This Thursday evening, the Democratic National Convention in Chicago will close with a speech by presidential candidate Kamala Harris. In the run-up to the event, Harris had presented the key points of her economic policy. With an eye on the presidential election in November, Europe's press assesses where Harris and the Democrats stand.

Three days after the luxury superyacht Bayesian sank near the Sicilian capital of Palermo, hopes of finding survivors are fading. It now appears that seven people died, among them the British entrepreneur Mike Lynch. The incident has a nasty aftertaste for the press.

Ukraine claims to have advanced over 30 kilometres into the Russian Kursk region and destroyed or damaged three important bridges. According to Ukrainian President Zelensky, the goal of the offensive is to increase the pressure on Russia and to create a buffer zone. Europe's media ask whether the strategy is working.

Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine more than half a million people have left Russia. President Vladimir Putin has now issued a new law to reduce the once high immigration hurdles. The aim is to make Russia attractive to citizens from states where "traditional values" are being repressed. The press ridicules the idea.

One and a half months after the left-wing alliance Nouveau Front populaire (NFP) won the most seats in the French parliamentary elections, the government building process is still in limbo. On Friday President Macron – whose camp is seeking a centrist "republican front" to prevent the left-wing populist LFI from joining the government – will receive the NFP's prime ministerial candidate Lucie Castets. Commentators have varying degrees of patience.

A young boy was stabbed to death apparently at random on Sunday morning on a football pitch in the small Spanish town of Mocejón. The suspect, reportedly a mentally unstable 20-year-old local man, was immediately taken into custody. Spanish commentators are shocked both by the killing and by the violent racist reactions on social media.

In view of their proximity to Russia, the Baltic states are seeking to boost their defence capabilities. Estonia is investing in the modernisation of its armed forces, Latvia is expanding its military infrastructure and debating compulsory military service for women. while Lithuania wants to increase defence spending to more than three percent of its gross domestic product. Mixed reactions in the press.

The Hungarian government has presented a proposal to place a large cross at the base of the Liberty Statue on top of Gellért Hill in Budapest. The statue is visible from almost every location in the city and one of its most prominent landmarks. Commentators' views on the proposal diverge.

Kamala Harris presented her economic policy programme on Friday. In addition to supporting families and tax incentives for housing construction, she is focusing her campaign on combating inflation. She intends to legislate against excessive price increases for food and medicines. According to opinion polls, such interventions are popular with voters, but European media regard them as controversial.

As the budget belt is cinched in Germany, a debate has flared up in the country over military aid to Ukraine. According to a newspaper report, only previously approved aid for Kyiv will be made available and no new funding will be authorised. Funds from frozen Russian assets will be used instead. Commentators are sceptical.

In Serbia, there are once again demonstrations against the resumption of a major lithium extraction project in the Jadar Valley. In July, the Vučić government and the EU signed an agreement aimed at making Europe less dependent on Chinese battery production. However, there are fears of severe environmental damage in the region.

Alain Delon is dead. The French actor died at the age of 88 on his estate in Douchy-Montcorbon, south of Paris, where he had lived in seclusion in recent years. Europe's media focus on his legendary film work as an actor and producer - as well as his attitude to political and moral issues.