Months ago, it looked like criminal lawsuits would feature prominently in Donald Trump’s 2024 calendar. Instead, key cases have been delayed, while a civil fraud verdict weighs heavily on the presidential candidate.

• Anti-far-right protests: Millions of Germans have been protesting the growing popularity of the far-right Alternative for Germany party. Alarm has grown following a recent report that right-wing extremists met to discuss deportation of millions of immigrants, including some with German citizenship.
• Vladimir Putin wins: Russia’s March 17 election cements President Putin’s already tight grip on power, with 87.8% of the vote. Mr. Putin said the vote showed Moscow was right to stand up to the West and send troops into Ukraine.
• Asbestos ban: The Environmental Protection Agency announces a comprehensive ban on chrysotile asbestos, the only ongoing use of asbestos in the United States. The substance is found in products such as brake linings and gaskets, and is used to manufacture chlorine bleach and caustic soda.
• Gaza’s children: The death toll for children in Gaza has surpassed 13,000, reports UNICEF. It said many children were facing severe malnutrition.

Read these news briefs.

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An Alabama court ruling on in vitro fertilization has added to nationwide upheaval over questions of reproductive rights and when life begins. We look at three questions about the aftermath of the Alabama decision. 

Many in Pakistan expected press freedom to improve once Imran Khan was out of power, yet journalists continue to face legal challenges and harassment. Can the Pakistani media’s muckraking ethos survive the ongoing crackdown?

International adoption summons trust at its rawest and most powerful. It’s an act of good faith with the potential, as our writer learned, to transform both those adopted and adopting.

If there is such a thing as the heart of Europe, it would be the Czech Republic. The nation of only 10.5 million people in central Europe has shown once again why it is the most generous and unfailing supporter of Ukraine.

In recent weeks, Czech diplomats have scoured the globe to discreetly procure 800,000 artillery rounds from 18 countries for a Ukrainian military currently in a serious ammo deficit against Russian forces.

“We are like hobbits – small and peaceful, but in a moment of crisis we jump to forge alliances with much more powerful countries and deliver results,” Tomas Kopecny, the Czech special envoy for Ukraine, told The Wall Street Journal, referring to the heroes in the “Lord of the Rings” saga.

On Monday, the successful Czech initiative helped push the European Union to announce that it will provide more than $5.5 billion in additional military aid to Ukraine. And the moral leadership of the Czechs could help unlock a $60 billion aid package for Ukraine now stalled in the U.S. Congress.

The Czech Republic, states the news site Aktuálně.cz, “has been experiencing the most stellar diplomatic moment since joining Nato and the EU.”

Once a former satellite state of the Soviet Union, the Czech Republic is clear about its motives. Even though Ukraine is not a member of NATO or the EU, it is sacrificing more than any other country to safeguard Western values such as freedom, democracy, and respect for the individual, states Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky.

“It is holding back a much better armed opponent with tremendous resolve and has in the past managed to liberate almost half of the territory Russia occupied after the start of its aggression in 2022,” Mr. Lipavsky said. “It managed to change the balance of power in the Black Sea [with its attacks on the Russian Navy].” Duty calls, he says, for the Czechs to support Ukraine.

In addition to providing early and strong military support to Ukraine, the Czechs have been the most generous European country in welcoming Ukrainian refugees. In December, the Czech Parliament approved an extension of protection for Ukrainian refugees, providing them access to jobs, education, and health insurance.

Ukrainians are “not running out of courage, they are running out of ammunition,” says NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. Yet in addition to stiffening Ukraine’s military, the Czechs may also be stiffening the resolve of the Ukrainians. And showing the world that the front lines of freedom are everywhere.