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'.
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has rejected the EU Commission's criticism of the state of press freedom in her country. In a letter to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, she defended herself against the accusations and criticised certain media, describing them as "stakeholders" who had influenced the Commission. Commentators weigh in.
The Hungarian government has issued a decree extending its "national card" immigration programme, which had previously applied to citizens of Bosnia-Herzegovina, North Macedonia, the Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and Ukraine, to Russians and Belarusians. The national card allows holders to stay in Hungary, bring their family, extend their stay as often as they like - and potentially gain access to the Schengen Area. Europe's press calls for consequences.
On the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising, the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier travelled to the Polish capital to ask the population for forgiveness. The rebellion of 1944 lasted 63 days and was brutally crushed by the Nazi occupying forces. Around 200,000 resistance fighters and civilians were killed and the city almost totally destroyed before the Russians moved in.
The assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran has provoked harsh reactions and concerns about escalation. Iran has vowed to take revenge on Israel, which it blames for the deadly bombing. Russia, China and Turkey have also condemned the attack. Commentators analyse the events and potential consequences.