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.
The EU Commission has set a new climate protection target: a 90 percent reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions, compared to 1990 levels, by 2040. As of 2036, EU member states will be able to purchase up to three percentage points of their reduction target with credits from environmental projects in countries outside the EU. These "international credits" in particular are a source of controversy in Europe's press.
At a time when developing countries are struggling with massive debt and industrialised nations are cutting aid budgets, how can development cooperation continue? This is the question that dominated the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development which ended on Thursday in Seville. The US, which has scrapped more than 80 percent of USAID projects under Trump, didn't even send a delegation.
Relations between Russia and Azerbaijan have nosedived after several Azerbaijanis were arrested in Yekaterinburg on Sunday for murders committed many years ago. Two of those arrested were found dead shortly afterwards - according to Baku as a result of severe physical abuse. In retaliation, several Russians - including employees of the Russian state broadcaster Sputnik - were arrested in Baku and subjected to brutal treatment. What is fuelling the conflict?
Romania's new prime minister, Ilie Bolojan, has announced major cuts to scholarships at schools and universities. According to statistics from the Ministry of Education, almost one in two secondary school pupils has received a grant of around 90 euros per month in recent years for good grades. The criteria for receiving these merit-based scholarships, as well as those allocated to disadvantaged pupils, are now to be tightened.
Europe is sweltering as temperatures hit record levels of more than 40 degrees Celsius in some places. Wildfires are spreading, rivers and lakes are drying up, crops are withering, and particularly for the sick and elderly the heat poses a major health risk. Commentators examine existential questions.
A fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran has been in place since 24 June. There are contradictory statements about the damage to Iranian nuclear facilities and the whereabouts of the enriched uranium. Tehran has temporarily suspended its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Europe's press analyses the situation.
Violent clashes between the police and demonstrators broke out on Saturday after tens of thousands of people again took to the streets of the Serbian capital Belgrade to protest against Aleksandar Vučić's government and demand early parliamentary elections. The rallies which started after the Novi Sad railway station tragedy on 1 November 2024, in which 16 people died, have gone on for eight months now.
Krister Thelin, a former judge appointed as a special investigator, has advised the Swedish government not to impose a nationwide ban on begging which the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats in particular had pushed for. After nine months of research, Thelin concluded that local bans suffice. Begging is already on the decline in Sweden, mainly due to the fact that people use less cash. The national press debates the pros and cons of a begging ban.
According to the organisers nearly 200,000 people took part in this year's Budapest Pride - far more than in previous marches. Around 70 MEPs also joined the ranks of those demonstrating for LGBTQ rights. Budapest's mayor had framed the event as a municipal 'freedom festival' to foil the Orbán government's attempts to ban it. Commentators shed light on the political aspects.