The US and Saudi Arabia have signed a deal that will allow the Gulf kingdom to establish a civilian nuclear programme. The agreement is to form the foundation of a partnership under which the US exports nuclear technology worth several billion dollars to Riyadh. According to US Energy Secretary Chris Wright, the deal will also enforce nuclear nonproliferation. Commentators are concerned that it will put the Saudis on the path to developing a nuclear weapon.
The EU has hit Google with an 890-million-euro fine for unfair business practices. The US company was ruled to have used its market dominance to breach competition regulations via its search engine and app store, Google Play, to the detriment of its competitors. Commentators reflect on market power and its abuse.
Triggered by a court ruling, the crisis within Turkey's main opposition party, the CHP, has intensified, with former leader Özgür Özel announcing that he is leaving the party to form a new one. Ekrem İmamoğlu, the imprisoned Mayor of Istanbul and Erdoğan's strongest rival, is believed to be behind the controversy. However, the current party leader, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, has appealed for the party, which was founded in 1923, to stick together.
After fraught negotiations, the EU Commission has decided on its 21st sanctions package against Russia. Restrictions on the Russian financial sector will be further tightened and the 'price cap' on crude oil exports will remain at a low of 44 dollars per barrel. But individual countries intervened to block numerous proposals to sanction fish imports, LNG transportation and entry requirements for tourists, for example.
According to OpenAI, during an internal test of the company's new AI models the software independently hacked its way into the systems of another AI firm. OpenAI has described this as an "unprecedented cyber incident". The AI models reportedly managed to break out of the isolated test environment and gain access to the internet. The company they targeted was Hugging Face.
In the Black Sea, mutual attacks by Russia and Ukraine on civilian cargo ships have intensified in recent days. After a tanker headed for the Ukrainian Danube port of Reni and carrying 3,800 tonnes of liquefied gas was set alight when it was attacked just 20 nautical miles off the Romanian coast, the country's media are discussing how to ensure safety in its own waters – especially in view of Romania's plans to extract natural gas there.
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega announced on Sunday that there will be no further elections in Nicaragua for the time being. He said the move was aimed at preventing the opposition from coming to power, which he claims represents the interests of the US and the dictatorship that was overthrown in 1979. Commentators voice concern.
Following the removal of President Tamás Sulyok, chess champion Judit Polgár – Prime Minister Péter Magyar's favoured candidate for the job – has declined the nomination. Polgár explained that she did not feel strong enough to shoulder the historic responsibility of uniting a divided nation. Commentators debate the reasons for her refusal and whether Magyar should reconsider his approach.
On Monday, Andy Burnham, the UK's new Prime Minister, made his inaugural speech outside 10 Downing Street in London. He announced plans for radical changes to the economic and political system, with decentralising government, reducing the cost of living, boosting the economy and easing the burden on the social welfare system as key goals. The press reacts with hope and scepticism.