Eurotopics.net

US President Donald Trump welcomed Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa to the White House in Washington on Tuesday. He praised the former head of the now disbanded terrorist militia HTS as a "strong leader" who could turn war-torn Syria into a successful country. The press reacts to the visit and the rapprochement between the two countries with surprise and admiration.

Ukrainian anti-corruption investigators have uncovered a large corruption and embezzlement network in the country's energy sector. Searches were carried out at the homes of German Galushchenko, the now-dismissed justice minister who formerly served as minister of energy, and influential businessman Tymur Mindich, a long-time confidant of President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to the investigators the state suffered losses of 'around 100 million US dollars'.

Climate protection targets are the focus of the COP30 World Climate Conference which began on Monday in Belém, Brazil. In the run-up to the conference UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for stronger measures against climate change, stressing that every tenth of a degree of warming means more hunger, displacement and losses. Commentators examine the changing roles of the US, China and the Global South.

The BBC is under fire again after the resignation of its Director General Tim Davie. US President Trump has now threatened to sue for one billion dollars in damages following allegations that the British broadcaster misleadingly edited a speech he gave shortly before the storming of the Capitol for one of its documentary programmes. What does the crisis say about the BBC and public service media?

The US's largest city will be governed by Democrat Zohran Mamdani. The 34-year-old politician describes himself as a "democratic socialist" and has promised free buses, free childcare and to freeze some rents. In his victory speech he addressed the US president directly, presenting himself as his new major rival. For the European press, the significance of the election goes far beyond the Big Apple.