Large swaths of the Czech Republic were left without power for several hours on Friday. About one million people in Prague, central, northern and eastern Bohemia were impacted. A number of businesses were unable to operate, people were trapped in lifts and public transport and trains ground to a halt. The outage was triggered by a phase conductor failure. Local press discuss causes and consequences.
The US government plans to halt deliveries of certain weapons to Ukraine. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said on Wednesday that a comprehensive review was underway to determine which weapons systems would be affected, but that there were still robust options for the provision of military aid to the country. Commentators discuss motives and potential consequences.
The US Congress passed the new tax and spending bill presented by President Trump as his "big, beautiful bill". Among other things, it provides for lower income tax rates, expanded tax breaks for businesses and higher child tax credits. These measures are to be partially offset by spending cuts, primarily in the areas of health and education.
The Turkish government is continuing its crackdown against the main opposition party CHP: 126 people were detained in a major police operation against the city administration of Izmir, a CHP stronghold, on Tuesday. There have been several such waves of arrests since the removal from office and imprisonment of Istanbul's mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu in March. Commentators analyse Ankara's actions and their consequences.
Stricter rules against tobacco consumption have come into force in France: smoking is now prohibited on beaches, at bus stops, in parks, around schools and on sports grounds. The tightened regulations are mainly aimed at protecting young people from active and passive smoking. Health Minister Catherine Vautrin wants France to have a new "tobacco-free generation" by 2032. The national press is unimpressed.