Talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives mediated by the US began in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. As a first step the two countries agreed on a new prisoner exchange. US President Trump had held out the prospect of a "very major" agreement that could affect "the whole of Europe". Although a European delegation is present, it is not sitting at the table – prompting a lively discussion among commentators.
Protests against the housing crisis are being staged in around 130 Spanish towns and cities today. The country's two largest trade unions have also organised a general strike. On Friday, the campaign for the snap general election on 29 November begins. The press looks at what role the protests will play in the run-up to the election.
The 31st UN Climate Change Conference began in Antalya, Turkey, on Monday. Over two weeks, delegates from around 200 countries will aim to reach an agreement on concrete climate protection measures to curb global warming as quickly as possible. Turkey is co-hosting COP31 with Australia. The press sees some signs that real progress can be made.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has accused German Chancellor Friedrich Merz of "blackmail" regarding further financial support for Ukraine. Merz has demanded that all EU countries without exception make a contribution and proposed that funding from the EU budget be linked to their backing for Ukraine. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has also rejected Merz's proposal.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has admitted to having an extramarital affair with a businesswoman who is suspected of being a spy for China. US tech giant Nvidia, which is market leader in the development of graphics processing units and AI chips, has launched an investigation. The European press looks how the affair could affect the company and the global economy.
Following the elections in Israel, President Yitzhak Herzog officially tasked Gadi Eisenkot with forming a government on 8 November. The former chief of staff of the Israel Defence Forces is to form a coalition that could replace incumbent prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Cooperation with Arab parties is also under discussion. Europe's press takes stock of the options for alliances.
Poland is in shock after a gun attack in the centre of Kraków. On Saturday afternoon a 24-year-old man opened fire on passers-by from inside his car, killing six people and injuring a further sixteen. The gunman was seriously wounded in a shootout with police and died in hospital on Monday before he could be questioned. The public prosecutor's office has classified the incident as a terrorist attack.
In Russia, Novaya Gazeta, the last remaining independent and oppositional media outlet, has been forced to end its operations. Founded in 1993, the renowned investigative newspaper was designated a 'foreign agent' in September and has now been deprived of any possibility to raise funds through donations and evicted from its editorial offices in Moscow.
The AI boom is driving the construction of huge data centres in the US, and this expansion was also an issue in the midterm elections. Critics have raised concerns about the facilities' high electricity and water consumption, as well as the political influence of big tech companies. Europe's press examines the consequences of this growing opposition for US politics.
The long-running power struggle over Poland's Constitutional Tribunal escalated on the weekend when a constitutional judge with close ties to the Tusk government announced the suspension of the PiS-aligned president of the court and his deputy and barred them from entering the building. PiS supporters staged a demonstration outside the court in Warsaw and there were also disturbances inside the building. Both sides accuse each other of violating the constitution.
Supermarkets in several European countries have been targeted by cyberattacks. Hackers apparently gained access to the control systems and turned up the temperature in fridges and freezers, with the result that large quantities of food had to be disposed of. There have been several such incidents in Germany, Belgium, Sweden, Ireland, Luxembourg, Estonia, Finland and the Netherlands over the last few days.