Eurotopics.net

Many people in Europe are finding it hard to get into the holiday mood this Christmas. The war in Ukraine is putting a damper on spirits, the high inflation is hitting people's wallets and many homes are colder and damper than usual due to energy-saving measures. Europe's press is not so merry this year either.

The US Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the State Capitol has recommended charging former US President Donald Trump with four crimes, including conspiracy and insurrection. For Attorney General Merrick Garland the recommendation poses a real dilemma, Europe's press observes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has met with Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenka in Minsk. At the same time, Russian and Belarusian forces took part in joint military manoeuvres. While the Russian news agency Tass described the meeting as fruitful, commentators point to divergences between the allied despots.

After several weeks of turbulence at Twitter, Elon Musk has held out the prospect of resigning as the online service's CEO. He would step down as soon as he found someone "stupid enough" to take the job, he declared in a tweet, after Twitter users voted by 57.5 percent in favour of his resignation in a poll. Commentators debate the consequences.