Austrian security authorities have announced that they have foiled an attack on one of the three Taylor Swift concerts that were cancelled in Vienna. The 19-year-old man who is the main suspect is reportedly a supporter of the IS terrorist militia. He and an accomplice were allegedly planning to kill as many people as possible outside the stadium.
The radical Islamic Hamas organisation has appointed Yahya Sinwar as successor to its assassinated former leader Ismail Haniyeh. Sinwar (61) lives in hiding and is believed to be the mastermind of the 7 October massacre in which around 1,200 people were killed in southern Israel. Commentators debate the repercussions.
The UK saw further rioting by right-wing extremists on the weekend. The trigger was a knife attack in the seaside town of Southport in which a 17-year-old allegedly killed three girls and seriously injured several other people. Misinformation according to which the perpetrator was a Muslim asylum seeker fuelled the riots. The police had expected further riots on Wednesday, but instead thousands of people demonstrated against racism and violence in several cities.
US Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has chosen the Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, as her running mate. The duo kicked off their campaign with an appearance in Pennsylvania, one of the key swing states for the presidential election in November. Not all commentators see Walz as the best option.
The Austrian branch of the Last Generation movement has announced that it will discontinue its climate protection protests. "We no longer see any prospect of success," the group explained. Commentators debate what the group's controversial protest actions, such as gluing themselves to roads with fast-acting adhesives, have achieved.
A well-known sociologist at the National University School of Political Science and Public Administration (SNSPA) has been accused of sexual abuse by around twenty female students. The police have launched an investigation and the Ministry of Education has announced a more thorough approach to anonymous reports of abuse. The Romanian press discusses what the consequences of the scandal should be.
Share prices on many stock markets around the world plummeted on Monday. Technology companies were particularly affected. Apple shares momentarily dipped by up to ten percent and Microsoft and Alphabet shares dropped by around five percent. The Japanese Nikkei index experienced its worst crash in decades. Commentators are at odds over how worried we should be.
The Russian dissidents who were released in last week's prisoner swap have called for Russians not to be sweepingly condemned as war enthusiasts and Putin supporters. Vladimir Kara-Murza also criticised the Western sanctions as unfair, saying they hit ordinary Russians. These statements have sparked a lively debate, particularly in Ukraine.
US Vice President Kamala Harris still has around one hundred days to win over US voters. She received almost 100 percent support in an online vote by Democratic delegates and for the first time polls have put her ahead of her Republican rival Donald Trump. Commentators discuss her chances and potential strategies.
The largest prisoner exchange between Western states and Russia since the end of the Cold War took place last week. Russia and Belarus released 16 prisoners, including US journalist Evan Gershkovich, Russian human rights activist Oleg Orlov and opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza. Ten prisoners were handed over to Russia, including Vadim Krassikov, also known in Germany as the 'Tiergarten killer'.