A presidential election will be held in Belarus on Sunday. Alexander Lukashenka, who has ruled the country as a dictator since 1994, wants to be confirmed for a seventh term. In 2020 there was a major wave of protests against an election that was widely held to have been rigged. The protests were brutally suppressed by the regime. The media explain why such protests are unlikely this time round.
In his inaugural speech, US President Trump remained silent on the subject of the war in Ukraine. Now he has addressed Vladimir Putin on Truth Social: "STOP this ridiculous war!" If a solution isn't found soon he would have to impose "high taxes, tariffs and sanctions" on Russian exports, he said. According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump has given his negotiator Keith Kellogg 100 days to broker a deal.
The world's biggest asset manager Blackrock has announced that it is withdrawing from the climate group Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative (NZAMI). The initiative brings together investment managers who are committed to the goal of a climate-neutral economy by 2050 and invest in 'green' industries. Commentators discuss whether this is symptomatic of a new global trend.
The opposition in the Slovakian parliament tried to table a motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Robert Fico on Tuesday, but he prevented this by presenting an intelligence report accusing the opposition of planning a "Maidan", a coup along the lines of the 2014 protests in Ukraine, to seize power.
The initial six-week ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into force on Sunday. The terrorist organisation handed over three Israeli hostages, with 95 reportedly still being held. On 7 October 2023, Hamas abducted around 250 hostages in total. As agreed, Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners in exchange. Europe's commentators voice relief, but also scepticism.