Eurotopics.net

The EU environment ministers have agreed to stick to the goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 90 percent compared to 1990 levels by 2040. However, member states can use international carbon credits to account for up to five percent of their reduction targets. Europe's press sees this as a watering down of climate targets, and discusses the outcome with an eye to the COP30 World Climate Conference starting next week in Belém, Brazil.

Tomio Okamura, leader of the far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy Party (SPD), has been nominated as speaker of the Czech Chamber of Deputies. He was the candidate of the new centre-right coalition led by Prime Minister-designate Andrej Babiš and was elected despite a heated debate in which he was accused of having racist and pro-Russian views.

The pro-Orbán media group Indamedia has purchased the country's leading newspaper, Blikk. The tabloid was owned by the Swiss Ringier Group for more than three decades but the latter is now selling off its entire Hungarian media portfolio. Indamedia also owns Hungary's largest news website Index. What does this mean for press freedom in the country?

The US's largest city will be governed by Democrat Zohran Mamdani. The 34-year-old politician describes himself as a "democratic socialist" and has promised free buses, free childcare and to freeze some rents. In his victory speech he addressed the US president directly, presenting himself as his new major rival. For the European press, the significance of the election goes far beyond the Big Apple.