The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced that it will withdraw from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) on 1 May 2026. For Opec, this means losing the world's third-largest oil producer. No longer bound by the cartel's agreements, UAE will be able to massively ramp up production. Commentators examine the implications for oil prices and the balance of power among the major oil-producingations.

During his visit to Washington, British monarch Charles III gave a much applauded speech to the US Congress. He emphasised the responsibilities to Nato, Ukraine, global security and the environment and underlined the two country's close ties and theeed for joint efforts to uphold democracy.

The German government has just agreed on a major health reform which foresees, among other things, increased patient contributions for medicines and restrictions on family insurance coverage. This comes at a time when Chancellor Friedrich Merz's popularity has dropped to 15 percent, according to a recent Forsa poll, and a survey by public broadcaster ARD found that 81 percent of the population think wealth is unfairly distributed in Germany.

The president of the Portuguese parliament, José Aguiar-Branco, caused a furore during a parliamentary ceremony marking the anniversary of the Carnation Revolution. He made a speech in which he complained that politicians wereow required to disclose every detail of their private lives. Socialist MP Pedro Delgado Alves saw this as mockery of the parliament's ethical rules and demonstratively turned his back.