Poland has announced plans to reduce illegal migration "to a minimum" and suspend the right to asylum, at least temporarily. This is part of the country's new migration strategy, said Prime Minister Donald Tusk, explaining that he intends to demand that the decision be recognised at the EU level. Commentators analyse the motives and background to the move.
The liberal-conservative coalition government in Portugal has presented its first draft budget to parliament. The minority government hopes to secure the support of the Socialists (PS) to pass the bill, but that party is concerned about two points in particular: a reduction in corporate income tax (IRC) and a staggered decrease in income tax rates for young professionals (IRS Jovem).
The Social Democrats have emerged as the winners of the first round of the Lithuanian parliamentary elections. With over 19 percent of the vote they have a narrow lead against the ruling Conservative Party with its 18 percent. The newly founded left-wing populist Nemuno Aušra came third with 15 percent. The final distribution of seats in the Seimas will only be clear after the second round of voting on 27 October, when most of the direct mandates are allocated.
Nihon Hidankyō has been named as the winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize. Founded by survivors of the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the organisation campaigns both for the victims of the bombings back then and for global nuclear disarmament. The press discusses whether the Nobel Committee made a good choice.
After a US judge ruled in August that Google is a monopolist company that has actively violated antitrust laws, the Department of Justice has now threatened consequences. According to Washington, the group may have to be divided up into different divisions. Europe's press is following the developments closely.
The assassination attempt on Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico in May 2024 was not a terrorist attack but an ordinary attempted murder, the country's Supreme Court has concluded, thus contradicting the public prosecutor. Fico himself had recently talked once again about dangerous links between the assassin, a pensioner, and the opposition in Bratislava.
Hurricane Milton raged across Florida but caused less damage than initially feared. Just a fortnight ago, Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc in the south-west of the US. Europe's media discuss how these extreme weather events are influencing the US presidential election campaign - and the extent to which politics and disaster control are becoming intertwined.
In an interview with the Financial Times, former Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg has hinted at the possibility of Ukraine joining Nato with only the parts of its national territory it currently controls. The security guarantees of the alliance would then only apply to these parts, just as they initially applied only to West Germany when the Federal Republic joined Nato in 1955, he explained. Europe's press discusses the idea.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have exchanged verbal blows in the European Parliament. Hungary currently holds the EU Council's rotating presidency. Orbán's speech, in which he called for fundamental changes in European policy, has drawn both fierce criticism and applause.
Portugal's media are in the midst of a severe financial crisis. The liberal-conservative government under Prime Minister Luís Montenegro has now proposed a rescue plan, including major restrictions on advertising on public broadcaster RTP, which is to be restructured and streamlined through cutbacks. The national press discusses the proposals.