The Turkish government has introduced a draft law under which stray dogs will be put down if a new home isn't found for them within 30 days. It is estimated that there are four to ten million stray dogs in the country. Animal welfare organisations have been staging protests against the plan for several days now. The national press weighs in.
From 2025 onwards, 11 July will be marked annually as the International Day of Remembrance of the Srebrenica Genocide, after the UN General Assembly passed a corresponding resolution last Thursday by 84 votes to 19, with 68 abstentions. On 11 July 1995, Bosnian Serbs murdered 8,000 Muslims near the town of Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Serbia vehemently opposed the resolution: Belgrade sees it as branding all Serbs as supporters of genocide.
A short video has triggered outrage in Germany: it shows young people partying and singing xenophobic slogans at the Pony Club, a popular bar on the island of Sylt. The island is a well-known holiday destination for Germany's rich and famous and the club has been attracting celebrities since the 1960s. Numerous politicians including Chancellor Olaf Scholz have condemned the incident. Commentators are divided over whether the scandal is being blown out of proportion.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called a general election for 4 July even though he could have delayed it until January 2025. Sunak said on Wednesday that the British people must decide: 'Who do you trust?' Commentators discuss why the prime minister has decided to hold the election now - despite abysmal poll ratings - and whether the Tories still stand a chance of winning.
The rift had already been obvious for some time, and then on Thursday the AfD was excluded from the Identity and Democracy group in the EU Parliament. Marine Le Pen's Rassemblement National and Matteo Salvini's Lega were the driving forces behind the move, which was reportedly triggered by remarks by the AfD's lead candidate in the EU elections, Maximilian Krah, in which he downplayed the crimes of the SS during World War II. What comes next for Europe's far right?
A mysterious Russian government proposal has caused a stir. Published on an official Russian portal on Tuesday, it has now been deleted but involved a revision of the "geographical coordinates" defining Russia's borders in various areas of the Baltic Sea which - according to the draft - are inaccurate. Commentators are at odds over the seriousness of the incident.
China has been conducting military exercises encircling the island of Taiwan since Thursday. The country has reported dozens of violations of its air defence zone. Yesterday China threatened bloodshed and today a Chinese military spokesman said they were testing the China's ability to seize power over the self-governed island. The press takes a critical view of the latest developments.
The governments of Spain, Ireland and Norway have announced that they intend to recognise the state of Palestine in the coming days. Israel has condemned the move as support for Hamas terrorism and recalled its ambassadors from Dublin and Oslo. A similar decision is expected regarding Madrid. A glance at Europe's commentary sections shows how divided opinions are on the subject.
At the international far-right gathering in Madrid last weekend, Argentina's President Javier Milei called Begoña Gómez, wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, corrupt. Spain responded by closing its embassy in Buenos Aires, which Milei then described as "nonsense from an arrogant socialist". Spain's press sees only one side benefiting from this spat.
After granting the Republic of Moldova candidate status just under two years ago and committing to starting accession talks last December, the EU has now signed a security and defence pact with the Eastern European country. The press takes a look at factors that could either delay or accelerate its accession.
The application by the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant as well as three Hamas leaders has electrified the international community. The charges are war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israel and Gaza. Israel, the US, the UK and Germany have criticised the bid saying it equates the leaders of a democratic country with terrorists. Commentators weigh in.
The British High Court has ruled that it does not have sufficient grounds to believe that Julian Assange would be able to exercise his right of freedom of expression in the event of his being tried in the US, where he is wanted for publishing secret documents. This means the Wikileaks founder can once again appeal against his extradition in the UK. Commentators debate how the case could and should proceed.