Eurotopics.net

Despite warnings from Beijing, Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, has made an official visit to Taiwan. There she assured President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday that the US will "always stand with Taiwan". Meanwhile the Chinese military carried out live-fire exercises near the island. Europe's press takes differing views of the visit.

Ayman al-Zawahiri, leader of the terrorist organisation al-Qaeda, was killed in a drone strike orchestrated by the US military on the weekend. He was struck down as he was standing on the balcony of a compound in the Afghan capital Kabul, according to the US government. Al-Zawahiri was the successor of Osama bin Laden, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. The operation and its consequences are the subject of heated debate in the media.

The Spanish government has adopted a series of "emergency measures", including stringent regulations for air conditioning and lighting in public buildings, in a bid to save energy and use it more efficiently. The country aims to reduce gas consumption by seven percent in line with the EU's emergency plan. The Spanish press welcomes the measures but urges caution.

After his controversial visit to Vienna, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has arrived in the US. He met with former president Donald Trump on Tuesday, and is scheduled to deliver a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Thursday. Hungarian commentators are divided in their appraisal of Orbán's performance on this foreign tour.

For the first time since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine a cargo ship carrying grain has left the port of Odesa. The Razoni, loaded with 26,000 tonnes of maize, set sail on Monday for Lebanon. Whether this hails a breakthrough for exports of the roughly 20 million tonnes of stored Ukrainian grain remains uncertain, commentators note, taking a critical look at those congratulating themselves for this success.