The Greek Cyclades island group in the Aegean Sea has been hit by a series of earthquakes over the last two weeks. Experts have issued warnings and thousands of residents and tourists have left the popular holiday resort island of Santorini, which was hit on Wednesday by the strongest quake so far, measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale. Man and nature don't always get along, commentators stress.
President Donald Trump has effectively frozen US development aid. Most of the staff at the government agency USAID have been placed on leave, its website has been closed for maintenance and payments have been suspended for 90 days. During this time the agency's programmes are to be reviewed, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has been appointed by Trump as its acting director. The media examine the repercussions.
Last week, in the middle of the election campaign, Germany's Bundestag voted on proposals to tighten migration policy brought by the CDU/CSU opposition parliamentary group. An initial motion was supported by a fiercely debated majority achieved with the support of the AfD, which is suspected of right-wing extremism by the country's domestic intelligence agency. Another motion on specific changes to the immigration laws failed two days later. Europe's press takes a worried look.
At least eleven people were killed and several others wounded in a mass shooting at an adult education centre in the Swedish city of Örebro on Tuesday. According to the police, the perpetrator was probably among the dead. So far there are no indications that the attack was motivated by terrorism. Commentators take stock.
Donald Trump imposed high tariffs on goods coming from Mexico and Canada on the weekend, only to suspend the measure for 30 days after talks with the countries' leaders. New tariffs against China came into force, to which Beijing responded with counter-tariffs. Trump has also threatened to impose tariffs on the EU "pretty soon." Commentators discuss how Europe should react to a looming trade war with the US.
EU leaders convened for a special summit on Monday to discuss how to finance more spending on defence. Although no agreement was reached on joint European debt, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed a generous interpretation of the debt rules. In addition to defence spending, commentators discuss the larger geopolitical issues at stake.
The partners in the four-party governing coalition have agreed on a joint candidate to run in the repeat of the Romanian presidential election in May: Crin Antonescu, a former head of the national-liberal PNL who has been absent from the political scene for the last decade. Commentators assess his chances but are already incensed by his plans to campaign against gay pride parades.
A new government has been formed in Belgium under the leadership of Flemish nationalist Bart De Wever. His N-VA party, which seeks greater autonomy for the Flanders region, has formed a coalition with the liberal MR, the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats. Commentators discuss what lies in store for the country.
Three and a half years passed between the Brexit referendum in June 2016 and its official implementation on 31 January 2020. The UK and the EU have been trying to reorganise their relationship ever since. Five years after the UK's departure, frustration prevails in the commentaries - albeit for very different reasons.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has presented a plan called the "Competitiveness Compass" which aims to boost the European economy's global competitiveness. The strategy is based on the report presented in September by former ECB chief Mario Draghi. "Europe has everything it needs to succeed in the race to the top," von der Leyen said. Not all commentators share her optimism.
A majority of the German Bundestag on Wednesday approved a non-binding motion put forward by the CDU/CSU faction to tighten the country's migration policy, which includes the introduction of permanent border controls. The vote was hotly contested as it passed with the votes of the AfD, which is classified by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution as a suspected right-wing extremist organisation. Europe's press weighs in.
The conflict that has been smouldering for decades in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo is now coming to a head: The rebel group M23, supported by neighbouring Rwanda, has captured Goma and announced that it also intends to "liberate" the capital Kinshasa. UN peacekeepers have been caught in the crossfire, aid programmes had to be halted and 400,000 people have fled. What can the international community do?