The EU and India have concluded nearly 20 years of negotiations on a free trade agreement. Both sides had thus deepened the "partnership between the world's largest democracies", EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in New Delhi. The agreement covers a market of nearly two billion people. Commentators highlight its strategic importance.
Agents of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency have shot and killed a person in Minneapolis for the second time within a month. According to the US Department of Homeland Security, the officers were acting in self-defence. However video footage broadcast by US media shows no evidence that the victim, intensive care nurse Alex Pretti, had threatened them with a weapon. Europe's media fear a dangerous spiral of violence.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, a speech by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney attracted particular attention when he declared the end of the old rules-based order and the "beginning of a harsh reality". Carney explained that middle powers must join forces to act together against threats from the major powers. Commentators also see the need to act.
Every year on 27 January the victims of the Holocaust are commemorated. Although there are ever fewer eyewitnesses who can give personal testimony about the mass murders committed by the Nazis, numerous events are held to help keep the memory alive. Efforts to educate people about the past must be redoubled, commentators urge.
Massive Russian air strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure have left hundreds of thousands of people without electricity or heating in freezing temperatures. According to the government, 1.2 million households are currently without power. What is Russia trying to achieve with its unremitting attacks on energy facilities?
Germany and Italy plan to work more closely together. During German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's visit to Rome on Friday, he and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni signed agreements on closer cooperation in the areas of security, migration and defence, and announced joint initiatives in economic policy. Commentators speculate on where this could lead.
Following the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, details have emerged regarding the potential terms of a new Greenland agreement. According to media reports, it would include additional military bases under US sovereignty, a bigger security policy role for European states and the planned US missile defence system 'Golden Dome'.
The founding document for the Board of Peace initiated by US President Donald Trump has been signed on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. According to the charter, the Board's mission is to resolve conflicts in parallel to the United Nations. Hungary and Bulgaria are the only EU member states to have joined the controversial organisation so far. The media weigh in.
The upper house of the British Parliament has voted to introduce a social media ban for children and teens under the age of 16, following Australia's example. The vote was initiated by Conservative member of the House of Lords John Nash, who stressed that "the future of children must come first", and will increase the pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to enact a social media ban. The British press takes stock.
In north-eastern Syria, the Kurds' sphere of influence is shrinking dramatically with the advance of the transitional government's forces. A four-day ceasefire is currently in place. The US Special Envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, has said that the Kurdish SDF's role as an anti-IS force has largely expired, since the government in Damascus is now ready to assume security responsibilities. The media discusses the consequences.
The European Parliament voted by a narrow majority to refer the trade agreement signed over the weekend between the EU and the South American Mercosur countries to the European Court of Justice. The court is to examine whether the agreement is in line with EU treaties, which will delay its ratification for some time. European media outlets discuss the consequences and significance of the decision.
Donald Trump has invited numerous countries to join his "Board of Peace", which is not only to deal with the situation in Gaza but would also serve as a permanent body for conflict resolution. The potential participation of leaders such as Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenka is particularly controversial. Europe's commentators are unsparing in their criticism.