On 27 March, the United Nations Security Council discussed the situation of ethnic and religious minorities in the Middle East in the context of radical extremism and terrorist attacks.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and EU Counter-terrorism Coordinator Gilles de Kerchove visit Parliament this week to discuss security challenges and the EU's response to terrorist threats. In addition MEPs vote on legislation to increase transparency when setting key interest rates, while the new special committee on tax rulings will debate how to fight against tax evasion and tax havens.

Pledges amounting to over €1 billion were announced at the International Conference in support of Guinea-Bissau in Brussels, which the European Union hosted on Wednesday together with the Government of Guinea-Bissau and the UN Development Programme (UNDP). The pledges, finalised last night, came from more than 70 delegations from all over the world. They include €160 million that will be provided by the EU.

"When I look ahead to the future of Congo, I can't picture it without these women activists, who have suffered atrocities," said Dr Denis Mukwege during a visit to Parliament on 26 March. The 2014 Sakharov Prize Winner, who treats victims of sexual violence in DR Congo, discussed his country's future as well as violence against women with the human rights subcommittee. He also called for Congolese unity: "Whenever there is evil in society, that society must mobilise to fight it."

The 18 March terrorist attacks on the Tunis Bardo museum were clearly directed against Tunisia's transition to democracy, as the "lone success story of the 'Arab Spring'", said MEPs in a debate with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on Wednesday evening. All speakers insisted on the need to maintain or beef up EU support for Tunisia, so to in encourage it to pursue its democratic transition and not be intimidated by attempts to cause anarchy and chaos.

EU plans to lend Ukraine €1.8 billion to help plug its short-term balance of payments gap were approved by MEPs on Wednesday. The EU will borrow the money externally and lend it on to Ukraine with the same interest rate. The disbursement will be tied to Ukraine pledging structural reforms to tackle problems that contributed to the current crisis.

Trade between the EU and the US is already worth hundreds of billions a year. and the free trade agreement known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) promises to increase this even further. However, the deal being negotiated by the European Commission and the US will still need to be approved by the European Parliament before it can enter into force. Check out our infographic to find out more about trade between the two regions.

According to the head of the German carrier there were 144 passengers and six crew members on the board of Germanwings Airbus A320 that crashed today in an inaccessible area of the southeast France.

At the meeting in Canberra on 23 March with Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevičius informed her about Lithuania's preparations and implementation of the Action Plan for joining the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). "Membership in OECD is the most important goal for Lithuania now. I am glad to receive good evaluation from the Australian colleagues of Lithuania's efforts to start accession procedures to OECD," said the head of Lithuania's diplomacy.

During the Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius' visit to New Zealand, Lithuanian Honorary Consulate in Auckland was officially opened on Friday, March 20.