Eurotopics.net

In its defensive war against the Russian invasion, Ukraine suffered a number of setbacks in 2024. Neither the Kursk offensive that began in August nor the long-awaited permission to use imported weapons to attack military targets in Russia have brought the breakthrough Kyiv had hoped for. The world is now nervously waiting to see whether Trump, as the future US president, can force the parties to negotiate - and what such negotiations might lead to.

Wars and climate change are not the only global problems the approximately 8.14 billion people living on our planet face. As the year draws to a close, the media reflect on the social and health-related well-being of humanity as a whole.

A car attack at the Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg has left five people dead and more than 200 injured. The detained suspect is a 50-year-old psychiatrist from Saudi Arabia who had been granted asylum in Germany. He was known to the authorities as a fierce critic of Islam and for having made threats of violence, among other things. Europe's press discusses the ramifications of this act of terrorism.

Hungary's decision to grant political asylum to MP Marcin Romanowski, who is wanted by the Polish authorities, has led to a dispute between Warsaw and Budapest. Romanowski was deputy justice minister in the PiS government that was voted out of office in 2023. Poland's public prosecutor general has charged him with corruption and embezzlement of public funds. The polarisation of society is reflected in the press in both countries.