Donald Trump became the first former US president to stand trial in criminal proceedings on Monday. He is accused of manipulating business records with the aim of covering up a hush money payment to pornographic film actress Stormy Daniels. Trump's motion for recusal against Judge Juan Merchan has been rejected. Commentators discuss the ramifications of the trial.
The UK's House of Commons on Tuesday voted 383 to 67 in favour of a bill banning future generations from buying tobacco products. The minimum age for purchase is to be gradually raised, making it illegal for anyone born after 2009 to purchase cigarettes and other such products. The bill has reignited the debate about a 'nanny state'. Where are the limits for state intervention in citizens' private lives?
A fire at the 17th-century Old Stock Exchange in Copenhagen on Tuesday night has destroyed one of the oldest and most striking buildings in the Danish capital. In a post on X, Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen described the fire as "our Notre Dame moment". The reactions in the Danish press reflect how shocked the country is.
In March, against the backdrop of the current war, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia declared their intention to recognise a Palestinian state. Now they are taking concrete steps: Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has said he aims to achieve recognition by the end of June and is campaigning for further support for the initiative. Ireland's Foreign Minister Micheál Martin is set to present his government with a proposal for recognition. Opinions are divided.
At a humanitarian conference in Paris the international community has pledged over two billion euros in aid for Sudan. The country has been ravaged by a year of conflict between government troops and rebel paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Millions of people are starving and on the move. Will the money be enough?
Iran launched its first direct attack on Israel on Sunday. Tehran fired more than 300 drones and missiles but with the help of Israel's allies 99 percent of the projectiles were neutralised, according to the Israeli armed forces. Iran had promised to retaliate after seven Revolutionary Guards were killed in Damascus on 1 April. Europe's press takes very different views of the scope and consequences of the attack.
After years of wrangling, the EU Parliament has approved a pact which tightens the regulations of the EU's common asylum system. All ten legislative proposals were adopted by a narrow majority. Under the new regulations asylum procedures will be processed on the EU's outer borders, deportation procedures accelerated and the burden on countries that take in higher numbers of migrants eased through a solidarity mechanism.
Around two hours after it kicked off, the Berlin police broke up an event on Friday that had been registered as a "Palestine Congress". The authorities justified the move by stating that one of the online speakers was banned from political activity in Germany for hate speech against Israel and Jews. According to media reports, people who were planning to attend were banned from entering the country in the run-up to the event.
The EU's General Court in Luxembourg has lifted the sanctions imposed on the Russian oligarchs Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven between February 2022 and March 2023. It explained the decision saying that the EU Council had failed to provide sufficient evidence for the two main shareholders of Alfa-Bank to be included in the sanctions list at the time. This ruling does not, however, affect subsequent sanctions decisions.
Switzerland has announced a Ukraine peace conference for 15 June. The government in Bern said that there was sufficient international support for a high-level meeting to initiate the peace process, in response to a corresponding request by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Russia has already announced that it will not be attending. What can the initiative achieve?
The French National Assembly has unanimously agreed to ban the manufacture, import and sale of products containing PFAS from 2026 - with the exception of kitchenware such as coated pans, which were excluded from the ban due to pressure from manufacturers. PFAS stands for perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl compounds. These chemicals are extremely persistent and suspected of being carcinogenic. Commentators take a critical view of the exception.