US President Donald Trump is suspending most of his controversial tariff package for 90 days. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has promised more than 70 countries talks on tariff agreements in the coming week. By contrast, China, which had retaliated with its own special tariffs of 84 percent on US imports, has been slapped with another hike – bringing tariff rates on its exports to 125 percent. What's behind the backpedalling and the crackdown on Beijing?
Elena Lasconi from the liberal USR party would have been in the run-off vote in Romania's presidential election in November had the first round of voting not been cancelled. The election will be repeated on 4 May, but the party leadership has now decided to pull its support for Lasconi who is polling at around just four percent - and has announced that it is endorsing independent Bucharest mayor and former USR founder Nicușor Dan instead.
In a surprise move, Serbia's President Aleksandar Vučić has appointed endocrinologist Djuro Macut, who has a good reputation as a doctor but has no experience in politics, to form a new government for the country, which has been rocked by continuous protests. Macut now has until 18 April, otherwise new elections will be held. Commentators take a close look at why Macut has been chosen for this role.
Most of the new tariffs announced by Washington last week are coming into force today, Wednesday. After China refused to withdraw its counter-tariffs, the US has upped the tariff rate for Chinese imports to a record 104 percent. Beijing vowed that it would "fight to the end" if necessary. Europe's press speculates on the consequences of a trade war between the biggest players in the global economy.
New punitive tariffs also apply to Europe - 20 percent for EU member states. Today, Wednesday, the EU is again meeting to discuss how best to respond. Until now Brussels had played the de-escalation game, but US President Trump has rejected its offer of a free trade deal. Europe's press explores the options.
After Donald Trump's latest tariffs announcement, oil prices dropped by around 20 percent within a week reaching their lowest level since the pandemic, when they turned negative. Europe's consumers are also feeling the effects: fuel prices at German petrol stations dropped by around 10 cents for two days in a row. A look at Europe's press shows who will be most worried by this downwards trend.
After 15 medics in a convoy of ambulances were shot dead by Israeli soldiers on 23 March, Israel claimed the vehicles had been moving in a suspicious way and did not have their emergency signals on. After video footage emerged that clearly shows the ambulances had their emergency and headlights on when the shots were fired, Israel admitted its account had been mistaken. Despite lingering uncertainties, commentators are deeply unsettled by the evidence.
Turkey's main opposition party CHP re-elected Özgur Özel as its chairman at an extraordinary party convention on Sunday, in reaction to fears that the authorities could appoint a trustee to head the party instead. The public prosecutor's office launched an investigation into alleged irregularities and vote-buying in Özel's first election in 2023.
"Hands Off" protests against the politics of President Donald Trump erupted across the US on Saturday. The New York Times spoke of tens of thousands of demonstrators in Washington. And there were also major demonstrations in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Boston, Detroit and Chicago. Europe's press see seeds of resistance growing, but not all commentators share the optimism.
China retaliated on Friday against Donald Trump's latest round of tariffs by imposing 34 percent import duties on US goods and restrictions on rare earth exports. Prices on the Japanese and Chinese stock markets dropped by around 8 percent this Monday in response. As markets around the world panic, commentators discuss how China can reposition itself in the escalating global trade war.
After the conviction of French right-wing populist Marine Le Pen last week, several thousand supporters of her Rassemblement National (RN) party staged a solidarity rally in Paris on Sunday. Speaking at the rally, Le Pen described the judgement as a "political decision" that made a mockery of the democratic state. European commentators discuss the implications.