of around 1.8 trillion US dollars, the space technology company SpaceX is going public today, June 12. Founder and majority shareholder Elon Musk – already the richest person in the world by far – is expected to become the first ever trillionaire. The staggering figures provoke some admiration and a lot of consternation in Europe's press.