After Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost his majority in the German Bundestag with the collapse of the coalition government, early elections have been called for 23 February. The rise of the right-wing populist AfD and economic policy are the main themes in election campaign. The media take a critical look at the parties' economic agendas and reform proposals: will they be able to convince voters?
Spain is commemorating its transition from dictatorship to democracy after the death of General Francisco Franco in November 1975 under the motto "Spain in freedom: 50 years". Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Wednesday launched a series of events that will take place over the next few months. A glance at the opinion sections shows that even after all this time the topic is still controversial.
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that he is stepping down as leader of his Liberal Party. He will also resign as prime minister as soon as a successor is found, Trudeau said on Monday. Once hailed by many Canadians as a beacon of hope, Trudeau, who has been in office since 2015, has increasingly come under fire recently, in particular over his economic policy.
Italy's right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited US President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate on the weekend. The two politicians seemed to be on very good terms. There are reports that they discussed the possibility of a major contract between the Italian government and Trump's close confidant Elon Musk over dinner. The press takes a critical stance.
Austria's President Alexander Van der Bellen has tasked the leader of the right-wing populist FPÖ, Herbert Kickl, with forming a government and starting coalition talks with the conservative ÖVP. The head of state said that he had not taken this step lightly and would ensure that the principles of the constitution are respected. Commentators discuss the ramifications.
Ten years after the Islamist terrorist attacks on the editorial offices of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and the Jewish supermarket Hyper Cacher, Paris is commemorating the 17 victims. The press discusses whether French society and the political class would react with the same solidarity today as they did in 2015 - and to what extent biting satire is still tolerated.
The US Congress has officially certified Donald Trump's victory in the November presidential election. The procedure went off smoothly in a joint session of both houses of Congress – in stark contrast to four years ago when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol. Trump will now take the oath of office on 20 January and, with a Republican majority in both chambers, push through his agenda.
Four weeks after the fall of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot have travelled to Damascus to strengthen relations between the EU and the transitional government. The new ruler, HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, has said that the country will need four years to create the conditions for free elections.
The transit of Russian gas through Ukrainian pipelines to Europe came to an end at the start of the new year after Kyiv refused to negotiate an extension of contracts with Moscow. The network of pipelines running between EU members is making up for the loss of Russian gas supplies in these states, but Transnistria, which has broken away from Moldova, is experiencing major problems, with thousands of households and industrial facilities left without gas and also electricity at times.
Anonymous witness statements have been admissible in Swedish courts since the beginning of the year. The new regulation which the conservative government - supported by the far-right Sweden Democrats - hopes will help to curb gang crime has been fiercely criticised by major institutions such as the country's Council on Legislation. Opinions also differ in the press.
Poland has taken over the EU Council presidency under the motto "Security, Europe!". For the next six months Warsaw will lead the Council meetings at which the governments of the EU member states prepare and make decisions together. Europe's press discusses the new presidency and compares it with the Hungarian one, which was highly contentious.
Estlink 2, a submarine power cable running between Finland and Estonia, was cut and other cables were damaged on Christmas Day. After departing from Russia, the oil tanker Eagle S was detained by the Finnish coast guard with a missing anchor and seven of its crew members are now under investigation. Europe's media see Moscow's 'shadow fleet' as an instrument of hybrid warfare – and call for tougher countermeasures.