Eurotopics.net

By seizing strategic islands and port cities on Yemen's Red Sea coast, the pro-Iranian Houthi militia is asserting control over the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a vital waterway for global trade. During the Iran war the strait has become a key alternative route for Saudi Arabian oil exports. How will this impact energy markets, which are already under intense strain?

In view of soaring fuel prices, the rising cost of living and the country's huge national debt, economic and social issues are dominating the campaign for the French presidential elections in spring 2027. Numerous calls for nationwide protests are already circulating on social media. The French press examines the problems waiting to be solved.

Incidents involving drones are on the rise in Europe: a train travelling from Kyiv to Warsaw was attacked on Sunday, Nato fighter jets shot down another drone that entered Lithuanian airspace on Tuesday, and a drone containing explosives was found and defused at Leipzig airport a few weeks ago. Commentators examine the background to these events and the impact on different regions.

Leading tech entrepreneurs from the US have called for the development of AI to be slowed down. In a post on his blog, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has stressed the need to pace AI development and allow the industry more time for risk prevention. Otherwise we run the risk of losing control of AI systems in six to twelve months, he wrote. Amodei's statements were echoed by Elon Musk, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Google.

The results of the 2025 Pisa study, for which 760,000 15-year-olds from 91 countries were tested, were published on Tuesday. The international trend pointed to a further decline in performance in reading, maths and science. In Europe, countries such as Estonia, Ireland, Poland and Switzerland did well whereas Germany's results hit an all-time low. The press looks at causes and consequences.