Shortly before joint US-South Korea military exercises are due to begin, US President Donald Trump has ordered them to be scaled back, citing both the costs and his relationship with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. He said their relationship was now "very good". The media examine the implications of Washington's U-turn.
A court in the city of Pskov sentenced Lev Shlosberg - a politician from the opposition party Yabloko, which is calling for an end to the war in Ukraine - to eleven years and one month in prison on Monday. The charges were "discrediting the army" and "spreading disinformation”. On the same day, the Appeals Chamber of the Supreme Court upheld the decision to exclude Yabloko from the State Duma elections due to take place in mid-September.
France's Constitutional Council has blocked the social media ban for under-15s which was passed by parliament in July, ruling that it constitutes a "disproportionate infringement" on freedom of expression and communication. French President Emmanuel Macron has now asked his government to rewrite the legislation to make it "legally viable". The European press draws its own conclusions.
Jason Arday, a Cambridge professor who resigned in early August following allegations of plagiarism and inaccuracies in his biography, was found dead at his London home on Friday. In 2023, at the age of 37, the sociologist of education became the youngest Black professor to be appointed at Cambridge. University Chancellor Chris Smith condemned what he described as a 'racist feeding frenzy' prompted by the allegations against Arday.
With Europe facing record temperatures, drought and wildfires, calls for measures to tackle the increasingly tangible effects of climate change are growing louder. In the Czech Republic, the National Coalition to Combat Drought has been reconvened and Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has announced plans to build 20 new water reservoirs. Berlin is also discussing an action plan. Europe's press examines the various proposals.
The British nationalist right-wing populist Nigel Farage has won the by-election in his constituency of Clacton in Essex – which he himself called following a corruption scandal – with 63 percent of the vote. However, the major parties had refused to field any candidates in protest against the vote. As a result, comedian Jon Harvey, standing under the novelty name Count Binface, emerged as the only significant opponent. Joke or not, Europe's media analyse the results with the seriousness they deserve.
After nearly three years of industrial action, the Swedish trade union IF Metall has ended its strike at Tesla. The US car manufacturer had refused to sign a collective agreement, as is customary in Sweden. According to reports, it "bought out" around 80 remaining striking employees with severance packages.
For the past five years the Taliban have again been in power in Afghanistan. The leadership held a ceremony to mark the occasion outside the former US embassy, but the majority of the population has no reason to celebrate: millions are starving and women are being systematically excluded from public life and education. Now they are not even allowed to sing. Meanwhile, several EU countries have begun deporting refugees back to Afghanistan again.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has stalled on the ground – and the war is taking an ever bigger toll on the Russian economy. Meanwhile, Kyiv claims to have recaptured 745 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory since the start of the year. Against this backdrop, talk of a new mobilisation is growing louder in Moscow – although this is unlikely to happen before the Duma elections in mid-September. What would the impact be?
The US is apparently now relying on economic pressure rather than military action to force Iran to make concessions. The Strait of Hormuz, a vital connection for the global economy, remains blocked. US Vice-President JD Vance has said that lowering oil prices is now the main objective in the war with Iran. Commentators discuss the US's weakened position.
Dry soil, withered plants, meagre harvests and not enough feed for livestock: the heat and droughts of this record-breaking summer are taking a heavy toll on agriculture in Europe. Many farmers are already reducing their livestock numbers as a result. The media ask whether government aid can be a lifeline and how the agricultural sector can adapt to climate change.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Iturup (Japanese: Etorofu), one of the four Kuril Islands in the North Pacific, has sparked fierce protests in Japan. Both Tokyo and Moscow lay claim to the islands, which were occupied by the Soviet Union in the closing stages of the Second World War and have been under Russian administration ever since. According to the Russian state news agency Tass, this was Putin's first trip to the Kuril Islands. Commentators take a closer look.