The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced that it will withdraw from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) on 1 May 2026. For Opec, this means losing the world's third-largest oil producer. No longer bound by the cartel's agreements, UAE will be able to massively ramp up production. Commentators examine the implications for oil prices and the balance of power among the major oil-producing nations.

During his visit to Washington, British monarch Charles III gave a much applauded speech to the US Congress. He emphasised the responsibilities to Nato, Ukraine, global security and the environment and underlined the two country's close ties and the need for joint efforts to uphold democracy.

The German government has just agreed on a major health reform which foresees, among other things, increased patient contributions for medicines and restrictions on family insurance coverage. This comes at a time when Chancellor Friedrich Merz's popularity has dropped to 15 percent, according to a recent Forsa poll, and a survey by public broadcaster ARD found that 81 percent of the population think wealth is unfairly distributed in Germany.

The president of the Portuguese parliament, José Aguiar-Branco, caused a furore during a parliamentary ceremony marking the anniversary of the Carnation Revolution. He made a speech in which he complained that politicians were now required to disclose every detail of their private lives. Socialist MP Pedro Delgado Alves saw this as mockery of the parliament's ethical rules and demonstratively turned his back.

The West African nation of Mali is in the grips of its worst military conflict in years. Radical Islamists and Tuareg separatists have joined forces to fight against the military government that has been in power since a coup in 2020. What does the conflict mean for the Russian Africa Corps, which backs the military junta in Bamako, and for Europe?

Polish-Belarusian journalist Andrzej Poczobut has been released as part of a prisoner exchange after five years' internment in Belarus. Poczobut (53), who is a reporter for the Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper and a member of the country's Polish minority, was arrested in 2021 and sentenced to eight years in a labour camp in 2023. Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk welcomed him in person at the border.

The Iran war has put an end to the popularity of the Gulf states as a tourist destination, social media checks for visa applications in the US are provoking protests and people are tightening their purse strings. European commentators examine what the global political and economic situation means for tourists and holidays.

Croatia has faced a flood of bomb threats over the past week. Hospitals, shopping centres, editorial offices, airports, schools and kindergartens have had to be evacuated and searched more than 700 times – but in each case no explosives were found. The national press talks of a systematic attack on state and society.

Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla have arrived in the US for a four-day state visit. President Donald Trump and the First Lady welcomed the royal couple in the White House on Monday. Charles is due to give a speech before Congress today Tuesday. Commentators debate whether the King can rescue the strained relationship between the US and the UK.

The ousted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has resigned his parliamentary seat. He says he wants to focus on "reshaping the nationalist movement" and will continue to lead the Fidesz party. His successor Péter Magyar, however, has warned that a "mafia" that had formed around Orbán is now planning to flee the country, taking their billions with them.

The Social Democrats (PSD) and the far-right AUR party have announced plans to table a motion of no confidence against the government of Liberal Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan. The move follows the resignation of six Social Democratic ministers and the PSD Deputy Prime Minister in protest at a major austerity package. Commentators discuss the background and consequences.

The US tech company Palantir has published a 'manifesto' by CEO Alex Karp on X which has sparked a furore. The development of AI weapons is inevitable and the US must secure dominance in AI-based deterrence, it states. It also mentions the need to address the fact that different cultures have different levels of success. Critics are calling it the dawn of technofascism.