This year's St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (Spief) opened on Wednesday. Shortly beforehand, however, Ukrainian drones set fire to the oil terminal in the port, causing thick plumes of smoke to billow over the city. Commentators examine the significance of the forum – once dubbed the "Russian Davos" – and the impact of Ukraine's attacks on Russia.
The European Union plans to establish deportation centres in non-EU countries. Representatives of the European Parliament and governments have now reached a deal, although it is not yet clear where the hubs would be located. The measure complements the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, which will take full effect on June 12. The press assesses the plan in terms of feasibility and compatibility with fundamental rights.
The release of police bodycam footage of the death of a student who was stabbed last December has sparked public outrage in the UK. Eighteen-year-old Henry Nowak died from his injuries after the police treated him as the attacker rather than the victim, handcuffing instead of assisting him. The perpetrator, a Sikh, claimed he had been racially assaulted and had acted in self-defence. He has now been sentenced to life imprisonment.
Katri Raik, the long-time mayor of the Estonian border town of Narva, now faces competition. The opposition parties Centre Party and Plan B elected a new mayor from their ranks during a city council meeting on Monday. Centre Party member Jaan Toots has already set up office in City Hall, although the legality of the move remains unclear.
Two months after the Danish elections, a four-party centre-left coalition government has emerged which, however, still falls short of a parliamentary majority. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's Social Democrats will work together with the Socialist People's Party, the social-liberal Radikale Venstre, and the Moderates. Frederiksen is now set to begin her third term in office.
Hungary's new prime minister, Péter Magyar, wants to amend the constitution to allow him to remove President Tamás Sulyok from office, whom he accuses of having been too loyal to the former ruling party, Fidesz. The head of state has allowed the deadline for his resignation, set for 31 May, to pass. Under the current constitutional provisions the president is elected by the parliament for a five-year term.
In Turkey, the main opposition party CHP is under intense pressure. At the end of May a court ordered the removal of party leader Özgür Özel on the grounds that his election in 2023 was not in accordance with the rules. Under the ruling, former chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu is to lead the party instead. The judgement has triggered a leadership crisis in the form of an open power struggle between Özel and Kılıçdaroğlu.
Armenia will hold parliamentary elections on 7 June. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is hoping that the vote will bolster his pro-Western course. At the summit of the Eurasian Economic Union in Kazakhstan, which Pashinyan did not attend, Vladimir Putin threatened to suspend economic cooperation with the country. Russia has already imposed import bans on certain Armenian goods.
While the US and Iran are engaged in negotiations for a peaceful solution, the confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah continues to escalate. On Monday the Iranian regime threatened to suspend negotiations with Washington if Israel continues its military operations in Lebanon. In response, US President Donald Trump spoke to both sides and then announced that there would be no further fighting.
The Partit Laburista (Labour Party) has won Saturday's general election in Malta for the fourth time in a row. Prime Minister Robert Abela had brought the election forward by a year in order to secure a new mandate in the context of the ongoing geopolitical crises. Although the EU's smallest member state recorded an economic growth rate of four percent last year, the consequences of the war in Iran and inflation have fuelled fears of an economic downturn.
Two people were injured on Thursday night when a drone struck a block of flats in Galați, Romania. According to official reports the drone was Russian and carrying an explosive payload. At the same time, the Ukrainian Danube port of Reni, 20 kilometres away, was attacked. Romania ordered the closure of the Russian Consulate General in Constanța. Commentators see this response as insufficient.