Eurotopics.net

The parliament in Riga has voted to withdraw Latvia from the Istanbul Convention, which obliges countries to provide better protection for women and girls. Critics of the convention say the gender ideologies it contains pose a threat to the country's traditional family values. If the decision is implemented, Latvia would become the first EU country to withdraw from the Convention. More than 5,000 people protested against the decision outside the parliament on Wednesday.

After almost all the ballots had been counted in the Dutch parliamentary election, Rob Jetten's left-liberal D66 and right-wing populist Geert Wilders' PVV were almost neck and neck. Jetten, 38, whose party almost tripled its number of seats from 9 to 26, is widely seen as the winner and next prime minister. Europe's press draws lessons for dealing with right-wing populists.

El-Fasher, the capital of the Sudanese province of North Darfur, is in a catastrophic state following its capture by RSF militia. There are reports that the RSF has killed at least 1,500 civilians in the last few days. More than 460 of the killings took place in a hospital, according to the World Health Organisation. European media lament the lethargy of the international community.

At their meeting in South Korea, Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump have agreed on several compromises in the trade dispute. While Trump says the dispute is now 'settled', Xi was more cautious and called for further consultations to reach tangible results regarding rare earths, agricultural imports and tariffs, among other things. What does the trial of strength between the two superpowers mean for the international order?

President Maia Sandu has nominated Alexandru Munteanu as Moldova's new head of government. The physicist, investment banker and entrepreneur with Moldovan, Romanian and US citizenship is an independent and was virtually unknown in Moldova up to now. He is to be confirmed in office on Friday by parliament, where the pro-European party PAS, which has close ties to Sandu, secured 55 of the 101 seats in the last parliamentary elections.