The Peruvian-Spanish winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature Mario Vargas Llosa has died aged 89. A controversial figure, not only for his literary work, Vargas Llosa was also politically active and against dictatorships in South America. In 1990 he ran for the Peruvian presidency on a liberal economic programme but lost the runoff to Alberto Fujimori. From 1990 to 2023 he wrote regularly for the Spanish newspaper El País.
The British parliament on Sunday passed emergency legislation paving the way for manufacturer British Steel to be rescued after its Chinese operator Jingye announced plans to shut down the Scunthorpe steelworks, the only plant in the country that not only recycles steel but can produce it from ore and coke. While Jingye formally remains the owner, the state will take control in a move that will incur enormous losses. Controversy in the press.
The face-off in the tariff war between the US and China continues. First US President Donald Trump progressively increased the additional tariffs on Chinese imports to 145 percent. Then he announced temporary exemptions for the large electronic goods sector. Beijing has retaliated with counter-tariffs which are currently at 125 percent, and is also seeking economic alliances in other countries.
Israel has expanded its military offensive and declared almost all of Gaza a "combat zone". Its army hit a hospital in Gaza City again during air strikes. According to the UN, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are being forced into an ever smaller area because Israel wants to establish so-called security zones. Europe's press is increasingly critical of the Israeli offensive that began after the Hamas terrorist attack.
Just under a month before the early parliamentary elections on 18 May, the conservative Portuguese minority government has presented new figures pointing to a significant increase in immigration, with immigrants currently making up around 15 percent of the population. Commentators caution against an instrumentalisation of the issue.
In reaction to the Russian Orthodox Church's support for Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, the Estonian parliament has passed a law stipulating the separation of the Orthodox Church of Estonia from the Moscow Patriarchate and making the right to vote in municipal elections a prerequisite for membership of the clergy. This right to vote was recently withdrawn from residents with Russian citizenship.
The US has announced that it is withdrawing its troops from the military base in Jasionka, Poland, a key hub for supplying Ukraine. The Polish government and opposition have downplayed the impact of the move, saying that the transfers have long been in planning and will be offset by other Nato members. On the other hand, US media are reporting that the Pentagon is considering pulling out troops across Eastern Europe. Commentators take stock.
Germany has come a decisive step closer to getting a new government. Negotiators from the CDU, CSU and SPD have agreed on common goals and presented a coalition deal. Now the respective party committees just have to vote on it. The beginning of May is being floated as a possible date for the Bundestag to elect a new chancellor. Europe's press takes stock.
An estimated 13,000 Cypriots took to the streets of Nicosia on Tuesday to protest against the legalisation of the wearing of headscarves in Turkish Cypriot public schools, chanting the slogan 'Cyprus is secular'. High-ranking figures from across the political spectrum of the Turkish-occupied northern part of the island also took part. Media from the south put the rally in context.
The Ukrainian army has captured two Chinese soldiers in the Donetsk region. Kyiv also claims to have information that at least 155 other Chinese nationals are fighting in the Russian army. Beijing has dismissed the reports as unfounded. There are indications that those arrested volunteered in Russia of their own accord. Commentators nevertheless see cause for concern.
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.