A key question is on the table at today's EU summit in Brussels: should the EU grant Ukraine a loan for tens of billions of euros guaranteed by frozen Russian assets? If the proposal goes through, Russia would formally retain ownership of the funds, but its access to them would be permanently blocked. Any attempts by Moscow to claim the assets - most of which are held by the financial institution Euroclear in Belgium - would only be accepted if it agreed to pay war reparations.
Italy has become the EU second member state after France to voice doubts about the EU Commission's plans to sign the Mercosur trade agreement on Saturday. The deal is "premature", Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Wednesday. Commentators also observe that the opposition to the free trade agreement has by no means been overcome despite safeguard clauses for agricultural products.
Belarus's authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko released 123 political prisoners on Saturday and expelled them from the country. Among those pardoned were civil rights activist Maria Kolesnikova, former presidential candidate Viktor Babaryko and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Beliatski. The move came after the US announced it was lifting its sanctions against the Belarusian potash industry.
On Tuesday, the European Commission presented new proposals for automotive industry regulations, including an easing of the ban on combustion engines which would allow the registration of vehicles with combustion engines even after 2035 under certain circumstances. Car manufacturers would have to guarantee that the carbon emissions of their new cars are on average 90 percent lower than in the reference year 2021. The move elicits mixed reactions from commentators.
A Hong Kong court has found pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai guilty of "conspiracy to collude with foreign forces" following a two-year trial. The sentence will be handed down to the 78-year-old at a later date. For Europe's media, the verdict highlights the dictatorial nature of the Chinese system.
Investigators are now working on the assumption that the Bondi Beach attack was motivated by antisemitism and that the perpetrators were influenced by the ideology of the terrorist group Islamic State. The two gunmen opened fire on people participating in a Chanukah celebration on Sydney's famous beach on Sunday. Fifteen people were killed and 40 others injured. A glance at the European press reveals just how close Australia is to us.
After two days of talks aimed at finding a peaceful solution for Ukraine, the participants at the meeting in Berlin were optimistic: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke of a "real chance" for peace, saying that the US had offered "considerable legal and material guarantees". And Ukraine's European allies proposed a "multinational force" to secure peace with Russia.
José Antonio Kast has won the runoff election for the Chilean presidency. The right-wing populist secured just over 58 percent of the vote, leaving his communist rival Jeannette Jara trailing behind with around 42 percent. Commentators discuss what the new president's ultra-conservative views portend for the country.
With all ministers sworn in at Prague Castle on Monday, the formation of the new right-wing populist government consisting of ANO, the Motorists' Party as well as Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) in the Czech Republic is now formally complete. Commentators discuss how the cabinet under Prime Minister Andrej Babiš will position itself, particularly vis-á-vis Russia and Ukraine.
Following mass protests against the draft budget and corruption, the Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov and his entire government have resigned. "We hear the voices of the people who are protesting against the government," said Zhelyazkov, who formed a minority multi-party coalition government last January. The options now: an attempt to form a new government or snap elections.