After Donald Trump's latest tariffs announcement, oil prices dropped by around 20 percent within a week reaching their lowest level since the pandemic, when they turned negative. Europe's consumers are also feeling the effects: fuel prices at German petrol stations dropped by around 10 cents for two days in a row. A look at Europe's press shows who will be most worried by this downwards trend.
After 15 medics in a convoy of ambulances were shot dead by Israeli soldiers on 23 March, Israel claimed the vehicles had been moving in a suspicious way and did not have their emergency signals on. After video footage emerged that clearly shows the ambulances had their emergency and headlights on when the shots were fired, Israel admitted its account had been mistaken. Despite lingering uncertainties, commentators are deeply unsettled by the evidence.
Turkey's main opposition party CHP re-elected Özgur Özel as its chairman at an extraordinary party convention on Sunday, in reaction to fears that the authorities could appoint a trustee to head the party instead. The public prosecutor's office launched an investigation into alleged irregularities and vote-buying in Özel's first election in 2023.
"Hands Off" protests against the politics of President Donald Trump erupted across the US on Saturday. The New York Times spoke of tens of thousands of demonstrators in Washington. And there were also major demonstrations in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Boston, Detroit and Chicago. Europe's press see seeds of resistance growing, but not all commentators share the optimism.
China retaliated on Friday against Donald Trump's latest round of tariffs by imposing 34 percent import duties on US goods and restrictions on rare earth exports. Prices on the Japanese and Chinese stock markets dropped by around 8 percent this Monday in response. As markets around the world panic, commentators discuss how China can reposition itself in the escalating global trade war.
After the conviction of French right-wing populist Marine Le Pen last week, several thousand supporters of her Rassemblement National (RN) party staged a solidarity rally in Paris on Sunday. Speaking at the rally, Le Pen described the judgement as a "political decision" that made a mockery of the democratic state. European commentators discuss the implications.
A Russian Iskander-M ballistic missile with cluster munitions hit the centre of a residential area in the Ukrainian town of Kriviy Rih, killing 20 people, including nine children and young people on Friday evening. Seventy-five more were injured. UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk spoke of the deadliest strike against children since the start of the Ukraine war. What does Russia's military hope to achieve with such attacks?
The Hungarian government has announced its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC) in a move that coincides with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Budapest. At a press conference with the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Netanyahu, who has been subject to an arrest warrant issued by the ICC since last year, welcomed the decision. European commentators analyse the situation.
US President Donald Trump has announced a massive additional package of tariffs. In addition to a flat rate of 10 percent on all goods imported into the US, variable tariffs set at 20 percent for the EU and 34 percent for China will apply. As share prices plummet on the international stock markets, Europe's press debates how hard the blow will be and how it can be countered.
The US-led talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine are in crisis: Donald Trump has declared that he is "very angry" and "pissed off" at Putin after the latter stipulated the lifting of sanctions and new elections in Ukraine under UN supervision as preconditions. And Kyiv, for its part, has rejected a new draft agreement on economic cooperation with the US as unacceptable. The media discuss the chances of a ceasefire.
As part of a wave of protests, supporters of the imprisoned Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoğlu, called on the public not to go shopping on Wednesday in a bid to up the economic pressure on President Erdoğan. Information about the impact of the boycott varies, but the authorities are now investigating citizens who reposted the boycott call.