A faulty update for the security software CrowdStrike Falcon led to an immense and ongoing international IT outage last Friday. According to initial estimates from Microsoft, around 8.5 million computers crashed worldwide. Thousands of flights were cancelled, banking operations were blocked and hospitals had to postpone surgical interventions. The exact cause is still under investigation but commentators call for consequences.
US President Joe Biden has withdrawn as a candidate in the US presidential election in November: "While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down," the 81-year-old explained. Over the past few weeks the doubts about his candidacy had grown ever louder, even within his own ranks. Europe's press looks at who will take up the baton.
The European Union is set to participate in the mining of lithium in Serbia's Jadar Valley. A corresponding agreement was signed on Friday in the presence of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and EU Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič. The highly coveted light metal is a particularly critical component in electric car batteries. Environmentalists and voices in the press criticise the deal.
An article written by former British prime minister Boris Johnson has sparked debate in Ukraine. In the British tabloid the Daily Mail, Johnson outlined his vision for how Donald Trump could end the Russian war of aggression if he wins the election. According to the plan, Ukraine would be provided with sufficient military resources to restore the 2022 borders - but would have to give up the remaining territories. It would then be allowed to join Nato and the EU.
Ursula von der Leyen will lead the EU Commission for another five years after an absolute majority of 401 MEPs in the European Parliament voted in her favour on Thursday. In her campaign speech, the German CDU politician said that the ban on combustion cars should be softened through the introduction of exceptions for e-fuels and that the bloc's external borders are to be better protected. Europe's press takes stock.
At the Republican National Convention, Donald Trump has been officially nominated as the party's candidate for the presidential election in November, with J. D. Vance as his vice-presidential running mate. Vance currently represents Ohio in the Senate and is known to many as the author of the bestselling autobiography Hillbilly Elegy. Europe's press comments.
Keir Starmer, the new British Prime Minister, has spoken out in favour of closer ties with the EU at the European Political Community (EPC) summit at Blenheim Palace. He declared his commitment to renewing the bonds of trust and friendship that hold together the fabric of European life. Some commentators approve while others react with frustration.
Aemet, the Spanish state meteorological agency, has forecast the first heatwave of the year for the end of this week. Highs of up to 44 degrees are expected in Andalusia. The entire Iberian peninsula is affected, with the exception of the north and north-west. The Spanish press voices concern about the impact and demands action.
The European Parliament will vote on EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's bid for a second term this Thursday. To secure re-election she needs an absolute majority of votes from the 720 MEPs. As the Parliament gets ready to vote, eurotopics takes a look at a selection of commentaries in the European press.
The EU Commission and several northern European countries are reacting to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's unilateral moves in the area of foreign with boycotts. Orbán visited Putin, Xi and Trump at the beginning of his country's EU Council Presidency. EU commissioners and representatives of several EU states have now said they won't attend ministerial meetings in Budapest. Europe's press debates whether this is the right approach.
The German Ministry of the Interior has banned the right-wing extremist magazine Compact. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser justified the ban saying it was a central mouthpiece of the right-wing extremist milieu that incites hatred against Jews, people with a migration background and parliamentary democracy in an unspeakable manner. Commentators are not unanimously in favour of the decision.
On 15 July 1974, Cypriot officers, supported by the Greek military junta, staged a coup against the democratically elected government in Nicosia with the aim of making Cyprus part of Greece. Turkey then occupied the northern part of the island, invoking its right to intervene as the protecting power of the Turkish Cypriots. That the occupation of the north continues to this day, long after those who staged the coup were overthrown, is as much of a violation of international law as the coup itself.