US President Donald Trump welcomed Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa to the White House in Washington on Tuesday. He praised the former head of the now disbanded terrorist militia HTS as a "strong leader" who could turn war-torn Syria into a successful country. The press reacts to the visit and the rapprochement between the two countries with surprise and admiration.
Ukrainian anti-corruption investigators have uncovered a large corruption and embezzlement network in the country's energy sector. Searches were carried out at the homes of German Galushchenko, the now-dismissed justice minister who formerly served as minister of energy, and influential businessman Tymur Mindich, a long-time confidant of President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to the investigators the state suffered losses of 'around 100 million US dollars'.
Climate protection targets are the focus of the COP30 World Climate Conference which began on Monday in Belém, Brazil. In the run-up to the conference UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for stronger measures against climate change, stressing that every tenth of a degree of warming means more hunger, displacement and losses. Commentators examine the changing roles of the US, China and the Global South.
The BBC is under fire again after the resignation of its Director General Tim Davie. US President Trump has now threatened to sue for one billion dollars in damages following allegations that the British broadcaster misleadingly edited a speech he gave shortly before the storming of the Capitol for one of its documentary programmes. What does the crisis say about the BBC and public service media?
After a pause of more than 30 years, nuclear weapons tests are once again under discussion in Washington and Moscow: Donald Trump has announced that the US will resume testing of nuclear weapons following claims from Russia that it had successfully tested two new nuclear-powered missile systems. Whether Trump was referring to nuclear warheads remains unclear. Putin responded by announcing that Russia would also examine its options for nuclear weapons tests.
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been released from prison after around three weeks behind bars. A Paris court approved the 70-year-old's request for release pending appeal. Sarkozy described his time in prison as "very tough". He was convicted at the end of September in a trial over illegal campaign financing, but had lodged an appeal.
The conservative government in Lisbon wants to implement labour market reforms that would restrict workers' rights and the right to strike. For the first time since the sovereign debt crisis and the so-called "troika years" (2011-2014), the two major trade union confederations, CGTP and UGT, have now jointly called for a general strike.
Following the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán last Friday in Washington, a White House representative announced that Hungary had been exempted from the US sanctions against Russia's energy sector for the time being. Commentators discuss the reasons for the exemption and its potential impact on next year's parliamentary elections in Hungary.
Tesla boss Elon Musk is set to receive a huge share package worth 1,000 billion dollars after shareholders in the US electric car manufacturer voted in favour of a ten-year pay package for Musk which is conditional on his achieving several ambitious goals for the company. What are the implications when the richest person in the world becomes far richer?
Europe's media are closely following Zohran Mamdani's sweeping victory in the New York mayoral elections. The 34-year-old, who describes himself as a "democratic socialist", has promised free transport on buses, free childcare and rent controls. Commentators see lessons for political parties in Europe.
Chinese fast fashion giant Shein has opened its first brick-and-mortar store worldwide in the renowned Parisian department store BHV. The move caused a storm of indignation as Shein has been accused of ignoring social and environmental standards. Childlike sex dolls were promptly discovered on the company's website, prompting the French government to announce a ban on the platform.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is meeting US President Donald Trump at the White House today to discuss Russian energy supplies. The Hungarian oil company MOL is hoping to be exempted from the latest US sanctions on doing business with the Russian companies Lukoil and Rosneft. Commentators take different views of Orbán's chances of success.