Eurotopics.net

After the dramatic pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, many had hoped for a year of recovery. But the war against Ukraine, soaring inflation and the effects of climate change have meant that reviews of the year 2022 are once again mainly negative. Commentators nonetheless highlight certain constructive developments, too.

War, climate change, economic crisis - the outlook for 2023 does not seem rosy. But despite the gloomy mood, some commentators see cause for hope.

In a speech to the US Congress, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the US for its help so far, saying he hoped Congress would continue to provide Ukraine with bipartisan support; as of January the Republicans will have a majority in the House of Representatives. Europe's press takes stock of Zelensky's first trip abroad since the Russian invasion of his country in February.

In Afghanistan, the Taliban have banned women from attending university. Female students will be excluded from university education with immediate effect. The country's Minister of Higher Education Sheikh Neda Mohammad Nadim justified the decision by saying that allowing women to study was contrary to the Taliban's Islamic interpretation of the law - among other things because women often come to cities to study unaccompanied.